Movietone News
Encyclopedia
Movietone News is a newsreel
that ran from 1928 to 1963 in the United States, and from 1929 to 1979 in the United Kingdom.
s from 1928 to 1963 in the U.S., from 1929 to 1979 in the UK (for much of that time as British Movietone News), and from 1929 to 1975 in Australia. One of the earliest in the series featured George Bernard Shaw
Talks to Movietone News, released on June 25, 1928.
An early conductor of the Movietone News orchestra was Harry Lauder II, nephew of entertainer Sir Harry Lauder
, who was contracted by the company for eighteen months before William Fox
took him to his Hollywood studio. Sir Harry Lauder also appeared in test sound films made at the Fox Studios in New York City
during the winter-spring of 1927.
One installment, Fox Grandeur News, was released on May 26, 1929 in Fox's short-lived widescreen
process Grandeur
, and shown before the feature film
Fox Movietone Follies of 1929
.
Hearst Metrotone News
initially leased the Case Research Lab
patents from William Fox for its sound newsreels. Each of these studios used this system of recording sound film
for news items because it was an easily transported single-system of sound-on-film
recording.
Fox's first use of recording a news event was on May 20, 1927: Charles Lindbergh
's take-off from Roosevelt Field for his historic solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean was filmed with sound and shown in a New York theater that same night, inspiring Fox to create Movietone News. A regular narrator of the newsreels was broadcaster/journalist Lowell Thomas
.
In Australia
, Movietone and Cinesound were competitors for newsreel coverage, but have now combined under the Movietone News name.
Newsfilm Library has a portion of the Fox Movietone newsreel collection. The rest of it is owned and managed by the Fox Film Corporation's corporate successor (and namesake), Fox News Channel
. The majority of the collection is stored in New Jersey, mostly unseen since the newsreels were originally shown in theatres. During its early years, Fox News Channel had a weekend show which played the newsreels.
Licensing for Fox Movietone newsreels owned by the University of South Carolina is handled by the Newsfilm Library, while licensing for Fox Movietone News still owned by News Corp
. is handled by the British company ITN
, as part of its archive, including Fox News Channel, Reuters
, Granada
and the UK network Channel 4
. British Movietone is owned separately by the films' successor-in-interest, operating under the name British Movietonews Ltd. In the United States, licensing of those newsreels is handled by ABC News
.
Newsreel
A newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers...
that ran from 1928 to 1963 in the United States, and from 1929 to 1979 in the United Kingdom.
History
It is known in the U.S. as Fox Movietone News, produced cinema, sound newsreelNewsreel
A newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers...
s from 1928 to 1963 in the U.S., from 1929 to 1979 in the UK (for much of that time as British Movietone News), and from 1929 to 1975 in Australia. One of the earliest in the series featured George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
Talks to Movietone News, released on June 25, 1928.
An early conductor of the Movietone News orchestra was Harry Lauder II, nephew of entertainer Sir Harry Lauder
Harry Lauder
Sir Henry Lauder , known professionally as Harry Lauder, was an international Scottish entertainer, described by Sir Winston Churchill as "Scotland's greatest ever ambassador!"-Early life:...
, who was contracted by the company for eighteen months before William Fox
William Fox (producer)
William Fox born Fried Vilmos was a pioneering Hungarian American motion picture executive who founded the Fox Film Corporation in 1915 and the Fox West Coast Theatres chain in the 1920s...
took him to his Hollywood studio. Sir Harry Lauder also appeared in test sound films made at the Fox Studios in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
during the winter-spring of 1927.
One installment, Fox Grandeur News, was released on May 26, 1929 in Fox's short-lived widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
process Grandeur
70 mm Grandeur film
70 mm Grandeur film, also called Fox Grandeur, was a 70mm widescreen film format developed by the Fox Film Corporation and used commercially on a small scale in 1929-1931. It is technically very similar to the Todd-AO 70mm system, marketed from 1955 and still in limited use today...
, and shown before the feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
Fox Movietone Follies of 1929
Fox Movietone Follies of 1929
Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 was a black-and-white and color American musical film released by Fox Film Corporation.-Preservation status:...
.
Hearst Metrotone News
Hearst Metrotone News
Hearst Metrotone News was a newsreel series produced by the Hearst Corporation, founded by William Randolph Hearst.-History:...
initially leased the Case Research Lab
Theodore Case
Theodore Willard Case known for the invention of the Movietone sound-on-film sound film system, was born into a prominent family in Auburn, New York.-Family history:...
patents from William Fox for its sound newsreels. Each of these studios used this system of recording sound film
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
for news items because it was an easily transported single-system of sound-on-film
Sound-on-film
Sound-on-film refers to a class of sound film processes where the sound accompanying picture is physically recorded onto photographic film, usually, but not always, the same strip of film carrying the picture. Sound-on-film processes can either record an analog sound track or digital sound track,...
recording.
Fox's first use of recording a news event was on May 20, 1927: Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
's take-off from Roosevelt Field for his historic solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean was filmed with sound and shown in a New York theater that same night, inspiring Fox to create Movietone News. A regular narrator of the newsreels was broadcaster/journalist Lowell Thomas
Lowell Thomas
Lowell Jackson Thomas was an American writer, broadcaster, and traveler, best known as the man who made Lawrence of Arabia famous...
.
In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Movietone and Cinesound were competitors for newsreel coverage, but have now combined under the Movietone News name.
Status and licensing
The University of South CarolinaUniversity of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
Newsfilm Library has a portion of the Fox Movietone newsreel collection. The rest of it is owned and managed by the Fox Film Corporation's corporate successor (and namesake), Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
. The majority of the collection is stored in New Jersey, mostly unseen since the newsreels were originally shown in theatres. During its early years, Fox News Channel had a weekend show which played the newsreels.
Licensing for Fox Movietone newsreels owned by the University of South Carolina is handled by the Newsfilm Library, while licensing for Fox Movietone News still owned by News Corp
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
. is handled by the British company ITN
Independent Television News
ITN is a news and content provider with headquarters in the United Kingdom. It is made up of four key businesses: ITN News, ITN Source, ITN Productions and ITN Consulting. The ITN logotype can be displayed in any of 4 different colours, each of which represents a business unit. This is the...
, as part of its archive, including Fox News Channel, Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
, Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
and the UK network Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. British Movietone is owned separately by the films' successor-in-interest, operating under the name British Movietonews Ltd. In the United States, licensing of those newsreels is handled by ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
.
See also
- Newsreels
- List of online video archives
- Movietone sound systemMovietone sound systemThe Movietone sound system is a sound-on-film method of recording sound for motion pictures that guarantees synchronization between sound and picture. It achieves this by recording the sound as a variable-density optical track on the same strip of film that records the pictures...
sound-on-filmSound-on-filmSound-on-film refers to a class of sound film processes where the sound accompanying picture is physically recorded onto photographic film, usually, but not always, the same strip of film carrying the picture. Sound-on-film processes can either record an analog sound track or digital sound track,...
system introduced by Fox Film Corporation in 1927 - Movietone RecordsMovietone RecordsMovietone Records was a budget records subsidiary of 20th Century Fox's record division, which issued 29 albums starting in 1965 and ending in 1967. Most or all of these were reissues of albums that had appeared earlier on the 20th Century Fox label...
the budget subsidiary of 20th Century Fox' record division