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The History of American Cinema: 1928

July - December

Bryan Foy’s Lights of New York, the first feature film with all synchronous dialogue, is released. [ADD]

Paul Terry’s Dinner Time, the first all-talking cartoon, premieres in New York City. [ADD]

The Singing Fool, Al Jolson’s follow up to The Jazz Singer is released.   It makes $4 million, becoming Warner’s biggest hit to date. [ADD]

The Cameraman, Buster Keaton’s first feature film for MGM, is released.   It is directed by Edward Sedgwick. [ADD]

Paramount releases William Wellman’s Beggars of Life, a part-talkie starring Richard Arlen and Louise Brooks. [ADD]

Joseph von Sternberg’s The Docks of New York, starring George Bancroft and Betty Compson, is released. [ADD]

The Air Circus, Howard Hawks’ first aviation film, is released by Fox. [ADD] 

Warner Brother’s buy a majority stake in First National Pictures, giving it control of its studios, distribution network and cinemas. [ADD]

Erich von Stroheim’s Wedding March is released to lukewarm reviews.   Paramount halted shooting after nine months, and ordered von Stroheim to make two films from the material.   The second film, called The Honeymoon, is released in the same year. [ADD]

Maurice Chevalier arrives in the USA to film Innocents of Paris for Paramount. [ADD]

On Trial, directed by Archie Mayo and starring Pauline Frederick and Bert Lytell, demonstrates how far talkies have yet to go.   The actors appear terrified and the sound is inconsistent as they appear to try and catch a swinging microphone boom. [ADD]

In his third film, Steamboat Willie, Walt Disney’s creation Mickey Mouse speaks for the first time.   The film premieres at the Colony Theatre in New York. [ADD]

Victor Sjöström’s silent film, The Wind, starring Lillian Gish and Lars Hanson, is released. [ADD]

Fox’s Movietone News begins to be distributed nationwide. [ADD]

Leo the Lion is filmed for the MGM logo shown in the opening credits of their films.   He is framed within a wreath and the words Ars gratia artis (Art for Art’s Sake), the studio’s new motto. [ADD]

In Old Arizona, the first all-talking Western, is released.   Director (and original leading man) Raoul Walsh lost the sight in an eye during filming when a rabbit jumped through the windscreen of his car. [ADD]

– RKO (Radio-Keith-Orpheum) is formed by the merger of The Radio Corporation of America, the Keith-Albee-Orpheum cinema chain, and the American Pathe production company.   The formation of RKO is a move by RCA to gain an outlet for their Photophone sound-on-film system.   David Sarnoff, General Manager of RCA, becomes RKO’s chairman. [ADD]

– The major Hollywood studios release a total of 294 films in this year.   10 are all-talking (all of them made by Warners), 23 are part-talkie, 41 have sound-effects and/or music, and 220 are silent. [ADD] 

– Eastman Kodak introduce panchromatic film stock which is sensitive to the entire colour spectrum.  [ADD]

– Hollywood studios employs armies of secretaries to answer fan mail, and carry out ‘mail counts’ to determine the relative popularity of its stars. [ADD]

Other Key Films of 1928

Beggars of Life (William Wellman) [ADD]

Celebrity (Tay Garnett) [ADD]

The Crowd (King Vidor) [ADD]

The Dragnet (Josef von Sternberg) [ADD]

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Mal St. Clair) [ADD]

A Girl in Every Port (Howard Hawks) [ADD]

Lilac Time (George Fitzmaurice) [ADD]

Lonesome (Paul Fejos) [ADD]

The Man Who Laughs (Paul Leni) [ADD]

The Matinee Idol (Frank Capra) [ADD]

Our Dancing Daughters (Harry Beaumont) [ADD]

The Patriot (Ernst Lubitsch) [ADD]

The Patsy (King Vidor) [ADD]

Sadie Thompson (Raoul Walsh) [ADD]

Show People (King Vidor) [ADD]

Steamboat Bill Jr. (Charles Reisner) [ADD]

Street Angel (Frank Borzage) [ADD]

White Shadows in the South Seas (W. S. Van Dyke) [ADD]

A Woman of Affairs (Clarence Brown) [ADD]