Life, 1929-07-12 · page 5 of 48
Life — July 12, 1929 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a political cartoon or satire**—it's a straightforward **advertisement for Western Electric sound equipment**, disguised as editorial content in the style of Life magazine. The page promotes Western Electric's "Sound System" for movie theaters during the early sound-film era (likely late 1920s). It explains how sound recording and playback technology works: microphones capture actors' voices in soundproof studios, a control operator monitors quality, speakers reproduce audio in theaters, and projectors synchronize sound with film. The accompanying photographs demonstrate the equipment and studio setup. This represents corporate advertising masquerading as informational content—a common early twentieth-century marketing practice. There is no satire or political commentary intended.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Maxine A Sounp Picroure with Western Electric Lguipment. t | ILENCE in the studio! The director discards his mega- phone, cameras whir in sound- — proof booths. multane In the sound-proof “monitor nine room” a man at the control : board regulates the volume and pad quality of sound recorded by ‘ildinge Western Electric apparatus on eral a film or disc. Londes, _ | Hear Sound Pictures at less co velop their best—go toa ifm Western Electric equipped theatre } reach ne Sound Pictures, made by the venve, | eleven great producers who have aden, adopted the Western Electricsys- tem, are naturally best when re- lishing produced in theatres with equip- ae ment from the same source. York, That is why exhibitors every- CL where, mindful of their patrons’ Ottice | satisfaction,citherhaveinstalled » Mat. | or are now installingthe Western pe Electric system—the sound equipment that assures clearand = natural tone, that reflects a half ife century’s experience in making telephones and other apparatus } for reproducing sound. } | RIZE ELL 188 ra a i . Western Electric builds s The ” monitor” controls Western Electric: ade appa Theatreloud speakers, prod- The projector which plays for cial microphones ‘forstudio quality and volume of Yatus insures true-tone uct of acoustical experts the sound picture in Fe requirements. all sound recorded. veprodeie and craftsmen. the theatre. Jeciric SYSTEM Wester: SOUN D jcront| THE MICE ACTION comicbooks.com