Up until recently, I assumed that the Vitaphone unit were the only ones doing experimental sound films by recording various vaudeville singers of the age. Well, when I bought "Classical Musical Shorts from the Dream Factory", I thought they were also Vitaphone shorts but instead they were from MGM. However, the sound films appear to start about 1928...years after Vitaphone already created quite a few sound shorts. In other words, MGM was playing catch up and they weren't about to start making sound full length films until they learned the technology with these cheaper shorts.
Among the many stage performers on the DVDs is Frances White...a rather ordinary looking woman...at first. She sings a song wearing a gay 90s sort of getup. But then she appears dressed as a child-- much like Fanny Brice and her Baby Snooks character. In fact, she sports many different outfits and isn't particularly bad compared to most of the MGM shorts singers. Now I am not saying she's great or a must- see...for goodness sakes, no. But she is moderately talented and you won't hate the short...which makes it different from many of the other films in the four-disc set.
Among the many stage performers on the DVDs is Frances White...a rather ordinary looking woman...at first. She sings a song wearing a gay 90s sort of getup. But then she appears dressed as a child-- much like Fanny Brice and her Baby Snooks character. In fact, she sports many different outfits and isn't particularly bad compared to most of the MGM shorts singers. Now I am not saying she's great or a must- see...for goodness sakes, no. But she is moderately talented and you won't hate the short...which makes it different from many of the other films in the four-disc set.