Gus Arnheim and His Cocoanut Grove Orchestra

Back in the 20s and 30s, Vitaphone experimented with sound films through their musical shorts. Though, as few theaters in 1928 were equipped for sound, I did wonder as I watched this just how many folks saw it when it was first released. I do agree with another review I just read for this short in particular--it's probably got very limited appeal today. I personally love the old Vitaphone shorts and could watch them all--but realize that early talkies don't necessarily work well today as they are a bit dated. However, the Turner restoration is virtually perfect--with great sound and a very nice picture--allowing lovers of old-time music to enjoy as well as to preserve a copy for posterity. And, despite limited appeal, this took a lot of work--cleaning up the copies as well as matching up sound discs with the films--as they were recorded separately.

As for "Gus Arnhein and His Coconut Grove Orchestra", this is an agreeable short--and one of the earlier Vitaphone released. While the band is just about totally forgotten today, they had a nice sound and are a nice representative of the era. And, like most Vitaphone films of the day, the camera is mostly stationary and there are no fancy effects--just a straight recording of the act--which included several nice songs. Worth seeing.