Evening star., 1949-08-08
VoicesofYesterday Speak

series passed into obscurity. A
Washington businessman, search
ing for an educational catalogue,
learned of this series, and it is now
available locally. The voices of the
famous, recorded in the industry's
infancy in the days of wax cylin-
der records. were modernized and
amplified for their present use.
Among these excellent records
is one believed to be the only re-
cording in existence of the voice
of the famed Rudolph. Mr.. Valen-
tino, who held certificate as an
agriculturalist, later was a gigolo.
and became one of the most
famous of cinema stars. is heard
singing "El Relicario." Now dead
"a years. his grave is still visited
every year by faithful fans. and a
Valentino Association ito perpet-
uate the memory of a great film
artist in a worthy and dignified
manner" has members all over the
world. Another organization, the
Valention Memorial Guild. also has
a world membership. The Guild
sends a wreath to his grave an
nually, buys his photographs.
sponsors revivals of his film and
gives parties in his honor at which
his memory is revived.
Will Rogers is heard on another
disc, speaking in behalf Of Frank
lin D. Roosevelt, and pointing out
that Mr.. Roosevelt is "the only
politician with the exception Of
Henry Cabot Lodge who can get
into the front door Of Fifth
Avenue home without delivering
something.
Another record is devoted to
Sarah Bernhardt, including an
excerpt by Miss Bernhardt from
one of her plays. The same bugler
who blew for the famous charge
of the Light Brigade at Balaclava
blows stirringly again. Florence
Nightingale addresses her old
comrades at Balaclava on still
another record, and Pope Plus XII
is heard delivering a Christmas
message in Latin over the air in
1896. The message is also trans
lated.
The life and times of P. T. Bar
mum, Theodore Roosevelt, Edison
himself and Admiral Robert E.
Peary, relating his experiences
at the North Pole. are recalled by
record. Leo Tolstoy, Franz Joseph
of Austria. DR.. William Mayo, Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle, and James
Whitcomb Riley left their voices
on wax for posterity, too.
Edison himself is responsible
for many of these recordings. In
1878 he wrote: ut will henceforth
be possible to preserve for future
generations the voices, as we'll as
the words, of our Washingtons.
our Lincolns, our GladStones, etc."
and secured many celebrities for
recording purposes. That the
public agrees with Mr.. Edison on
the value and appeal of such re-
cords is illustrated by the thor
oughgoing success of Edward r.
Murrow's chronicle of our own
times. the album, II Can Hear 1t
Now" that includes the voices Of
the famous from 1888 to 1945.
The records heard in this
series were first located by Robert
Vincent, who as a boy learned to
record by doing chores around the
old Edison studios in Manhattan.
The records are. designed for a
33b-rpm turntable (Which is the
speed used for radio transcriptions
as we'll as that of the long playing
record, a turntable large enough
to accommodate a 16-inch record.
The machines as we'll as the rec
ords can be rented locally, or
bought outright. Each side of
each record tells the story of one
personality and plays for IS
minutes.
Should the public indicate suf-
f1cient interest in these records.
it will be possible to press albums
of 78-rpm records (the turntable
speed most common. with 2 un-
breakable. 12-inch plastic records
in each album. Each album would
include the story and voice Of ono
celebrity. =