John P. Hess is a local filmmaker and video producer. Valley News/Courtesy photo
TEMECULA — The Temecula Valley Historical Society invites the public to a free program on Sunday, May 19 at 6 p.m. at the Little Temecula History Museum, located in the red barn next to Kohl’s in South Temecula.The evening’s presentation, When Movies Learned to Speak, will explore the dramatic story behind the advent of sound in cinema. While many believe Al Jolson’s The Jazz Singer was the first talking picture, the truth is far more complex. The transition to synchronized sound in film sparked intense competition among major studios like Warner Bros. and Fox, along with their powerful allies Western Electric and RCA. This high-stakes battle over technology and patents marked a seismic shift in Hollywood just before the onset of the Great Depression, forever changing the lands
