I may have posted this before, but if so can't see it anywhere. It's one of my favorite of the early Vitaphone sound shorts. Witt & Berg were a once popular, now largely forgotten vaudeville act. This was filmed at the Warner studios in 1926. The second video shows a filming of the filming.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1aRiqd84_Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9b6_6ef3cM
Witt & Berg
- BettyLouSpence
- Posts: 2433
- Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2017 11:29 pm
- Location: Gashouse Gables
- Contact:
Re: Witt & Berg
Aw—just one letter away from being Cy Borg
Ok ok, jokes aside: the first thing I noticed was the odd bell-shaped body of that guitar. Might you know anything about it? I also really liked the chord progression in that song.
Interesting that the cameraman's box is cut away like that, which I'm assuming was so the audience could see inside. I'm also assuming that there would've been a glass pane or something, as the boxes had to be soundproof?
Ok ok, jokes aside: the first thing I noticed was the odd bell-shaped body of that guitar. Might you know anything about it? I also really liked the chord progression in that song.
Interesting that the cameraman's box is cut away like that, which I'm assuming was so the audience could see inside. I'm also assuming that there would've been a glass pane or something, as the boxes had to be soundproof?
"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."
~ Cicero, Letters to Friends, Book IX Letter IV
~ Cicero, Letters to Friends, Book IX Letter IV
Re: Witt & Berg
One letter kept him out of the comic books.
I like the chord progressions, too. I was studying both their left hands to see if I could notice what chords they were using. The only other guitar I've seen like that is the one Carl Sandburg used. That one appears to be almost identical except the one in the film seems to possibly have some kind of a headstock logo the Sandburg one doesn't. (See below)BettyLouSpence wrote: ↑Fri Jun 05, 2020 12:28 amOk ok, jokes aside: the first thing I noticed was the odd bell-shaped body of that guitar. Might you know anything about it? I also really liked the chord progression in that song.
Yes, I hadn't thought about that. The cameras had to be heavily enclosed due to the noise, however that does appear to be the actual take they're filming there, so maybe it is a glass pane.BettyLouSpence wrote: ↑Fri Jun 05, 2020 12:28 amInteresting that the cameraman's box is cut away like that, which I'm assuming was so the audience could see inside. I'm also assuming that there would've been a glass pane or something, as the boxes had to be soundproof?
- Attachments
-
- Screen Shot 2020-06-05 at 8.11.18 AM.png (221.02 KiB) Viewed 1955 times
- BettyLouSpence
- Posts: 2433
- Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2017 11:29 pm
- Location: Gashouse Gables
- Contact:
Re: Witt & Berg
I tried looking up "bell shaped acoustic guitar" and other variants of that, but all I could find on it was this blog that featured a beautiful bell-shaped acoustic guitar, but the shape is quite different from the Sandburg's and the Vitaphone one.donnie wrote: ↑Fri Jun 05, 2020 8:22 amI like the chord progressions, too. I was studying both their left hands to see if I could notice what chords they were using. The only other guitar I've seen like that is the one Carl Sandburg used. That one appears to be almost identical except the one in the film seems to possibly have some kind of a headstock logo the Sandburg one doesn't. (See below)BettyLouSpence wrote: ↑Fri Jun 05, 2020 12:28 amOk ok, jokes aside: the first thing I noticed was the odd bell-shaped body of that guitar. Might you know anything about it? I also really liked the chord progression in that song.
"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."
~ Cicero, Letters to Friends, Book IX Letter IV
~ Cicero, Letters to Friends, Book IX Letter IV
- BettyLouSpence
- Posts: 2433
- Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2017 11:29 pm
- Location: Gashouse Gables
- Contact:
Re: Witt & Berg
I took a screenshot on another video that might best show the headstock. Does the little white blob look like a logo you might recognize?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mP5aWcXIGhY
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mP5aWcXIGhY
- Attachments
-
- image.jpeg (80.09 KiB) Viewed 1935 times
"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."
~ Cicero, Letters to Friends, Book IX Letter IV
~ Cicero, Letters to Friends, Book IX Letter IV
Re: Witt & Berg
No, it doesn't look familiar, though I'm more familiar with classical guitars which usually don't have logos. But this actually may be just a little decorative inlaid pearl or celluloid accent. The only other information I could find on these guitars is that they were apparently made by Washburn.