[78-L] Edward VIII Abdication on records

[Sammy Jones]

Warner Bros. makes sense if these discs really did belong to Hal Wallis. 
Are those Hollywood Hotel discs meant for theater playback or some other 
internal use?

Are there ledgers available for Warner Bros. recording activities, or 
perhaps a discography of known discs (Vitaphone and others)?

Sammy Jones

Dave Weiner wrote:
VIS might have been a code for Warner Bros - several soundtrack discs I
have from HOLLYWOOD HOTEL have that prefix and are pressed by Victor.

Dave Weiner

On 7/2/12 6:29 PM, "Sammy Jones" <sjones69 at bellsouth.net> wrote:

>It seems like my Edward VIII Abdicaton speech record collection keeps
>growing!  Discussion of the commercial records of the speech comes up
>from time to time on this list.  The last time was in March of last year.
> I've got the 10" Brunswick version as well as two different 12"
>versions.  All shellac and probably available for sale in stores shortly
>after the broadcast.
>
>I've just gotten a couple of new copies that are very interesting;
>perhaps unique.  Both are 12" vinyl pressings by RCA .  One is
>single-sided and recorded at
>33 1/3.  The reverse of the disc has the RCA Victor spiderweb pattern.
>The other is a double-sided 78.  The content of both is identical, and
>includes an American announcer at the end that is familiar from some of
>the commercial recordings of the speech.  These discs, however, include a
>bit more of the announcer at
>the end, and he mentions the speech was a presentation of NBC through
>cooperation with the BBC.  Nice to know the source of the aircheck!  The
>handwritten label on the 33 1/3 indicates the pressing was made for Hal
>Wallis (presumably the Hal Wallis who produced Casablanca).  Both discs
>have white, handwritten labels.
>
>The matrix number for the 33 1/3 is VIS-6141-56.  The dead wax also says
>#533.  The matrix numbers for the 78 sides are VIS 6145 and VIS 6146; no
>other numbers in the wax.  Both discs are center start with arrows drawn
>into the wax pointing to the beginning of the groove (like is often seen
>on 1930s radio transcriptions).
>
>I'm wondering if it's possible to tell what Victor's purpose was in
>making these discs.  Purely for paying clients who contracted for copies
>of the broadcast?  Do ledgers exist that cover these matrix numbers?
>Where were the masters cut?  Calling Mike Biel!
>
>I'm also very curious to know if anyone else has seen custom-pressed
>copies of the Abdication like this.
>
>Thanks,
>Sammy "Abdication" Jones