Sound Disks from "Hell's Angels", Given By Howard Hughes to Paul Grosso. On May 27, 1930 Hell's Angels had its gala Holl...

Description

Sound Disks from "Hell's Angels", Given By Howard Hughes to Paul Grosso. On May 27, 1930 Hell's Angels had its gala Hollywood premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, overpowering the audience with its exploding zeppelin, splashes of Technicolor and "platinum blonde" vamp, Jean Harlow. Its production had been especially stormy. Producer/director/aviator Howard Hughes had spent over $2 million on this World War I epic, completed just as sound revolutionized the film business. Hughes put Hell's Angels back into production, hiring a pre-Frankenstein James Whale to direct, engaging a pre-stardom Harlow to replace the original leading lady Greta Nissen (due to her heavy accent), and doubling his prodigal investment. In those days of primitive sound in movies, the track was recorded on disks synchronized with the film on the various reels, and here are the disks from Hells Angels -- 17 in all, covering the film's 135 minutes. Very few of these disks have survived, and these belonged to Howard Hughes himself, who presented them to camera cart designer Paul Grosso. Each of the disks comes in its original sleeve, and also included in the lot is the February 1939 issue of American Cinematographer, which features Paul Grosso on the cover. Ultra-rare artifacts from one of the most sensational films in Hollywood history, and true relics from the dawn of talking pictures, in Very Fine condition.

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