Introductory Speech by Will H. Hays

In a moment forever etched into cinematic history, Will H. Hays, the formidable President of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, steps before the camera to deliver an introductory address. This brief, yet profoundly significant, short film serves as the grand unveiling of the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system. Positioned as a prelude to the feature presentation of Don Juan (1926), Hays's appearance is less a performance and more a declarative statement—a confident pronouncement of a new technological era. He presents the Vitaphone not merely as an enhancement, but as a revolutionary advancement poised to redefine the very essence of the moving image, setting the stage for an industry on the precipice of an auditory transformation.