Stanley S. A. Watkins
(1888-1975)

Died aged c. 87

Stanley S A Watkins was born in 1888 in London, England. He received degrees in electrical engineering from the Central Technology College, later known as City and Guilds Engineering College of the Imperial College of Science and Technology in London. Watkins joined Western Electric's development laboratories which later became Bell Telephone Company. He worked on hearing aids, microphones and recording sound before experimenting with sound on film. Warner Bros. Was the only major film company to be interested in the short demonstration films with sound that Watkins showed them. Watkins was given a years leave of absence from the Bell Labs to become the chief engineer of Warners newly formed Vitaphone Corporation to work on disc technology. Watkins took a team of 10 young engineers from the labs, one being George Groves, to the Vitaphone Studios in New York to work with Sam Warner. The first public showing of 'Don Juan' received rave reviews but the film only had music and sound effects.
About a year later, in 1927, in 'The Jazz Singer,' Al Jolson sang songs and insisted on talking to his 'mother'. Talking pictures were born. Watkins spent seven years installing sound stages around Europe. He took early retirement in 1948 and returned to England with his wife, three daughters and son. He died in 1975.

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