Vitaphone was a sound film system used for feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects made by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National from 1926 to 1931. Vitaphone was the last major analog sound-on-disc system and the only one which was widely used and commercially successful. The soundtrack was not printed on the film itself, but issued separately on phonograph records. The discs, recorded at 33 1/3 rpm (a speed first used for this system) and typically 16 inches in diameter, would be played on a turntable physically coupled to the projector motor while the film was being projected. Many early talkies, such as The Jazz Singer (1927), used the Vitaphone system. The name "Vitaphone" derived from the Latin and Greek words, respectively, for "living" and "sound".
The "Vitaphone" trademark was later associated with cartoons and other short subjects that had optical soundtracks and did not use discs.
Une ville, Hicksville, se prépare à accueillir Miss Glory. Dans l'hôtel de la ville, Abner, un groom, attend anxieusement l'arrivée de Miss Glory et s'endort. Il rêve alors de l'arrivée de cette dernière et s'imagine être le groom d'un hôtel cosmopolitain. À la fin de son rêve, le directeur de l'hôtel réveille Abnel qui se dépêche d'accompagner Miss Glory à l'hôtel, mais cette dernière se révèle être une petite fille.
Helen est une jeune artiste indépendante. Don, son prétendant et publicitaire souhaite l'épouser. Elle finit par lui dire oui tout en sachant que le mariage est une mauvaise idée.
Londres, 1921. Le sculpteur Ivan Igor fait visiter son musée de cire à un ami et à un investisseur. Il leur montrent fièrement les statues de Jeanne d'Arc, de Voltaire, et de Marie-Antoinette, son chef d'œuvre, qu'il a lui-même sculptées. Malheureusement, la fréquentation du musée est insuffisante et son associé, Joe Worth, las de perdre de l'argent, lui propose de mettre le feu au musée pour toucher la prime de l'assurance. Les deux hommes ne sont pas d'accord et se battent. Dans la bagarre, Joe Worth parvient à mettre le feu et s'échappe, laissant Igor inanimé et seul dans le musée.
Un prisonnier innocent s'évade et refait sa vie. Il accepte de retourner en prison afin d'être réhabilité. Mais il n'obtient pas son acquittement et il s'évade de nouveau.
Henry Wilton is a successful financier who is returning to America after a year away in Europe helping to arrange war debt repayments. He looks forward to being reunited with his family, including his much-younger second wife Emmy, his daughter Peggy and his son Eddie. However, when he arrives in his hometown on the train the only one there to greet him is his butler, Connors, much to Henry's dismay. The butler informs him that he is home a day earlier than expected, and that Peggy is an aspiring actress and Eddie is a polo player. They visit Eddie at the polo field, then arrive home, where they find that Emmy is having guests over at a music recital by composer Pietro Rafaelo. Henry further finds that in his absence Emmy has redecorated his bedroom in the Art Nouveau style, and removed his comfortable chair, which Connors has taken for safekeeping. While in Connors' room, Henry is visited by George Struthers, Peggy's fortune-hunting fiance who she plans to marry for his money. Henry tries to buy a stock from Partington, his business rival, who refuses to honour an agreement they had to sell it at a certain price, claiming that the agreement is not in writing.
Tom et Matt sont deux amis inséparables. Lors de la Prohibition, ils rejoignent la pègre. Mais Matt est tué par un gang rival. Tom veut se venger, mais blessé, il est emmené à l'hôpital. Sa mère et son frère viennent le voir pour se réconcilier. Malheureusement, le gang qui l'a blessé le retrouve et l'exécute.
Hajj, a rascally beggar on the periphery of the court of Baghdad, schemes to marry his daughter to royalty and to win the heart of the queen of the castle himself.
Lord Dryan épouse Giovanna, une belle italienne chanteuse d'opéra, et l'emmène vivre avec lui en Angleterre. Giovanna est profondément amoureuse de Dryan, mais le climat anglais la déprime et bientôt elle rêve au soleil et aux applaudissements de son ancienne vie, et persuade son mari de retourner avec elle à Venise. Barotti, son ancien partenaire, conspire avec sa bonne pour atteindre la chambre de Giovanna la nuit sans qu'elle le sache. Dryan les trouve ensemble et blesse Barotti. Dryan ne croyant pas qu'elle lui ait été fidèle, Giovanna disparaît. Dryan est accusé de son meurtre, mais est acquitté. Dryan veut tuer Barotti, mais le ténor tombe en essyant de lui échapper et se tue. Dryan et Giovanna se retrouvent alors.
Jerry Larrabee (Richard Barthelmess) is framed by rival gangster Spadoni (Louis Natheaux) and sent to prison, where he is befriended by a kind and understanding warden (William Holden). Through the warden's patient influence, Jerry becomes interested in music and forms a prison band, broadcasting over the radio. Jerry's singing deeply moves his radio listeners and soon Jerry is given a pardon by the governor.
Deux personnages, George et Gravie, entrent dans une salle de réception. Ils semblent chercher un public. Quand George remarque la présence de la caméra, tous deux s'engagent dans une conversation.
The film takes place in the French colony of Cochin-China. Young French magistrate (Antonio Moreno) and his wife (Billie Dove) are victims of virtual imprisonment because president (Noah Beery) of colony in which they are stationed has a sexual interest in the magistrate's wife. Beery refuses to allow Moreno to advance in his career on the bench until his wife agrees to his demands. Moreno, angered by this treatment after four years of hard work, secretly goes to the governor of the colony to complain. Dove endeavors in crucial moment to save her husband from disaster by pleading with the president but inadvertently reveals her husband's plan. Being afraid for the safety of her husband, Dove consents to do whatever Beery wishes as long as he does nothing to endanger her husband. Just as Beery is about to seduce Dove, he is murdered by a native musician who has been hiding in the room. Dove is immediately suspected of the murder and the musician comes out of hiding and accuses Dove of the murder. Moreno is placed in charge of the investigation and discovers that the musician is lying and that he is the one responsible. Tired of the dangers of life in the French colony, Moreno and Dove head back to Paris where Moreno hopes to start a new career.
Un groupe d’américain navigue à bord d'un yacht vers Caracas. James Rutherford (Claude Gillingwater) organise une expédition dans la jungle d'Amérique centrale pour retrouver son fils disparu, Bob, avec son guide, Simpson (George Beranger). Irene (Jacqueline Logan), la fiancée de Bob, disparaît, et ils tombent sur un singe gigantesque enchaîné au sol. Puis le capitaine Rhodes (Henry B. Walthall), le commandant du yacht, est enlevé par un monstre étrange avec de grandes griffes poilues. Sewald (Lionel Belmore), un explorateur, est mystérieusement tué par une flèche. Simpson revient à la raison et révèle que l'explorateur qu'il vient de tuer a assassiné Bob deux mois avant.