Word: sonovox
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DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (MGM). A 110-piece symphony orchestra, reinforced with 24 balalaika players and a section of Japanese instruments including a samisen, a koto and a 6-ft. gong (valued at $3,000), plus organ, novachord, electric sonovox, harpsichord, electric piano, tack piano and zither, plays Maurice Jarre's Oscar-winning score. The variety of instruments would be more interesting if the listener could pick them out, but they all seem to play at once. One haunting tune, Lara's Theme, emerges-but just barely...
...When he silently mouthed words, the sounds caused by scratching his whiskers were formed into words. Fascinated, Gilbert Wright, who was once an engineer and radio operator, began to experiment further. Finally he came up with a device which his father, who by that time was also interested, christened "Sonovox...
...Sonovox, a sound recording of a waterfall, a vociferating animal, rattling dice or whatnot is fed through wires to two little biscuit-shaped gadgets which are placed on each side of the throat against the larynx. These gadgets transmit the sound vibrations to the larynx, so that the sound comes out of the throat as if produced there. The sound is shaped into speech by mouthing the desired words. Thus a grunting pig, relayed through the human voice-box, can be made to observe: "It's a wise pig who knows his own fodder...
Walt Disney, as might have been expected, immediately offered to buy the exclusive Sonovox rights for cinema cartoons. Perhaps in the future Donald Duck will utter his irate comments in a real quacking duck's voice...
Proud of the Sonovox, he does not regard it as a main-line achievement. Said he: "I'm a writer by trade. If I haven't got a writing job, fine-I'll fool around with this thing. But it's writing I want...
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