Crafton (communication and theater, U. of Notre Dame) departs from revisionist accounts that stress the systematic development of film, and portrays the transition to sound as partly rational and partly confused. He maintains that even though the studios tried to develop a proactive approach to the transition, they were concerned with reducing risks, and often behaved in a retroactive way. Topics include the effects of the depression, the struggles for control over the new technology, and the popular reception of the talkies. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR