Barbara - Have yiu been in touch with Ron Hutchonson at the The Vitaphone  
Project. That's the FIRST place to start on anything related to Vitaphone.
 
His email is : [log in to unmask] (mailto:[log in to unmask]) 
 
 
Steve Ramm
 
 
In a message dated 12/29/2015 1:35:47 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

Hello  ARSCI'm writing a biography of my father, Stanley Watkins, who was  
instrumental in the development of the Vitaphone system at Bell Labs. With 
Sam  Warner he produced the soundtracks for Don Juan and The Jazz Singer. 
(That's a  very brief summary and leaves a lot out!)I would be grateful for any 
 information your organization might have about the sound recordings during 
 this period. During the experimental process he personally was recorded on 
 many trial discs at the Labs and I would love to know if any remain.Also, 
Stan  Watkins was in charge of recording at Columbia in the early '20s and 
recorded  Bessie Smith and Eddie Cantor. I have been unable to find out where 
to look  for Columbia archives of this period - I usually get sent way back 
to 1960!I'd  be glad of anything you can suggest which might be of help in 
my  research.Thank you in anticipation.Barbara (Watkins) 
WitemeyerAlbuquerque,  NM505-268-7579                   =