High Society is a 1956 American musical comedy film directed by Charles Walters and starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra. The film was produced by Sol C. Siegel for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and shot in VistaVision and Technicolor, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter.
Source: Wikipedia
Opening scene has Louis Armstrong and his band on their bus on the way to see jazz musician C.K. Dexter Haven (Bing Crosby) at his mansion and performing the title tune.
The video has the opening portion in mono and last 40 seconds or so in stereo to help illustrate the difference in the sound. It switches from mono sound to stereo at 1:33. Both are exceptional quality. One of Hollywood's first movies using mono multitrack sound to create a stereo imagery effect. They called it Perspecta Stereo (as Perspecta Sound®) (Westrex Recording System).
Also it is interesting to note how the industry used the inside of a bus and the placement of band members as a visual picture of stereo's left - center - right channels and to help introduce this new phenomena to the general public known as stereophonic sound. You have ' 'Satchmo' in the center with Billy Kyle, Edmond Hall, and Barrett Deems on the left side. Trummy Young and Arvell Shaw are then seated on the right. Of course music lovers would have to wait another two years before stereo phonograph records could and would be produced.
Great job in restoration work of the stereo (mono multitracks) for the DVD. Regardless, both versions sound exceptional and it illustrates just how far sound and picture quality (MGM had their own version of Vista-Vision) had come in just a few short years.
Celebrating Film Restoration and Preservation.
