About

Welcome to Sound Stage 28, the entertainment blog of J.A. Bouchard.

Why Sound Stage 28? In 1925, Universal released one of the greatest horror films of all time, "The Phantom of the Opera." There have been a lot of films based on Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel and of all of them, this one in my opinion is by far the best. Being a silent film, it’s amazing that this film still out shines the talking films that followed and most of that is due to the contributions of Lon Chaney, Sr as Erik, the Phantom. For the film, Carl Laemmle, president of Universal Pictures, commissioned the construction of a set that would replicate the Paris Opera House. Because it would have to support thousands of extras, the set became the first to be created with steel girders set in concrete. This became Sound stage 28, also known as the “Phantom Stage”. It was the oldest surviving structure built specifically for a movie in the world and had been used in hundreds of movies and TV shows until it’s demolition. As a tribute to this landmark of film history, I felt it was fitting to name my entertainment blog after it. 

– J.A. Bouchard