From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Lights of New York (1928) was the first all-talking feature film, released by Warner Brothers (who had introduced the first feature-length part-talkie The Jazz Singer in the previous year) and directed by Bryan Foy. The film, which cost only $23,000 to produce, grossed over $1,000,000. It was also the first film to define the crime genre. The enthusiasm with which audiences greeted the talkies was so great that by the end of 1929, Hollywood was producing sound films exclusively.