Ah yes, the Caproni-Campini, that's the one I was thinking of, thanks Noyade!
That and the Coanda are certainly important steps, but having a jet powered by a piston engine adds a massive amount of complexity and weight whilst still being restricted by the limitations of a piston engine.
Like the discussion of early flights we come down to the issue of Practicality, and that can never be completely defined. Is a land plane "practical" if its engines fail over the ocean, or a sea plane over land? Is a modern military plane practical and controllable if its computers fail?