Journal of the American Theatre Organ Society
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN THEATRE ORGAN SOCIETY ----------------- -- ------------------- Orbir ID™e ecrronic 1yn~e1izer ~UJ ~ -~oture01pinel organ equoJ... ~e nevve1rwoy lo mo <emu1ic ~romWur i~zec Now with the Orbit III electronic synthesizer from slowly, just as the theatre organist did by opening and Wurlitzer you can create new synthesized sounds in closing the chamber louvers. stantly ... in performance . And with the built-in Orbit III synthesizer, this This new Wurlitzer instrument is also a theatre organ, instrument can play exciting combinations of synthe with a sectionalized vibrato/tremolo, toy counter, in sized, new sounds, along with traditional organ music. A dependent tibias on each keyboard and the penetrating built-in cassette player/recorder lets you play along with kinura voice that all combine to recreate the sounds of pre-recorded tapes for even more dimensions in sound. the twenty-ton Mighty Wurlitzers of silent screen days. But you 've got to play the Orbit III to believe it. And it's a cathedral/classical organ, too, with its own in Stop in at your Wurlitzer dealer and see the Wurlitzer dividually voiced diapason, reed, string and flute voices. 4037 and 4373. Play the eerie, switched-on sounds New linear accent controls permit you to increase or of synthesized music. Ask for your free Orbit III decrease the volume of selected sections suddenly, or demonstration record. Or write: Dept. T0-473 WURLilzER ® The Wurlitzer Company, DeKalb , Illinois 60115. hn.4'the "·ag cover- Photo ... The 4/18 Wurlitzer at the Oaks Park Roller Rink in Portland, will be one of the instruments heard at the National Convention July 25th. through July 28th. Don Simmons, staff organist, will present a program at the organ which was moved Journal of the American Theatre Organ Society to the Oaks in 1955, after 28 years in downtown Portland's Broadway Theatre. (Photo by Daniel F. Haworth) Volume 15, No. 2 • April, 1973 ATOS National Membership is $10.00 per calendar year, which includes a subscription in this issue ••. to THEATRE ORGAN, the official pub lication of the American Theatre Organ FEATURES Society. Single copies $1.25. Make check or money order payable to ATOS, and mail 4 Mildred Fitzpatrick . Lloyd E. Klos to P.O. Box 1314, Salinas, California 93901. 11 Playing in the Picture Houses . Mildred Fitzpatrick Editorial Address: 13 World's Largest Movie Organ? Al Winslow THEATRE ORGAN 16 Woody Wise to Manage Lloyd Estate P.O. Box 1314, 18 Keeping the Record Straight . John Muri Salinas, California 93901 23 "Mother" Dedicated ................. Bert Brouillon Advertising Address ATOS Advertising 26 Shirley Goes West . Peg Nielsen 2231 North Burling Street 34 "Our David" ..... Rosa Rio Chicago, Illinois 60614 36 der Wurlitzer Orgel . Bob Longfield ATOS National Headquarters 38 On Stage! In Person! YOU! ATOS 45 Wicked, Wicked P.O. Box 1002 Middleburg, Virginia 22117 46 Sidney Torch, Conclusion .. Judd Walton and Frank Killinger Phone(703) 554~321 51 Chapter Chairmen ATOS National Officers 52 Pipe Piper Erwin Young, President Duane Searle, Vice President TECHNICAL Mary Bowl es, Secretary-Treasurer Nina Young, Executive Secretary 15 Impossible Dream Douglas Marion and Roy Emison ATOS National Board of Directors Mary Bowles Allen W. Rossiter DEPARTMENTS Gaylord Carter Dick Schrum Al Mason Richard Simonton 19 For The Records 37 Snippets from England 54 Hollywood Cavalcade Allen Miller Judd Walton Stillman Rice, Past President 22 Nuggets from the Golden Days 38 Vox Pops 54 Dinny's Colyum ATOS Librarian 24 Letters to the Editor 44 Book Review 55 Chapter Notes Mary A. Bowles 30 Music Review 45 Closing Chord 63 Classified Ads Route 2, Hopewell Road Lost Lake, Marlton, N.J. 08053 Phone : (609) 983-1535 ATOS Past Presidents Richard Simonton Feb. 1955 - Oct. 1958 pr-esident~s messaae .•. Judd Walton Oct. 1958 - July 1961 Tiny James July 1961 - July 1964 Carl Norvel I July 1964 - July 1966 We again are approaching the annual election of Richard Schrum July 1966 - July 1968 four directors and this year, more than any in the Al Mason July 1968 - July 1970 Stillman Rice July 1970 - July 1972 history of our society, this election takes on added ATOS Honorary Members importance. With the policy-making business of 1959-Jesse Crawford 1966-W. "Tiny" James ATOS now entirely in the hands of the directors, 1960-Farny Wurlitzer 1967-Erwin A. Young, Jr. it is necessary that these directors represent every 1961-Mel Doner 1968-Richard C. Simonton area of our far reaching membership and not be 1962-Leonard MacClain 1969-Judd Walton 1963-Eddie Dunstedter 1970-Bill Lamb concentrated in one or two large chapter areas. 1964-Reginald Foort 1971-George and V1Thompson This election is for National Directors and a 1965-Dan Barton 1972-Stu Green member who agrees to seek the office must EDITORIAL STAFF understand the importance of a decision for the Editor-George Thompson Associate Editors - Ray Bru bacher best interest of the entire membership not dictated Lloyd E. Klos by local chapter action entirely. In a poll just Peg Nielsen concluded by National Headquarters, only 3000 of Editor-Emeritus - W. "Stu" Green Publisher-Al Mason our 1972 membership of nearly 5000 were ac Editorial Assistant - Don Lockwood tually chapter members so the fact is that a large percentage of our membership has Advertising Manager-Len Clarke a right to expect better representation than they are presently receiving. Circulation Manager-Vi Thompson Another caution must be exercised lest there be a possible conflict of interest by THEATRE ORGAN (title registered U.S. Patent Office) is published bi-monthly by virtue of election to any office. It has been stated by some officers who rely on the the An,erican Theatre Organ Society, Inc., key-boards for their livelihood that it is often most difficult to take sides on some a non-profit organization, Erwin A. Young, issues and this most certainly negates the very purpose of a director. Jr., President. All rights reserved. Entire contents copyrighted 1973 by ATOS, Inc., Every member of ATOS will have the opportunity to vote on his choice for the Office of publication is P.O. Box 2329. four directors to be elected this year. Please realize the importance of your vote and Livonia, Michigan 48150. POSTMASTER: Second Class postage paid exercise your option to the advantagz s~¾' f ( at Livonia, Michigan. IF UNDELIVERABLE, send form 3579 to ATOS Circulation De partment, Box 1314, Salinas, California 93901. APRIL 1973 THEATRE ORGAN V <:: 3 hen a person's contem aries are practically unani mous m their praise of him, that is a very high compliment. But, when that person's contemporaries are from the opposite sex, the compliment achieves supreme status. Over 45 years ago, Chiqigo organist Mildred Fitz patrick was given this highest accolade by her male contemporaries: "The outstanding woman organist of the time." Mildred Maginn Fitzpatrick was born in Chicago, and from her mother, Irene Maginn, derived her love and tal ent for music. Mildred's earliest mem by ories of her mother's musical activity Lloyd E. Klos were formulated at the Ashland Theatre in Chicago, a nickelodeon with vaude Photos not otherwise noted are from the Fitzpatrick collection. ville, at Ashland and 49th Street. A family ran the theatre as was often the Mildred Fitzpatrick poses with her Hammond at home in case in those days. The father, Henry Schonesta4t, was manager; Henry Jr., his assistant; another son, Arthur the projectionist; and daughter Bertha, the cashier. "Mother furnished the piano music for everything," Mildred says. "Playing vaudeville required good sight-reading and transposition because no one sang in the original key. Mother had a good musical background, was a good ear player and improvisor and played per fect accompaniment for the pictures. "I played relief for her on Saturday and Sunday when I was eight. She was my first teacher, and when I was eleven, she took me to Ernest Fristrom at the Metropolitan Conservatory of Music in Chicago for an audition. I was rather small for my age, and Fristrom, after eyeing me said that he didn't take be ginners. Mother told him she had been teaching me since I was able to sit at a piano. He listened to my playing, gave me something to read, and after man ifestations of surprise, agreed to in struct me. "His price was $6 a half hour. He charged my mother $4, but charged nothing for my organ lessons. I travel ed miles for my organ lessons, taking two street cars and the Oak Park "L" to the litttle church in which he played Sundays. I don't know what make the organ was, but I had to descend to the basement, turn on an electric switch, and turn a big wheel on a water pipe. By the time I return ed to the console, the organ was ready to play. It had tracker action and I had a terrible time pressing the keys. I went twice a week to the church; one day for two hours of practice , the other for my lesson and more practice. The first piece I learned was Rubin stein's "Melody in F." On June 28, 1907, Mildred Fitz patrick received her preparatory certif icate from the Metropolitan Conser vatory. On that same day , she was graduated from the eighth grade, and that evening, performed her first big concert, playing the first movement of Chopin's C Major Concerto. Her teach er was at a second piano. How she remembers that eventful day! Now, her career was ready to begin. A movie theatre, which featured vaudeville on Saturday and Sunday, the Verdi, opened in her neighborhood at 35th Street and Archer Avenue.