Jnea1reOrgan Bombarde JOURNAL of the AMERICAN THEATRE ORGAN ENTHUSIASTS THE LINK ROBERSON CENTER REGIONAL CONVENTION PREVIEW Wurlitzer Theatre Organ 1 flIll II IIMMlllnllI The modern Theatre Console Organ that combines the grandeur of yesterday with the electronic wizardry of today. Command performance! Wurlitzer combines the classic Horseshoe Design of the immortal Mighty Wurlitzer with the exclusive Total Tone electronic circuitry of today. Knowledge and craftsmanship from the Mighty Wurlitzer Era have produced authentic console dimensions in this magnificent new theatre organ. It stands a part, in an instru­ ment of its size, from all imitative theatre organ • Dual system of tone generation • Authentic Mighty Wurlitzer Horseshoe Design designs. To achieve its big, rich and electrifying • Authentic voicing of theatrical Tibia and tone, Wurlitzer harmonically "photographed" Kinura originating on the Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ voices of the Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ to • Four families of organ tone serve as a standard. The resultant voices are au­ • Two 61-note keyboards • 25-note pedal keyboard with two 16' and thentic individually, and when combined they two 8' pedal voices augmented by Sustain blend into a rich ensemble of magnificent dimen­ • Multi-Matic Percussion ® with Ssh-Boom ®, Sustain, Repeat, Attack , Pizzicato, and sion. Then, to crown the accomplishment, we Bongo Percussion incorporated the famous Wurlitzer Multi-Matic • Silicon transistors for minimum maintenance Percussion ® section with exclusive Ssh-Boom ® • Reverb , Slide, Chimes, and Solo controls • Electronic Vibrato (4 settings) that requires no special playing techniques, • Exclusive 2 speed Spectra -Tone @ Sound Pizzi ca to Touch that was found only on larger pipe in Motion • Two-channel solid state amplifiers , 70 watts organs, Chimes and Slide Control ... and dozens total distributed output of other features that no other organ can offer. • 8 speakers (two rotating) • Theatre furniture styling in walnut or See ... hear ... play this magnificent organ today. antique white and gold URLI ZER means Music to millions ® pianos • organs • electronic pianos • band instruments DeKalb, Illinois 60115 THE COVER PHOTO TheatreOrgan The crowded double stoprail (triple in places) indicates a well­ unified instrument. It is called a "C Sharp Minor" model for 'golden era' organist Charley Minor who worked out the design. Bombarde Story on Page 8 Volume 11, Number 6 In This Issue December, 1969 FEATURES 5 A Salute to Bombarde .. ............................................... .. .... G. F. Thompsnagel A.T.O.E . National Membership is $8.00 per cal­ 6 Another Landmark Going .. ...Erwin "Cap" Young endar year, which includes a subscription to 8 The Link Roberson Center Organ ........ .................................... .. ...... Lloyd Klos THEATRE ORGAN BOMBARDE, the official pub­ 10 Where? lication of the American Theatre Organ Enthu­ 13 American Theatre Organ Etiquette ......... Ray Brubacher siasts. Single copies: $1.25. Make check or 14 Real Pipes for the Price of a Plug-In .... Stu Green & Judd Walton money order payable to A.T.O.E., and mail to 17 Did You Bring Your Music With You? .. .. ............. John M.uri P.O. Box 2329, Livonia, Michigan 48150. 20 Sooner Sonic Sights and Sounds 22 The Real Crawford Special ........ ......... ... Douglas Marion OVERSEAS Membership: $8.00. 31 Letter from New York. .. ....... Claude Beckham ALL MATERIAL FOR PUBLICATION 33 Wonder Morton to be Restored for New York Convention EXCEPT ADVERTISING SHOULD BE 34 Theatre Organ in a Festival of Arts ...... .. ..W. Robert Morrison SENT TO A.T.O.E. PUBLICATIONS 36 The Tower Lights Are Bright in Upper Darby . .. .. Bert Brouillon P. 0. BOX 2329, LIVONIA, MICHIGAN 48150 40 Fenelon Blows In From Down Under 42 ADVERTISING ADDRESS: Dewey Cagle, 3291 Myrtle Revisited 42 Loew's Ohio Theatre Is Saved .... .. ....... Frank Babbitt Guido Street, Oakland, California 94602. 47 Snuffy * * * A.T.O.E. National Officers TECHNICAL Albert T. Mason, President 18 Building a Back Beat Relay .... .. .... Allen Miller Allen W. Rossiter, Vice President CONCERT REVIEWS Dorothy Whitcomb, Secretary-Treasurer 31 Eddie Weaver Returns to New Haven Paramount .. .. ........ Al Miller Betty Mason, Executive Secretary 34 Billy Nalle Plays for AGO/ATOS .......... .... C. Jaynes and R. Prentice A.T.O.E. National Board of Directors 35 Lee Erwin Plays Ten Shows at Alexandria ...... .. ... Ted Creech Lee Erwin 39 Carter Plays 'Spook' Show at San Diego Fox .. .. ...Elmer Fubb Ben M. Hall 41 Real Pipes Sound During Plug-In Concert .. ........... Elmer Fubb Fred Kruse DEPARTMENTS Dorothy Whitcomb 3 President's Message 28 Hollywood Cavalcade Gaylord Carter 4 An Acre of Seats 29 For the Records W. "Tiny" James 12 Letters to the Editor 32 Nuggets from the Golden Days Allen W. Rossiter 25 Closing Chord 43 Chapter News Richard Simonton 26 Vox Pops 46 Classified Ads Richard H. Schrum, Past President A.T.O.E. Honorary Members PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE 1959 - Jesse Crawford The Holidays are at hand. Looking back on an eventful year, we have much 1960 - Famy Wurlitzer to celebrate. The name of the organization and our by-laws have been changed to 1961 - Mel Done~ 1962 - Leonard MacClaiA allow for growth in new dimensions. Formed to save some of the magnificent 1963 - Eddie Dunstedter pipes of the great days of the silents, we are now vigorously restoring many of 1964 - Reginald Foort them to more or less regular use. New theatre installations, auditoriums, and 1965 - Dan Barton various civic centers such as the Roberson Center of Performing Arts and the 1966 - W. "Tiny" James former Loew's Ohio in Columbus, show the life in our movement. While these 1967 - Erwin A. Young, Jr. are not all ATOS installations, the people concerned are, in great part, members 1968 - Richard C. Simonton of the National. 1969 - Judd Walton This is the true reason for the National to exist. United, we can have much EDITORIAL STAFF more influence than any single group or individual. Where we are more numerous, Editor - George Thompson we can do much as chapters, but the most isolated individuals may feel that they Associate Editors - Ray Brubacher are helping to preserve the theatre organ by their personal involvement in ATOS Lloyd Klos Peg Nielsen and its official journal, Theatre Organ. Editor-Emeritus - W. "Stu" Green We reached our highest membership in 1969 - 3,925. This is an increase Publications Director - Don Lockwood of 325 over last year. Members will be listed alphabetically by States in the new Advertising Manager - Dewey Cagle roster. Circulation Manager - Vi Thompson Let all of us that can get there have a fiesta of fun and music in Tulsa at the THEATRE ORGAN BOMBARDE (title registered Regional Convention in Feb. to start the new year. Then on to New York in July U. S. Patent Office) is published bi-monthly by to give our own regards to Broadway in celebration of the Fabulous Fifteenth the American Theatre Organ Enthusiasts, Inc., a non-profit organization, Albert T. Mason, anniversary. President. All rights reserved. Entire contents A Happy Holiday Greeting to all of you from National Headquarters. copyrighted 1969 by A.T.O .E., Inc., Office of publication is P.O. Box 2329, Livonia, Michigan 48150. Printed by Detroit Master-Craft, Livonia, Michigan 48150. POSTMASTER: Second Class postage paid at Livonia, Michigan. IF UNDELIVERABLE, send form 3579 to A.T.O.E. Circulation Department, Box 1314, Salinas, California 93901. Al Mason, President 3 theatre organ bombarde By Bill Peterson - Number 18 in a series ORPHEUM THEATRE, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE A typical example of the smaller but still classical style from the offices of C. W. and George L. Rapp of Chicago. Many Orpheum houses were built with much the same appearance as this one. The Wurlitzer 3 man­ ual organ can be seen· in a lowered position in the pit. december 1969 4 A SALUTE TO BOMBARDE by G. F. Thompsnagel In saluting Bombarde, we are ac­ This is the last issue of THEATRE tually doffing our hats to the BOM­ theatre managers and organists of the ORGAN-BOMBARDE BARDE editor and his fabulous staff area as being the last shift organist and of writers , including his top assistant, the one who could clear the late eve­ ning crowd with his playing alone. One Beginning with the February 1970 Peg Nielsen, not to mention Hal manager stated that Green could empty issue, the official ATOS magazine will Steiner, Bert Broullion, Effie Klotz and the house with three chords, which was be called THEATRE ORGAN. Drop­ a host of others. faster than shouting "fire". It is felt ping off the name BOMBARDE from that perhaps this manager had a tin ear the masthead is being done with mixed and didn't particularly care for organ feelings as we are a sentimental group music. and resist change. However, the Board of Directors decided to revert to the Mr. Green gained some local fame title of THEATRE ORGAN for reasons in Africa during World War II with his of simplification. work on the Red Network of the We believe, in closing off the name Armed Services Radio. Some military BOMBARDE , a short history and a experts still claim that his broadcasts salute is in order. The first issue of discouraged Rommel to the point that BOMBARDE made its appearance in he couldn't concentrate on battle tac­ February of 1964 as a separate maga­ tics, thereby giving the Allies an op­ zine to complement THEATRE portunity to drive the Germans out of ORGAN. At that time THEATRE the African deserts. ORGAN was published quarterly and "Stu" Green without blonde helper attempting In all honesty, it must be reported it was felt that a supplementary maga­ to deliver an address to disinterested listeners. that a black mark on Stu's career came zine , also published quarterly but re­ when he introduced the electric organ leased on alternate months would give BOMBARDE'S editor has been, since to Austria.