SANDYMacPHEHSON ... Orqanist- Friendof Millions

By Lloyd E. Klos

"Hello, Everyone! This is Sandy at the BBC Theater Organ.,, How often have those words been bearre d into hundreds of thousands of homes throughout the British Common­ wealth of Nations! Although considered as one of the top theater organists of England, this man is not an Englishman by birth. He is Canadian-born Roderick Hallowell Macpherson, a musician of "Hello everyone, this is Sandy ••. " great talent who has had one of the A characteristic photograph of Sandy Macpherson at the console of the B.B.C. most remarkable careers in theater or­ Compton, taken at about the time of his appointment as resident organist in 1938. gan annals. The rise of Sandy Macpher­ son to fame should be of considerable whose ability at the keyboard was pianist and the theater's musical direc­ interest to all theater organ enthusiasts. equaled by her ability with the gin tor developed, and Sandy was appointed He was born on March 3, 1897, in bottle. When the theater manager heard regular pianist. He gained valuable ex­ Paris, Ontario, a little Canadian town. Sandy's piano style, he hired him as a perience in this position. improvising His father was manager of the local replacement for the lady each time she by the hour-agitatos, hurrys. mysteri­ branch of the Canadian Bank of Com­ was "under the weather." It meant 35¢ osos etc., and remained at the Temple merce, and his mother was the daughter to the young pianist f cx each perfor­ for a year and a half while continuing of the manager of another bank in town. mance. his studies. Wishing to further himself, With this proximity to the realm of high For two years, Sandy was enrolled he moved to Hamilton's Lyric Theater, finance, one would be led to believe at the Amherst Academy. Later, he en­ a vaudeville house on the Keith circuit. that the young boy would turn his tered St. Andrew's College in Toronto. Sandy fondly remembers his days at th oughts to a care er in this field. It is It was here that his musical education the Lyric. The leading variety artists fortunate for the theater organ lover expanded. He continued studying the of the time appeared there, among them that subsequent events steered him from organ, and also became conductor of Alice Lloyd, Chic Sale, and the Marx the path of banking to the road as a the school orchestra. After leaving the Brothers. In 1921, Macpherson moved to cinema organist. college, he returned to Amherst where Hamilton's Loew's Theater, coming un­ Sandy began studying piano at about it had been decided that he join the der the management of MGM. Appoint­ six, his mother instilling in him an bank. He was a member of the staff only ment was secured through James J. early love of music. It was the custom a few months when World War I broke Lindsay, musical director of Loew's in those days for Sandy's father to in­ out. In 1915, after a six-week course, Theaters Inc. Sandy had reached a mile­ vite the young bank clerks into his home Sandy was commissioned a lieutenant stone in his career. Heretofore, all for Sunday afternoon tea. An hour or in the Army Service Corps. Lacking an positions were as pianist. This was two of group singing, featuring religious assignment because of the slow-turning his first as organist, and he hesitated songs and popular ballads with Mrs. official wheels, he held various jobs in before accepting. He had performed on Macpherson at the piano, was part of the meantime. He helped guard German a church organ, but the new job's better this custom. When he was nine, Sandy prisoners-of-war, was a night watchman pay won him over. In time, he persuaded created a furor in Paris by absenting in a New Jersey factory, was a stock­ the theater manager to insert a film himself from home. He had been reading kee per in a stationery firm, and worked strip into the main reel, proclaiming Horatio Alger, and was bound and de­ in a lumber camp. With war's end, he "Special Musical Accompaniment by termined to follow his hero's life. After decided that music was to be his forte, Hal Macpherson at th~ Organ!" Another a few hours of wandering about, he was but befcxe embarking seriously in this big event for him jn 1921-he was married , returned to his home by the town's mill field, he had a brief career as a tobacco While at Loew's Theater, he fol­ manager whom he had encountered. salesman. It was vigorous work, and lowed the elaborate scores for such In 1910, the family moved to Am­ took a lot out of him, travelling about. pictures as "The Birth of a Nation", herst, Nova Scotia, the father having Sandy enrolled in the Hamilton Con­ "Orphans of the Storm", nScaramouche" been made manager of the bank in that servatory of Music as a piano student. "Monsieur Beaucaire't, "The Covered city. It was here that Sandy began organ His instructor was W. H. Hewlett, Wagon", "The Four Horsemen of the lessons in the First Baptist Church, principal of the Conservatory, and or­ Apocalypse", and "Ben Hur". These and it was most intriguing to the lad, ganist and choirmaster of the Centenary scores came neatly bound and bristling because of the wide range of expression Methodist Church. While a student, with cues. They consisted of excerpts and great interpretation possible on this Sandy helped his finance by selling from the classics and semi-c lassies, instrument. He kept up his piano study pianos. One day, he visited the Temple carefully edited, timed and written, as we 11, and at the age of 14, he re­ Theater in Hamilton, and promptly complete with musical bridges, and all ceived his first theater engagement. recognized the pianist accompanying the organist had to do was to keep a The small picture house in Amherst the films as an old friend. Since the sharp eye on the cues, and play the seated 100. Admissioh was 5¢, and the musician was handling two jobs, he music according to the instructions. In pictures were single-reel features of asked Sandy to fill in for him during comparing the music of the silents with 10 to 20 minutes' duration. The piano the lunch period. The job meant $5 a accompaniment was provided by a lady week. Trouble between the regular Continued on page 8 Winter '64- '65 CHICAGO------JULY 3-4-5 CHICAGO 7 during the years in tluttalo. One was York, plus the organ console, rose into Continued from page 7 Jack Yellen, writer of Sophie Tucker's view on an electric lift. Reginald Foort, songs. Another was liar old Ramsay, a organist in the New Gallery Theater in the mood music of today's motion pic­ fellow organist playing the 4M 28R Regent Street, was brought in to ac­ tures, Sandy believes that the former Wur liTzer in Shea's Buffalo Theater. company the pictures, and Sandy Mac­ had more appeal, because that music Sandy and Harold had double and pherson provided the organ interludes. was used as a substitute for the action, triple-decked sandwiches named after The Empire Theater was indeed THE whereas the latter merely establishes them in Buffalo restaurants, more evi­ theater in London. The elite attended a mood. dence of his rising popularity. its offerings. Members of the foreign He remained at Loew's Hamilton from In 1927, he sailed for a vacation in legations and embassies were frequent 1921 to 1923, and his ambition began England. Armed with a letter of intro­ visitors. The Prince of Wales was of­ to make him restless. He made a trip to duction t o the European chief of the ten in attendance. Sandy had the pro­ Buffalo, and was advised by the mana­ WurliTzer Company in Paris, Walter blem of playing the right kind of music ger of a small theater near the railroad Pearce, Sandy was introduced to before the right kind of audience. Tues­ station to stop at Shea's Hippodrome, Pearce's partner in London, Major S. J. day afternoons, for example, he could and try out for the organist post. This Wright, who showed the organist the play Franck, Ravel, Beethoven, Handel, he did, playing for Mike Shea, whose Wur liTzer installations--the Plaza, Brahms, and Bach, but on Saturdays, it name was "Mr. Big" in theater circles Fins bury Park Rink and others. The Em­ was Gershwin and Berlin. Often he had in the Buffalo area. Shea knew nothing pire Theater in Leicester Square was to steer the "middle line" in his se­ about music, and relied upon his musi­ being built. Sandy was asked to stay, lections so that all listeners would be cal director for advice on talent. A but the pay was not as good as in satisfied. In the autumn. of 1929, the short story confirms this. He and his America. He returned to the States in orchestra left the Empire, so Sandy was musical director were present when an October 1927 to resume his work in Buf­ given the added job of accompanying organist auditioned, then asked the falo's State Theater until May 1928, the second feature. His organ interludes director what he thought. "He's not when the theater was closed. were steadily growing in popularity. He quite up to the standard we want, he's He was not out of work long, be­ discovered that while the theater organ a bit heavy on the pedals", said the cause the Empire Theater in Syracuse, had a ten-year start in America, the director. "Oh", replied Shea, "You N .Y. was reopening, and he accepted Americans still preferred current music, don't need to worry about that--I'm going the post of organist there. Re-opening where as the English audiences des ired to have those things ripped out, ~ny­ night was a big event, with flowers, the older melodies. way!" telegrams, well-wishing, excitement. Sandy instituted new ideas in organ Sandy succee