The Mouse That Roars by Ron Musselman All Pictures from Delay Collection
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The Mouse That Roars by Ron Musselman All Pictures from DeLay Collection That old saying, "Big things come in Of the 500 or so of these smallest unified 2/3 Maas, but had toyed with the small packages," can certainly be ap Wurlitzer theatre pipe organs with piano idea, on-and-off for several years, of plied to some of the smaller theatre consoles, the largest number of any sin moving up to something more theatrical organs built in the 1920s. And I'm not gle model built was the style 135, which, and a little larger, perhaps six or seven even referring to something as "large" with four ranks of pipes, was similar to ranks, but not so large that maintenance as a 10-rank Wurlitzer, Style 216, cer the style B, which had a regular horse would be too time-consuming. And to the tainly one of the most ambitious two shoe console. Some larger piano-console true enthusiast, what better centerpiece manual pipe organs ever turned out by models were also produced: The style is there for the family room than a well any maker . or even the later eight 160 had six ranks of pipework, while the proportioned horseshoe console? But rank " master blasters" that were built early style V boasted eight, although, like when he heard about the availability of a for English installations where maximum all of its smaller brothers, including the basically sound piano-console 109, his pizazz from a minimum number of voices three-rank units, a Tibia Clausa or horse sights were reset. The thought of owning was the primary aim. The machine I'm shoe console was not standard. The such a unique instrument, and keeping it talking about was the workhorse of hun smallest three-rank organs of this group in its original configuration, intrigued dreds of small-town movie houses and included variants that were given model him. The· organ was located in downtown neighborhood theatres; the little three or numbers of 105, 108, 109 and 110. Los Angeles at the Bresee Brothers and four-rank instruments that are generally Gilette Mortuary on West Washington considered to be the smallest packages Street's "Mortuary Row." It had been that can be called a "complete" basic re-installed there in 1930, and was found organ, as opposed to instruments in the to be virtually intact, although the traps Photoplayer classification, which would had been removed. In checking its his usually consist of an upright piano, traps " tory it was found that his Style 109, Opus and only a couple of partial pipe ranks 777, was a well-traveled organ. Before on perhaps five inches of wind. its long gig at the mortuary, it had been Our society 's journal has featured a installed in the Kinema Theatre in Gra number of smaller home installations of ham, California. Prior to that, it occupied various origins over the years, but rarely its original home, the G.A. Bush Theatre has any form of an original Wurlitzer in San Diego where it had been installed with a piano console even been men in January of 1924. tioned, and these instruments were far In this model, the player operated only from being a rare species during the era the bottom, or piano, keyboard which of their manufacture: Wurlitzer alone also functions as the Accompaniment produced over 500 of these smaller units. manual, which plays from 85 of the Since Wurlitzer built over 2,200 pipe or piano's 88 keys. Stops for the Accom gans, this means that almost one Wurlit paniment manual are divided at middle zer in four was a small organ, typically F# and G for bass and treble stops. So, three or four ranks, with a piano console. for any given stop register available, there Why was the survival rate of this style of are two stops per pitch. As a result, instrument so poor? For one thing, in the Piano consoles typically had 88-note Piano/Accom manually, you can register Accompani smaller movie houses where such an paniment and 61-note Solo manuals . Pedal board ment and Solo stops on the piano key organ would be found, space was often was typical Wurlitzer design. Style 109-C Opus 777 board and actually play Accompaniment at a premium , and when talkies turned of 1924. and Solo on the same division. This is a the theatre organ into excess baggage The piano console was normally placed direct throwback to the pneumatic photo where it had previously been a necessity, in the orchestra pit with a large vacuum players with their separate cabinets of the course of action that made the most pump behind the console to operate the bass and treble pipes . The 88-note sense to a typical owner/manager was roll player or players, if such options were Accompaniment plays by ordinary piano to either sell the organ to the church or included. The chests and relay were rolls. Above the Piano/Accompaniment mortuary making the first reasonable housed in a fairly compact swellbox that keyboard is a standard 61-note "Solo" offer, or simply hire someone to rip it out could be installed in a regular chamber organ manual, which is independent of and haul the remains to the city dump. space adjacent to the proscenium arch, the player function. And above the Solo These smaller voices of the silver screen directly behind the screen, or just about manual, running parallel to it, is a single usually had earned their keep long before anywhere on the stage that space was stop rail of the familiar tongue-shaped retirement , so the owners didn't gener available. stop tabs. Incidentally, the piano has an ally feel they were wasting much by toss It really is unfortunate that more of . interesting feature that should be men ing them on the scrap heap. Even if the these unique examples of "entry-level tioned. In normal operation of the organ operation included organ music into the theatre pipe organ" didn't survive into with the wind on, the piano stop must be talkie era, instruments in this category the present. However, a few of them still drawn before the piano will sound. But were considered to have been more exist, and one of these is a Wurlitzer with the wind off, the piano becomes a useful as silent movie accompaniment Style 109 owned by Tom Delay and in purely standard instrument and can be than as a solo instrument. And besides, stalled in his Fresno, California, residence played as a conventional upright. This a three or four-rank organ represented where it gets a good deal of use and lov feature must have come in handy more a relatively modest investment. ing care. Tom already owned a well- than once during these instruments' tor- 10 • JANUARY/FEBRUARY THEATREO RGAN Tonalpercussions are stacked on top of each other, Union board side of 213, Style 109 Wurlitzer relay. Chamber of the Style 109. L-R: Vox Humana, Safi- with 18-note chimes at the chamber back. cional, Flute. Note offset String pipes horizontally across ceiling along with tricky mitering of lowest manual chest Salicional pipes. Lets all tip our hats to the handful of theatre organ oumers who have remained faithful to the principle of authenticity. It hasbeen their strong sense of history that hassaved a rare bird from extinction. turous schedules in their original habitats. principles, using original Wurlitzer zinc If there was a serious malfunction that windline with no plastic pipe or flex tub made the unit unplayable as a complete ing utilized on any portion of the wind organ, at least the pit musician still had supply. In fact, nowhere in the instru a piano to work with. The massive up ment will be found any synthetic materials right piano/console with its straight stop used in place of the original basic con rail and full pedalboard is a rather impos struction. ing sight viewed firsthand, and with its medium oak finish, a really nice piece of While installed in the mortuary, the furniture . organ had been quite badly damaged by As is the case with most small, lower water. Anyone who has ever had to deal priced Wurlitzers, the relay keying has no with warped topboards of a Wurlitzer primaries, while· stop action does have chest will appreciate what was con primary pneumatics. The Pedal stops are fronted when restoring them. The top keyed directly without the use of a relay. board laminations had separated , caus The rank complement is a fairly standard ing severe bleeding to surrounding notes. 85-pipe Bourdon-Flute, 73-pipe Salicional Fortunately, there were only three ranks (string) and 61-pipe Vox Humana, all of of pipe chests and percussions to restore, which are operated by a single regulator In view of the fact that even this relatively on ten inches of wind. Tuned percussions small project was a time-consuming are plentiful for an instrument of this size, operation, Tom states that he has the ut and include Glockenspiel, Xylophone and most respect for those involved in much Chimes. All of these and the swell shades larger home projects involving 15 ranks operate from a standard Wurlitzer or more. When Tom was swamped with "winder" regulated to 12" of wind. Tom commercial work (He owns and operates did make one modification to the original Central California Pipe Organ Service), winding setup: He took the offset 16' and he opted to call for the excellent services 8' Bourdon-Flute and 8' string off tremu of Richard S.