See it in color... then hear it in color! Wurlitzer950TA You are invited to write for a pin-up picture of the most beautiful electronic organ we have ever built . then visit a dealer to hear the most beautiful sounds Wurlitzer has ever created! It's our new Professional Model 950TA ... a Total Tone organ in Theatre Styling ... shown in Antique White with Gold, also available in Sable Cherry. Conveniently placed controls for the myriad of available sounds make the or­ ganist at home from the start. Five gen­ eral pistons, third-keyboard Orbit Synthesizer and couplers for the keyboards and pedals further enhance the play ability. Pistons deliver impressive sounding pre­ set registrations: theatre organ with violin solo, strings with flute, orchestra with reed solo, full organ with trumpet, cathedral organ with chimes. Tibias sing a full range of pitches (16' to l') with no doubling back, all playable through a built-in custom Leslie Speaker System. For other thrilling preset combinations, there is the exclusive Spotlight Solo™ Section. New Chromatic RiffTMplays two-way chromatic scales at any speed from any note, an impressive effect. WuRLiTzER Percussion offers 15 rhythms combin­ The Music People able in endless ways plus instrumental percussion voices, and arpeggiation Send coupon for free color picture and complete stop list that follows chord and key changes r-------------------------, automatically. I To: Wurlitzer, Dept. TO-280, DeKalb, Illinois 60115 I Please send my free color picture and details on 950TA Touch Response offers a new kind of I musical punctuation. Symphonic Pres­ I Name ........................................... ence multiplies solo voices into choirs! I Address ......................................... Get the picture today ... I City ............................................. and dream a little! I I State ....................... Zip ................ I D Send name of nearest dealer. I L-------------------------J ATOS National Membership is $15.00 per cal­ endar year , which includes a subscription to THEATRE ORGAN , the official publication of the American Theatre Organ Society. Single copies $2.50. Make check or money order pay­ (ISSN 0040-5531) JOURNAL OF THE able to ATOS , and mail to P.O. Box 45, Falls Church , Virginia 22046 . AMERICAN THEATRE ORGAN Editorilll Address THEATRE ORGAN SOCIETY P.O . Box 1314 Salinas , California 93902 VOLUME 22, NUMBER 1 Phone : (408) 663 -3238 Advertising Address ATOS Advertising FEBRUARY / MARCH 1980 2231 North Burling Street Chicago , lllinois60614 Membership Office P.O. Box45 Falls Church , Virginia 22046 features ... Phone : (703) 573 -4138 5 The Organ Grinder's Pipe Organ ATOS Corporate Office ATOS 7 Whatever Became of the WLS Organ? ........... Stu Green 6900 Santa Monica Boulevard Los Angeles, California 90038 10 Death Comes to a Lovely Lady ............... Carl F. Guiney Office of the Pn,sident 10 A Tribute to One of the Finest Thomas 0 . (Tommy) Landrum of the Golden Age ........................... Bud Taylor 4815 Leonard Parkway Richmond , Virginia 23226 Phone : (804) 353 -8376 11 Wurlitzer Chest Action .................. E.S. "Tote" Pratt National HBBdquarters 14 Rosa Rio on Public Television ................ June L. Garen ATOS P.O. Box 1 002 15 ATOS Award Presented to J.B. Nethercutt Middleburg , Virginia 22117 Phone : (703) 364 -2423 16 Art or Artlessness? ............................ John Muri National Officers Thomas 0 . (Tommy) Landrum, President 31 ATOS Silver Anniversary Convention Lois Segur , Vice President Erwin Young, Treasurer Wyn McDonnell Davis , Secretary National Board of Directors technical ... Paul (Mac) Abernethy , Jr . 24 Questions and Answers .................... Lance Johnson John Ledwon William Rieger Judd Walton 39 The Acoustical Consultant .............. R.J. Weisenberger W . "Tiny " James Betty Mason Richard Schrum George F. Thompson departments . • • Ray F. Snitil, Pas t President Konsole Kapers 27 For the Records Curator 13 Paul Abernethy 40 Letters to the Editors P.O . Box 2480 18 Vox Pops Burlington , N .C. 27215 25 Dinny's Colyum 42 Chapter Notes EDITORIAL STAFF Editor - George Thompson Nuggets from the Golden Days 64 Classified Ads Associate Editors - Lloyd E. Klos , 26 Peg Nielsen Editor -Emeritus - W . " Stu " Green 27 Closing Chord Photographer - Bill Lamb Publishers - Floyd and Doris Mumm Editorial Assistant - Don Lockwood Advertising Manager - Len Clarke Circulation Manager - Lee Prater Cove.- Vhoto THEATRE ORGAN (title registered U.S. Patent Office) is published bimonthly by the American The 4-manual Wurlitzer console from Boston's Theatre Organ Society, Inc., a nonprofit organi­ zation . Thomas 0 . (Tommy) Landrum, Presi­ Music Hall Theatre replaced the 3-manual Orien­ dent. All rights reserved . Entire contents copy­ tal Theatre console at Portland's Organ Grinder righted . American Theatre Organ Society, Inc., 1980. Office of publication is P.O. Box 2329 , in 1975. This pipe organ is now one of the largest Livonia, Michigan 48151. Wurlitzers in America. See story on page 5. POSTMASTER: Second Class postage paid at Livonia, Michigan . IF UNDELIVERABLE, send Cover Photo by Claude V. Neuffer form 3579 to ATOS Circulation Department, Box 45, Falls Church, Virginia 22046. 1 ,!: w ATOS 3 FEBRUARY /MARCH 1980 THEATRE ORGAN ARCA•VES / LIBRARY Richard Simonton Members: Feb . 1955 - Oct . 1958 Have "the time of your life." Fly to England Judd Walton Oct . 1958 - July 1961 for the 1980 ATOS Silver Anniversary Convention! Tiny James See page 31 thru 38 for July 1961 - July 1964 more details. Carl Norvell July 1964 - July 1966 Richard Schrum July 1966 - July 1968 Al Mason July 1968 - July 1970 A NOTE CONCERNING Stillman Rice FLYING TO ENGLAND July 1970 - July 1972 Attempts have been made to set up a charter flight to England, but Erwin A. Young many problems have surfaced. We would need a guarantee of over 200 July 1972 - July 1974 passengers to depart from one point. Group fares are a possibility but the replies that we have had to date from members who plan to attend Paul M. Abernethy July 1974 - July 1976 show that they are from many parts of the country and the logistics of getting a group together is greater than we are staffed to handle. Exact Ray F. Snitil fares depend greatly on the ever climbing fuel costs. Airlines have direct July 1976 - July 1978 flights from many major U.S. cities to London and a departure from a city near to your address would be less costly to you in time and money. Preston M . Flee t July 1978 - Nov . 1978 It is suggested you contact your nearest travel agent for more complete information. Two travel agents have written ATOS headquarters with offers to assist members on the booking of flights to London. We are reprinting parts of their letters so that you may contact them directly. t-iO~Ol?Al?.,-, East Coast M~M13~l?§ If anyone needs assistance in their travel arrangements with the Lon­ don trip in July, they may contact SIVA TRAVEL SERVICE, 481 1959 - Jesse Crawford North Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg, MD. 20760, telephone (301) 1960 - Farny Wurlitzer 948-3375, as we are aware of the trip that will be taking place for the 1961 - Mel Doner AMERICAN THEATRE ORGAN SOCIETY. Please contact Kim at SIVA TRAVEL for your reservations. 1962 - Leonard MacClain DON'T DELAY - for the earlier you book, the better chance you 1963 - Eddie Dunstedter have of getting a lower fare. KIM BOWLING 1964 - Reginald Foort West Coast 1966 - Dan Barton Since we felt that many American members might be planning to go 1966 - W. " Tiny" James to England, we have reserved a block of seats between New York and 1967 - Erwin A. Young London leaving July 19th and returning August 2nd at the low, low 1968 - Richard C. Simonton SUPER APEX fare. The return date may be changed. 19619- Judd Walton At this time (January 1980), the summer fare from New York to Lon­ 1970 - Bill Lamb don, round-trip, is $568.00 including tax, subject to increase, of course. Once the ticket is purchased, the traveler is guaranteed against any 1971 - George and Vi Thompson further fare increases however. 19n - Stu Green There are small add-on fares for passengers traveling from other 1973 - Al and Betty Mason U.S . cities. We can handle reservations from any point for your 1974 - Lloyd E. Klos members. 1975 - Joe Patten THEODORE BLISHAK Member, Northern California Chapter, ATOS 1976 - Floyd and Doris Mumm ACCENT ON TRAVEL 19n - Les and Edith Rawle 1030 Curtis Street, Menlo Park, California 94025 1978 - Len Clarke Telephone (415) 326-7330 1979 - J .B. Nethercutt ALSO: SEE AD ON PAGE 23 FOR ANOTHER TRAVEL COMPANY. 4 THEATRE ORGAN FEBRUARY /MARCH 1980 I ~ I I THE01\GAN G 111'11.m_ -...., E1\' S 11111 PIPEORGAN I ·- • ,1"·.~t u, ;_~... ~- 1 ·;tiift~'! 11i1 .'! ·~ ~~'·,l'iIf ·1 ~ lll!f·; ~~,--~""::_..··..._.".-i ...... _j/ ~. t1 ;JIll UI Lil • • ,, . ....._ ____ The Organ Grinder, Portland , as it appeared prior to The pipe organ in the Organ ings make the chambers perform opening in 1973. The 32' Diaphones are in the Grinder restaurant is the realization acoustically like horns to project the center of the picture . of a dream of Dennis Hedberg to sound into the dining area with air lines. Some are: ease of assembly, build one of the largest and finest much clarity. low internal friction and high rigid­ examples of a great theatre pipe or­ The generous use of glass in the ity. gan. Mr. Hedberg is a former engi­ chamber design affords maximum The electrical wiring in a highly­ neer with the Rodgers Organ Com­ visual impact. Most of the glass is unified theatre organ is staggering. pany and one of the owners of the ordinary plate glass but the panes Every circuit is repeated for each of Organ Grinder restaurant. along the promenade are of a special the 61 keys on each manual or key­ The tonal design parameters for 3 laminate design engineered for board! Knowing the finished instru­ the organ are based on the two favor­ safety and greater sound isolation.