JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN THEATREORGAN SOCIETY TONY FENELON IN AMERICA The magnificent sound of the WURLITZERORGAN now comesto you with Total Tone® The Wurlitzer 4030R The Wu rlitze r 4502 More than 50 styles and finishes ... for amateur or professional, for home or church, for schoolor club~ The Wurlitzer 4300 Deluxe Now, many Wurlitzer Organsare available with the theatrical sound of Spectra-Tone® and Reverb, the fascinating effects of the Slide, the scintillating The Wurlitzer 4700 sounds of Ssh-Boom.® WuRLiTzER The Wurlitzer 4500 means Music to millions® pianos • organs • electronic pianos The Wurlitzer 4075 DeKalb, Illinois 60115 ·1 ··,.___, ~ .. • J .... ,:"" -:·: ; • ' ~ ~ .. .. ~.t. THE COVER PHOTO Tony Fenelon's visit to the U.S.A. was a series of personal and musical triumphs for the young Australian organist, seen here examining the wonders on the stoprail of the Robert Morton organ in the Carl Greer Inn in Sacramento, Calif . His first person account of his tours starts on page 5. Journal of the American Theatre Organ Society -Stufoto Volume 12, Number 1 In This Issue February, 1970 FEATURES 5 My Great Adventure 'UP OVER' ..................... ....... .................. ..... Tony Fenelon A.T.O.S. National Membership is $8 .00 per cal­ 8 A Rose Is a Rose .. ............... .. ............ .......... ....... Lloyd E. Klos endar year, which includes a subscription to 16 Don Thompson Concertizing in West ...................... .................... .............................. .. Elmer Fubb THEATRE ORGAN, the official publication of 17 The Young Radical Comes of Age .... ........... Billy Nalle the American Theatre Organ Society. Single 18 'Pipe 'n Pizza' Makes Southwest Scene .............. ................ ......... .......... Peg Nielsen copies: $ l .25 . Make check or money or.der 21 Cedar Rapids Has Smash Hit ....... Charles G. Albrecht payable to A.T.0 .S., and mail to P. 0. Box 22 Home Organ Festival Celebrates Tenth Birthday ..... ..... Hal Steiner 2329, Livonia, Michigan 48150 . 25 Letter from New York .... Claude Beckham OVERSEAS Membership: $8.00. 29 Recipe for Fabulous Fifteenth ALL MATERIAL FOR PUBLICATION 38 CATOE Members Restore Pickwick Wurlitzer .... .. Karol and Ken Shirey 39 Barton Finds Home in California EXCEPT ADVERTISING SHOULD BE SENT TO A.T.O.S . PUBLICATIONS 41 Millie Nearly Fried .............................. ............. ..... ...... Peg Nielsen P.O . BOX 2329, LIVONIA, MICHIGAN 48150 41 Live Organ on Sacramento FM 41 Unusual Store Opens ADVERTISING ADDRESS: Dewey Cagle, 3291 42 A Tribute to Dan Papp Guido Street, Oakland, California 94602 . 46 Keith's Wurlitzer Removed * * TECHNICAL A.T.O.S. National Officers 12 "UNIFICATION" -What Is It? .... .. ................... ...... .................... ... ..................... Stu Green Albert T. Mason, President Allen W. Rossiter, Vice President CONCERT REVIEWS Dcirothy Whitcomb, Secretary-Treasurer 32 Lyn Larsen's Fall Concert Tour ..The Green 'Machine' Betty Mason, Executive Secretary 33 Don Baker Excites Rochester TOS .Lloyd E. Klos 36 Jerry Mendelson at Rahway ......Anonymous A.T.O.S. National Board of Directors 42 California Miss Debuts on Covina 'Wurlimorton' ........ Stu Green Lee Erwin Ben M. Hall DEPARTMENTS Fred Kruse 3 President's Message 27 Closing Chord 40 Golden Nuggets Dorothy Whitcomb 4 Acre of Seats 28 The Pipe Piper 44 Chapter News Gaylord Carter 20 Hollywood Cavalcade 30 Letters to the Editor 47 Classified Ads W. "Tiny" James 26 Vox Pops 34 For The Records Allen W. Rossiter Richard Simonton Richard H. Schrum, Past President PERSPECTIVES A.T.O.S. Honorary Members 1959 - Jesse Crawford May 11th, 1959, 1094 copies of THEATRE ORGAN were mailed - 439 1960 - Famy Wurlitzer members and 655 prospective members. We can no longer send copies to prospects 1961 - Mel Doner but we will be mailing over 4,000 copies in 1970 to members as soon as all their 1962 - Leonard MacClain dues are received. The main statement made in the original editorial is just as 1963 - Eddie Dunstedter timely now as it was then. WHAT WE DO DEPENDS ON YOU! 1964 - Reginald Foort Our growth means better service to you. More news comes in and can be 1965 - Dan Barton printed as the costs do not rise in direct proportion to size. The fixed costs of 1966 - W. "Tiny" James 1967 - Erwin A. Young, Jr. acquiring information can be spread over more pages. Except for long planned 1968 - Richard C. Simonton conventions , the magazine is not designed to announce coming events. That is one 1969 - Judd Walton of the functions of a chapter newsletter. But we can let the country know what has EDITORIAL STAFF happened when we get. the reports. Editor - George Thompson Currently, our Society is busier than ever with various chapters engaged in Associate Editors - Ray Brubacher restoring organs in theatres, installing them in educational institutions and audi­ Lloyd Klos toriums as well as members rescuing the instruments for their own purposes. The Peg Nielsen present use in various types of restaurants gives the public a chance to hear "the Editor-Emeritus - W. "Stu" Green sound". Theatres are repairing them as you will note in the body of the magazine. Publications Director - Don Lockwood Advertising Manager - Dewey Cagle There are more organ clubs with owned or controlled instruments than ever before. Circulation Manager - Vi Thompson Read Billy Nalle's article carefully in this issue. I think it sounds the note THEATRE ORGAN (title registered U.S. Patent for us today. Make the theatre organ a permanent part of culture for the people. Office) is published bi-monthly by the American Our Fabulous Fifteenth convention is celebrating our fifteenth year of con­ Theatre Organ Society, Inc., a non-profit or­ tinued growth. Actually we have only had eleven conventions but ATOS is fifteen ganization, Albert T. Mason, President. All rights reserved. Entire contents copyrighted years old in 1970. l 970 by A.T.0.S., Inc., Office of publication is P.O. Box 2329 , Livonia, MichigaR 48150. Printed by Detro·it Master -Craft, Livonia, Mich­ igan 48150 . POSTMASTER: Second Class postage paid at Livonia, Michigan. IF UNDELIVERABLE, send form 3579 to A.T.O.S. Circulation Department, Box 1314, Salinas, CaH·fornia 93901. __{if 1vt{U)(?}.s~sident I ATOS 3 ARCHIVES/LIBRARY theatre organ By Bill Peterson - Number 19 in a series ORIENTAL THEATRE - PORTLAND, OREGON This "East Indian" playhouse was designed by the Portland The organ is being completely releathered, with plans to firm of Thomas & Mercier and seats 2,038. The magni­ install it in another theatre building in Portland in the ficent plaster work was designed by Adrian Voisin. The future. theatre opened on December 31, 1927. This writer, and Dennis Hedberg were the last managers Outstanding features of this structure include the huge of the Oriental , before its recent sale. The theatre will be dome in the auditorium, the intricate plaster detai I every­ razed to provide parking for the adjoining office building. where in the building, the children's nursery in the base­ The Oriental was recently photographed for inclusion in ment under the lobby, and the Wurlitzer Special 235 the Library of Congress list of America's most interesting organ which is now removed by owner Dennis Hedberg. buildings. february 1970 4 My Great Adventure 'Up Over' by Tony Fenelon For 31 day s in September - October concerts on Saturday , Oct. 11th. But SURE I CAN SMILE - Tony was reminded of 1969, Austr alian organi st Tony Fen­ that seemed a long way ahead at the his somber demeanor while our cover photo was elon made his first tour of the U.S.A. , time. taken, so he here exhibits some of the charm playing concerts wherever there was which won him friends wherever he visited. The an available organ and generally hav­ On Sunday night , Sept. 14th , we instrument is the 4/15 Robert Morton in the ing a whale of a time. Here's how he dropped in at the Captain's Galley res­ Carl Greer Inn, Sacramento, Calif . remembers it. taurant at .Santa Clara to enjoy a meal -Stufoto and have a short play on the 3/ 12 "By the time I get to Phoenix - she'll Wurly installed there. This is Tom gun. With him was Dewey and Lor­ be hectic!" Perhaps an understatement, Hazleton-Jack Gustafson territory, and raine Cagle , Peg Nielsen and a lot of but how can one describe the most boy, is that instrument in good hands! familiar Festival faces . Guess it turned memorable 31 days in one's life? I guess I still don't really know which was best into a "Hoberg clan request program " I knew the time would fly as this whirl­ - the organ or the pizza! after midnight. wind tour took me from West to East The following day we drove to Lake and back again. What I didn't know Tuesday found us up at Hobergs' Tahoe in Nevada and stayed at the was that during that time , I would Resort in the pines! Dewey Cagle had told me so much about the Home famous Sahara Tahoe Hotel where amass such a wealth of friends and Dean and I had the pleasure of hearing memories. Organ Festivals of past years but had assured me that the only way to really and meeting Johnny Mathis. Johnny As I walked onto good ol' San Fran­ appreciate the Festival atmosphere was told us that night about the trouble he cisco soil for the first time, I tried to to go there. I now know exactly what had singing at an altitude of 7000 feet. convince myself that this was America. he meant. I never thought it possible After re-acclimatizing ourselves at Boy, that was hard! Why by inter­ to have so much fun and make so many San Jose , we got down to the business national time , I wasn't due to leave friends in such a short time. In spite of of a pjan·o and organ concert at Steven's Sydney in Australia for another 15 concerts, jam sessions, classes, a cos­ Music Company.