The Theater Organ: A Forgotten Instrument of Hollywood's Silent Age

Lukas Kamenski

The theater organ is a type of pipe organ that was used specifically for the accompaniment of silent films between approximately 1911 and 1940.  It was developed by Robert Hope-Jones (1859-1914) while working with the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company of North Tonawanda, New York. The first prototype was released 1910 and its successors soon became popular in movie theaters where they replaced or expanded expensive orchestras. Wurlitzer was the biggest producer of theater organs sharing the marketplace with its competitors such as Robert Morton.

Because of Wurlitzer’s dominance and their products versatility, the term “Mighty Wurlitzer” became a synonym for the instrument. The demise of the theater organ set in with the arrival of sound film starting in 1927. One of the most known performers of the instrument was Jesse Crawford (Fox, Junchen).

A total of around 7000 theater organs were built but until today only a few remained functional and in use. The American Theatre Organ Society is dedicated to restore and maintain the tradition of this beautiful and complex instrument. Venues with still functional organs include the Radio City Music Hall in New York and the Paramount Theater in Oakland, California (Fox).

The theater organ could be operated by only one single skilled individual and was able to reproduce sounds of drums and percussion, wind and brass instruments, strings and even various sound effects such as a police siren (Fox). Some organs also featured a mechanism called double touch, which made it possible to play two different sounds with the same key, depending on the pressure applied by the player (Fox, Junchen).

References:

Fox, David H., and David L. Junchen. "Theater organ." Grove Music Online.  16. Oxford University Press. Date of access 8 Jul. 2022, https://www-oxfordmusiconline-com.catalog.berklee.edu:2443/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-1002252521

Fox, David H. "Cinema organ." Grove Music Online. . Oxford University Press. Date of access 8 Jul. 2022, https://www-oxfordmusiconline-com.catalog.berklee.edu:2443/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000005796