1928 Wurlitzer Fox Special Organ, Fox Theatre, St. Louis, Missouri, Part 1 of 2
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- Опубликовано: 17 янв 2020
- Brent Johnson talks with Steven Ball about the 1928 IV/36 Wurlizter Fox Special at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri. This is the first of a two-part series.
Part 2: • 1928 Wurlitzer Fox Spe...
Specification of the organ: sltos.org/instruments/fabulous...
Fabulous Fox website: www.fabulousfox.com/
Information about tours: www.fabulousfox.com/visit/tours
Steven Ball's website: www.stevenball.com/bio.html
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In the early 1970s, a friend and I were passing through St. Louis and stopped to see the great Fox Theatre. After buying our tickets (the feature film was something like Debbie Does Dallas), we passed into the lobby and when the elderly usher/ticket taker (in his old, tattered uniform) found out we were there to see "his" theatre, his eyes lit up and we spent the next couple of hours on a most unforgettable private tour. Ignoring the 3 or 4 patrons in that enormous auditorium, he pointed out every detail with his flashlight - backstage, basement, organ console, balcony, the entire ball of wax. Bless that old man.
Bless him indeed!
I wonder if it was the theater manager Dean Noble Arnold, he retired in 1969, but volunteered for some years in various capacity. There is a plaque in the lobby.
There's no way that 'Debbie Does Dallas' played the Fox Theatre. You must be thinking of some other far less grand venue.
What a genius Robert Hope Jones was! He left a wonderful legacy.
I had the great privilege of maintaining the former San Francisco Fox sister to this instrument at the El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood. Long may this organ live. I spent happy hours playing the WurliTzer.
Incredible instrument
My Fox memory: I Was in St.louis auditioning for the symphony where I met a couple of Hippies who were going to the Fox to see PLANET OF THE APES. I decided to tag long. At the end of the movie I suddenly was enveloped in a sea of sound. What? I didn't know this film was in stereo - and just then a spotlight came on and out of the pit rose the Mighty Wurlitzer. I assume the soloist was Stan Kann
loved that organ I was close friends with late Stan Kann and spent lots of time there at Fox and got to play it
William Fox tried to cancel the order for the WurliTzer for the San Francisco Fox. Farney Wurlitzer came to Los Angeles and saved the order. That was 1928. These few remaining instruments are a treasure. OMF, this is one of your best presentations.
I was born in St. Louis in 1948, and one of the greatest joys of my childhood was hearing this giant pour out such beautiful sound! Thanks for this recognition!
It is beautiful! Congratulations sir. The last time I heard this instrument was when Stan Kann gave his last concert! I loved it.
Love this guy. He is expert, completely unassuming, interested and more than happy to share. His enthusiasm is infectious, and I am sure he has heard that before. Loved it.
Original relay, original capture action, original console leather for the most part. It’s in original condition with all 36 ranks in tact. Al Haker, the one who keeps it going, is an absolute magician.
Oopoooppooooooooppooooopooppooiioiooooooiooooo
This is a great video and for those who really want to hear a great theatre organist, check out recordings By George Wright who was the resident organist for a number of years at the San Fransisco Fox. I think I have most of the recordings he made over the years and never get tired of listing to them. Several other great Theatre organists were Don Baker, Leonard Maclaine, or Walt Stroney who was a resident organist at Radio City Music Hall In New York city. I'm sure there are many others, but these are the ones I have listed to over the 60+ years. Have a wonderful listening session!
Most amazing organ the Wurlitzer wow
I like how they get into some of the technical details that you don't hear in other videos. This would be good for a classical organist thinking about branching out to theater organ. We need more young organists to take up the art.
I'm from the UK and we have a Compton organ in one of my local theatres. I've often wanted to play it really badly!
When I was 9 years old, my parents brought me to the Fox Theatre in St Louis for the 1st showing of the 1962 movie, "The Longest Day". Stan Kann played that organ in a special live concert. This is great, thank you.
What a magnificent instrument!! 😮 Beautiful!
These fox specials sound so good ! Jesse Crawford knew what he wanted ? Who better to choose the specification .
The Crawford special organ is the 4/20 Publix 1 organ. 4 manual keyboard with Less pipes. Someone else at Wurlitzer came up with this 4/36 Fox Special spec.
Crawford was asked why no english post horn rank on the 4/20. He replied to protect the audience from the organist.
What a great touch playing "Defying Gravity" as the organ arises from below stage. And an awesome arrangement too!
He couldn't have picked a worse console riser.
It would be great to be in possession of the arrangement. Does anyone know where to find this or do I have to resort to transcribing it by listening to this and meticulously writing everything?
I love how he hit the lowest note and the camera actually shook. lol
Amazingly Brilliant sounds from start to finish. CHEERS
that's a beautiful theatre; worth the price of admission. Thanks.
Just fabulous! Thank you for sharing. Brings back many fond memories of going to Radio City in the 60's with my parents when they played the Might Wurlitzer.
Thank you, Brent, for another superb video. Thanks also to Steven for explaining the layout of a Wurlitzer. This is the first time anyone has ever taught me about the concept of chambers vs. divisions and left to right soft to loud. Many thanks!!!!
Absolutely amazing!!👍👍
Magnificent, American culture at it's best!!
A magnificent instrument. Thank you for sharing.
I’m so looking forward to this 😊
Great video THNX for posting.. Great to also meet up again with Steven after so many years!
Best description and demonstration of ALL these voicings! Marvelous.
Brilliant! The most thorough description on RUclips I have seen so far.
This is why people like Tom Sheen and Robert Wolfe say and have said, it takes a life time to be able to properly learn to play this beautiful instrument with speed and efficiency. This lad is off to a great start and in 20 more years will be amazing.
We assume this is an attempt at humor.........the man at the console is of course 'DR' Stephen Ball, Doctor of music, and very well know organist.
It did not take me long how to play the organ and the organ is fun to play on.
@@patricksaxon3983 I meant no disrespect. Its amazing to me to watch anyone play such a wonderful instrument. Its not like playing a piano or a synthesizer. SO much skill is needed to play a song and work all the stops and keyboards at the same time to achieve the sounds that are needed. I remember as a kid watching Tom Sheen play my grandparents Wurlitzer and to just watch his hands and feet move at such speed was just mind blowing.
Scott Na It does not take much skills to learn how to play an organ, it much easier than it looks. Try looking up Lowrey Magic courses on RUclips and you will see how easy it is. Learning how to play the piano requires much more skills.
What a treat !!
.
Love it!
Tremendously entertaining and educational!
In the 1920's, you went to church and sang with a pipe organ. Then you went to the movie house for another pipe organ to play the audio themes for your show! Organs everywhere in those days! In the high school auditoriums as well! Our school organ was a moller.
Withrow High School in Cincinnati had a pipe organ until the late 60's.
Church hadn't got a good reputation in the 20's because of its old-school, racist and misogynist vision of the world.
@@marmite-land Were you alive back then?
@@bob733333 Yes, why ?
@@marmite-land Are you also a Vampire? You're old enough to remember going to church in the 1920's, and it was racist and misogynistic? Are you lying to me?
My deepest thanks to everyone who participated in the making of this wonderful and absolutely fantastic film, all credit possible to Steve for his gripping tour of the instrument and his brilliant playing. This production has peeked my lifelong fascination in the theatre organ and has made me determined, one day, to come and see this instrument. What joy you brought me with the video, the music and the astonishingly vivid and colourful sounds of this unsurpassed Wurlitzer. The closest I’ve come so far was taking a trip to the Byrd theater in Richmond, however this organ is totally in a class of her own. Bravo to Stan for sticking with her and seeing that the organ was finally brought into its own once again, what a great man he must have been. Finally, thanks to all those who made this video possible, not forgetting the organ crew and those who work obviously very hard at maintaining the instruments tuning, no easy job I know!!! Gad Bless you all, Adrian in Bermuda!
I have seen that magnificent instrument at work at the Fox and am totally fascinated by it. Thank you so much for doing this. Even though I don't understand much of what is being discussed, this is fascinating.
That was cool!
"Vox Humanas are like tofu". That is, bar none, the BEST description of them.
A great instrument indeed.
👍...Astounding.......
Brilliant song choice! One of my favorite tunes is defying gravity! Well played!👏
Singing along to it!
Although I did find it slightly amusing that Brent Johnson said it would have sounded just like that in 1929. Hmmmm....maybe not.
I remember Stan Kahn ( sp ? ) ascending from the darkness of this theater playing this organ in the mid 1960's ..........students from SLU could get reduced ticket prices for movies ........wonderful experience ....SLU had their 175th anniv celebration here at the FOX also .........
Such a Really, Big Queen.
I have no idea what they're talking about but it was fascinating. I wish there was such an organ near me to hear in concert.
Where do you live? I could possibly tell you where the closest publicly accessable theater organ is to your location.
@@TheBaritoneCrooner Thank you, We are in Bothell Washington, a suburb of Seattle.
Well, the Seattle Paramount Theater still has its original Wurlitzer restored and playing. In fact, they have a concert series throughout the year. I believe the Puget Sound Theater Organ Society holds some activities there too. PSTOS is the local chapter of A.T.O.S., the American Theater Organ Society. Here's a link to a radio broadcast from several years ago interviewing their in house organist. soundcloud.com/mark-demmin-2/jim-riggs-at-the-seattle
@@TheBaritoneCrooner a peculiar instrument is kenyon hall.
The guy who put it together wanted it to be a 2 manual organ with as much ranks as a 4 manual organ.
My memory is *_not_* clear on what I'm about to say because it was so long ago, but I once dated a girl who's father either owned, or was co-owner of the Fox theater in Detroit. My best friend at the time was a professional musician and wanted to see the mighty Wurlitzer. We did go to the Fox, but we couldn't get the door open so we never did get a chance to see it. I thought I remember them restoring it to working condition perhaps 35 or 40 years ago and I thought I went to hear it play. I don't know why it is not in working order any longer.
Another story about the Fox. When Devo was popular, me and my girlfriend when to see them at the Fox in Detroit. We were in the first row of the balcony sitting directly in the middle. When Devo started playing "Whip It", everyone was bouncing up-and-down in their seats. The entire balcony was bouncing up-and-down and small bits of plaster began falling from the domed ceiling and the giant chandelier began moving. I have never been so scared in all my life!
OMG We had our honeymoon in St. Louis after we married in Missouri! I wish I had know this was there so I could have seen it, maybe played it? 😮😪
love to see in person.
what an organ
Incredible. Thanks for keeping this art alive. I would love to hear you play an arrangement of the music from Once Upon a Time in the West by ennio morricone on this
My late Uncle played one at the Paramount theatre in Nashville.
I live near Nashville, do you know if that theater is still there along with the organ?
Who are all these weird people below .......everyone's a critic...from don't like the video cutting from mic placement, to he will be fine in another 20 yrs ......it's a brilliant description of how a Wurlitzer is controlled and played! Dr Ball is an established and experienced musician.....!
Yes, everyone is a critic... My main issue was the song played rising from the pit. It is unlike anything you would hear in an actual opening of a theater (and not in a good way). Different can be good, or great even, burt playing a real show stopper would have resonated a bit better imo.
@@philipmarlowe8763 I have to agree, something happy and snappy would have gone over much better. But it is what it is. it's still an interesting video to watch about a pretty special instrument.
I absolutely loved the opening song. These other commenters can get bent
Love the video and learned a lot about theater organs. Also more fun than John Williams. I have also heard the percussion referred to as the toy counter.
An occasion for a self tied bow tie, very nice detail ;-)
That is wonderful how it ascended from below. I wished that there more theaters that had these pipe theater organs. I remember the days where people sung along during the intermission of the silent movie. Too bad Wurlitzer stopped manufacturing these wonderful instruments. Kimball also made theater pipe organs. In the mid 1980s, Wurlitzer introduced electronic theater organs giving the idea of the theater organ.
Organ Stop in Mesa, AZ has a console that rises.
Companies stopped because the demand dried up. Yes, there aren't many left. Three of the grand "Fox Specials" are left (Detroit, St. Louis, and San Francisco, the latter now in Hollywood at the El Capitan and played before every film). Alabama Theatre and Seattle's Paramount have often-used Publix Is, the true "Crawford Special" (he only made certain requirements of the Fox organs), though Seattle lacks a console elevator. Two of the three remaining pipe organ pizza parlors have a console lift: Beggars Pizza in Lansing, IL (a Barton with one of Barton's unique pit-less lifts - but not played every night) and Organ Stop in Mesa, AZ (now the world's largest at 82 ranks, on a ROTATING lift-- stay 'til closing and chat up the organist and they may let you take a ride on it).
What a wonderful instrument.
Here in Detroit the Wurlitzer in our Fox is practically silent and may be forgotten to time. There are no plans to restore it.
The Tennessee Theater in Knoxville has a beautiful 1928 Wurlitzer.
It does. And unlike the others I know of, it retains its original gold crackle finish. Wurlitzer rarely used it; Barton did a lot with it.
I'd love to have this guy playing in my own home, at my very whim, as my mood directed .. of course tracking down the organ may be the big problem
That tibia on trems almost passes for resembling a female chorus just singing notes but not words
The console is really showing it's age. Are there any plans to restore the console and it's many parts any time soon?
absolutely wonderful shame it wasn't in stereo thank you
That was a wicked opening number... Hyuck hyuck hyuck
The Wurlitzer from the Fox in NY is I believe the one that is installed in the Wichita KS convention Center.
Wichita is the former N. Y. Paramount, the first of these organs. The Brooklyn Fox sister to this was broken up for parts.
I wish they had lighted the chambers and shown the shades opening and closing from orchestra level. Part 2 shows the chamber interiors, and occasionally you can see the auditorium through the openings, but you never get the big picture.
Блестящий!
This is the Russian word for " brilliant " in English.
As a brit we have a fantastic wurlitzer in Blackpool, the next biggest is Manchester civic hall, I would love to hear this organ play the anthem from Finlandia.
We have 3 fantastic Wurlitzers in Blackpool!
What piece did Steven play at the start of the video? It was very beautiful and warm.
"Defying Gravity" from Wicked. Really well-done, I think.
Amazing instrument! The only down side, is when an organ like this is in an actual theater where the untuned percussion items are back behind walls and curtains, and so muffled you can barely hear them.
well they had to make it that way cause percussions can be louder as the organ pipes themselves when they are unenclosed and infront of the chambers like the percussion of the organ stop pizza organ.Especially when the swell shutters are closed the percussions are very loud cause even high pressure ranks like those of a theatre organ are not loud enough to overpower the percussion...so its beter to make them enclosed and put them in the more back of the chamber to make them quiter but still to be heard
I'm guessing the microphones were placed pretty nearby the console hence the organ sounding fairly distant?
😎👍🏻
Great description. Just a pity the organ is rather silent and drowned in the acoustics. It is of course an empty room without an adience but putting extra microphones nearer to the actual sound sources would have helped, also to emphasize the "surround sound" and stereo effects. Very informative though. Thanks.
Names of songs?
A great insight into the machinations of the mighty Wurlitzer. Explanatory Dialogue great but accompanying demos far to soft. Suggest microphones at the organ chambers and mixed at a mixer to match sound levels of the dialogue.
But a very worthwhile video and look into these marvellous instruments. And extremely talented organist.
What song was played when the organ was raised?
Gravity
Is there a record one can buy
They used to be quite common in British theatres. When I worked for Odeon they still had one in Leicester Square London. Most of them got destroyed when cinemas got sound systems installed.
They used to ride up out of the floor with an organist playing them
Odeon Leicester Square still has it's Compton organ.
@@OrganMusicYT A Compton. I don't know one organ make from another. Yes I was on reception duty when the Queen came to see Lost Horizon film premier back in 1974.
Not so many destroyed, just transplanted.
@@9fq6z Thousands were destroyed. Compared to what there was years ago, we've lost the majority of them.
@@OrganMusicYT Rot! less than 1000 Theatre/Cinema organs total in the UK which is what Jeremy's comment pertains to! Compton (the most prolific in the UK) The highest number on the Compton list I can find and thus the latest is A516 Plaza Crosby 1939. Christie list is much smaller as is the Wurlitzer list ..less than 1000 in total ! Please do not exaggerate!
This guy's doctorate is clearly in "That Organ"...
Dr. Ball was staff organist and program director for several years prior at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall. Even only half functioning, that Midmer Losh is a FAR larger instrument in every way.
ruclips.net/video/q0wOqzkO14Y/видео.html
I know that sound! It's been about 30 years, but I used to hear it when a brand new $1,495 special-holiday-sale Wurlitzer organ was being played at the mall outside the music store. It could instantly change from great hall like this to organ grinder and add percussion to the keys or independent rhythm. I'll bet this old one can't do that part, though, given how many manuals this Fox News one has to use to make the same sound.
This Wurlitzer can do everything that electronic organ you saw can do, except add an automatic pre-programmed rhythm. That technology wasn't developed until the 1950s (but indeed by Wurlitzer, called the "Side Man" device). This theatre organ has percussions and they can be played from the keys. What's more, absolutely everything is electric or pneumatic, nothing electronic, and all the sounds are produced by real organ pipes, several; thousand of them.
Oh, and the Fox Theatre has little relation to Fox News.
@@JonasClark My comment was deliberately a bit of a tongue-in-cheek slam, not an analysis. I'm not a fan of the Wurlitzer sound and kitsch unless it's for pizza-parlor-type performances. I have enjoyed them in that setting because their tone, as well as the bells and whistles, were right for that application.
@@ReflectedMiles Sorry, the tongue-in-cheek-ness apparently sailed straight over my head! I'd argue that they're also perfect for these old theatres, with their glitz and glamour. And while I prefer big, well-rounded organs like this in pizza parlors, back in the 70s I understand the "pizza organ" sound was typically seen as tibia, vox, post horn and as many tuned percussions and sound effects as possible.
@@JonasClark The one closest to me could also hammer on three bass drums at the same time in sequence. It always surprised me when the organ guild was interested in going over it for one of their meetings. I thought it was great for kids' birthday parties, but... I guess I was just too used to the meticulously voiced and maintained church and orchestral organs.
@@ReflectedMiles I think that, if properly cared-for, these organs can be wonderful orchestral organs. One stumbling block was that church and concert organs nearly always got a lot of tonal finishing; in theatre installations, they were usually lucky if the organ was installed and tuned in time for opening night! Give a Wurlitzer proper tonal finishing, and it can be an orchestral marvel. Forget the traps and toy counter.
Pipe organs are the most difficult instrument to play. Not only are both hands and feet used together but the sounds that are produced come out a fraction second after being played. So the organist must tune out the music and listen to it in his mind. Otherwise the composition being performed slowly grinds to a halt as the organist strains to hear the sound before playing the next note.
No it is much easier than playing the piano. Very easy and I been playing for more than 47 years.
Nonsense.
Sounds like half the pipes are missing?
Johann Sebastian Bach would have enjoyed a Tibia Clausa. Rank in his organ. Unfortunately back then Tib7a Clausa, Erzehler, Erzehler Celeste, Salicional Celeste, etc were nit common.
What are the two white rectangular boxes that project off of the sides of the scroll top? Speakers? Lights?
I believe their lights for the stop tabs.
"A tuned air leak" :-)
What is the purpose of the boxes above either side of the console?
Those are lights.
@@OrganMediaFoundation - Thanks.
This is cool, but an even better video would show the sections being played. Will you guys please make a new one of these in which at least one camera is manned and you start that with wide zoom from the stage floor that goes up to the general area of the specific pipes or sub-instruments, and then from there we switch to a view from a camera that was perched right on the area so we can see the actual percussing of those subinstruments?
Man how in hell can you play that thing. It huge
it's fairly easy once you know how to play. it's like a piano +
Is this a keyboard triggering multiple actual acoustic instruments?
Sort of. A pipe organ is considered a single instrument, but under every stop tab (the switches) there is a pipe for every key. An awesome variety of sounds. Theater organs are unique in that they do incorporate several other instruments such as percussion, and in this case even a piano that can be played via the organ console.
But it is technically one instrument.
BOB HIEL OF HEIL MICROPHONE FAME USE TO PLAY ORGAN AT THE FOX.
When are you guess going to do the Charlie and the chocolate factory play
1:15 !!!
The masonic Kimball 1900s at her herlitzer Scottish building in st.louis
The organ sounds great, but that poor console desperately needs a face lift.😞 Wish they could have placed a couple mics closer to the pipe chambers for this presentation. I had to turn my volume way up to hear some of the pipe stops.😉 *EDIT:* I was just thinking... this organ is probably somewhere along the lines of a toy piano compared to what Steven normally plays (the mighty Midmer-Losh at Boardwalk Hall in N.J., the largest pipe organ in the world!).😁
the largest pipe organ in the world is in Atlanta city and the largest theater organ is in a pizzeria in Phoenix
@@marmite-land *Atlantic* City (NJ), but yep, your close.😁 The largest theater organ is actually not in a theater anymore, but at the Carma Labs warehouse (makers of Carmex Lip Balm), in Milwaukee. It's been an ongoing project for some years now, and has recently surpassed the 'Organ Stop Pizza' organ in Mesa, AZ *AND* the Sanfillipo Estates Wurlitzer by quite a bit, as they added some new ranks in 2019. Here's a little sample from Nov. 2019... man this thing sounds great! ruclips.net/video/jawsFb-eFFE/видео.html
B
0:49 buuuuuurn
Perhaps fix the sound levels ?
I am not sure what anyone was thinking, but this was absolutely hands down, the worst "console rising out of the pit" song I have ever heard (probably a poor choice of Dr. Ball for this particular demo as well, but eh). I am only 5 minutes into the video and I am ready to turn it off and I'm very disappointed.
Jay R P I agree....very poor choice.
@@glennrank9229 It's a joke: the name of the song is "Defying Gravity"
@@danshasky7057 I know what the song is, it still stinks as a console riser. I am not sure what he was thinking. He's definitely a man who marches to his own beat, and thats not always a good thing. If he was trying to be "clever" many other songs could have been chosen.
@@philipmarlowe8763 How many times to you get to see any organ rising from the pit? The choice was fine, just shut up.
Why doesn't he play something we know out of the pit, not this boring dirge of bland chords and lackluster melody. Come on Theirs No Business Like Show Business get the hint.
My gosh, shut up and let the man play!
Numerology Fox=666
Like a gypsy house, horror