Fox Theatre's Mighty Wurlitzer Organ at Disney's El Capitain Theatre on Hollywood Blvd.

[TheRovingRichard]

I was at the last performance of the organ in the FAX San Francisco Theater. At that time the organ was broken into pieces. Part went to Pizza and Pipes near Sacramento, part went to a private home in Danville where the owner built a loft to hold it.

It's entirely possible that one person reassembled the entire organ in a new home so close to the new organ in the Disney theater in Hollywood.

As I recall the organ was an entire orchestra and not just the pipes, there were strings, and far more.

[waynesupaz]

I was just a kid when this organ was still installed in the Fox. It was the most amazing experience to to there in the early morning to watch the people attend the noon time performances. I cried when I heard it was being torn down. James Gabert of KIOI tried to save it but it was not to happen. His program Excursions in Stereo, featured Everette James and Tiny Little in their Farewell to the Fox performance. It was a sad week listening to the theater being torn down.

[waynesupaz]

@waynesupaz I messed up it was Tiny James and Everett Nourse. George Wright also did a fantastic Farewell to the Fox performance.

[MoviePalacesf]

Was the mayor of SF a blind dumbass or just corrupt? I've seen pictures of the SF Fox, and it is (was) the most amazing building in SF. Was he bribed by contractors that wanted to build Fox Plaza?

[waynesupaz]

@MoviePalacesf Yes I think it was since all it turned into was a parking lot.

[TuboEspectador]

Sadly, this organist plays so broadly it is distracting. Elbows, I gather. I am not being snide.

[GooglFascists]

@TuboEspectador Yes this organist plays like he's wearing catcher's mitts on both hands.

[TuboEspectador]

@GooglFascists I was watching a movie the other day, called "The Entertainer" with Laurence Olivier, about the death of the Music Hall (Vaudeville) tradition in the UK during the 50s and 60s. In the background there was an organist playing a theatre organ in the music hall, and it was very articulate, very different than the current crop who want to play complex chords. Again, folks, I am not being snide at the organist, but that there are better examples out there of fine theatre organ craft.

[bigsilverdaddy58]

YES the organ came from the SanFrancisco Fox, via the home of Frank Lanterman

(La Canada) who died. it was then purchased by I believe, Disney, when the El Capitan was refurbished under the direction of Joe Mucil who found the organ in storage and persuaded the powers that be to install it in the El Capitan chambers...

The organist is Rob Richards...It is indeed in the El Capitan...

[Sodiumreactor]

The story i got was that a california politician bought the organ and had it installed in his home after the Fox was torn down. Then Disney bought it for their El Capitan Theatre.

[flylooper]

OMG. I heard that organ at the Fox Theatre on Market St. when I was just a young kid in the 1950's in San Francisco. So that's where it ended up....in freakin' Disneyland?

That's just wrong!

[danders76]

@flylooper The El Capitan Theater is on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, about 40 miles from Disneyland (Anaheim). The Disney Corporation owns the El Capitan.

[deancook652]

@flylooper The El Cap is in Hollywood, the perfect home for a moving picture organ!

[TheRobbinthahood91]

The Fox Organ was purchased by California Congressman Frank D. Lanterman of La Canada Flintridge Ca. He had it installed in his home. I heard him play T.O.pipe organ at Carl Greer in Sacramento Ca. This was a several story hotel just off I-80 Freeway (now a different name) that had a large Wurlitzer T.O. installed in the lounge. Talked to him afterwards and he imvited me and a friend to his home in La Canada Flintridge to hear/play the organ. Frank was Wurlitzer rep to Australia in 20's

[TheProudAmerican777]

I remember it was this very organ which reignited my love for such piped beauties.

[methodistgirl]

The last time I saw a Wurlitzer organ was thirty

years ago on vacation in Pheonix at Organ Stop

Pizza. They do sound great.

methodistgirl

[huddlstn]

This organ was removed and installed in California Senator Frank Lanterman's home in La Canada for some years, (Frank use to be the organist for the Alex theater in Glendale, CA) then it was restored and installed in the El Capitan Theater across the street from Graumans Chinese on Hollywood Blvd, just west of Highland.

[craigkier]

Many Fox theatres had multiple organs- the one in Detroit for example has two originals- one in the lobby & one in the theatre itself. However in this case, both are correct. When the Fox San Francisco was demolished, the Wurlitzer 4/36 was dismantled and sent to a private home. Disney later bought it when refurbishing the El Capitan. I've heard the Fox in St Louis no longer has the original lobby organ, but the two main Fox Wurlitzers are the twins of this one.

[kiqw]

I don't understand. Another clip on this site says that this organ is installed in a private home. So which is: El Capital Theatre or a private home????

[teenagehomo]

When the Fox theatre was demolished, maybe the organ went into a private home. All I know is disney (who bought and refurbished the El Capitain Theatre) bought the organ 9somewhere) and it has lived/played in their theatre for the past ten (or more?) years.

[JonasClark]

@kiqw This organ went from the SF Fox to the home of organist Frank Lanterman, and from there to the El Capitan with one rank (a flute celeste) added.

[JonasClark]

@kiqw The SF Fox organ did go into the home of organist Frank Lanterman. After that it ended up there at the El Capitan, and it really shines. I'm sure a large portion of the audience, children especially, have never seen or heard a theatre organ, and the organists try to use all the color stops, the various best combinations, all the percussions and the special effects like pizzicato and second touch - not badly, not all at once, but over the course of every show.

[andyt1424]

@kiqw The organ was installed in a private home for a while, then Disney bought it back again, then installed in El captan theature.

[dcsiple]

@kiqw he means the organ "in the house", the theatre

[54spatula]

i want this music at my funeral

[Marshall7302]

does this console still have the original combination action? and or relay? or has it been converted to sindine solid state.

[PaulMcCann92]

Gosh! That sooo American!! Guys and Dolls.

[dacatholicbandorgan]

I owe Mr.Richards a debt of Gratitude. He is the person who brought me back to music after having left it for so long.

[dannyzad17]

Dpes anyone know where I can obtain music for the song "San Francisco" which Rob is playing from 1:01 to the end of the video?? I have not been able to locate it anywhere. Your Help Would Be greatly appreciated.

[seaquestatari]

I just watched a video showing the destruction of the fox. I cant watch the whole video because it angers me so much to see that once mighty theater fall. It overjoys me thoug to se its mighty wirlitzer playing again.

[megaswenson]

Be glad you didn't watch the whole thing. Seeing the organ descending into the pit for the last time, with 'San Francisco' being played, had me crying like a baby.

And when you think of the magnamillion-dollar public 'improvement' projects...like stadiums nobody wants....that taxpayers are forced to pay for, because Organized Crime wants to build them...would it have killed the Mayor of San Francisco to shell out a lousy 1.5, to save a beloved landmark?

[flylooper]

@megaswenson

I couldn't agree more with you. The Fox was a trip into some other place. Oakland saved the Paramount, but I guess big money in San Francisco wanted that ground for that stupid office building they put up. GOd, I have so many memories of that place as a kid in the 40's and 50's.

[megaswenson]

@flylooper I can only imagine how thrilling that would have been. Those theatres were miracles, and it is insane that they were cast aside so wantonly.

[yamahonkawazuki]

@megaswenson agreed. seing something like this going away for the last tiem. id be deeply depressed too. probably asylum bound :"(. well idk that far but id be hurting with a void in my mind of what used to be

[megaswenson]

@yamahonkawazuki Have you seen the photos of the interiors? Incredibly beautiful. Just the most beautiful palace... a palace that even a poor person could inhabit, for a while, just for the price of a Movie Ticket.

[yamahonkawazuki]

@megaswenson reminds me of hte tn theatre in knoxville tn. go insode you are inside a royal palace like you said. eve4n poor folk could get into. id pay to just sit and admire the architecture if they allow me to do so

[NobHillBorn]

@megaswenson

It was a different era back then, few people cared about grand old buildings, only that something new would be taking its place. The mayor then had other priorities (saving old theaters was not one of them). It would be years later before other lesser theaters would be saved in San Francisco.

[MrAmandeepsodhi]

great sound man

[4freespeech]

Yeah but you gotta admit, its better

than if they busted it up with the rest

of the theater~

[prausch65]

Although this magnificent musical instrument was saved from destruction, its true home was at the Fox Theater, where its acoustics and mechanical devices were incorporated into the design of the theater. Having it play at the El Capitan is actually doing it an injustice, because its true sound and abilities are not being used.

[cookymonsterr]

I love wurlitzers. I heard a star wars medley that nearly brought me to tears, it was so beautiful and powerful

[Gillyyorkie]

shame about the video quality but awesome all the same the sound is sadly lacking bass . But 5 stars all the les !

[teenagehomo]

This was taped off the television which is why the sound is poor. I wish there was that great loud bass too!