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

From San Fransisco's long demolished Fox Theatre, their Mighty Wurlitzer Organ survived, and can be heard at Disney's El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, CA. Award-winning Rob Richards is the house organist seen here from a segment on Huell Hauser's show.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Fox
• Theatre's
• Mighty
• Wurlitzer
• Pipe
• Organ
• el
• capitain
• theatre
• hollywood

[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.

[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!

[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?

[4freespeech]

Yeah but you gotta admit, its better

than if they busted it up with the rest

of the theater~

[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.

[dcsiple]

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

[waynesupaz]

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

[waynesupaz]

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

[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.

[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.

[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?

[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.