LIBERACE ORGAN - CLASSIC TV COMMERCIAL

Bruce Meyers (bruncem@ozemail.com.au) joined Stedfast Enterprises Limited in 1965 to raise hard to get funds for the non denominational Christian Mission Society, Open Air Campaigners, founded in Sydney in 1892.
Stedfast took the Australian agency for Thomas Electronic organs in 1965 and traded in a small but growing business until approx 1973.
An annual budget of a minimal $7000 pr annum, was violently affected when the companys friendly advertising agent , Tom Glynn, advised that Liberace was doing a concert tour in Australia and maybe could a Thomas organ commercial in Australia. He was contracted to opposition Baldwin Organs for virtually every country, but not Australia.
Bruce agreed but was staggered to find Liberaces fee would be $25000 US dlrs. He saw the potential and agreed but obstacles occurred. The Australian Musicians Union refused Liberace
Permission to work in Australia, other than the concert terms of his visa.
After much negotiation, we decided to make the commercial in USA. In order to do this we:

1.Had a script written by an Australian Scriptwriter.
2.Found an Australian soundman willing to travel to USA for the commercial
3.Found an Australian Cameraman, travelling in USA, to film the commercial.
4.Found a ten year old schoolgirl in Sydney, Justine Wilson, and Bruce taught her to play the first four bars of When the saints Go Marching In using the exclusive Thomas ColorGlo System.
5.Arranged for Justines Grandmother to be available as chaperone.
6.Arranged for a Thomas organ to be shipped from Los Angeles for the commercial.
7.Bruce Meyers planned the project as commercial director.

We shipped the whole unit to Liberaces Los Angeles home in Las Vegas. The commercial was made in the garage of Liberaces home. The garage was:-

1.Air conditioned.
2.Floor of Italian Tiles
3.Had three chandeliers.
4.Had five poker (slot) machines.
5.Had no room for a car, which was a limousine and wouldnt have fitted anyway.

The commercial was made on a day temperature was 104 degrees. Every time we filmed and recorded a segment, we had to turn the noisy air conditioner off. Between segments we were plied with fruit punch by Liberace to counter the heat.

We shot 1800 feet of 35mm film, converted back in Australia into one 60 second and two 30 second commercials. They were the most successful music commercial in Australian Music Industry history. The whole production, travel and TV time cost exceeded $500,000 and Australian Organ sales, not only for Thomas, but for all other competitors, reached staggering sales increases, so that Australian organ sales proportionately were higher than for most other world markets.
Liberace was the most professional and helpful artist I have ever worked with.

Bruce Meyers
Managing Director
Stedfast Enterprises Limited
Stedfast @ozemail.com.au

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• liberace
• commercials

[djmarkcotter]

oh wait here's another one: lee was great on the piano but he sucked on the organ.....haha just kidding, i love lee im sure if he were alive today he could take a good gay joke

[balto4]

Thanks for posting this,along with the info. Liberace was an amazing person,and had a huge heart

[iran747]

For the love of god no more Liberace commerials please! Very Scary!

[lbr218]

oh justine, will you ever learn?

[lbr218]

@elc1960 I think she was more scared of Liberace! He sure was awesome-- but I don't think she knew his full magnitude.

[lancetop]

Liberace was too butch for his own good~

[torresongs2]

@djmarkcotter What's better than Michele Pfiffer on your piano? Librace on your upright organ! LOL!

[patsaxon]

I had an organ very similar to this model, the troubadore 181. Cheepy crappy spinet organs were no good, poor quality. The lager models were much better sounding and also had built in Leslie. I have one of the last models produced in 1981, the Eldorado 792, totally loaded with many great features and sounded great! I miss Thomas organs of the past as they sounded great!

[davlber221]

LMAO!!!!

[sydneygayboi]

Liberace plugging an organ for Australian TV

FAAAAAABULOUS

[limon276]

Walter Liberace playing organ?. It was very unusual, although not impossible...Thomas organs was selled in my country Venezuela in the lasts 70's, like Yamahas and Wurlitzer. Because of the ads about these organs, many people learned to play the instrument incorrectly. Today, in Venezuela there are no services providers for these organs.What a pity!.

[steverabb]

That was cool. In addition to being a master showman on the piano, Lee was also an organist. Trying to find any videos of him playing.