WAIKIKI THEATRE PIPE ORGAN, Hawaii

Organist Bob Alder is interviewed at the Waikiki Theatre in 1988 and 1989. Some of the info from the reporters is not entirely correct, but these are good stories all in all. The organ was a Robert-Morton 4/16, originally built in 1922 for the Hawaii Theatre. It was moved to the Waikiki Theatre in 1937. It is now installed in the Palace Theater in Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawaii.

• Category

  Music

[shnewsman]

that's not a rhythm unit on top, is it? dear god...

[cinematone1]

It was a Roland Rhythm 77. A Roland SH-1000 synthesizer was wired in and played from the top manual, which originally had no speaking stops, only couplers from the other manuals. Strings of lights were wired to the keys of the third manual. This organ was used to entertain young movie audiences of up to 1400 people per show during its last heyday of the 80s and early 90s. This was not a revival house, but a commercial first run movie theatre. See it in its new home at htos.palacehilo,org

[Jon Busch]

And of course the Waikiki 3 is gone. A victim of modern business practices, the live accompaniment went away several years before the theater was razed. The organ is now at the Hilo Palace on the Big Island of Hawaii. It's still being installed, but last I heard 13 ranks were playing. The Robert Morton at the Hawaii Theater in Honolulu is partially restored and is the only other theater organ in a theater. There are at least two theater organs located in private homes in the islands.