Theatre Organ: "Hooray for Hollywood"

[@johnferguson4089]

Absolutely amazing! beautiful arrangement and fabulous organ.

[@shorttim77]

This audio was not recirded on the Detroit Senate Wurlitzer, pictured here, it is from Walt's CD "The Modern Theatre Organ" and is recorded on one of Dave Junchen's instruments, the Gilson's in Madison, Wisconsin.

[@GerRoland1]

The organ console pictured here is the one of a kind Wurlitzer commissioned by the 7 Fisher brothers for their legendary 2,975 seat Mayanesque Fisher Theatre of 1928. The theatre was downsized and all the exotic Mayan plasterwork was sadly ripped out for the Broadway show 2,089 seat new Fisher Theatre of 1961. The organ was removed and its' final home was the Detroit Senate Theatre. This model was a 4/34 Wurlitzer that had some church pipes (since the Fishers like to play in their church).

[@richardharrold9736]

Frankly, the newer Fisher is an infinitely nicer place than that hideous faux-Mayan monstrosity.

[@JonasClark]

@@richardharrold9736 Not so good at this trolling business, are you?

[@richardharrold9736]

@@JonasClark what makes you think I'm trolling? I like mid-century modernism. I loathe this Mayan style.

[@JonasClark]

@@richardharrold9736 I'm glad, but there's no reason to erase history when one can have countless other MCM theatres. These days, people usuaklly want to restore old movie palaces as performing arts centres, and nobody builds anything that elaborate today. The ones we still have are all wel'll ever have, be they French, Spanish, Mayan, Chinese, whatever. Check out the Tampa Theatre to see what a restored one of the very best calibre looks like. That's Spanish Baroque, not Mayan. In the 50s and 60s, most were torn down and replaced not by MCM architecture, which can be beautiful, but by parking lots, for no reason other than that the latter was more profitable then. Incidentally, the redesigned Fisher is more brutalist than just MCM. I like brutalist architecture and, personally, I've seen much better examples. The new Fisher is quite bland compared with better designs of that era.

[@googlemailtube]

Great Music. The case and seat; amazingly designed and decorated, a work of art.

[@tonyloviscek]

His name is Walt Strony.....genius on the Theatre Organ......

[@HiringAPtAdvocate]

Now I remember hearing this before. That Olivier Messiaen-like ending perked up my ears.

[@flugelmaniac]

a FANTASTIC organ!........I think this must the Detroit Senate Wurlitzer............... full marks to Walt Strony for the wonderful sound he creates......'Stradivarius' tone of theatre organ sound..

[@gmckennon]

I keep coming back to this video! It's such an inspiring "get up and shout!" piece. YOWZA!

[@Steff2929again]

I'm impressed. Especially by the genial interweaving of the final chords from Olivier Messiaens famous organ piece "Dieu parmi nous" into the final of this piece.

[@gmckennon]

What a glorious arrangement of Hooray for Hollywood!!!!!!

[@shorttim77]

It was recorded on the Krughoff 4/33 Wurlitzer, not the Gilson as I previously posted.

[@ChryTears]

Anyone remember the old theater organ "mighty Mo?" or something like that...anyway...40 yrs ago, we had famous organist play at Organ Power Pizza in San Diego area...Reginald Forte, I think? Anyway...someone help me remember, I don't want to sound like a liar, just can't remember names from that long ago!

[@shorttim77]

Thanks again for posting!!!! I'm still trying to find this CD. Keep up the nice postings of Walt's music.

[@arkaisk2]

Thanks! Wonderful! And a quite unexpected quotation in the last bars from "Dieau parmi nous" by Messiaen. This player seemes to have a "classical training" as well.

[@arkaisk2]

You´re absolutely right, that version is awesome. It´s got a nice little Mozart quotation in the middle.

[@maplewoodsp]

Heard this organ at the 1967 ATOS convention along with my late father. Detroit was a bit challenging, and a week or two later a riot was in full swing. Have not been back since. I am unclear if the organ still plays at DTOS. Do not know if my nerves could take a visit back there.

[@thetheatreorgan168]

Fisher theater got gutted. Bland modern theater No ornate decor, organ. Only lobby is left

[@AnOrganCornucopia]

REPLY PART ONE OF TWO. OPP contained a 5-manual 28-rank organ by M. P. Möller of Hagerstown, MD, originally built as a touring organ for English organist Reginald Foort and installed in a different venue every week. World War 2 stopped his touring and also destroyed the BBC's much-used 4/25 Compton theatre organ, so the BBC installed it in a theatre in Llandudno (north Wales), where Foort played and broadcast on it many times.

[@gerrymarian1762]

Walt the organ sounds great.

[@GerRoland1]

The Fisher Organ (now in the Senate Theatre) is Detroit's 2nd largest surviving theatre organ, after the Detroit Fox's legendary Wurlitzer 4/36 "Crawford Special', still en situ.

[@johnferguson8993]

WOW! Fabulous!

[@mainaccount131]

Super excellent

[@heliflyer7]

Incredible interpretation..

[@TheMysticalOrgan]

And have you heard his Prelude and Fugue on "Puttin' On The Ritz"? It's amazing!

[@Borriaudio]

Sounds very good I am a fan of theater organs.

[@tempetiger]

What style of console is that in the video? Loods like a combination of the French style with an "Aztec" look on the sides! Music was great! Thanks for posting!

[@stevefranks6541]

Greetings, The Fisher Theater opened in 1928. Mayer & Graven, were engaged to design the theater. With a lobby complete with a pond, goldfish, turtles and five talking macaws, the theater was a very special part of the building. Decorated with a Mayan/Byzantine motif, the gilded walls dazzled visitors. The cavernous theater seated 3500 was decorated with gilded statues, banana trees, columns, and frescoes. It featured an "atmospheric ceiling" with moving clouds, colorful sunsets, and twinkling stars.

[@bastiendelagneau7401]

so strange ! so american ! i love that !

[@tthomaselli2]

That looks almost like the organ from Old Chicago Stadium... Is it just me, or, no?...

[@trainz10]

The organ shown in the picture is actually from the Senate Theatre in Detroit. Though, this is not the organ that's being played in this recording, the organ you hear playing is a Madison (brand new theatre organ built from scratch) in the Gilson Residence. Unfortunately I could not find any pictures of this organ.

[@megelizabeth9492]

That bridge part sounds like "There's No Business Like Show Business"

[@store1584]

That was the bridge to "There's no Business Like Show Business" from "Annie Get your Gun."

[@priyangiwithanawasam5636]

Pls give me the melodiva song of ants go March hurrah

[@TheBaritoneCrooner]

Krughoff's?

[@WelteMax]

what is the name of the CD?

[@TheMysticalOrgan]

Could it have been Reginald Foort?

[@AnOrganCornucopia]

REPLY PART TWO OF TWO. After the war, the BBC purchased it and moved it to a redundant chapel in Hoxton (south-east London). In 1963 it was bought by a Dutch broadcaster, then after a decade in Holland went to San Diego. When OPP closed, it was moved to the Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, where it remains, mostly unaltered.

[@handel1111]

for me,traditional church organs are more soulful

[@thechrisnab1009]

You obviously no nothing about theatre organs then. Soft tibias make this beast sound as soulful as any console.