And it’s a privilege to help keep one playing !

My father and mother met while they both worked at Wurlitzer. They were married in 1929 and lived on Shawnee Road within sight of the factory. Dad made pipes for the pipe organs and Mom proofed the paper rolls which produced the music on the band organs.

True craftsmanship. Gone, but not forgotten or appreciated. Thanks for the great lesson in American history.

@ComptonLodgeStudios

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Dave, You can't beat a Wurlitzer!!! PAUL ComptonLodgeStudios in the Rhondda.

@mfbfreak

Жыл бұрын

Believe it or not, pipe organs are still being made. Flentrop still operates a factory in my city that both builds completely new organs, as well as restores existing ones.

Thanks for finding and posting this. I find videos of craftsmen plying their trades in the factories of the 1920s and 1930s to be some of the most interesting.

I remember growing up listening to the wonderful music of 3 Wurlitzer band organs that operated on the Looff carousel out at Playland at the Beach in San Francisco. They had 3 Wurlitzer band organs, one Wurlitzer 165 and 2 Wurlitzer 153's that played wonderful waltzes 👍

Amazing on so many levels. The logistics involved in building so many organs in such a short amount of time, and all this for just about 15 years and then it's already the end with the arrival of talkies.

@ComptonLodgeStudios

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your interesting comment Willi, Best Wishes PAUL ComptonLodgeStudios.

Wonderful video thank you for posting. Such skill and craftsmanship. Few organs survive now unfortunately and imcomprehensible that so many were just scrapped.

@ComptonLodgeStudios

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for commenting beaufighter245. Best Wishes, PAUL ComptonLodgeStudios.

So! Thankful that this silent film [dating from the early 1920s - based upon the hair styles of female employees] has survived - to the present day. Films pre-1929 that have survived to the present day are the exception, not commonplace - due to the film composition of the period - referred to as Nitrate film. [Highly flammable and prone to deterioration - even under optimum archival climate-controlled storage]. What an inspiration to present this film accompanied by the factory's most famous product - the Wurlitzer Theater organ.

@ComptonLodgeStudios

2 жыл бұрын

Thank You for your very positive reply Uncle Josh. Best Wishes, PAUL @ ComptonLodgeStudios.

My hometown, many of my family members worked there.

@ComptonLodgeStudios

2 жыл бұрын

Hi dean, That's marvelous dean. Thanks You so much for commenting! Best Wishes from PAUL - ComptonLodgeStudios in the South Wales Rhondda Valley United Kingdom.

@deansikora7280

2 жыл бұрын

@@ComptonLodgeStudios yeah, that was a long time ago. My Grandfather was one of the last workers at Wurlitzer when it closed in 1976, I believe.

Nothing like good old history

@ComptonLodgeStudios

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for commenting Fubbagarnham. I was lucky to find a copy of this rare film, PAUL.

Super excellent with very good interesting video

@ComptonLodgeStudios

3 жыл бұрын

As always, MANY THANKS Main Account, Best Regards, PAUL.

Thank you so so much for bringing this to us. The saddest part is all these wonderful craftsmen have left us. But left us with these wonderful instruments.

@ComptonLodgeStudios

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for commenting Dave. At least I was able to save two Wurlitzers - The ex-Gaumont Manchester 4/14 & Grand Piano Wurlitzer, presently installed and playing daily at Folly Farm Leisure near Tenby (See videos on ComptonLodgeStudios channel) and also the ex-Picture House Leicester now installed and playing at Paul Kirner's Music Palace in Ynyshir near Porth in the Rhondda Valley. Thank You for your interest, PAUL.

Master craftsmen ..........

@ComptonLodgeStudios

3 жыл бұрын

So true Harvey. Thanks for commenting, PAUL.

I wonder when did Wurlitzer stop manufacturing pipe organs? I know at one time possibly in the 1950s, they were making electro static reed organs, before going to electronic oscillator generators.

@ComptonLodgeStudios

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for you interest Patrick. The unit organs were much more expensive to produce than traditional instruments and could not compete with the traditional church organ builders. Hope this answers your question, PAUL ComptonLodgeStudios in the Rhondda.

@jazzman578

2 жыл бұрын

@Patrick Saxon. The last Wurlitzer theatre organ built at the North Tonawanda factory was in 1939.

Wonderful video ! Thank you for posting ..... Bravo !

There is a WurliTzer in Glasgow, Scotland, 21 ranks, in Pollokshaws Burgh Hall which sounds amazing which I tuned for 20 years. The workmanship is superb as is the voicing.

Blackpool Pleasure Beech has one at the Tower Ballroom

Oh my gosh this place feels so weird knowing how old it is

What happened to this instrument? I'm hoping it wasn't destroyed like so many others.

@ComptonLodgeStudios

3 жыл бұрын

Sorry Larry, I don't know the fate of this Wurlitzer. Thanks for your interest, PAUL KIRNER ComptonLodgeStudios in the Rhondda.

@jazzman578

2 жыл бұрын

@Larry Marietta. This Wurlitzer is now in the Regent Theatre, Melbourne, Australia.

Is either the Granada theatre or its Mighty Wurlitzer still in existence??

@ComptonLodgeStudios

2 жыл бұрын

I've done some research Ronald but I couldn't find any answers to your queries, Sorry! PAUL at ComptonLodgeStudios Channel.

@jazzman578

2 жыл бұрын

@Ronald Fazekas. The Granada Theatre, later renamed Paramount Theatre in 1930, was demolished in 1965. The Wurlitzer was removed and is now in the Regent Theatre, Melbourne, Australia.

I wonder how many man hours went into producing one organ?

Sorry But you need to correctly identify the location The Wurlitzer plant was in NORTH Tonawanda a completely different place

Please, please, this factory is/was NOT located in Tonawanda, N.Y. Tonawanda is another city in a whole different county. This Wurlitzer factory is/was located in NORTh Tonawanda, N.Y.

1920’s?

I think almost every household in America had a Wurlitzer organ.