Hooray For Hollywood

The epic tale of a Barton.

 

 

 

And then the thing happened. How else can I begin? Explaining an equivalent circumstance to any person not connected with the world of the Theater Organ is rather like trying to explain the circumstance of tripping over a sleeping dinosaur- something which you know shouldn't be there because everyone thought it was extinct long ago, but there it is. Right in front of you. Your classic Jurassic Park experience. Somehow, though, "Jurassic" just doesn't seem to come close to being an adjective of sufficient proportions to adequately describe the effect which 20 tons worth of Barton Theater Organ creates at first glance.

And so, you see, this is the story of an organ and its extraordinary entrance into my life and career. The organ is question, Barton opus 234, was constructed in 1927 for the Hollywood Theater in Detroit, MI. More than just another organ, it was a calculated marketing move by Barton- designed in every way to make the biggest statement possible in Detroit's booming Theater Organ marked. It needed to. Detroit was, in the 1920's, America's 4th largest and fastest growing city. With over 300 theater organ installations and more auditorium space than any other city in the nation, the so called "Paris of the West" was a major focal point for the Theater Organ industry.

Built at a total cost of over $2 million dollars in 1927, the Hollywood Theater was the largest and most deluxe neighborhood movie house in the city of Detroit. With the then astronomic price tag of $75,000, the organ was a suitable match for the magnificence of the opulent Spanish interior. Tied for 3rd place as one of the company's largest instruments (first and second place go to the 1929 Chicago Stadium instrument at 6/51 and the 1924 Dallas Fair Park Auditorium instrument at 4/24 respectively), it is currently the largest remaining original and intact Barton opus in the world.

Although not identical, the Hollywood closely resembled two other instruments which the Oshkosh, WI factory produced: the 1926 4/22 installed in the Rialto Theater in Joliet, IL and the 1925 4/21 installed in the Highland Theater in Highland Park, IL. Mechanically, the most significant difference from these other two instruments is the presence of an additional windchest installed in the Solo Chamber. This was a preparation for a 22nd rank of pipes (a 2nd celeste for the Solo String specifically) which, although installed and winded, was never provided with any pipes, nor was any preparation for this rank made in either the console or the relay.

4th Toy Counter. This was installed xposed on auditorium right.

 

Also highly unusual in the overall design of the organ are a few features obviously taken from Wurlitzer instruments. Although perhaps overlooked at first glance, their subtle presence represents a shrewd and unique marriage of ideas on the part of Barton's design staff. These include such unusual details as glass fronted relays, the only known Barton Brass Trumpet (actually made by Gottfried), the presence of a snare drum tab on the Bombarde, the aforementioned pneumatic swell indicators (although Wurlitzer customarily used a direct mechanical linkage), occasional Wurlitzer nomenclature appearing in the specification and a very rare pizzicato relay. The overall tonal design has also been likened to that of a Publix 1 with the addition of a Post Horn- a not unlikely inspiration for such a prominent instillation.

 

The one of a kind Barton Brass Trumpet

 

The Rare Glass Fronted Relays

 

Barton, 5th largest builder of theater instruments in the nation, focused on the mid-West market almost exclusively. The small factory seldom sent instruments further away than the distance a Pullman sleeper car could travel in one night. For this reason, the instruments are almost completely unknown outside of this relatively small area.

Without question, there were some rather advanced marketing schemes at work here. Barton was very interested in developing long standing relationships with clients. Not only would the company provide an organ to the theater, but it was also capable of providing a qualified musician from one of its organ schools and a continuing maintenance contract. What Barton lacked in size, they made up for in agility and ingenuity. The company, and more specifically the talented marketing skills of Dan Barton, were no small force to be reckoned with.

The recent reappearance of the Hollywood to the list of surviving instruments has generated an incredible amount of excitement and interest, even after many years of storage. David Junction, in his Encyclopedia of the American Theater Organ had this to say:

"...The 4/21 Barton in Detroit's Hollywood Theatre was fondly remembered by several old timers as the second best organ in town- and that's up against competition from some fine large Wurlitzers such as the Fox 4/36, Fisher 4/34, Michigan 5/28 and the State and Capital 4/20's...."

Chiefly responsible for the untouched condition of the organ and its remarkable state of the preservation until now has been the Przybylski family of Dearborn Heights, MI. The organ was purchased and removed from the Hollywood Theater in 1962 by Mr. Henry Przybylski, a young and innovative engineer, along with the help of several other volunteers with varying degrees of experience saving other pipe organs from Detroit area theaters. The entire process of removal took some 5 months against almost unimaginable odds. This included all of the windlines which were located throughout the building, the complete console and relay (cables still intact) and every piece of floor frame and supporting lumber "except for one piece" as the story goes. An imaginative and resourceful problem solver, he used some incredibly creative (and sometimes unorthodox) solutions to navigate difficult problems. Michael Przybylski, his son, and an avid collector of Detroit Theater Organ history, recounts many stories which his father told about the removal. As he relays, Henry was frequently "one step ahead of the scrappers" and worked almost nonstop through a bitter Michigan winter and against the ever present deadline for the demolition of the building.

Mr. Przybylski was an ardent believer, as am I, of the quality and musicality of the Barton product as well as the importance of musical and mechanical integrity in the preservation of an historic organ. He was unfailingly dedicated to the preservation of the Theater Organ and never gave up hope that his instrument would one day play again. Since his unfortunate death last year, there has been left an incredible void in the tapestry of the Detroit Theater Organ scene. His vivid stories, longstanding support of the instrument and unique prominence as a personality in the world of the Theater Organ are all an irreplaceable loss to those of us who knew him. It is because of his dedication and perseverance, as well as the constant and unfailing support of his wife Mary and his son Michael, that the instrument will play again.

With the re-packing which was necessitated by the organ's recent removal from storage at the Przybylski residence, many interesting and long forgotten pieces of Detroit's past have come to light. Along with several piles of the latest news from 1962, the work crew was surprised to find re-used boxes from the first move of the former Fisher Theater Wurlitzer to the Iris Theater (it has since moved again and is now installed at the Senate Theater, Detroit MI) as well as bits and pieces of painted plaster from the theater, light bulbs, the ladies restroom sign, original shipping tags and boxes from Bartola Musical Instrument Co. and a myriad other relics.

 

Some of the pipes before re-packing

 

A surprising amount of speculation circulated as to exactly what the condition of the organ would be in when it was brought to light for the first time in 40 years. Nobody, except the few who had ventured back into the tightly packed storage space, had any idea of what to expect. Upon initial inspection, it became obvious that although not packed in traditional pipe trays, Mr. Przybylski had devised several unique methods for storing the pipes vertically. Since nobody had really seen the organ in 40 years, these were not immediately obvious facts. Speculation amongst those who were aware of the organ's existence ranged from optimistic to fears that the pipes had all collapsed under their own weight, glue joints would come to pieces and that the console would fall apart into a sorry heap of lumber if any attempt was made to move it. It was found, however, that amidst the densely and carefully packed components, almost everything was in a remarkable state of preservation. Excepting a rather overly hungry racoon attacking some of the Clarinet trebles (he has good taste, perhaps?), the vast majority of the pipework was found to be in remarkably good condition- all eminently restorable and nowhere near as flat as local rumor had predicted. In some part, this seemingly miraculous state of preservation is due just as much to chance as to the high percentage of zinc which is found in a Barton Organ (as opposed to the softer Lead, Tin or Hoyt Metal more common in other brands). But still, "It's alive!" as Dr. Frankenstein would have said- or so it seems.

 

The Clarinet Trebles. Note teeth marks!

 

It is sometimes surprising to realize exactly how few of the original instruments are left to us. Time and circumstance have all taken their toll in a remarkably short time upon the great movie palaces which once housed most of these magnificent creations. From a total of over 7,000 instruments installed in American theaters between 1915 and 1933, fewer than 40 now remain in their original homes. It is at once a shocking and tragic statement about a culture in which so much becomes disposable so very quickly. When the silent film era ended, these great "shrines to art and culture" became suddenly redundant. Disposable. The few organs which were lucky enough to still see occasional use in theaters had to escape repossession in the early years of the depression, water, fire, later theater renovators, metal scrappers and wrecking balls not to mention the ever present menace of less than scrupulous organ enthusiasts eager to pilfer a once complete instruments for their "choice" parts. Destruction. Forever. Irreversible.

It is not here that the story will end, however. The Theater Organ is more than just another mechanical curiosity of the Roaring 20's. It is an art form. Do we all realize this? As the modern day staff organist of an original movie palace from the era, I am more than just the guardian of an anachronistic musical tradition associated with early film. I assure you that getting a pile of wood, metal and leather to sound anything like an orchestra (or whatever else you need for that matter) is as much of a challenge as it ever was. Still, it is obvious that there is something much more profound about the presence and use of these instruments in public spaces. How is it that a modern, digitally crazed, technologically informed theater audience can be just as thrilled by the roar of a theater organ as could an audience from 1927 when the phonograph was king?

The answer lies within the instrument itself. Like an orchestra, the Theater Organ is a remarkable palate of sound. Unlike its orchestral counterpart, however, it is at the instant disposal and complete will of a single performer- an inextricable, and even erotic marriage of technology, music, theater and art. It is the presentation of a single individual as conductor, arranger, accompanist, soloist and magician- an entity capable of almost supernatural powers of appearance and disappearance as well as the ability to exercise absolute control over the most powerful and universal of human languages: Music. Therein lies the magic of this great art. Therein lies the vital importance of preservation for all time.

This organ, one of the finest examples of its era, is exceptional not only for its size and importance as an example of the Barton product, but also as an example of an original and untouched "archeologic" record for how these instruments were built. A veritable time capsule of information, it is an invaluable guide to the restoration, not only of just this organ, but of future Barton organs scattered far and wide.

Why is this at all significant? Many people sometimes forget that by this time, most instruments have seen at least one partial or complete restoration. This process necessarily involves the removal and replacement of perishable materials throughout the instrument's many various components. The knowledge about "what got used where" and the ability to exactly restore an original product with materials which not only function, but mimic visual characteristics of the original builders is becoming increasingly difficult, even amongst the most professional of restorers. When no original material is left, what is the guide?

For some, details such as felt color, glue composition or the exact manner in which an original regulator was leathered and folded just don't seem important, especially when the argument is "just make the damn thing play". But what kind of philosophy is this, anyway? Have any of these people ever, for example, had to re-leather pneumatics glued together with white glue instead of the original hyde glue? Are they even aware of the damage which they have done? Because white glue is so much more difficult to remove, in this instance, the pneumatic would probably have to be completely replaced (not just re-leathered) during the next restoration. Information lost. Actions have consequences. I like to use the term "restroyed". A botched restoration is like a bad accident; hard to look at and hard to look away. There are reasons why professional organ builders chose their materials.

This discussion may just seem like a pointless uproar over a tiny pneumatic now, but in 200 years will you have an organ left? Examination of the several respected historic instrument conservation and restoration forums of today, as well as a look at the general practices of serious museums presents more than just a fashionable discussions about antiques. After all, where do you expect to find the instruments which you know and love after that span of time? Education and preservation begins with the individual and is hardly a matter for future consideration or debate. It is, perhaps, the single most important mission and role of the ATOS. That means you.

 

~ ~ ~

 

To describe the removal and re-packing of this organ as an "immense" project is almost an understatement. Many thanks must be given to all of the people who have assisted in the project thus far. In particular, I would like to thank the members of the Przybylski family, Lansing Theater Organ inc., Eric Hartz, Arie Koelemij, Roger Mumbrue, Scott Smith, and Stephen Warner for their invaluable contributions and support thus far.

The restoration, when completed, will preserve the organ as an original and unaltered example of the Barton product. Although a site has not currently been selected, the organ will eventually find a home in a space which will be available for public use, study and performance.

 

To see more photographs of this instrument, click here

 

---