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On Times Square, on November 19, 1926, the New York
Paramount Theatre opened its doors to a full 3,364 seat house and rave reviews. The New
York Times ran the first ad, describing "an acre of seats in a palace of
splendor." The flagship house of the Paramount-Publix chain, spearheaded by Adolph
Zukor, was an architectural triumph and the huge Wurlitzer pipe organ, which provided
music and accompaniment of silent films, was destined to become the most famous instrument
in the world.
The "Dowager Empress" or "Mother of us all" was a four manual, 36-rank
"orchestra", with thousands of pipes and a second console. Statistically, she
was one of the five biggest instruments Wurlitzer ever built-- 33 tons of wooden and metal
pipes. Musically, she was ranked at the top, with much credit for that achievement given
to the legendary organist Jesse Crawford, lured away from the Chicago Theatre, who
dictated in part how she was built and installed, and the man who voiced, regulated, and
tended her all 38 years at the Paramount, Dan Papp.
Crawford, dubbed "Poet of the Organ" by Maurice Ravel, was a star, producing
million seller records for RCA Victor, and he even accompanied George Gershwin in a
Paramount radio broadcast of the "Rhapsody in Blue." Jesse was often joined for
duets at the two of the four consoles by his talented wife, Helen. Once, when the John
Philip Sousa Band was at the Paramount, the New York Times reported that
"trained nurses were on hand to aid those overcome by the sheer magnitude of the
sound" when the Sousa Band and Mr. and Mrs. Crawford joined forces for "The
Stars and Stripes Forever"
When talkies replaced silent pictures, the organ was used for stage shows with big stars,
such as Frank Sinatra, Rudy Vallee, Ethel Merman, Bing Crosby and Paul Whiteman, and for
entertainment between movies until the theatre closed in 1964.
Later that year, the Wurlitzer's future was assured when the Wurlitzer Co. and a group
headed by businessman Richard C. Simonton purchased and shipped the organ to California.
Three years later, then-Mayor Clarence Vollmer urged the young Wichita Theatre Organ, Inc.
to find a suitable theatre organ to install in the new civic center. Settling for nothing
less than the best, the group raised $40,000 ($4000 each from ten well-known civic
leaders) and bought the 66,000 pound Paramount organ. Volunteers drove to California,
loaded the huge instrument onto five 40-foot trailers, and brought her home to Century II,
which Simonton, a close friend of Crawford's, considered to be her "perfect
home."
During the arduous installation process, a disastrous arson-set fire destroyed the console
on February 25, 1968. While an exact duplicate was being built in Seattle, the WTO team
continued to invest 12,000 man hours in the restoration and installation of what is still
considered to be the world's finest theatre organ.
Moving out of the New York Paramount
The Wichita Wurlitzer premiered before a full house in Century II's Exhibition Hall on
December 9, 1972. Since then, the finest artists, including those who "did it"
in the 20's and younger ones mastering the vanishing art, have played to enthusiastic
audiences in a unique concert series format, which has been copied nationwide. The success
of the series and generous gifts from individuals have enabled WTO to improve the
instrument, adding two more ranks of pipes and a computer-controlled relay system which
permits complete flexibility in defining the console, as well as the ability to record and
play back, via computer disk, the actual organ performances. This remarkable system was
underwritten by WTO Principle Guest Artist, Lyn Larsen.
Several recordings have been made with the organ. The late, great Virgil Fox recorded an
RCA Red Seal LP, "The Entertainer" and three LP's were made by then-resident
Billy Nalle for WTO.
More recently five very popular compact discs were released by ProArte, all featuring
Lyn Larson and the Wurlitzer. The first one "Filmtrax", was the first CD made by
a theatre organist and the first to achieve long-standing ratings, up to #7, on Billboards
national charts. The four other titles are "Up and Away", "Give My
Regards(to Broadway)", "Dueling Organs" with Carlo Curley and "Pipes
of Christmas." The first four are available in cassette format as well.
In 1990, a professional team of organ technicians, principally Ed Zollman of Zollman Pipe
Organ Services, Wichita , Kansas, was hired to care for the organ and to plan the
inevitable re-restoration. 8,000 pneumatics needed to be releathered, and a fund raising
drive was inaugurated. As of April 1996, almost $68,000 has been raised, and
two-and-a-half chambers completed.
Contact Tickets2WTO@hotmail.com
or 316.655.8177 for tickets for either venue.
Enjoy and support the Wichita Wurlitzer.
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