Album Notes

The theater player heard on this album furnished the music for silent movies Before Talkies and TV. It was made by the Wurlitzer Company in 1920 and bears the serial number 42166. This Wurlitzer Duplex Orchestra Style “O” was advertised as being suitable for a theater with seating of 250 people. It is equipped with a Duplex roll system. It plays two kinds of rolls- an “O” roll (added to be able to play all the sound effects from the roll), and a regular Wurlitzer roll. The piano is a high-professional concert instrument. Motion picture effects include: Bass drum, snare drum, castanets, horse-trot, tom-tom, fire gong, electric door bell, kettle drum, bird whistle, triangle, cymbal, and wood block. It also plays flute and violin pipes, with an octave of bass pipes added to the regular scale of flute pipes, giving it a depth of tone, along with an extra set of heavy bass pipes. There are two cabinets that fit on each side of the piano.
This organ may be played by hand just like an ordinary piano, but in order to bring the novel effects into play; a button is pushed to start the machine. By pushing different buttons and also pressing different pedals at the feet, one can bring in the various pipes and combinations to play in connection with the piano, strike the drums, and activate the most unusual sound effects to carry out the action on the silver screen.
The two rolls enable you to have continuous music and the operator in the projection booth could also change the music by pushing a button.
What fun our grandparents must have had watching an old-time Melodrama and listening to the tremendous sound effects of the organ fitting in with the action on the silver screen. Thinking back, you can realize what a great part the theater player had at the movies. The sound it put forth furnished the exciting music and sound effects for the show on the silver screen.