Michigan Theatre Organ owner of 62 years passed away at 92.

**Gistok** · July-31-18, 02:43 AM

In 1955/56 Detroit's legendary Michigan Theatre sold it's massive Wurlitzer 5/34 organ to a young man named Fred Hermes of Racine WI. Well the gentleman passed away a few months ago, with the organ still in his basement.

He purchased the long silent Michigan organ, and had it reassembled into the huge basement of a house he had specially built along Lake Michigan near Racine.

He used to do organ recitals for busloads of delighted visitors to his hidden home, and became a legendary organ showman, buying parts of old theatres to replicate a miniature movie palace in his own basement.

http://archive.jsonline.com/greenshe...343229442.html

http://cinematreasures.org/blog/2010...ace-recreation

Sadly last year the local fire chief had the organ recitals shut down for fire safety concerns...
https://journaltimes.com/news/local/...d647720f2.html

And Mr. Hermes passed away at the end of April this year at age 92... RIP Fred Hermes.
https://journaltimes.com/news/local/...3875d73b8.html

I'm not sure what the plans are for the massive organ. Of all of Detroit's major theatre organs, only 2 are left. The Fox's massive 4/36 Wurlitzer [[as well as the smaller Moeller lobby organ), and the old Fisher Theatre 4/34 Wurlitzer organ now located in the Senate Theatre on Michigan Ave.

The Publix 1 Wurlitzer organs at the Capitol Theatre [[Detroit Opera House) and at the State [[Fillmore) Theatre, are now in San Francisco's Castro Theatre, and across the bay at the Oakland Paramount.

I'm not a theatre organ expert, but from what I gathered, the best sound [[due to largest organ grilles) was at the Capitol Theatre [[now Detroit Opera House).

About 3 years ago I had a discussion with local theatre expert [[and DOH Events Manager) Michael Hauser... and he stated that the Detroit Opera House would love to get a replacement historic theatre organ for that venue, although the location of the organ console could be a problem during operas.

But wouldn't it be wonderful if the old Michigan Theatre organ could return to Detroit... it's ornate console would match the Italian Renaissance spendor of the Opera House.

**Gistok** · July-31-18, 02:55 AM

From what I believe... Wurlitzer only ever made 3 "5 keyboard" organ consoles... the Michigan's 5/34, and 2 smaller 5/32's.

Here is the Michigan Theatre Organ as installed with original organist, and a mid 1920s advertisement about the Michigan organ....

**Jimaz** · July-31-18, 06:47 AM

Note the telephone handset to the left of his leg. You know an instrument is large when the operator has to use a telephone!

**Maof** · July-31-18, 07:00 AM

Amazing! It would be great to bring it back home.

**Honky Tonk** · July-31-18, 07:55 AM

Originally Posted by Jimaz

Note the telephone handset to the left of his leg. You know an instrument is large when the operator has to use a telephone!

I believe that's what would pass today for an early version of an iphone. Probably received important messages from the lighting crew and management like "don't stand up and take a bow, your fly's open..."

**Lowell** · July-31-18, 08:36 AM

Great story and nice tribute Gistok. I notice you omitted the Redford Theater organ in your list of remaining organs, maybe because it too small or not downtown?

**Gistok** · February-12-21, 01:08 AM

Originally Posted by Lowell

Great story and nice tribute Gistok. I notice you omitted the Redford Theater organ in your list of remaining organs, maybe because it too small or not downtown?

Geeze Lowell... talk about taking time to answer a post... lol. Yeah I mostly talk about the downtown theatres... the neighborhood theatres have been totally decimated since the 1960s. The Redford is a shining beacon of that genre. I haven't been there in many years. Of course now no one is going there until things are safer with the pandemic.

So few of the neighborhood theatres survive... on the east side the Alger and the Harper [[Harpos) still survive.

Yes the Redford is a rare atmospheric theatre in Detroit. The only other major one in Detroit was the Oriental/Downtown... on W. Adams, which was pounded to rubble in circa 1953. It's great that the surviving parts of the lobby ornate plaster was incorporated into an Asian themed restaurant called PAO [[located on the 1st floor of the Briggs Houze on W. Adams). Hope that survives the pandemic.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...300885763.html

It's strange that no auditorium photos of the Oriental Theatre auditorium survive. All that I have ever found is this architectural rendering. Also shows W. Adams Ave. looking east showing the theatre in the 1940s when it was the Downtown RKO Theatre.

**Richard** · February-12-21, 10:14 AM

I watched a vid the other day of a school that had a ornate theater that would have rivaled the best,would they have had an organ in there?

**Gistok** · February-12-21, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by Richard

I watched a vid the other day of a school that had a ornate theater that would have rivaled the best,would they have had an organ in there?

Probably not. Theatre organs were produced mainly in the 1920s during the silent picture era to supplement the movies. Organs were not cheap, and required maintenance. So I doubt that schools would have theatre type organs in their auditoriums. Several historic Detroit high schools had somewhat ornate auditoriums, but not with organs.

**Wesley Mouch** · February-12-21, 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Probably not. Theatre organs were produced mainly in the 1920s during the silent picture era to supplement the movies. Organs were not cheap, and required maintenance. So I doubt that schools would have theatre type organs in their auditoriums. Several historic Detroit high schools had somewhat ornate auditoriums, but not with organs.

My understanding that organs were never installed in DPS auditoriums, but that many included pipe chambers, including Cooley HS.

Pipe chambers would also be appropriate for classical organs that would be more useful for classical music.

Tangentially, does DPS still do an Evening of Fine Arts? They did this for years at the Fox. There's some amazing talent in DPS.

**beachboy** · February-22-21, 05:29 AM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Theatre organs were produced mainly in the 1920s during the silent picture era [...] I doubt that schools would have theatre type organs in their auditoriums.

Gistok, you are wonderful!! Where is 56packman when we need him?

Theater organs [[TOs) were designed to supplant the more expensive pit orchestras prior to the advent of "talkies" [[movies with sound). Initially, in the early 1900s, TOs were merely transplanted church organs with more pipe-sounds to fill the large audience space. In 1910, Robert Hope-Jones [[eccentric but brilliant English inventor) sold his innovative organ business to the Rudolph Wurlitzer Co. which had been trying to make automatic [["player") organs, with piano incorporated sometimes, to accompany "silent" films.

Hope-Jones and Wurlitzer had some false starts, but managed to pull together a prototype TO [[Opus 41) that was installed at a cost of $27k in 1914 in the Liberty Theatre at First and Pike in Seattle WA. The Liberty was one of the first theaters to be purpose-built for movies, while the 3-manual [[3-keyboard) organ was unarguably the first of what we think of today as a dedicated theater organ - percussions, tremulants [[make the sound wobbly) and special effects abounded!! You can read all about the Liberty organ [[back in its original home!) here:

https://www.pstos.org/instruments/wa...le/liberty.htm

Wurlitzer's "showcase" organ drew more business -- by the end of their TO production in 1942 the company built more than 2,230 pipe organs, the most famous of which is the 4-manual 58-rank masterpiece in Radio City Music Hall. Also, Robert Morton Co., the TO division of the Aeolian Organ Co. was the runner-up with approximately 900 instruments. In the Roaring 20's, dozens of TO manufacturers sprang up; few survived ... a list of companies and their production numbers can be found at this URL:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatr...duction_totals

And here are two very high-quality recordings of large TOs -- well worth a listen - to whet your appetite for beautiful lush music:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyRlvhFCEVw&fmt=18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_npr5vxqVA&fmt=18

Given background, we finally answer the question du jour: Several TOs were built for schools [[incl. Pasadena CA High School), and today quite a few TOs have been rescued from theaters and installed in high schools where they are generally very popular. The most illustrious [[and largest) of these installations is in the John Dickinson High School in Wilmington DE. Here is a recording of British organist Richard Hills burning up the ivories during a recent concert at The Dickinson [[mostly Kimball & Wurlitzer pipework):

https://youtu.be/rgrbv-oIrdA?t=284&fmt=18

A highly accessible history of the theater organ with lots of pictures is at the American Theater Organ Society website:

https://www.atos.org/about/instruments

While you're reading, have a listen re: ATOS theater organ radio:

https://www.atos.org/atos-radio-online
[[scroll down and click on "Click here to listen with our NEW player")

Enjoy!! [[that's what it's all about

)

**Bigb23** · February-22-21, 08:52 AM

I remembered a pipe organ at Oakland University's Varner Hall in the 80's.
Anybody else have info on this?

Pipe Organ Database | Casavant Frères Ltd. [[Opus 3265, 1975) Oakland University

**Gistok** · February-22-21, 09:34 AM

Thanks for all the info folks. Yeah 56packman is the theatre organ specialist, I'm mostly into historic movie palaces... but do know quite a bit about "some" theatre organs.

The Detroit Fox Theatre is unique in the world as the only theatre to still have an auditorium organ [[4/36 Wurlitzer) and an original independent lobby organ [[a Moller, which can be played, or set on automatic play). There were only 4 theatre's known to have had independent lobby organs... San Francisco Fox and Chicago Marbro, both razed, St. Louis Fox [[original Moller removed, and later during theater restoration replaced by another organ). So the Detroit Fox is the only known theatre to still have its' original installation of auditorium and lobby organs.

The Detroit 4/36 Wurlitzer is known as a "Jesse Crawford special"... so named after the famous organist who played the first 4/36 Wurlitzer, which was installed in the New York Paramount Theatre directly on Times Square. Jesse Crawford gave Wurlitzer the specifications of what he wanted in that organ. The Paramount Building is still there, but the theatre was unfortunately ripped out of the building in 1963, and replaced with office space. I believe that original Wurlitzer was cannibalized by several theatres [[I may be wrong here).

William Fox ordered four of the same 4/36 Wurlitzers and had them installed into 4 of the 5 huge flagship Fox Theatres... Detroit [[5,174 seats), St. Louis [[4,500 seats), Brooklyn [[4,088 seats), and San Francisco [[4,651 seats). The 5th flagship, the Atlanta Fox [[3,978 seats) had a Moller [[Opus 5566) Organ. When the San Francisco Fox was destroyed in 1963 [[the 1950s and 1960s were the major decade for grand theatre losses), it's organ is now in the 1800 seat [[smaller) El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. Not sure what became of the Brooklyn Fox 4/36 Wurlitzer Organ when it was razed. St. Louis and Detroit still retain their 4/36 Wurlitzer organs [[as does the Atlanta Fox its' Moller).

The Michigan Theatre organ [[discussed with links at the beginning of the thread) had a one of a kind Wurlitzer 5/34 organ, and both the Capitol Theatre [[now Detroit Opera House) and State Theatre [[now Detroit Fillmore) each had a Publix 1 Wurlitzer organ, both since removed... with the organs now in the San Francisco Castro Theatre and Oakland Paramount [[across the bay).

And as everyone knows, the magnificent Mayan decorated console Fisher Theatre 4/34 Wurlitzer organ [[removed during the 1961 gutting of the old Fisher) is now in the Senate Theatre on Michigan Ave., and the Redford Theatre still has its' original 3/10 Barton Organ.

**Bigb23** · February-22-21, 10:24 AM

Also, there was a discussion on the Gar Wood thread about that mansions pipe organ being restored in the 60's and 70's.

A search would help.

**56packman** · February-25-21, 09:17 PM

Sorry to chime in late. I knew Fred Hermes, he was a great guy. The Michigan Theatre Wurlitzer is still in his home in Racine, his son Fred Jr. is restoring the actions at present.
A correction, Gistok, the Fox Wurlitzer isn’t a “Crawford Special”, that is a piece of misinformation that has circulated for years. Wurlitzer just called it a “4/36 Special”. The first of this model was installed in the Paramount Theatre in Times Square, NYC, where Jesse Crawford played it. The 4/36 Special is the largest, most deluxe model made by Wurlitzer in the golden era. Only 5 were made.

**Gistok** · February-26-21, 02:20 AM

^ Thanks for the info 56packan! I got the tidbit on the "Crawford Special" from AMERICAN PICTURE PALACES book by David Naylor.

It's really a shame that the ornate Broadway Paramount Theatre didn't survive the 1960s. It was Paramount's flagship theatre located in their own HQ building. When the theatre was ripped out and replaced with offic space the arched theatre entrance was also removed... only to be recreated by the WWF circa 2003. And today the arched window is the entrance to the NYC Hard Rock Cafe. Designed by the Rapp & Rapp architects that designed the Michigan Theatre, the Paramount window looks very similar to the surviving Michigan window.

Had it survived, the Broadway Paramount would probably be a very popular theatre today, facing directly onto Times Square. New York City didn't fare well when it came to old large movie palaces, except for Radio City and Loew's 175th, the large theatres are gone. The Roxy, Capitol, Loew's State, Loew's 72nd, Broadway Paramount... all the giant Midtown Manhattan movie palaces have been destroyed.

[[Image: before the 1960s destruction of the 3,600 seat Broadway Paramount.)