Unknown - Theatre Interior and Stage (Photograph (1928) from the collection of Jim Lewis/Database Manager)
Note: Not extant. Not playable. (in this location)
2008-05-04 - Information from <i>The Wurlitzer Pipe Organ – An Illustrated History</i> by David L. Junchen (comp. & ed. Jeff Weiler). The American Theatre Organ Society, 2005.<br> Wurlitzer Style 216<br> Factory date: April 23, 1927<br> Moved in 1930 to Los Angeles Theatre, Los Angeles, California -Database Manager
2019-02-11 - Updated by Eric Schmiedeberg, naming this as the source of information: Numerous citations over the decades in CONSOLE and MARQUEE magazine. <br> <br>This instrument must have made a good statement in this theatre. Though the chambers and their swell openings were (and are) hidden behind an elaborate decorative grille above the proscenium, there were (and are) mostly hard surfaces in the auditorium. In a larger room, this instrument might have been somewhat \"strangled\" acoustically as the grilles have rather small openings to allow the sound out. Luckily, the auditorium is not terribly large. The entire Tower Theatre building occupies a small lot measuring just 50\' by 150\', according to the Broadway Theatre Group website.<br><br>I visited the Tower in 1987, before it closed as a movie theatre. I came to learn what the term \"shooting gallery-style theatre\" really meant at this time. The auditorium is fairly narrow and rather long. However, at the time, I thought ten ranks of Wurlitzer (with English Post Horn) would have done quite well in that space. I never got into the organ chambers, but the photos in the websites cited below seem to show that the 216 would have been a \"tight\" installation given the amount of cubic space that would have been taken up by the organ relative to the spaces provided for it. No doubt, the organ was very THERE. <br><br>For a real \"cook\'s tour\" of the WHOLE place, check out: https://losangelestheatresblogspot.com/2017/09/tower-theatre.html<br><br>For more interesting information: https://historictheatrephotos.com/theatre/tower-losangeles.aspx This web address features a (mislabelled as \"house-left\") photo of the house-right organ chamber.<br><br>To see many of the constituent parts of a Wurlitzer Style 216 in an excellent installation by Edward Millington Stout III: www.shomler/calsj/lobbyorgan.htm<br><br>Everything I have been able to find out over the decades about this Wurlitzer is that it was a standard Style 216 model and that it was moved by Wurlitzer to the Los Angeles Theatre in 1930 by the Tower Theatre\'s owner and operator. Also, this would have been one example of the 216 that was sold to someone other than the Fox-West Coast chain--for which it was created. However, an interesting fact conveyed by Broadway Theatre Group on their website is that Tower owner/operator H.L. Gumbiner was given the Los Angeles Theatre property down the street from the Tower from none other than William Fox. This being for the purposes of developing the property as Fox was embroiled in lawsuits at the time and was unable to do so himself. The Fox/Gumbiner/Wurlitzer 216 connection makes sense in this light.<br><br>It is believed that this instrument still survives. It mysteriously disappeared from its installation at the Los Angeles Theatre sometime in the mid-1960\'s, but no one I have spoken to or heard from believes that the organ has ever been parted out. -Database Manager
Original document from Eric Schmiedeberg. Source: Composite--Wurlitzer Installation List--Judd Walton--1972, Console Picture of Style 216 2019-03-02
Los Angeles, CA
Tower (Newsreel) Theatre
Organ by The Rudolph Wurlitzer Co. Opus 1620 Shipped 4/23/27--Standard Style 216
PEDAL BACK RAIL
16' Tuba Profunda PEDAL SECOND TOUCHES
16' Diaphone
16' Bourdon Bass Drum
8' Harmonic Tuba Kettle Drum
8' Diaphonic Diapason Crash Cymbal
8' Tibia Clausa Cymbal
8' Clarinet
8' Cello (Viol d' Orchestre & Viol Celeste)
8' Flute ACCOMPANIMENT (first touches)
4' Octave (Diaphonic Diapason)
Accompaniment to Pedal *Octave
*Solo to Accompaniment
Snare Drum
Tambourine
ACCOMPANIMENT Castanets
Chinese Block
16' Contra Viol TC Tom Tom (single-stroke muted-Snare Drum)
8' English Horn
8' Harmonic Tuba
8' Diaphonic Diapason ACCOMPANIMENT SECOND TOUCHES
8' Tibia Clausa
8' Clarinet 8' Harmonic Tuba
8' Orchestral Oboe 8' Clarinet
8' Viol d' Orchestre 4' Piccolo
8' Viol Celeste Marimba
8' Concert Flute Cathedral Chimes
8' Vox Humana Glockenspiel
4' Viol Triangle
4' Octave Celeste Solo to Accompaniment
4' Flute
4' Vox Humana
2-2/3' Twelfth (Flute) SOLO (first touches)
2' Piccolo (Flute)
Marimba (reiterating Harp) Sub Octave
Harp Unison Off
Chrysoglott Octave
SOLO SECOND TOUCHES
SOLO
16' Tuba Profunda
16' Tuba Profunda 8' Clarinet
16' Bourdon*
16' Contra Viol TC
8' English Horn TREMULANTS
8' Harmonic Tuba
8' Diaphonic Diapason Main
8' Tibia Clausa Solo
8' Clarinet Vox Humana
8' Orchestral Oboe Tuba
8' Viol d' Orchestre
8' Viol Celeste
8' Concert Flute TOE PISTONS--9
8' Vox Humana
4' Harmonic Clarion Pedal Combinations 1-3
4' Octave (Diaphonic Diapason) Bird
4' Piccolo Fire Gong
4' Viol Steamboat Whistle
4' Octave Celeste Horse's Hooves
4' Flute Pistol Shot (single-stroke Tom Tom)
2-2/3' Twelfth (Flute) Klaxon (antique auto horn)
2' Fifteenth (Viol d' Orch.)
2' Piccolo (Flute)
1-3/5' Tierce (Flute) COMBINATION ACTION
Marimba
Harp --Pedal--1-3 (toe studs shown above)
Cathedral Chimes --Accompaniment--PP/P/MF/F/FF & 1-5
Sleigh Bells -Acc. 1-3 fires Pedal 1-3--std. wiring
Xylophone --Solo--PP/P/MF/F/FF & 1-5
Glockenspiel
Bells (reiterating Glock.)
Chrysoglott SWELL PEDALS
Main
Solo
PIANO-STYLE PEDALS--2 Crescendo
--Right end of kick panel--
--Snare Drum Roll (1st touch)/Bass Drum & Cymbal (2nd touch)
--Sfortzando--All ranks (1st touch)/All tuned percussions added (2nd touch)
--Sfortzando affects only the Pedal and Solo keyboards--
ACCOMPANIMENT MANUAL KEY CHEEK--RIGHT SIDE
Push Button--Door Bell
BLOWER
5 horsepower
*These stop tabs are in unusual order for a Wurlitzer. Generally, speaking stops are
grouped by pitch and, within a given pitch, arranged in order of loudness. Clarinets
seem to consistently violate this protocol in all Wurlitzer models, however.
Also, coupler tabs are normally found at the end of a given keyboard's stop tab
compliment.
Another strange element of the 216 is the absence of a 4' Piccolo stop on the
Accompaniment manual. This, and the second-touch stop compliment of the organ,
strongly suggests that the Style 216 was created within the "footprint" of the Style
215 and basically expanded by the addition of a coupler switchboard to the 215 relay
and switches--with the Accompaniment second-touch Chimes, Glockenspiel and Marimba
switches added and 215 Accompaniment second-touch Xylophone omitted. Easy to do, given
the wiring involved. The 4' Accompaniment Piccolo would have been a bit more
complicated to add, but not much more so.
Fox-West Coast chain organist Frank Lanterman designed the Style 216 for himself and
his employers. All in all, the 216 is a "path of least resistance" improvement on the
215, from an engineering perspective. No doubt, Lanterman had it in mind to keep the
cost of the new 216 as low as possible while satisfying himself sufficiently and
keeping the Fox-West Coast chain happy.
The 215's Kinura swapped out for the English (Post) Horn was the other improvement made
by Lanterman. Again, an easy thing to do as only a new rack board would be needed.
CHAMBER ANALYSIS
MAIN--All ranks on 10" wind. Chrysoglott, relays, switches and shutters on 12"
16' Diaphonic Diapason--85 pipes
16' Flute--97 pipes
8' Clarinet--61 pipes
8' Viol d' Orchestre--85 pipes
8' Viol Celeste--73 pipes
Chrysoglott--49 notes
Relays and switching
SOLO--All ranks on 10" wind unless noted. Shutters, percussions and effects--12"
16' Harmonic Tuba--85 pipes--15" wind
8' English (Post) Horn--61 pipes
8' Orchestral Oboe--61 pipes
8' Tibia Clausa--73 pipes
8' Vox Humana--61 pipes--6" wind
Marimba/Harp--49 notes
Xylophone--37 notes
Glockenspiel/Bells--37 notes
Cathedral Chimes--25 notes
Sleigh Bells--25 notes
All non-tuned percussions
All sound effects
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