Mighty Wurlitzer to return in gala Ogden celebration
Sound came in, and the organ went out sometimes dismantled and sold for junk. The lucky ones were relegated to the back room of a pizza parlor or someone's home.
When that happened, says Blaine Gale, organ player extraordinaire and resident organist at the Salt Lake's Organ Loft, "theaters lost their voices. And when you exclude the voice, you exclude the heart."
Which is one reason a theater organ is high on the wish list when elegant old theaters are restored to their original glory. "A theater organ is a living, breathing part of the theater," said Ed Zollman, president of Zollman Pipe Organ Services, based in Wichita, Kan. He is currently helping wishes come true at the Peery Egyptian Theatre in Ogden.
Zollman has been installing a 3 manual/23 rank Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ in the theater, a process that has taken about seven months. The finished organ will be shown off at a gala celebration on Wednesday and will feature renowned organists Jelani Eddington and Patti Simon in concert, as well as a screening of a classic silent Laurel and Hardy comedy, accompanied by the organ.
It's a fitting way to celebrate the theater's 80th anniversary, said Luckey Heath, president of Peery's Egyptian Theatre Foundation, which was instrumental in bringing an organ back to the storied theater.
The Peery was built in 1924, quite literally rising out of the ashes of the Arlington Hotel, which burned to the ground the year before. The inspiration came from the Grauman's Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, which was built amid the furor of finding King Tut's tomb, said Val Summerill, a driving force in restoring the theater.
The original Ogden theater closed in 1984. By then, the furnace was out; there was no running water. "It took 12 years," Summerill said, "and we had several near misses with the wrecking ball, but we were able to save it."
The Peery reopened in 1997, restored to its original Egyptian flavor and color but without its original organ. However, the Peery's need is now being filled, thanks to an organ donated by Michael Ohman. This Mighty Wurlitzer came from the Fox Beverly Theater in Beverly Hills, by way of the Great American Wind Machine pizza parlor.
The white-and-gold console had to be completely refurbished, not only inside but also outside, said Gale, who is a member of the theater foundation's board of directors, and chairman of the organ-restoration committee. Patti Simon, who is not only a great organist, but also the wife of Ed Zollman, "took one look at it and said it looked like Napoleon's bedroom in King Tut's tomb."
Comments
- Normal fire season predicted 5:38 p.m.
- Kids coping parents' addictions 5:35 p.m.
- Utah Co. man arrest in sex assault 5:30 p.m.
- S.Salt Lake mayor vetoes funding 5:29 p.m.
- Blazers offer Millsap 4-year deal 5:02 p.m.
- Eagle Mountain gets 5th well 4:44 p.m.
- Utah eligible for federal flu grants 4:05 p.m.
- Attempted murder case refiled 4:05 p.m.
- Cannon sued over unpaid bills 4:04 p.m.
- Women lose court bid to ski jump 4:02 p.m.
- LDS seminary principal arrested
- Jazz talking Boozer trade?
- Reactions on Boozer speculation
- Stadium of Fire flag burning was fake
- Jazz in back of line for free agents
- A primer for the 6th Potter film
- Okur signs two-year extension
- Jazz won't meet Lopez on Europe trip
- Restaurant destroyed by fire
- Mall owner seeks to retain zoning
- Bronco collecting a galaxy of recruits
141 - Letters: Palin mistreated
141 - Teachers struggle with district cuts
137 - LDS seminary principal arrested
134 - Jazz talking Boozer trade?
134 - Blazers may offer Millsap a contract
123 - Stadium of Fire flag burning was fake
90 - Moon landing: Let's hear from you
83 - Fairness of BCS debated
81 - Chaffetz eyes challenging Bennett
74
There were some errors in the reporting of the University of Utah's...
The Jazz will match if they can trade Boozer in the next week. If the Jazz...
We all make mastakes and I don't know what to make of all this. If Bro. P....
I had Brother Pratt as a seminary teacher and I believe that he truly is a...
Has anyone bothered to look at what this person is charged with? One of them...
for Milsap. Enjoy it...
I posted a comment earlier, but it was never published. I applaud this story...
And to think that Amy left a desk job in the Office of the First Presidency...
time to tell Seminary Teachers that they are not Counselors and stress to...
a poor mans Paul Milsap - watch out for Orlando next year. The east is up &...
Bennett is a calcified, relic, a living fossil. He broke his promise to...




You can be the first to comment on this story.