- ESTEY ORGAN LOGO 1960 MOVIE
- ESTEY ORGAN LOGO 1960 MANUAL
- ESTEY ORGAN LOGO 1960 FULL
- ESTEY ORGAN LOGO 1960 SERIES
- ESTEY ORGAN LOGO 1960 TV
ESTEY ORGAN LOGO 1960 SERIES
That concert showing was the first of a long-standing series of Halloween silent film concerts, now a popular Bloomington campus tradition.
ESTEY ORGAN LOGO 1960 MOVIE
Subsequently, the first campus showing of a silent movie with organ accompaniment was held in Studio 5. Studio 5 also was an ideal setting for this event, since its floor plan was similar to a theater, minus a projection booth. And, as Director of Operations for the Radio-TV Department, he also understood what would be involved. Bill Kroll was in an ideal position to handle this request – he had a strong photography-film background, taught a class in film for television, and was the most knowledgeable of the Radio-TV faculty in terms of film genre. In 1967, a student of Oswald Ragatz, Jacobs School of Music Organ Department Chair and Professor, had learned of this organ and spoken with Bill Kroll with the idea of showing silent films and using the Studio 5 organ as accompaniment, much the same as would have been done in the days of silent movies. Elmer was in his element and provided great entertainment, often joined by faculty member Martha Walstrum on vocals, and others who appreciated the opportunity to sing along. Following that, there were occasional noon-hour concerts, for nearly an hour, when classes or labs were not in session. In approximately late 1964 or early 1965, the refurbished instrument was installed in Studio 5. removed the organ from the barracks building and completed the shop work in Evansville.
ESTEY ORGAN LOGO 1960 MANUAL
That work included a new wind chest, repair work on pipes, refurbishing of the console and the installation of a new manual switching mechanism to provide far greater flexibility in the selection of “combinations” from the manuals, or keyboards. This work was done by the John Cave Organ Company of Evansville, IN. The move and refurbishing of the pipe organ was included as part of the construction of the building. The organ blower room was adjacent to the organ chamber and was accessible via a small door from the Scene Shop. The organ chamber was located on the north wall of the studio and had a tasteful wooden façade with acoustic fabric to conceal the pipes and swell shades.
ESTEY ORGAN LOGO 1960 TV
Consequently, TV Studio 5 was designed with an organ chamber and organ blower room, specifically to accommodate the Estey theater organ. Supposedly, that ended the random concerts.Īs noted in other sections of this historical account, the plans for the current Radio-TV Building were titled “Hall of Music Annex #2.” One might expect that it was appropriate to have some musical instruments. One story is that one day, during one of Elmer’s sessions, someone walked into the studio and fired a starter’s pistol. Some in the building did not necessarily appreciate the organ concerts, presumably because the organ may not have been in good condition and the old building had little soundproofing. The pipe organ undoubtedly was included in some of these programs. It is thought that a number of musical TV programs were produced in Studio B and may have featured “The Faculty Five” instrumental ensemble, along with other performers. Stories also told said that Elmer often would provide noontime entertainment with the studio doors opened to the hallway. When first acquired, this pipe organ was installed in Studio B in the original barracks building.Ī photo of the Estey organ at the Princess Theatre in downtown Bloomington. A good sampling of typical theater organ effects were included – drum, block, train whistle, cymbals, xylophone, etc.
ESTEY ORGAN LOGO 1960 FULL
The console was a two-manual model with a full pedalboard. Presumably, sometime in the 1950s, after negotiations with the owner of the Princess Theatre in downtown Bloomington, Elmer was able to acquire, on behalf of the Radio & Television Department, the Estey theater pipe organ that had been in that theater. Indeed, Elmer was an accomplished keyboard artist and organist of the popular music genre, and his favorite instrument was a theater pipe organ. Stories told said that, during his college days, he earned extra money by “cutting” player piano rolls. Among them, music - he was a musician-entertainer and those talents were at a keyboard. The Chair of the Radio & Television Department, Elmer Sulzer (1954-1964), had a number of interests and talents. And for more stories about WTIU through the years, head to the anniversary site. The following - written with Dennis James - is an excerpt on the infamous studio organ, which was housed in the TV studio just before WTIU was in operation. WTIU's no different but even before the station was operating as a broadcaster, its halls were full of those tall tales.īarrie Zimmerman, who acted as WTIU’s production manager from 1972 until 1989 and then director of operations and engineering until he retired in 2005, has been working to collect those stories in an oral history of the station. Take a slice of a few decades out of any place and you’re bound to get some wild stories.