~ The Fox Wurlitzer ~

Organs had become integral parts of most of the major movie palaces constructed during the 1920's. Initially, the early houses that exhibited silent film fare had used piano, and sometimes even orchestra, accompaniment. Organs, however, soon became the accompaniment of choice with the advent of the major theatre chains of the late 1920's - a good organ could emulate orchestral accompaniment at a fraction of the cost over time.

The mighty Fox Wurlitzer organ has become one of legend: consisting of 4,000 pipes, grouped like forests of trees deep within hidden vaults surrounding the auditorium, it was both massive in size and acoustically exquisite.

The best description of this massive instrument can be found at the American Theatre Organ Society's page, dedicated to the Fox organ:

http://www.atos.org/Pages/Journal/Fox-SF-organ/Fox-SF-organ.html