Mighty
Wurlitzer
Theater
Organ
The 1928 Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ is an impressive icon of Grand Rapids and an artifact preserved in the GRPM’s Collections used to entertain and educate all ages through the annual concert series and year-long programming.
Upcoming Organ Concerts
The Lodger, A Story of the London Fog (1927)
Accompanied on the Wurlitzer by organist Dennis Scott
Friday, October 18, 2024 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, October 19, 2024 at 2 p.m.
On Friday, October 18th, the Museum will kick off the 2024 Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ Concert Series welcoming organist Dennis Scott from Chicago, IL. This year’s series will once again begin with a silent film— Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog— accompanied by the sounds of the Mighty Wurlitzer.
The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog is a 1927 British silent thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Marie Ault, Arthur Chesney, June Tripp, Malcolm Keen, and Ivor Novello.
Hitchcock’s third film tells the story of a serial killer known as “The Avenger” (loosely based on Jack the Ripper) who is on the loose in London, murdering blonde women. A mysterious man arrives at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Bunting looking for a room to rent. The Buntings’ daughter is a blonde model seeing one of the detectives assigned to the case. The detective becomes jealous of the lodger and begins to suspect that he might be The Avenger, fearing the Buntings’ daughter will be his next victim.
Tickets are $20, and just $16 for GRPM members.
Tickets coming soon!
About the Organist
Dennis Scott is an internationally-known silent film organist, who began accompanying silent films in the 1970s when he began playing theatre pipe organs in pizza parlors in the midwest and on the west coast. His style has been compared to his legendary mentor, the late John Muri, who recorded numerous silent film scores for Blackhawk Films. Suzanne Lloyd, granddaughter of the comic genius Harold Lloyd, dubbed Dennis the “Master of Magic Notes.
Dennis is the house organist at Chicago’s historic Music Box Theatre where he leads the annual SingAlong Sound of Music, Music Box Christmas Sing-Along, and several film festivals. He played for two seasons of monthly silent film presentations at the Oriental Theatre in Milwaukee and was a regular performer for the Sound of Silents Film Festival in Three Oaks, Michigan. In 2013, Dennis was the first organist to accompany a feature-length silent film for the prestigious Detroit Theatre Organ Society in its 50+ year history. A co-founder and former President of the Silent Film Society of Chicago, Dennis was featured in the SFSC’s annual Silent Summer Film Festival from 2000 through 2010.
Holiday Classics with organist Lance Luce
Friday, December 13, 2024 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 2 p.m.
On December 13th and 14th, the GRPM will conclude its 2024 Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ Concert Series with themed Holiday Classics organ concerts performed by iconic Madison Heights, MI, and Detroit Red Wings organist, Lance Luce.
Deck the halls this season by enjoying cheerful holiday songs on the GRPM’s 1928 Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ and classics such as Jingle Bells, Silent Night, The First Noel, and more.
Tickets are $20, and just $16 for GRPM members.
Tickets coming soon!
About the Organist
Lance Luce is an internationally acclaimed theatre organist and is currently the head organist at Little Ceasar’s Arena for the Detroit Red Wings. He has played hundreds of concerts all over the United States, Canada, England, and Australia. In 2014 he was awarded Organist of the Year by the American Theatre Organ Society.
Lance has played concerts for numerous chapters of the American Theatre Organ Society and other affiliated theatre organ groups and clubs. He has played for National and regional conventions of the ATOS in the United States and TOSA in Australia.
At age 18, Lance won first-place honors in the Yamaha National Electone organ competition in California. The next year he was appointed the Head Staff Organist at Radio City Music Hall in New York, on the largest Wurlitzer ever built. Lance has made many recordings, including being part of the famous “Theatre Organ Greats – A Salute to Radio City Music Hall.”
Lance is on the staff at the Fox Theatre and Redford Theatre in Detroit, and the Michigan Theatre in Ann Arbor. He has been a church organist for 47 years and is an organist at Cross of Christ Lutheran Church in Bloomfield Hills.
History of the Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ.
The Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organs were the most famous musical instrument built by Wurlitzer. On February 9, 1928, out of North Tonawanda, New York, the Wurlitzer Company manufactured and shipped the Opus #1836, a “3 manual special,” to the Stanley Theater of Jersey City, New Jersey. This Mighty Wurlitzer Organ spent two decades entertaining customers at the Roaring 20’s Pizza Parlor on 28th Street in Grand Rapids, before it was moved to its current location at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
Hear Melodies on the Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ!
Volunteer organists demonstrate the Wurlitzer most Monday and Thursday afternoons. Times may vary. We recommend inquiring before your visit to ensure our organist is scheduled for the day you intend to visit. During these times the doors of the Meijer Theater are open for visitors to stop, sit, and enjoy! These demonstrations are included with general admission.