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The rebirth of "Big Mo" . . . The Atlanta Fox Story |
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The rebirth of "Big Mo" . . . The Atlanta Fox Story |
| EDITOR'S NOTE: Arli W. Southerland wrote the following article for the Winter 1963 issue of Theatre Organ. The author's words are in the present tense of that year. |
 ATLANTA, GEORGIA Atlanta is all these things Mr. Sherman, we were to learn, had a penchant for setting fires, and while some will admit he overstayed his welcome, he did not leave before touching torch to every piece of combustible material for miles around. Atlantans have always been a warm, friendly, gentle people, and although shocked and stunned by such flagrant breach of etiquette, they nonetheless took courage in their civic pride and immediately began to rebuild their heritage with determination and single purpose of mind: "Only the best for the new Atlanta!" Today, four generations later, this same determination prevails. It is only natural, then, that Atlanta is the home of the South's finest theatre, the 5,000-seat fabulous Fox. At the corner of Peachtree Street and Ponce de Leon Avenue stands this imposing cream brick structure of Moorish architecture. Its minarets and domes so completely dominate the scene that to view it is to be instantly whisked away, as if by magic carpet, to the Near East.
Unusual Features and Facts About the Fox The Atlanta Fox Theatre has its own completely equipped emergency hospital on a lower level which is reported to have been the birthplace of at least one child. There are seven floors of dressing rooms backstage, each complete with toilet facilities and ranging in size from small single rooms for the "stars" to large dormitory rooms capable of accommodating as many as 50 from the chorus. On the seventh floor is also found a fully air-conditioned, soundproof rehearsal room, a broadcast studio, and a little theatre.
The stage floor, an enormous 128 x 36 feet, is divided into three sections, each on an elevator lift. Any one or all sections can be lowered 40 feet into the stage basement or raised four feet above footlight level. The giant CinemaScope screen requires a 35-horsepower motor to pull it into the fly loft. The 1846-seat cantilevered balcony is considered something unique in construction. A sound system of 45 speakers on the stage, ranging in size from tiny tweeters to five-foot-square woofers, is augmented by 36 additional speakers located throughout the auditorium. The orchestra pit, composed of two sections, each on an elevator lift, can seat a symphony of 150 pieces. The gold on the decorative molding is 14 karat leaf and that in the grand foyer alone is estimated to have cost $35,000.
The organ chambers are concealed in the walls as balconies with heavy gold leaf screens in typical Moorish style. The walls are connected in the front by a banistered bridge which is lighted by lanterns, the bridge forming the proscenium arch. Everywhere realism is carried to its ultimate. A concrete and steel "draped canopy" extending over the balcony appears to be made of tent cloth which has already won its first bout with mildew. The atmospheric ceiling is an electrical phenomenon, the secret of its function closely guarded by the Fox management. Stars appear to twinkle in the midnight blue sky while soft white clouds drift slowly past. The effect is so startling that an orchestra conductor, appearing at the Fox for the first time, looked up briefly from his score and thought he was performing in an outdoor theatre. The automatic sunrise system is almost unbelievable. A timing device is employed to determine the interval between sunrise and sunset. At first, only a slight golden-pink glow is observed over the court wall. The glow increases in brilliance until the golden sun appears to be travelling diagonally across the auditorium, finally setting behind the overhead bridge in a manner befitting the most gorgeous natural sunset.
From the foregoing, it is not at all difficult to understand why "fabulous" applies so well to the Atlanta Fox. The architecture is fabulous. The appointments are fabulous. Its facilities are fabulous. But by far the most fabulous item of interest is its Moller 42-rank pipe organ. The Moller Organ The organ is completely under expression in five chambers, one above the other, two chambers on the left of the stage and three chambers on the right. From the opening of the Fox on Christmas Day, 1929, this instrument was correctly billed as the world's largest theatre organ until around 1933 when the New York Radio City Music Hall managed to depose it with an organ of a few more ranks. (A reliable source suggests that from the time the console appeared on the drawing boards of its Maryland builder until its completion in the console division, all who had a hand in it went about their task with such zeal and enthusiasm that they overlooked one small detail The console finally came to rest on its own elevator lift The operation of the Moller relay is somewhat different from that of a Wurlitzer and deserves a short explanation. Simply stated, each Moller relay has a corresponding pneumatic for each manual and pedal note on the console. When a circuit is closed at the console, the corresponding relay pneumatic is deflated, thereby actuating a contact bar. As the various stops are drawn at the console, a large switch pneumatic inflates in the relay, causing a series of contact strips to shift position and come in contact with the actuated contact bar. The organ, just like the Fox, enjoyed good times and suffered through other periods which might be described as "lean years." By 1954 it had become increasingly taxing upon the organist's resources to find a selection, a key, and a registration in which he could get through the entire number without a series of awkward silent periods. Organ Restoration Begins
Mr. Arnold had for many years shown an enthusiastic interest in the theatre organ. His wife, a very prominent musician and theatre organist, had studied with the late Jesse Crawford and on numerous occasions had substituted for Crawford. One of Noble Arnold's first official acts, after being transferred to Atlanta in 1951, was to have the Fox Moller restored. By 1954, however, the organ was again in drastic need of repair. It is not at all difficult to understand how management can become disillusioned by varying ailments diagnosed by various repairmen, as well as the exorbitant estimated cost of repairs. Mr. Arnold seemed impressed with the aims and purposes of ATOE, however, and equally impressed to learn that its membership was made up of responsible citizens whose only interest was a sincere and devoted love of theatre organs and a great desire to again hear them played. Mr. Arnold agreed to allow an inspection of the instrument by a committee of the Southeastern Chapter and to entertain a proposal from the Chapter with regard to restoring the instrument in exchange for its occasional use. Early in 1963, under the direction of Southeastern Chapter's Chairman Carl Norvell and Vice Chairman Bob Van Camp, a committee of four was appointed to make a thorough inspection of the organ and to submit a complete report to Mr. Arnold for his consideration. As the inspection progressed, it was found that the organ was in relatively good condition. The major area of trouble was confined to the cable connecting the console with a junction board in the pit. After years of being coiled, uncoiled, dragged across concrete, saturated with grease, pulled and stretched, the cable was in sad shape. Of a total of 63 dead manual circuits at the console, only two were found to be dead from the relays. There were a few slightly damaged pipes, several broken reeds, a number of percussions needing minor repairs, one or two ciphers, miscellaneous minor wind leaks, and inoperative tremolos. Chamber "C" contained a reservoir which required releathering. It had been previously "repaired" with oilcloth and friction tape, and a "new" curtain valve had been improvised with the help of a few materials heretofore generally unknown to the organ industry: a piece of oilcloth, a broken yardstick, too-large carpet tacks, a piece of coat hanger, and a shoe lace. The blower room revealed dry bearings which were already approaching the critical stage of heat. They were lubricated immediately, The generator, while rated at eleven volts, produced only ten volts at the console at idle and dropped to six volts when full organ was played. Direct current terminals throughout were checked and found to be loose and dirty. All rubber tubing in the console had ossified and required replacement. Some ivories were missing from the manuals, key contacts were dirty, indicator lights were burned out, combination action needed adjusting, and the hinged junction boards at the rear of the console were just hanging and could more properly be described as an electrician's nightmare. These findings were submitted to Mr. Arnold in report form and after due consideration, the Chapter was authorized to proceed with the work. Joe G. Patten of College Park, Georgia, an electrical engineer for Westinghouse Electric Corp., was selected to head the work crew, and it was his idea, calling upon previous service in the Navy, to have a clean sweepdown fore and aft prior to undertaking any repair work. It is absolutely amazing how many bottles, flash bulbs, cigarette butts, boxes, and assorted other debris can accumulate in organ chambers over a number of years. When this phase was finished, however, it was equally amazing to find how spacious the chambers actually were. Then began all the hard work. The generator was removed and completely rebuilt. Some 36,000 feet of stranded cable, to withstand the coiling and uncoiling, was connected from the console to a new junction board in the pit. A cable tray was built which would contain the coiled cable, keeping it from being ground away on the concrete floor. One by one the various other repairs were made. As November, 1963 approached, tuning and regulating was finished, and the work crew began to reap their reward. Now there was time to just sit and listen. The organ was a joy to play, its response instantaneous, its 3,556 pipes speaking with renewed clarity, no longer choked with soot and dust. Mr. Arnold's staff painters then began applying coat after coat of gilt to the console, touching up broken pieces of ornamentation, recovering swell pedals. The Howard seat was not overlooked. It was given a new suit of red velvet edged in gold beading. At last, an announcement was made in the entertainment section of the newspaper: SPECIAL ATTRACTION On Thanksgiving Day, 1963, at 3:30 p.m., the giant Moller console again ascended from its resting place forty feet below for its first public appearance in almost ten years. Organist Bob Van Camp joyously performed Georgia On My Mind, followed by Days of Wine and Roses, Alley Cat, and Valencia. The audience voiced its approval in no uncertain terms. It was evident that Atlantans have a genuine love for and appreciation of this instrument. In his college days at Duke University, Bob Van Campheld forth for years, even after graduation, at the 3/10 Wurlitzer in the Quadrangle Theatre. He later became affiliated with WSB Radio in Atlanta as announcer and music director. His distinctive voice was also known to millions as the announcer of the annual Atlanta Symphony concerts, the Atlanta Pops concerts, and various other cultural activities throughout the metropolitan area. What glowing adjective can be used to describe and identify this magnificent instrument? Anything that is unique need not be described Copyright © 2002 The American Theatre Organ Society, Inc. All rights reserved. |
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This building, one of the last designed under the personal supervision of the late film magnate William Fox, was underwritten by Atlanta's Yaraab Temple, and was completed on November 29, 1929 by the firm of Marye, Alger, Venour at a then staggering cost of $4.5 million. It is said that Mrs. Fox was so interested in this theatre that she personally supervised the selection of its many genuine Moorish appointments.
Three special power lines coming into the main power room, located three floors below street level, provide enough power to adequately light an entire city of 60,000. The massive stage lighting control board is fully automatic and its numerous effects can create any illusion ever attempted by the great Ziegfeld.
The auditorium, comprising an area of 65,000 square feet, simulates a Moorish courtyard. Rising from each side of the courtyard is a huge stone wall with various sized windows which are barred against "intruders." Surmounting each wall is a complex of guard posts and battlement windows.
In December, 1962, ATOE President "Tiny" James and Regional Vice President Erwin Young visited Atlanta, and upon learning of the present state of this once fine instrument, made arrangements to interview Noble Arnold, city manager of the theatre chain, for the purpose of determining what his plans were for the organ and to offer the assistance of the Southeastern Chapter.