Robert Morton Organ Company
Encyclopedia
The Robert Morton Organ Company was a producer of theater pipe organs
and church organs, located in Van Nuys, California. Robert Morton was the number two volume producer of theatre organs, building approximately half as many organs as the industry leader Wurlitzer. "Robert Morton" wasn't a person, rather the first names of a major stockholder's sons.
The Robert Morton company had its origins in the Murray Harris Organ Company of Los Angeles. The company passed through various owners, business names and locations between Murray Harris and Robert Morton, including the Los Angeles Art Organ Company, the Johnson Organ Company, and the California Organ Company. Despite all the corporate change and upheaval, the output in terms of high quality and tonal character was remarkably consistent. Several Robert Morton key personnel were veteran organbuilders who had served as apprentices with major English organbuilding firms. Tonally, Robert Morton organs had a reputation for being powerful, while being generally more refined and "symphonic" in character than the more brash organs by Wurlitzer and others.
The company's heyday was in the late 1920s, the era of the lavish movie palace
theaters exhibiting silent films. The rise of the Great Depression
and the advent of sound films eliminated the demand for theater organs and the company closed in 1931.
In addition to their uses in theaters and music halls, Robert Morton organs have been featured in the music
for the Haunted Mansion
attractions at various Disney theme parks
.
Theatre organ
A theatre organ is a pipe organ originally designed specifically for imitation of an orchestra. New designs have tended to be around some of the sounds and blends unique to the instrument itself....
and church organs, located in Van Nuys, California. Robert Morton was the number two volume producer of theatre organs, building approximately half as many organs as the industry leader Wurlitzer. "Robert Morton" wasn't a person, rather the first names of a major stockholder's sons.
The Robert Morton company had its origins in the Murray Harris Organ Company of Los Angeles. The company passed through various owners, business names and locations between Murray Harris and Robert Morton, including the Los Angeles Art Organ Company, the Johnson Organ Company, and the California Organ Company. Despite all the corporate change and upheaval, the output in terms of high quality and tonal character was remarkably consistent. Several Robert Morton key personnel were veteran organbuilders who had served as apprentices with major English organbuilding firms. Tonally, Robert Morton organs had a reputation for being powerful, while being generally more refined and "symphonic" in character than the more brash organs by Wurlitzer and others.
The company's heyday was in the late 1920s, the era of the lavish movie palace
Movie palace
A movie palace is a term used to refer to the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opened every year between 1925 and 1930.There are three building types in particular which can be subsumed...
theaters exhibiting silent films. The rise of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and the advent of sound films eliminated the demand for theater organs and the company closed in 1931.
In addition to their uses in theaters and music halls, Robert Morton organs have been featured in the music
Grim Grinning Ghosts
"Grim Grinning Ghosts" is the theme song for the Haunted Mansion attractions at Disney theme parks. It was composed by Buddy Baker, with lyrics written by X Atencio...
for the Haunted Mansion
Haunted Mansion
The Haunted Mansion is a dark ride located at Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland. A significantly re-imagined incarnation of the ride, known as Phantom Manor, is located in Disneyland Paris...
attractions at various Disney theme parks
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is the segment of The Walt Disney Company that conceives, builds, and manages the company's theme parks and holiday resorts, as well as a variety of additional family-oriented leisure enterprises...
.
Currently installed organs
- Egyptian Theatre, Boise, Idaho (1927)
- Fox Theater, Redwood City, California (1929)
- W. N. Shoberg & Company Pipe Organ Builders shop. Originally installed in Fox Theatre, Banning, California.
- Hawaii TheatreHawaii TheatreThe Hawaii Theatre is a historic Vaudeville theatre and cinema in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii. It is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places....
, Honolulu, HawaiiHonolulu, HawaiiHonolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
(1922) - Ironstone VineyardsIronstone VineyardsIronstone Vineyards is a winery located in Calaveras County in the California Sierra Foothills. Its wines are derived from grapes both local to their production facility outside Murphys, California as well as from the Lodi, California area....
, Murphys, CaliforniaMurphys, CaliforniaMurphys is a census-designated place in Calaveras County, California, United States...
. Originally installed in the Alhambra TheaterAlhambra Theatre, SacramentoThe Alhambra Theatre opened in 1927 and was the preeminent movie house in the greater Sacramento area for many years. It was designed in the Moorish style of the great Spanish cities and included a large courtyard and fountain. The interior was lavishly appointed with red carpet, gold trim, and...
, Sacramento, CaliforniaSacramento, CaliforniaSacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
(1927) - Jefferson TheatreJefferson TheatreThe Jefferson Theatre is a historic performing arts theatre located on Fannin Street in downtown Beaumont, Texas. Designed by Emile Weil and built in 1927, it is an example of Old Spanish architecture and seats over 1400. The theatre was built by Jefferson Amusement Company, which was owned by...
, Beaumont, TexasBeaumont, TexasBeaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
. (1927, restored in 2003.) - Loew's Jersey Theatre, Jersey City, New JerseyJersey City, New JerseyJersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
. Originally installed in Loew's Paradise Theatre, Bronx, New York (1929, reinstalled and restored by the Garden State Theatre Organ Society) - Music Hall, Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City Missouri, (1928, formerly installed in the Midland TheatreMidland TheatreThe Midland Theatre is a 3,573-seat theater located in the Power & Light District of Kansas City, Missouri, USA.The National Collegiate Athletic Association under Walter Byers had its headquarters in the building from the 1950s until it moved to 6299 Nall Avenue at Shawnee Mission Parkway in...
) - O'Brien Theatre, Renfrew, OntarioRenfrew, OntarioRenfrew, Ontario, Canada, is a town on the Bonnechere River in Renfrew County. Located one hour west of Ottawa in Eastern Ontario, Renfrew is the third largest town in the county after Petawawa and Pembroke. The town is a small transportation hub connecting Ontario Highway 60 and Highway 132 with...
, Canada (ca. 1924, formerly installed in The Majestic Theatre, Santa Monica, California). - Ohio Theatre, Columbus, OhioColumbus, OhioColumbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
(1928) - Saenger Theatre, Hattiesburg, Mississippi (1929)
- Saenger Theater, Mobile, Alabama (1927)
- Saenger Theater, New Orleans, Louisiana (1927)
- Temple TheaterTemple Theater (Meridian, Mississippi)The Hamasa Shrine Temple Theater, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, is a historic theater located at 2320 8th Street in Meridian, Mississippi. The Temple Theater was constructed in the Moorish Revival style and began screening silent films in 1928. The theater features a...
, Meridian, Mississippi (1928) - United Palace TheaterUnited Palace TheaterThe United Palace Theater, originally known as Loew's 175th Street Theatre, is a church and live music venue located at 175th Street and Broadway in Washington Heights in New York City.-History:...
, formerly Loew's 175th St. Theatre, New York City (1930). "Wonder Morton", restored and being played. - Warnors Center for Performing ArtsWarnors TheatreWarnors Theatre is an historic theater in downtown Fresno, California. The two thousand seat venue opened in 1928 as the Pantages Theater, after the name of its then owner, Alexander Pantages, and later, the Warner Theater in 1929 after it was purchased by Warner Brothers...
, Fresno, California (1928) - Wilma Theatre, Missoula, Montana (1920)
- Copley Symphony Hall, formerly Fox Theatre, San Diego CA (1923). Organ was originally installed in the Balboa Theatre in San Diego, and moved to the new Fox theatre in 1929 by Robert Morton. The organ is in regular use and currently being renovated by the San Diego Symphony.
- Balboa Theatre, San Diego CA (1929) Wonder Morton organ. Relocated from Loew's Valencia Theatre. Restored and installed by Wendell Shoberg in 2008-9. Replaces Balboa's original Robert Morton organ which was removed to the Fox theatre in 1929. Believed to be the first Wonder Morton built due to the more ornate console carvings and unique details the other Wonder Mortons lack.
- The Carolina Theatre, Greensboro, North Carolina (1927)
Defunct organs
- Avalon TheaterAvalon Theater (Brooklyn)The Avalon Theater was a now defunct theater that opened in Brooklyn, New York on January 25, 1928 and was located on Kings Highway at the northwest corner of East 18th Street in the United States of America....
, Brooklyn, New York (1927) - Colonial Theater, Beach Haven, New Jersey (1940s, closed around 2000 -- now a private residence)
- Loew's Kings Theatre, Brooklyn, New York (1929). "Wonder Morton". organ dismantled after 1974.