Don’t call it a pipe dream.
On Nov. 8, Milwaukee Film will introduce its world-class 1925 Wurlitzer pipe organ – a restoration project over five years in the making.
With its original elements and sound, the nearly 100-year-old instrument is one of the few remaining in the world. Milwaukee Film secured the Wurlitzer in 2019 through Jeff Weiler, president of JL Weiler Inc., a renowned expert in pipe organ restoration. Audiences will get to hear the instrument during silent films exactly as it sounded in the 1920s.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
To celebrate the occasion, the Milwaukee Film Board of Directors is holding a red-carpet fundraiser called “Coming Home Again: A 1925 Wurlitzer Pipe Organ’s Grand Debut” at the historic Oriental Theatre, 2230 N. Farwell Ave., from 5:30-9 p.m. on Nov. 8.
“I can’t tell you how delighted we are that the installation process of our own Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ has reached its final phase and is ready to be unveiled to the public,” said Susan Mikulay, Milwaukee Film Board chairwoman. “Milwaukee Film has always been a champion of cinematic history and culture, and the addition of this instrument to our majestic Oriental Theatre reflects its historic and significant importance.”
Attendees can expect to learn about and celebrate the past, present and future of film, the Oriental Theatre, the pipe organ and Milwaukee Film. Weiler will be in attendance to share the story of the organ’s selection and installation for the Oriental Theatre. The event will culminate with a centenary screening of Harold Lloyd’s 1923 silent comedy Safety Last! that will be projected from a 35mm print courtesy of the Harold Lloyd Estate.
Theater organist Ron Rhode will perform a live organ score to the film to showcase the instrument.
“When considering how best to celebrate and unveil the newly installed Wurlitzer at the Oriental Theatre, we wanted to honor the overlapping histories of cinema and the organ,” said Cara Ogburn, Milwaukee Film artistic director. “So, Lloyd’s classic, always a crowd-pleaser and celebrating a major anniversary this year, was an easy, natural and perhaps obvious choice. We are thrilled to be working with the Harold Lloyd Estate to present this film in such a reverent way with Ron Rhode’s masterful performance of the Wurlitzer as exactly the right coda to conclude this phase of our historic restoration work at the Oriental Theatre.”
To learn more about this event and purchase tickets, visit Milwaukee Film.
