Celebrate Classic Film And The Mighty Wurlitzer At The Hanover Theatre

On May 8 at 2 PM, join The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts for a one-of-a-kind American comedy classic! The Kid Brother is a 1927 American comedy classic silent film starring Harold Lloyd.

It was successful and popular upon release and today is considered by critics and fans to be one of Lloyd's best films, integrating elements of comedy, romance, drama and character development. Its storyline pays homage to a 1921 film called "Tol'able David," although it is essentially a re-make of a little-known 1924 Hal Roach feature, "The White Sheep," starring Glenn Tryon. The screening will be accompanied by Clark Wilson on the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ. Watching a silent film with live music creates a unique experience that you wouldn't get watching a modern film at the movie theater. It is both visually and audially stunning, creating an immersive once-in-a-lifetime event for filmgoers.

Don Phipps was thrilled when The Hanover Theatre accepted his gift of a theatre pipe organ. It was no ordinary instrument. Phipps assembled it out of thousands of parts rescued from Wurlitzer organs that had been abandoned when movie palaces were razed starting in the mid- 20th century. When original parts were not available, he obtained historically accurate replicas. Phipps, an engineer, estimated that the project took 10,000 hours of work over a period of six and a half years. He calls the instrument his "magnum opus," noting that it is the largest of its kind in New England. The instrument debuted at the theatre in March 2009. The Hanover Theatre's Mighty Wurlitzer has 2,495 pipes and is valued at more than $500,000. "It was a wonderful opportunity for me," Phipps said of his collaboration with the theatre. "I like to think everybody got a good deal." Curator Bruce Hager works regularly with the Wurlitzer on the technical side of things, with the responsibility of keeping it Ready to Play and finetuning any problems that arise. He refers to the job as a "labor of love," and speaks highly of the organs use during silent film showings saying, "it captures your imagination - you will always remember the sound of it and relish the idea of bringing it back to life."

Clark Wilson is one of the most prominent and recognized scorers of silent photoplays in America today. He works exclusively with the organ in developing accurate and historic musical accompaniments as they were performed in major picture palaces during the heyday of the silent film. Wilson began his scoring career in 1980 and has successfully toured North America with hundreds of film presentations at schools and universities, performing arts centers, theatres, film festivals, and conventions. His work has led to performances for UCLA, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, where, in addition to other pictures, he has repremiered "Wings" for Paramount Studios' 100th Anniversary. Wilson has been named in numerous Who's Who and Men of Achievement editions and was presented with the ATOS (spell out) Organist of the Year award in 1998. An acclaimed organ technician and consultant, he has also been professionally involved with over 200 pipe organ installations to date including The Hanover Theatre, and has earned the ATOS Technician of Merit award, the only person to receive both ATOS distinctions.

Tickets for The Kid Brother: Silent film accompanied by The Mighty Wurlitzer Organ are $20. Seating is general admission. Discounts are available groups of 10 or more, children and students. For more information, please contact the box office at 877.571.SHOW (7469).

The Hanover Theatre's Mighty Wurlitzer is the largest theatre pipe organ in New England and is recognized by staff and board members as one of the most fabulous gifts made to the organization. As stewards of this amazing gift, it is our responsibility to properly maintain the organ and create opportunities to share with patrons and the greater community.

As a distinguishing feature, the Wurlitzer Organ enhances the preservation of our rich history and the traditions of the era of luxurious, vaudeville theatres. We continue to utilize the organ for ceremonial events, during our annual production of A Christmas Carol and as pre-show entertainment at select performances throughout the season.

We want to ensure that The Mighty Wurlitzer is properly cared for and remains a fitting legacy to the work of Don Phipps and the organ team. The theatre established the Donald Phipps Mighty Wurlitzer Fund to preserve, maintain and share with the community this special gift.

Please consider making a contribution. Your support will help to secure the organ's future and make it accessible to everyone in our community. For more information, email Nel Lazour, director of development at nel@thehanovertheatre.org.

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