One of the items missing from the console of the Strand’s organ was the music rack.  The original music rack was lost decades ago.   Below is what we have, what we are looking for and what we found.

First, what we have.   This is the console from Opus 531.  No music rack:

Next, what we are looking for.  This is a picture taken on December 19, 1927 of the Louisville Pipe Organ installed in the Kentucky Theatre in Louisville.   This is Opus 528.   This organ no longer exists.   This is the same style console as the Strand’s.   Notice the music rack.

The final picture is the newly acquired Opus 519 from the Oak Theatre in Louisville.  You can see that the music rack is identical to the historic photo above.   This is the music rack that will be placed on the Strand console.

Our organ, Opus 531, was built in Terre Haute Indiana after LPO moved from Louisville.   It was originally built for the Sipe Theatre in Kokomo, Indiana.  The theatre never took the instrument, so it was installed in the Uptown Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky.  This organ was removed from the theatre and installed in a church in Tell City Indiana.   In 1977 it was removed from the church and placed in storage.   It remained in storage until acquired for the Strand project in 2004.

Throughout the years several pieces have been lost from Opus 531.  Since LPO built so few instruments, finding replacements has been difficult.   There are only 4 LPO’s built for theatres known to be in existence.

This past week Strand Board Member David Finkel was successful in locating and purchasing the final “Uniphone”, the LPO Brand name theatre instrument.  This organ, Opus 519, was built in 1926 for the Oak Theatre in Louisville Kentucky.   With the purchase of this instrument, all the remaining LPO theatre organs are now in Shelbyville.

The other two include Opus 536 from the Dream Theatre, Indianapolis built in 1928.  It is complete and located in a private residence.    The final organ is Opus 512 from the Oriental Theatre in Indianapolis.   It is in storage and will be used to augment the Strand organ.

It is quite incredible that the legacy of this manufacture would be tied to the Strand Theatre in Shelbyville .   Through the vision of the SCHS and the Strand, our organ will be the only fully restored Uniphone in a public venue.

Below is the parade of Louisville Pipe Organ consoles.   The first picture shows the three organ consoles in storage.  From left to right they are Opus 531, destine for the Strand;  Opus 519 from the Oak Theatre and Opus 512 from the Oriental Theatre.

Below is Opus 519, built in 1926 from the Oak Theatre in Louisville, KY:

Below is Opus 536 from the Dream Theatre in Indianapolis.  This organ has played continuously since it was built in 1928.

America’s nostalgic love affair with food, film, fun-filled music and frenzied dance will be fused into a fluent multi-sensory feast as The Strand Theatre presents its second “dinner and a movie” Friday night.

Fittingly for such a venue, this month’s movie offering is “Grease”, a 1978 film based on earlier Tony Award winning Broadway play of the same name and the dinner, catered by Grandma’s Pancake House, features a retro- cuisine revolving around 1950’s style diner food.

The dinner which cost $20 starts at seven and movie alone ($10) begins at 8:15. The culinary flashback menu consists of hamburgers, hotdogs, cole slaw, chips and an ice-cream sundae bar.  Strand volunteers encourage those attending to dress in 1950’s attire such as leather jackets, poodle skirts and the greased-back hair styles of the era. Singing along to the semi-classic songs is also highly encouraged.  Tickets for both events are still available.

Conceived as retro play and then film in the 1970’s “Grease,” the movie is still to this day the highest grossing movie musical ever made. Its appeal spread like grease into popular culture influencing music, television and in a strange, looping way its own  creators (Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey) who first rewrote the play for the silver-screen and ironically then had to rewrite the ongoing play to conform to the film version.

“It was an enormous problem when the movie came out,” Jacobs said, “because we were still running on Broadway and people realized, hey, it’s on stage, let’s bring the kids, and suddenly there’s some vulgar language and people got offended that there are teenagers portrayed onstage smoking.”

“Warren and I were both perturbed about it,” Jacobs said of the sanitized, suburbanized screen adaptation of what had begun as a somewhat raunchy send-up of juvenile-delinquent movies of the 1950s.  The original treatment was roughly based on Jacobs’ experiences at William Howard Taft High School in 1959 in northwest Chicago.

Continuous royalties, however, quickly assuaged his doubts, and today he begrudgingly endorses “newer incarnations which try to get away from the heavy issues such as the suspected pregnancy or whatever . . . but the original version was heavy stuff. . . . It dealt with some real issues of the blue-collar kids in America. They were basically the outcasts.”

In fact, the original rebel image fuelled by nostalgia spawned another highly successful, yet sanitized version of the Greaser subculture: the television hit “Happy Days,” and it’s comic, greaser “Fonzie,” was inspired by the Broadway play. In another irony, Henry Winkler turned down the male lead in the movie, fearing future typecasting as teen-age gang-banger.

It was however, the music of the movie which created a lasting cultural resonance, especially the title song written by Barry Gibb and sung by 1950’s musical legend, Frankie Valli. The movie version, in fact, is a veritable who’s who of 1950 pop-culture featuring cameos by Frankie Avalon, Shan-Na-Na and Sid Caesar, among others.

These retro-stars, however, were eclipsed by the movie’s female lead Olivia Newton –John who burst like a meteor across the pop charts after the movie. Previous to this role she was essentially a rather dowdy country singer, but the 29- year–old (cast as a teenager) became an overnight sensation, sex symbol and a very bankable artist in the new era of MTV videos.   Semi-ironically this leading role, turned down as “too sexy” by Marie Osmond, would physically and artistically transform Newton –John  into a sultry siren of song for newer generation of music lovers.  In particular, pay attention to the vocal satire of Sandra Dee in the movie and consider, in retrospect, Newton-John’s new (post Grease) image and style.

The soundtrack of “Grease,” in fact, produced two number one hits, three top five hits and the album itself stayed atop the Billboard charts for 12 consecutive weeks. In another twist of fate this musical success even convinced the male lead, John Travolta, to launch, a short, self-admittedly ill- advised career as a singer. It was Gibb (of the Bee Gees) and Valli, not Travolta, who walked away with 1979 Academy Award for Best Music: Original Song.”

All ironies aside, this musical movie is cultural relic which not only crosses several social cultures, but also transcends the nostalgic memories of several generations as it campily continues to entertain both movie and stage audiences across the country today.

The week was a doozy.  The tickets are selling well for Grease.   We are thrilled with the response.  Our ads on WSVX are running, the ads in the Shelbyville News are being printed, our newsletter is mailed, all these good things with information about our upcoming Dinner and a Movie.   This week Gary N., who takes care of booking our movies, got a call from our film distributor.  It seems that Paramount, the studio that owns Grease, has decided to remove it from theatrical release.   What does that mean?  It means we got a call saying we no longer had the rights to show Grease.   Ouch!! (big time)   To make a long story short, Paramount has given the Strand the OK to show it one last time.   We will be the only theatre anywhere to show this film for many months.   Thank you Paramount!   We can start breathing again.

Calling all cars; Calling all cars.   If you have a 1950’s car or truck, how about bringing it to Grease and parking it by the theatre?   We need help getting into the spirit, and a few vintage vehicles would be great.   Weather permitting, come bring your ride and join us.   The date is Friday March 12, 2010.

The stage modifications are completed that we discussed last week.   We were able to construct everything from materials we already had on hand.  The only purchases were the post tops and the rope.   These modifications will be a handy addition for the future.

You might have read in the Shelbyville News that the Strand hosted its first wedding.  When the theatre is not in use, we are open to all types of uses.   In order to be fiscally prudent, we must always explore other avenues of revenue.   Things like this do not impede our mission, and help introduce a new potential audience to the Strand.   This is something that only happens on a time available basis.   It is fun for our volunteers to help.

This coming month we have quite an eclectic mix of entertainment.  We look forward to all the events.   March is also the start of our Strand Lecture Series.  The first FREE lecture will be on March 16, 2010 at 7:00.   Dennis Hodges of the Indiana High Speed Rail Association will be giving a presentation on the future of high speed rail in Indiana.   This will be an interesting and pertinent topic for Shelby County residents.

We have a Jazz Concert on Sunday March 21st.   Dave Hepler, a jazz pianist, will be performing on the Strand stage.  This will be a great chance of you jazz fans to hear some live jazz music at the Strand.   Tickets are available now.

Thank you for all your support.   There isn’t a week that goes by that someone isn’t complimenting the efforts the Strand has made.  This is your theatre and your community.  We are just a small part of what it takes to make it work.  Thank you!

The meticulously played melodies and rich, smooth, fluid, yet, rippling sounds of The Shelby Community Band filled the Strand Theatre Sunday afternoon in a well attended “mid-winter” concert.

“The community band is local group of volunteers who love music and love to perform and share,” said conductor Russ Smith.

The 40 -plus musicians, semi-circled on the historic stage, guided the crowd through a 14 song    journey of music written for movies to traditional marches and several, classic tunes from the Great American Songbook. Despite the band’s formal black and white attire the afternoon was a rather colorful parade of sound; full of spirit and rich, vibrant cadences, harmonies and melodies.

From the patriotic opening, a powerful rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner,” sang by guest vocalist Marilyn Branstetter through a rousing instrumental finale of “Stars and Stripes Forever,” it was an enjoyable, relaxing, yet, invigorating afternoon of musicianship.

In short, it was a concert filled to the brim with sounds as rich and shiny as the polished brass of the horns clustered on stage with the music intensely reflecting the talents, skills and passions of these volunteer musicians.

This passionate affection for musical heritage and its exquisite display during performance was highlighted by the bands take on “West Side Story.”  The tune is an epic, musical tour -de –force of American song, which combines jazz syncopation with traditional and classical themes.  As performed, by the Shelby Community Band, it showcased the finely melded, fluent sounds of instruments that mingle, merge and sing together in a diverse celebration of the roots of American music.

The showstopper, for most of the crowd, however, was Branstetter’s texturally, rich and well cadenced vocals on another Gershwin song (by George and Ira); “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.”

For me, however, the awe inspiring moment of the afternoon was The Shelby Community Band’s take on “Flight of the Piasa,” by Robert Sheldon. This musically challenging piece is a spiritually moving and varying melody that in its artistic essence soars, sails, glides and dives like a mythical bird in flight. It was an elegiac piece well played and finely phrased, musically. The band’s complex, yet, commanding performance literally made me want to close my eyes and fly away with the music.

Equally exhilarating, in another fashion, was the band’s play of a march lifted from the silver-screen of yore: “Colonial Bogey,” better known as the song from the movie “Bridge over the River Kwai.” A trilling march, played with the triumphant defiance of a song that celebrates the endurance of he human spirit.

Sunday’s concert, in fact, was an enjoyable, extended celebration which showcased the timeless, universal nature of the pleasures, sensations, moods and feel of music. It also emphasized the often unrecognized treasure that resides sometimes forgotten, but never silent, in our midst: the passionate, committed musicians of the Shelby Community Band.

Below the Shelby Community Band on stage:

Marilyn Branstetter, Featured Vocalist:

The percussion section is ready!

The American Indian Cultural Forum hosted by Shelby County Reads, was this past Sunday.  The Strand is a better place because of their visit.  Since part of their presentation was religious in nature, they had to bless the Strand before they started.   We need all the help we can get, and to have a Native American blessing is a good thing!   The ceremony is called “smudging”.   They did it in private, so we cannot tell you about the details.

We had new volunteers this weekend.  On Saturday night one new volunteer Pam D. was handing out programs.  The theatre phone rang.   This is the same theatre phone (with an excellent phone number 421-ARTS ) that we have had since we have opened.  In the entire time, NO ONE has ever received a phone call at the Strand.  We have plenty of calls asking questions about schedules, bookings, events….but none asking for someone specific.   There is Pam, at the doors to the auditorium, when someone from the concession area says “Pam… you have a phone call”.   She is popular.   Yet again another new thing for the Strand!

Before the concert on Saturday night our volunteers started to get the theatre ready.  The snow in front of the theatre had melted into a solid ice hump.  This ice stretched the entire length of the loading area.   We picked and shoveled all to no avail.  That ice was too solid.  Just then Kevin Black drove by in his pickup truck with a snow blade.  3 minutes later our walk was clear.  Next time you see Kevin at Grandma’s having lunch, tell him thank you from the Strand.

Is everyone busy, or is it just us?   Seems like the more we do, the more we have to do.   This goes for our volunteers as well.  This week our newsletter editor, Cindy Leahy, came to a point she was just too busy.  Cindy is the one who came up with the idea and name for our monthly newsletter.  Many of you have enjoyed your hard copy or electronic copy of the SRO for the past two years.   Cindy also produced the Strand Shorts which is mailed to all Chamber of Commerce members every month.  A big Strand Thank You to Cindy Leahy for these past two years of stewardship with the SRO.    We wish her the best and remind her the Strand stage is ready for her next production!

Speaking of the Strand stage, we are preparing for our next Dinner and a Movie.  Grease will show on March 12th.   We learned quite a bit from Casablanca, and will put some of the ideas into practice for Grease.  One of the biggest changes is that we will seat people on the stage for dinner as well as the Cabaret Area.  This will expand our capacity.  One of the several items that need to be done is changing our stage floor box covers.  Those covers have slots for electrical and sound cables.  We realized those slots would also fit a chair leg quite nicely.  Can’t have that.   We are replacing the covers with solid covers for the dinner event.  Bob S. is also going to make a removable railing for around the stage.   It will be a good addition.

The last dinner and a movie, the Strand was bailed out by our friends at the Parks Department who lent us chairs and another local not-for-profit, who lent us tables.   Anyone out there that would be interested, we could use 8) 60″ round and 4) 96″ rectangle new tables.   We need the plastic variety.  The cost is $100 each for the round tables and $75 each for the rectangle tables.   Just let the Foundation know if you want to help.

This weekend the Strand hosts the Shelby Community Band’s Mid-Winter Concert on Sunday at 2:00pm.   This concert is FREE.   If you haven’t been to a SCB concert, this would be a good time to start.  Music will range from marches, to show tunes.  The band even has a guest singer doing a few Gershwin tunes.

Thank you for all your support.  The Strand is a fun place.   Thank you for making it that way.   See you on Sunday.