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Built in 1926, the Orpheum is another Broadway theater that has been wonderfully preserved - from its crystal chandeliers to its grand staircase, right down to its mammoth, original Wurlitzer pipe organ (which is still played, on occasion). Open over 70 years now, the Orpheum is still a spectacularly beautiful theater. It's ornate, gilded ceilings soar nearly five stories above its 2,190 seats. Its lavish Paris Opera architecture features large balconies, opera boxes, even a marble lobby which is decorated with fine sculpture, gold/copper leaf, and 20-foot-high crystal chandeliers.
The Orpheum probably has the most illustrious history of any theater on Broadway; its Wurlitzer organ provided music for the silent movies and vaudeville acts back in the 1920's; during the theater's heyday in the 30's & 40's, its stage featured such live entertainers as Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Lena Horne, Eddie Cantor, the Marx Bros., Jack Benny, Will Rogers, George Burns & Gracie Allen, and Duke Ellington. It is one of the few Broadway theaters that is not only still open, but is also currently showing modern movies in English (although theater employees often outnumber the customers). The Orpheum is also often leased as a location site for filming Hollywood movies and TV shows. For instance, when Tom Hanks was making "That Thing You Do" and needed to shoot a scene set at the Orpheum in Pittsburgh, he shot the scene at the L.A. Orpheum instead.
The dimmer equipment shown below is still functioning, and used on a daily basis.
Original lighting dimmer bank (control board) with interlocking dimmers
Detail of dimmer bank controls. Note warning sign (see below)
Resistance dimmers inside dimmer bank
Detail of dimmer with mechanical interlock armature
Manufacturer's Plate at top of dimmer bank
Warning sign on dimmer bank handles
Motor driven dimmers in dimmer "vault" under stage. Large knife switch at right allows transfer of system from AC power to DC power
An antiquated 5-scene preset console has been cobbled into the system to run the motor driven dimmers in the dimmer vault.
Generators to power the still-functioning carbon-arc followspot (front). The rear generator, for the projectors, is no longer used since the projectors were converted from carbon-arc to Xenon
Copyright 2001 VISUAL TERRAIN, INC.
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