PLUG YOUR EARS!
Joe Rinaudo, founder of SCAT—The Silent Cinema Art & Technology Society—plays his American Fotoplayer in this segment from Huell Howser’s California Gold:

This machine is in Joe’s living room. Think the neighbors mind?

Silent Cinema…with Lots of Sound

Joe is all about silent film, but he also loves sound. Loud sound! Not the dialog, music and sound effects that are printed right on the film in today’s movies. Oh no, Joe’s silent films are accompanied by an ear-shattering, robust “symphony” created by one person sitting at one machine: The Fotoplayer. This resembles a player piano, but with two rolls for changing music for different scenes; an assortment of pull cords, levers, buttons and stops connected to a side cabinet or two containing organ pipes, percussion, brass, sound effects, and literally bells and whistles. The pianist usually lets the rolls play the music while he selects the instrument stops and creates the sound effects. He’s watching the film, of course, all at the same time.

Joe has one of these machines. He acquired his American Fotoplayer Style 20 while he was 21 years old and spent the next three years restoring it to brand-new condition. it’s the centerpiece in his living room. This thing is loud! It’s amazing Joe has any neighbors left, unless they’re all hard of hearing. Joe recently completed the restoration of a Style 41 American Fotoplayer for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the Oscar people).

To answer Huell’s question, “What in the world is going on?” …learn more about the American Fotoplayer here.