By Joe Rinaudo

Continued: The story of my best friend and mentor, Dave Hartman (who has been ill), which brings to mind all of the wonderful things that I have learned from him over our forty-eight year friendship…

CHAPTER 1  CHAPTER 2

Chapter 3

Now the year is 1974 and I have purchased a style 20 American Fotoplayer. So, at 21 years of age, one of my worst fears had come true: that a Fotoplayer is no player piano when it comes to rebuilding. Since I have dabbled in rebuilding a player piano, I had now come to the sobering realization that I am not up to the task to tackle the complete rebuild of a Fotoplayer. These contraptions are very complex items indeed. So (in desperation) I contacted Mr. Dick Carty at Carty Piano to see if he could help in the rebuild. Dick gave me the cost to rebuild the player stack (the complex mechanism that plays the piano from the piano roll) and the two wind motors (one for the upper spool box and one for the lower). As I recall, this was more money than I could afford. So, Dick says “Give me some money and an old radio. I love old wooden radios!” I had a very nice wooden radio from the 1930’s that belonged to my grandfather. So, the deal was set! Yes, Dick Carty was a great business man and cared about the up and coming young “broke” collector!

A 21-year-old Joe Rinaudo and his new toy. Photo by his friend Don Telford, circa 1973.

When I asked where was the big guy “Dave” (who had restored the Nethercutt Photoplayer years earlier), Dick said that Dave’s superior skills were required by Carty Piano for the restoration of the more complex orchestrions in the Nethercutt Museum collection. Dick went on to say that when the Nethercutt Museum contract was over Dave had left for greener pastures.  

By the way, some of you may have noticed the two ways that I have been spelling the word “Photoplayer.” When speaking of Photoplayers in general or generic terms the correct spelling is Photoplayer. Such was the case when describing the Nethercutt Photoplayer which was made by the J.P. Seeburg Piano Company. When speaking of a  Photoplayer made by the American Photoplayer Company, it is spelled Fotoplayer as this is the trademark for that Company only (American Photoplayer Company). I hope that this is now clear as mud!

Now the year is 1975. I am struggling on to try and restore the Fotoplayer on my own. Reading books and gleaning tidbits of information from various collectors proved to be a daunting and insurmountable task!

At this time I was going to junior college and working part time for minimum wage at a hospital in the food service department. To make ends meet I had been driving my first car that I got for $525.00 when I was in high school. A 1929 Ford Model A Coupe. It was as cheap to run as a Volkswagen and very easy to work on. A life-long friend of my father, Mr. Wes Cooper (who was a living legend in the hot rod circles), had built some of the fastest four-cylinder engines using modern day technology but with authentic period parts. He held the land speed record in the flat head four-cylinder class. He and my dad had been friends since first grade and both worked together at the Winfield Carburetor factory in the 1930s.  It was my good fortune in more than one way (as I would soon find out) that he was helping and teaching me on how to maintain an original Model A engine. Or as he called it “That old turd!”  He completely rebuilt my original Model A engine for $100.00!

All of the times that I was at his shop he would ask how the Fotoplayer was coming. When I would tell him of my latest Mount Everest “Fotoplayer” climb, he would say “I have to introduce you to this guy who used to bring his Model A over. He can help you with your problems as he understands how these things work.” I would always dismiss this as idle chatter and thought nothing of it.

In July of 1975 I was at the Long Beach Model T swap meet. As I was searching for that elusive Model A part for my car, who should I come across but Wes Cooper!  He had a stand there selling his souped-up engines and related parts. Without saying a word, he grabbed my hand and led me over to a large tent where a lady was nursing a 9 month-old baby girl. Wes pointed to a man seated next to the lady and said “There! This is the guy I have telling you about. You know, the guy who can help you with your Fotoplayer!” When I got a good look at the man, I realized that the guy that Wes had been telling me about for years was the big guy from Carty Piano — DAVE!

To be continued…

— ANNOUNCEMENT —

Joe Rinaudo, founder of Silent Cinema Society, is currently forming a non-profit which he calls SCAT —Silent Cinema Art and Technology — to fund the restoration and preservation of the actual machines and media of the silent era.

Advice and suggestions in the area of non-profits are most welcome. Contact Joe Rinaudo here.

Through Silent Cinema Society, which is comprised of you, the fans and supporters of silent cinema, Joe will continue to enlighten and entertain with The Newsreel newsletter;  this Silent Cinema Society website; and hopefully soon, live shows where audiences are once again able to wear big hats that block the screen.