Category Archives: Silent Cinema

Fotoplayer, Silent Cinema

CH. 3: DAVE HARTMAN, MENTOR

2 Comments

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…Dave Hartman

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.

Silent Cinema

CH. 2: DAVE HARTMAN, MENTOR

4 Comments

By Joe Rinaudo
Edited by Wendy Greene

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…

Dave Hartman

CHAPTER 1

Chapter 2

So now the big moment arrives, with Dick Carty running all over, making sure everything  and everyone is in place. Mr. J.B. Nethercutt arrives with his entourage. A very nervous and stressed Dick Carty greets them. There were about eight people with a very handsome and well dressed man who resembles Caesar Romero. This must be J.B. Nethercutt! (J.B. was the founder and CEO of Merle Norman Cosmetics. He aquired one of the finest antique automobile collections in the world and was an enthusiast of automated musical instruments. Visit NethercuttCollection.org.)

Dave is asked to show Mr. Nethercutt the Photoplayer. Now with his Pendelton flapping and his new Van’s tennis shoes gleaming, Dave proceeds to take off all of the front and rear covers of the Photoplayer. A very polite and quiet Mr. Nethercutt follows Dave around the Photoplayer, looking at all of Dave’s beautiful work. Now I see Carty watching Dave’s every move with the hope that some of those famous nuggets of wisdom and humor from Dave might not be misunderstood. As it turns out if there were any nuggets they were well received by Mr. Nethercutt.

Dave working on The Popper orchestrion

Dave Hartman inspecting the “Popper,” one of the largest Orchestrions in the Nethercutt Collection.

Instead of going over to talk to Carty I see Mr. Nethercutt coming over to the projector to talk to me! I now notice the continued panic on Carty’s face. Mr. Nethercutt asked what type of projector I was using. I told him that it was an R.C.A. He then asked where did I get my film. I now notice a very worried-looking Carty making hand jesters to me which seemed like “cut it short!” Ignoring poor Carty, I told Mr. Nethercutt that I buy my 16mm prints from Blackhawk Films. I asked how he was going to use the Photoplayer. Now Carty is waving his hands wildly! Mr. Nethercutt said that he was building a Museum and it will have a silent movie theater in it and would I like to come and see it when it opens? I said “YES!” I then suggested that Mr. Carty was wanting to talk to him. With that he left to talk to a very relieved Carty. 

As it turned out. I did go to the Museum and got a regular guided tour by Roger Morrison, the new curator of the Nethercutt Museum. I asked Roger if we will get to see the silent film theater and the Photoplayer.  Roger told me no, that the theater was not on the tour, as it was not to be seen by the general public. Roger then made an announcement that Mr. Nethercutt will be greeting us from that door across the room. The door opens and out steps Mr. Nethercutt and waves to a thankful applause from my fellow tourists. Roger said that Mr. Nethercutt is a very busy man and had to get back to a meeting. As he was turning to leave (being young and stupid) I ran across the room to him and introduced myself as the projectionist from the Photoplayer demonstration a few years back at Carty Piano. I asked if we might see the Photoplayer.  Mr. Nethercutt just smiled and bowed. As Roger ran up to us I realized that I might not have followed the correct procedure. Rather embarrassed, I took my place back across the room with the other tourists. Roger then made an announcement. As per Mr. Nethercutt’s special request  we would be seeing the silent movie theater and get a demonstration of the newly restored Photoplayer—something that the other tours will never see!   I said (under my breath) “Thank you Mr. Nethercutt!”  

Later we got to see all of the beautiful mechanical musical instruments that Dave Hartman and the gang at Carty piano had restored so wonderfully. What a legacy Dave Hartman and Carty piano have left behind! 

Little did I know that this guy Dave would eventually come back into my life and change it in a way that I could have never imagined.

To be continued…


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— 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.

Silent Cinema

DAVE HARTMAN, MENTOR

9 Comments

By Joe Rinaudo
Edited by Wendy Greene

Dave Hartman

I recently found out that my best friend and mentor, Dave Hartman, 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

I first met Dave in the late 1960’s when he was working for Dick Carty at the Carty Piano Company. Carty Piano was responsible for the rebuilding of over three thousand player pianos over the years.

At the time I first met Dave, he and the team at Carty Piano were in the midst of rebuilding many of the fantastic mechanical musical instruments for the famed Nethercutt Museum in Sylmar, California. I remember that Dave was very kind to me, and as a shy teenager I was very intimidated by this gentle giant they called Dave! When I told him I was there to buy piano rolls for my parents’ player piano he asked if it needed any thing done to it. When I told him that it was missing a small brass plate that protected the wooden spool box when the roll is rewound, he took me upstairs and pulled out a box of them and said “like this?” He then took it over to a polishing wheel and after polishing it he clear coated it for me with lacquer. He said “consider this a gift from me and Carty Piano but don’t tell Dick!” It amazed me to see how simple he made this process look. Little did I know that a few years later, when we would meet again, he would teach me all about polishing and clear coating!

Carty Staff 1962
Carty Piano team, 1962, l to r: John Murera, Dave Hartman, Ramsey Carter, Jim Braun, Dick Carty.

He took me into another room and showed me a huge pile of parts and a piano with no strings. He said that this belongs to Mr. J.B. Nethercutt and it is something called a Photoplayer! Dick Carty put Dave in charge of figuring out what all the jumble of parts did and how they went together. What a puzzle! When I asked Dave what a Photoplayer is, he told me that it was a mechanical piano-organ with sound effects used as the music for silent films! I told Dave that I love and collect silent films and I would like to come back to hear it play. Dave said to ask Dick Carty (but there would be no problem).  

Later when I was paying Dick Carty for the piano rolls that I had purchased, I asked if I might hear the Photoplayer when finished, as I collect silent films and have never heard of such a machine. Dick said how would you like to show one of your silent films when we demonstrate it for Mr. Nethercutt? When Dick asked how much I might charge for my services (still feeling guilty for the reroll plate in my pocket) I said that I would love to do it. No charge!

Well, the big day came. I had an older friend drive me down as I was too young to drive by myself. When I was setting up the projector Dick Carty told me not to speak to Mr. Nethercutt as he was their biggest client and didn’t want anything to go wrong. I saw Dave setting up the Photoplayer. Dressed in, what I would later come to find out, his finest attire: tennis shoes, blue jeans and an un. tucked Pendelton shirt. They brought in a man from a neighboring music store to play the Photoplayer. Dave said queue up the film and let’s give it a run through! When I started the 16mm projector with a short but very wild Mack Sennett comedy, this thing called a Photoplayer burst forth with powerful music like I have never heard before! I was swept away to another world and had a greater appreciation for the Sennett film. 

To be continued…

Press to leave a comment.

— 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.