Comments from hjackson

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hjackson
hjackson commented about Saenger Theatre on Sep 3, 2005 at 6:17 pm

If my memory serves me correctly, New Orleans flooded in the early 30’s and someone had the forsight to bring the organ console up to stage level and kept it out of the water. Hopefully it was brought up again.

hjackson
hjackson commented about Paramount Theatre on Aug 28, 2005 at 12:31 pm

It’s a real shame that this theatre had to go due to “economic growth” downtown. The only growth has been parking lots for businesses that have disappeared.

hjackson
hjackson commented about Temple Theatre on Aug 26, 2005 at 4:54 pm

Last week I attended a great organ concert at the Temple Theatre.
Mr. Dolton McAlpin played an hour long program on the 3m/8r Theatre pipe organ and did a marvelous job. The organ is maintained by Mr. Frank Evans and is in top shape.

hjackson
hjackson commented about Paramount Theatre on Aug 26, 2005 at 4:09 pm

The above was an article published in a local newspaper after the closing of the Saenger/Paramount Theatre. There are some errors that need to be corrected.

The theatre was the second theatre built in Monroe by the Sugar brothers, the first was the Opera House on the corner of Jefferson and Walnut Sts. The building is still there and used as a pool shop and outdoor furniture. The second built on the corner of 301 DeSiard St. was built around 1915 as an upstairs movie & vaudeville house with stores on the first floor.

In 1920 this theatre was sold to the Saenger Company and they completely remodeled it into the Saenger Theatre seating around 1000.
There was a Moller 4/18 mostly a straight organ without a toy counter (drums, cymbals, bells, etc.) installed in two chambers (R&L) and a 4 rank echo organ under the balcony. In July, 1927, this organ was removed and replaced by a new 2/6 Robert Morton with all melodic percussions, toy counter and the bells and whistles used with the silent movies. When the theatre closed, I removed the organ and installed it in a local school and later met the man in charge of installing Robert Morton organs for the Saenger Theatre Company, Mr. Roy Gimple at that time of Oklahoma City, OK.

I’ve lived in Monroe all my life and can remember my parents taking me to the then Paramount. I really enjoyed going to the first movie of the day because the lights were on before the movie and there was a little man way down in the orchestra pit playing the organ. What a thrill to hear these wonderful sounds coming out of a mysterious place somewhere up high in the theatre. Years later during college days, a friend of mine and I would go down to the theatre and the clean up crew would let us in to play the organ. To this day, the theatre organ bug is still biting!