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NOTABLE - Bob Morrison
My mother was quite health-conscious. My brother Richard and I partook regularly of Tastyeast. "Tastyeast is tempting, to your appetite: creamy wholesome goodness, try a luscious bite. Vitamins are hiding in this candy bar; pep, vim, and vigor, linger where they are. Children love this creamy wholesome food delight. Give it to them daily every morning, noon, and night..." And our mom did just that.
Radio shows sponsored by this product regularly featured theater organs.
With the advent of "talkies," the days of the theater organ were numbered. Prominent theater organist Rosa Rio (who played a recital in Florida at age 107, and died a week later just three weeks before her 108th) wept when she first saw a sound movie (Al Jolson and "The Jazz Singer"). She feared her profession would no longer exist. Her real name was Elizabeth Raub, but she chose "Rosa Rio" since it would fit better on a theater marquee.
But, not to worry. The theater organ moved into the radio studio and the soap operas took the bait. With the advent of the Hammond Organ, studios who couldn't afford a big pipe organ could now purchase a Hammond for $1250. There are photos on the internet of Rosa Rio running from one studio to another - just a minute to spare - to play themes for "One Man's Family" or "Mr. Kean, Tracer of Lost Persons" or "Ma Perkins". or "The Shadow." Her nickname was "Queen of the Soaps."
And so, growing up, I was exposed to classical and sacred organ music at church, and the popular music of the theater organ on the radio. I liked them both, unlike G. Donald Harrison, legendary president of Aeolian-Skinner who, in an article for The Harvard Dictionary of Music, declared "A discussion of the cinema organ is not to be found in a book about music."
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