ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
From: Gerson Schaffel, Mar. 2002
By chance I ran into your web page when researching New Brighton, PA,
the town where my father moved with his family in 1922. He was the owner
and operator of the Empire Theater. He installed a Wurlitzer Organ in the
Empire in 1928 (?) and I remember it well. The organist was Mrs.
Bickerstaff, who accompanied all silent movies until the advent of
"The Jazz Singer" which marked the beginning of "talking movies".
The Wurlitzer (uninsured) was destroyed in a fire in the early days of the
Depression (1930?) and the Empire never reopened.
These are the recollections of an 84 year old but I hope they are of interest to you.
Gerson Schaffel
Gaithersburg, MD