The Weekly Newspaper of Manhattan Beach Herald Publications - El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 Vol. 6, No. 6 June 6, 2013 Inside Breathing New Life into an Old Classic This Issue Business & Professional ........................6 Calendar...............................2 Classifieds ...........................7 Crossword Puzzle..............7 Finance.................................6 Food......................... .............5 Pets.......................................8 Politically Speaking...........3 Police Report......................2 Two concert grand pianos bookend the keyboard console of the 1925 Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Pipe Organ on stage at Old Town Music Hall. Photos by: DonHoltz.com Inset: Advisory Board: (Left to Right) Lara Scott, Kimberly Lee, Bill Field (seated), James Moll, Amanda Toney, Rich Botto, Tracey La Monica, Robert Chambers Pullman (Lily Craig not pictured) Seniors.................................2 A South Bay Gem: Old Town Music Hall By Brian Simon recent years because of my career,” said The theater’s now higher profile has begun Sports...................................4 A group of devotees have banded together Moll. “Then last December, my stepfather to pay dividends, with area media outlets to inject some new life into Old Town Music said it would be nice to visit co-founder suddenly taking notice of the venue. A blurb Hall, located in El Segundo, and increase Bill Field, as attendance was down and he last month on CBSLA.com about inexpensive patronage in the process. Open since 1968 stepfather wondered how long the place options in Los Angeles mentions the offering on Richmond Street, the theater recently would survive.” of “three hours of entertainment, fun and a suffered through some down years thanks to Field has run the theater mostly by himself trip down memory lane--all for $10.” CBS a sluggish economy and continued lack of since Coffman’s death in 2001, playing News is also reportedly planning a feature Weekend regularly scheduled silent film classics with out the schedules. Though still in decent Craig. “While I was there the other weekendthe May sweeps, according to advisory boardmember and long-time Chevron employee Lilyweek after week while also choosing andarranging the film showings and puttingawareness about the cultural landmark thatstory on Old Town Music Hall to air duringthe renowned Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organremains the only Southland venue featuringlive organ accompaniment as well as piano Forecast American music from the early decades of fixes. “There were things that weren’t operating and a very distinguished gentleman shooting, I noticed a young manGildato see the moviecondition, the place definitely needed a fewand full band concerts showcasing popular the 20th Century. properly—the drapes weren’t working for footage,” she said. “Turns out it was a CBS But a turnaround may be in the works many months,” said Moll, who offered his News producer who was there to shoot ‘a for the venerable hall, thanks to the efforts assistance as a volunteer after the visit last few things to do’ kind of feature. However, Friday of an eight-member advisory board formed year. The advisory board then came about he fell so in love with the place, he told Bill AM Clouds/ media campaign, revamped the theater’s over those first few months, I met a group feature story. I can’t wait to see it!”Field he now plans on making it more of athrough happenstance. “Strangely enoughthis past January that has launched a social PM Sun website, and coordinated several cosmetic of people all in completely coincidental Craig is the only El Segundo resident on upgrades to the building. Though business ways who are now part of our advisory the advisory board and noted she was honored 68˚/62˚ is not quite booming yet, there are already board. For instance, a few months back, a to join after being approached by Moll. “This noticeable improvements. “Every week, there young woman was frantically knocking on group of folks have a lot of energy and passion are some new faces coming in and quite a the front door because she had her parents about our little El Segundo gem and have Saturday few younger people,” said advisory board with her who were visiting for just a few come together to help Bill give the theater Mostly doing outreach through Facebook, Twitter So I brought them in and played piano for to describe the feeling one has sitting in thatsome new life,” she said. “I can’t even beginhours and really wanted to see the theater.member and founder James Moll. “We are Cloudy and the new website to reach a whole new them. I mentioned we were working on the theater singing along to some cool old tunes, 70˚/64˚ generation of people…and it’s working.” a drapery company!” Wurlitzer organ---actually forgetting thatwatching a silent movie while Bill plays thedrapes and the woman said she worked forMoll, who grew up in Hawthorne, is an Oscar, Grammy and Emmy award-winning In addition to the new drapes, the board you are watching a silent movie--and then Sunday Town Music Hall. His mother and stepfather lighting, seat recovering and an updated whole time, sitting there imagining what itfilmmaker with a long personal history at Oldwatching a classic movie. I was smiling theis garnering donations for new signage and Mostly met there in the early ‘70s and after marrying the audio as well. Remarkably, the theater’s of the surprises for me personally was thatmust have been like back in the day. Oneprojection system, with plans to improvebegan to take the then-12-year-old to the Cloudy venue on a regular basis. Already studying cornerstone--the Wurlitzer--is still in tip-top I did not realize that there were concerts 71˚/64˚ how to play ragtime from the theater’s late built in 1925. Field and Coffman acquired sound! That’s how little I knew. I felt badwithtaking place there as well as moviesshape and sounds as it did when it waspiano at the time, the young Moll learned co-founder Bill Coffman. “I worked there on the instrument in 1959, eventually housing about that, having lived and worked here for and off throughout high school and college, permanently it in its current location nine so many years, but I just did not know--or but wasn’t able to get over there much in years later. See Music Hall, page 4
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