Near the corner of Richmond Street and Franklin Avenue in Old Town El Segundo, you’ll find Old Town Music Hall. A living museum that preservers the immersive movie-going experience of the early days of cinema and home to the Mighty Wurlitzer.
Originally opened as the State Theater in 1921 in one of the existing buildings of what was then downtown El Segundo, the 200 seat-theater had originally been intended to be a live performance venue for the employees of the neighboring Standard Oil Refinery. Soon after, the theater was upgraded to show movies, but then closed in the 1930s. It reopened in 1944 as the El Segundo Theater and was again renamed the State Theater in 1957 and remained active until the mid 1960s.
In 1967, 2 local musicians, Bill Field and Bill Coffman, or the “The Two Bills” as they are affectionally known—rented the theater and installed the Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Pipe Organ that they had purchased from the Fox Theater in Long Beach.After months of restoring and rebuilding the Wurlitzer, The Two Bills reopened the theater as Old Town Music Hall in 1968.
In the ensuing decades, audiences were treated to silent and sound films, as well as ragtime, jazz, and pipe organ concerts. The music hall also became a non-profit organization that relies on the support of its patrons and friends.
Unfortunately, the two Bills have passed away—Bill Coffman in 2001 and Bill Field in 2020, but their legacy is kept alive by a new board and volunteers.
During the months of holidays like Halloween and Christmas, the theater is decorated to match the season—which adds an extra layer to what is already an immersive experience.
All screenings include a pre-show medley played on the Mighty Wurlitzer—mighty being an apt way to describe the 2,600 pipes, 200+ switches and array of controls and pedals that the organist uses to control the pipes and percussive instruments.
The medley is followed by a sing-along of classics tunes, and finally, a short cartoon is shown before the intermission. where you can go grab some popcorn and candy from the snack bar, before settling back into your seat for what is one of the best movie-going experiences in all of Los Angeles.
References:
“There’s a 2,600-pipe Organ Hiding in El Segundo – Bill Field and the Mighty Wurlitzer at Old Town Music Hall” by Robert Gavorra, Off-Ramp. June 13, 2013.
“El Segundo’s Old Town Music Hall Brings to Life the Sights and Sounds of the Silent Movie Era” by Colleen Farrel, southbay Magazine. June 2020.
Old Town Music Hall | L.A. Conservancy
“The Old Town Music Hall’s Mighty Organ is Making Music Again in El Segundo” by Richard Guzman, Daily Breeze. September 15, 2021.