The phenonmenon Veidt called an ”earthquake” hit more than Hollywood; it played a dirge for other industries as well, including one completely unique to silent films: the theatre organ.

In 1927, the year Al Jolson uttered the first words on the silver screen, the Robert Morton Organ Company was the second largest producer of theatre organs in the United States. Despite a rather turbulent corporate history, the company had long been known for the consistent quality of its instruments. Yet neither quality or quantity could save the industry; by 1931 the Robert Morton Organ Company had closed its doors. Theaters no longer had a need for the massive machines, despite their magnificent sound. Though of considerably lower quality, all films now had their own scores, and most importantly, dialogue.

The invention of the theatre organ is credited to English musician Robert Hope-Jones, who believed that a pipe organ should be able to imitate the sounds of an orchestra. For the first three decades of the 20th century, his invention was the gold standard for musical scoring in cinema. A so-called “theater palace,” such as the Jefferson Theatre in Beaumont, TX, was not complete without an organ. After giving way to the Vitaphone and later advancements in feature film sound, the theatre organ experienced a brief revival in the 1950s with the development of high-fidelity recording. However, mainstread production of the instrument was never again commercially viable, and today fewer than 40 organs are still installed in their original venues.