Frank Olsen 3/19 Wurlitzer, Kitchen Bros Garage, Diss
Frank Olsen playing the 3/19 Wurlitzer in 1983, in the Kitchen Brothers Garage in Diss, Norfolk, prior to it being removed for installation at Turner’s Musical Merrygoround at Northampton.
He was renewing his acquaintance with this organ, as it had originally been installed in the Paramount (Odeon) Cinema, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, where he had played it for some time.
Frank Olsen became a world-famous cinema organist and well-rounded musician, with evident international appeal, but his musicianship came from youthful and seemingly life-long dedication to the local church music learned in his home town. He was appointed as organist at Grimsby’s newly opened Princes Cinema in 1931, after his time from 1929 at St. George’s Cinema in York.
Frank was born in Grimsby in 1909, and was given formal music training from the age of four; by the age of 6 he was organist at Holy Trinity Church, Grimsby and by 10 at St Albans Church. At 13 he was appointed organist at Great Coates Parish Church where he also conducted the St. Alban’s Choral Society. Whilst there, at 14 and already an accomplished composer, he produced several musical comedies and plays. Aged 15 he became organist and choirmaster of Old Clee Church, and had several compositions published.
He entered the world of the cinema at 17, becoming England’s youngest solo organist playing at the City Picture House, Peterborough, where he was famed for his clever accompaniments of silent films. He joined the Provincial Cinematograph Theatres (PCT) at nineteen and thereafter appeared as solo organist at most of their London and Provincial picture houses. He then took a position at the new Gaumont Theatre, Middlesbrough; then moved to the Picture House, Glasgow; then the New Victoria Theatre, Edinburgh, and finally the New Cinerama, Glasgow. He also opened St. Georges Hall Cinema, York.
By the mid 1930s was a regular BBC broadcaster from the New Cinerama Cinema in Glasgow.
After joining the army in 1940 he played piano and organ in the Royal Artillery Dance Band in Garrison Theatre productions, and showed his versatility by opening on the piano with “swing music”, then played pieces by Bach, Schubert and Handel on the organ, before leading community singing – using his choirmaster’s skills to get the women to sing “Tipperary”, whilst the men sang “Pack up your Troubles”. In the south near Blandford, with his regiment in 1944, Sgt Olsen L.R,A.M., A.R.C.M., demonstrated his keyboard versatility at several highly praised civilian and troop concerts, with the profits going to military charities.
Demobbed post-war, he played professionally but independently whilst running a music school in Glasgow, (where STOPS one time Honorary President Cyril Woods’ son Brian was taught by Frank) he remained true to his church music origins. In 1952 he was reported as being an ex-cinema organist playing for St. Luke’s Church, Airdrie and acting as technical advisor for a new John Compton electric organ at Mure Memorial Church. Late into the 1960s he was still regularly playing, recitals, concerts, and accompaniments around Glasgow, where so much of his career had been based.
In 1967, he accepted a position as organist and church choir director at the Central United Church in Port Colborne, Ontario. Once there, he found enthusiasm for the theatre organ much stronger in North America than in Europe and his talents were much in demand, such that in April 1972 the Journal of the American Organ society announced that “Frank Olsen, well known British recording artist”, would be featured at the Hollywood Theatre. He made recordings on many famous organs; recording on the Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe organ at the Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda, NY in 1975 and again at the theatre’s 50th anniversary concert.
He based his later years in North America but accepted some invitations to play in the UK.
Frank recorded several LPs, one being on the 3-10 Hilsdon Organ in The Picture House, Paisley; one on the Riviera Theatre Wurlitzer in North Tonawanda, NY; and one on the 2-7 Wurlitzer in the Gillette residence, Niagara Falls.
A dedicated organ player literally to the end, Frank Olsen died on his last trip to the UK, after collapsing from a heart attack while giving a recital on the 4th September 1983, to Cinema Organ Society members, playing the John Compton organ at the Odeon Cinema, Leicester Square, London, only a few weeks after this recording was made.
Pathways: The Event RADA Studios 3 April 2019
Pathways actors Danielle Evans, Douglas Walker, Judith MacCombe, Chloe MacCombe, Jake Sawyers, Megan John, Anthony Gough and Alex Williams perform ensemble work alongside a range of contemporary and classical monologues.