We’re working on an exciting documentary film project about the history of the Organ Grinder restaurants in Portland and Denver. Take a look at our Blog to see our progress, sign up to receive news and updates via email, or check out our Facebook Group which has a lively community. We want your stories – especially if you were a fan/patron or staff!
Many Thanks to Our Sponsors
Watch the Teaser Trailer!
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Welcome and Introduction
“Guess What’s Coming” – Those were the words on the new sign outside the first Organ Grinder restaurant in Portland as it was nearing completion in 1973. It’s a very appropriate phrase, as something new is coming – a documentary film project which seeks to tell the whole story behind the rise and fall of…
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Vintage Organ Grinder TV Commercial – Early 1980s – Portland Nostalgia
Here’s another newly-restored and upscaled vintage commercial from the famous Organ Grinder restaurant in Portland, Oregon. This ad was produced in the early 1980s. (Date determined by presence of Zaxxon arcade game, which was released in late December, 1981, and Donkey Kong, released in the summer of 1981, which means this commercial was likely produced…
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Project Status – And an Appeal
First, The Good News The last time I put out a full project status update was in October, 2025, with a full “State of the Project Address” video. I’m pleased to say that the video was received very well, and the vast majority of the goals laid out at that time have been achieved, including…
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Midwest | Neat Stuff | Videos
Dean Rosko Performs on the Carma Labs Pipe Organ
Inside a warehouse in Franklin, Wisconsin, belonging to Carma Labs, Inc. (the makers of Carmex), is the world’s largest theatre pipe organ. As part of the Organ Grinder documentary project, we visited Carma Labs during our Midwest Road Trip to see what weird and wonderful things people are doing with theatre pipe organs today. The…
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Welcome to our New Sponsor: RMCATOS
We’re proud to announce our new Silver Sponsor, RMCATOS – Rocky Mountain Chapter American Theatre Organ Society. The Rocky Mountain Chapter American Theatre Organ Society was founded in 1964 as a local chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society, covering Denver Colorado and the surrounding areas with a focus on promoting and preserving theatre organs…
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The Barr-Fox Wurlitzer Demo – Mark Herman’s improvisation on That’s a Plenty – Bandrika Studios
The Barr-Fox Wurlitzer began as “THE” Wurlitzer at Fox Studios, and can be heard on many famous movie and TV soundtracks, including Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and The Sound of Music. John Williams used it in Empire of the Sun, Witches of Eastwick, The Fury, and…
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The Studio with a Wurlitzer in its Walls
Tucked away in a modest light-industrial district in Tarzana, California, just off the Orange Line Busway, sits a warehouse with a special secret inside. (OK, it’s not a big secret – but most people in the area don’t know it’s there.) The building is the home of Bandrika Studios, custom-built by composer Nathan Barr, to…
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Don Feely performs “Aladdin” at Organ Grinder Portland
In February of 1996, shortly before Organ Grinder Portland closed, fans turned out to visit the restaurant one last time. Fortunately, several brought their camcorders with them, and have provided their footage to the documentary project. In this video, patron Ted Welty recorded organist Don Feely’s medley of themes from Disney’s animated hit “Aladdin” (1992)….
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Bijou, Adieu – We Hardly Knew You!
Back in September, we visited the Basement Bijou, otherwise known as the house that Fred Hermes, Sr. built in the 1950s in Racine WI. Inside this unassuming three-bedroom home on the shore of Lake Michigan, is a 18ft-deep basement, built to house a very rare 5-manual Wurlitzer pipe organ – Wurlitzer only built three organs…
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Portland Mercury: “Pipe Dreams and Pizza Crusts” Will Dive into the Wacky World of Organ Grinder Pizza
As part of their annual “Pizza Week” coverage, the Portland Mercury has posted an online article about the Organ Grinder and the documentary project. Excerpt: Amid the strip malls and used car lots along SE 82nd, one big building, now home to Super King Buffet, looks out of place: glass walls stretching tens of feet…
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Sam Battle on Fiddling with Organs (“Look Mum No Computer”)
Sam Battle is a popular YouTuber in the vintage tech and music spaces. He’s best known for his channel “Look Mum No Computer”, and related channels “This Museum is Not Obsolete” and “Look Mum No Engine”. Among Sam’s many projects, he created a series of videos where he restored a residential pipe organ that was…
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The Organ Grinder Goes to Camp
After a whirlwind trip filming in Wisconsin, I returned home and jumped right in to attending Doc Camp, an intensive workshop for documentary filmmakers to share their works-in-progress and meet with industry veterans, organized by Oregon Media Lab. It was a highly rewarding experience. (There is more about the latest Wisconsin trip in this post.)…
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