Mechanical Music Digest  Archives
You Are Not Logged In Login/Get New Account
Please Log In. Accounts are free!
Logged In users are granted additional features including a more current version of the Archives and a simplified process for submitting articles.
Home Archives Calendar Gallery Store Links Info
MMD > Archives > April 1998 > 1998.04.22 > 04Prev  Next


'Puppet On A Chain' and Pierement "de Klok 1"
By Hans van Oost

Philip Jamison wrote in yesterday's MMD:

> I just saw the 1972 film "Puppet On A Chain" (rented via the www).
> It includes "De Klok", the famous Dutch street organ now, I believe,
> in Australia.  There are a couple close-ups, but it plays the same
> tune each time it's shown.  It's turned by hand.  I'm not sure if
> they used the actual organ shown, but it's definitely a pierement.
>

The organ in the film is definitely "de Klok", and to be more precise,
the "Klok 1".  Carl Frei of Breda had two identical organs made in
1928 by the Mortier factory in Antwerp; they were built with the
numbers 990 and 992 respectively.  By voicing the pipes himself he made
two fine Dutch street organs.

The first one (Nr. 990) was delivered to Mr. Moehlman in Amsterdam.
This one is known as the "Klok 1", and it was exported to an Australian
collector in 1976.  This is the organ in the film.  The other one
(992), with almost the same front, is still in the Netherlands and was
owned by Mr. Neleman.

> There are also some nice vintage scenes of Amsterdam with the
> police driving VW Beetles.

At the time VW beetles were the standard car for the Amsterdam police;
they also used VW minibuses for transporting knaves.

> The plot (a heroin smuggling scheme devised by Alistair MacKlean)
> is poor, however.

We Dutch cannot hold ourselves responsible for poor acting by strangers.
...  (-:

Hans van Oost, KDV, Netherlands


(Message sent Wed 22 Apr 1998, 20:38:41 GMT, from time zone GMT.)

Key Words in Subject:  1, Chain, de, Klok, Pierement, Puppet

Home    Archives    Calendar    Gallery    Store    Links    Info   


Enter text below to search the MMD Website with Google



CONTACT FORM: Click HERE to write to the editor, or to post a message about Mechanical Musical Instruments to the MMD

Unless otherwise noted, all opinions are those of the individual authors and may not represent those of the editors. Compilation copyright 1995-2024 by Jody Kravitz.

Please read our Republication Policy before copying information from or creating links to this web site.

Click HERE to contact the webmaster regarding problems with the website.

Please support publication of the MMD by donating online

Please Support Publication of the MMD with your Generous Donation

Pay via PayPal

No PayPal account required

                                     
Translate This Page