[ Ed Hattrup wrote in 090927 MMDigest:

> I had a Robert Morgan organ that played that type of roll.

Usually known as a Robert Morton organ.  Robert Morton was an
offspring of various business marriages between Murray M. Harris organ
company of Los Angeles, American Photoplayer of Berkeley, California,
and California Organ Company of Van Nuys, Calif.

Robert Morton took over the Van Nuys plant from California Organ Co.
in early 1917.  It was not uncommon to see theatre organs by Murray M.
Harris, California Organ Co. and certainly American Photoplayer with
roll players -- but, from those I have seen, they all played common
88-note piano rolls.  Even my Wurlitzer piano console organ utilized
common 88-note rolls (the more deluxe models used Concert/PianOrchestra
rolls.)  Morton built gobs of 3-rank pit organs known as style 39 with
a petite 2-manual theatrical console and a duplex 88-note player on top
of the console.  These played 88-note rolls and the instruments are
fairly rare to find intact now.

At the Liberty Theatre in Fresno (1917 Robert Morton) an upright player
piano with stop keys sat in the orchestra pit along with the 3-manual
console.  The 1915 California Organ Company organ that was in the 1915
T & D/Appleton Theatre in Watsonville, Calif. (1915-1925 until replaced
with a 1925 style D Wurlitzer) had a drawknob console with a player
cabinet such as was attached to the Fresno Liberty instrument.

A 15.25" 9-to-the-inch roll for a Morton organ would certainly be unusual
and special for such an instrument.  As far as I know, the FilMusic Co.
of Los Angeles made only regular 88-note "Picturoll" rolls for the
photoplayer market.  I would certainly be interested see photos of such
an instrument/player cabinet.

Tom DeLay
Salinas, California