But definately for ME! The majority of this wonderful bit of industrial propaganda revolves around the process of the design and manufacture of the model 1100 juke box introduced in 1948. An amazing amount of footage of the plant and the workers as they create these wonderful machines. A lost art from a lost world, and a "must see" for anyone interested in the rich history of the Wurlitzer company, and the many decades of entertainment resulting from their products.

The dull B&W video is deceiving you, I suggest searching for images of the model 1100 to give you a true idea of the appearance of this fantastic machine!

We do see a bit of information regarding the modern electronic organs they manufactured at the time. Unfortunately, there is no footage regarding the fantastic and majestic pipe organs this company produced for theatres, churches, and concert halls, in the decades prior to the making of this film.

It's part of a lost world my parents help create. It's been replaced by Big Box Mart, "permatemp" workers, and global worker exploitation for 13 cents per hour. Are the concepts presented in this film outdated? Have we moved beyond it and have made "progress"? I cannot help but ask, "What do YOU think"?

A trip to Wurlitzer is primarily a trip down the assembly line, where instead of a car, we see a Juke Box being made. From the wood paneling, to the steel inlays, and even the plastics involved, this is a bit too obsessive in what is involved, as the film is freakin 40 minutes long! We REALLY donÂt need another stop at the quality control labrotories (or the employee washrooms for that matter). Interesting how the film starts out in color then lapses into black and white, not too sure why that happens.. Well, maybe 1 of 2 things, they added the color bumpers to an earlier, b&w film, or they ran out of money quickly.

This early 20s film takes us through the process of manufacturing one of those big, elaborate organs that used to be in movie theaters during the silent era. It goes all the way from kiln-drying the lumber to installing the organ in a new San Francisco picture pallace. One fun scene features a comparison of the biggest and smallest pipes in the organ. The biggest is several stories high and big enough around that a man can sit comfortably inside of it. The smallest is about the size of a pencil. Many parts of the organ are made with huge machines, while others are carefully hand-built. This is another early industrial film that gives us a fascinating view of another era.
Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.

In reality, Wurlitzer is only a shadow of what it used to be. The large factory in New York has been abandoned for over 20 years. The actual company dissolved at the same time. Today, the jukeboxes you see made by Wurlitzer aren't exactly from THE Wurlitzer Jukebox Company.

This 2 part film is a a great film about the manufacturing of jukeboxes with brief mentioning of their organs, pianos, and accordions they manufacture and actually provides you a tour of the Wurlitzer manufacturing plant from 1947 at the same time that they are actually manufacturing a quality jukebox. If you are nostalgic for the era of quality manufacturing, jukeboxes, record collectors, this is a must watch and BTW, Wurlitzer still makes organs as well as jukeboxes to this day, with today's jukeboxes actually being CD jukeboxes. BTW, jukebox play was what made recordings popular at the time this film was made so even pop culture history fans need to watch this as well.