Friday, April 1, 2011

Walt Disney World Music Box Collection!

Walt Disney World Music Box Collection
My last few trips to Walt Disney World I have been trying to seek out these hidden antiques which are strewn all over the property in unique places.  This one is my favorite it's the J.P. Seeburg - Seeburg KT Orchestrion or nickelodeon. This nickelodeon, according to it's plaques, was built in 1927.  Its instruments include: Piano, Mandolin, Triangle, Xylophone and Castanets.
     Amazingly this 84 year old nickelodeon is located on an empty wall just as you walk into the Magic Kingdom's Main Street Rail Road Station.  After looking it over for a good long while I was pleasantly surprised Once I discovered how to operate it that it worked and sounded so beautiful.  I don't know the name of the song that is on it's roll though, if someone knows it please let me know in the comments section.

     Walt Disney World bought a very large collection of nickelodeons and Orchestrians from Paul Eakin in the 1970's and moved them all from Sikeston, MO and St. Louis, MO to various places. The largest being "Big Bertha" which is housed in a wall of the Grand Floridian's 1900 Park Fare and painted in Mary Poppins colors, and is only played during breakfast.  I'm 90% sure this Seeburg nickelodeon came from that collection.  This nickelodeon was originally located in the Penny Arcade on Main Street of Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom park.

This is the video of the Seeburg KT I shot October 2009


I've been trying to locate the other pieces in the Disney antique music box collection.

  1. "Big Nelly", a 61-key Artizan from the former Paul Eakins collection was shipped to Disneyland Paris when it opened and sits unused as a prop in the carrousel. 
  2. Big Bertha – Limonaire Fair Organ with 3 hand carved figures Currently can be heard everyday at Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare Restaurant at the Grand Floridian Hotel.
  3. Seeburg E with flute pipes is in Crocket's Tavern in Fort Wilderness (this instrument has supposedly been sold)
  4. Coinola Midget with flute pipes and a Wurlitzer style C Orchestra Piano are in storage
  5. LOUDMOUTH SADIE MAE a Gavioli Military Trumpet Organ was used to record American on Parade and was sold.
  6. Welte model 4 concert orchestrion, Penny Arcade on Main Street Disneyland.
  7. Nelson-Wiggen model 6 orchestrion (with xylophone removed), Main Street train station Disneyland.
  8. Coinola C2 orchestrion, ex-Paul Eakins, Golden Horseshoe Revue (second floor), Frontier Town Disneyland.
  9. Symphonion upright disc music box. 20th Century Music Company on Main Street (right next door to the movie theatre) Disneyland.
  10. Gavioli fairground organ, original chassis and drums contained in Disney Dumbo case with speakers providing the music (organ itself no longer plays). Located Disneyland in building adjacent to the flying Dumbo ride.
  11. Engelhardt model F cabinet piano with flute pipes. This was formerly on display in the "Country Bear" arcade at Disneyland.
  12. Wurlitzer model C orchestrion. is in Disney storage.
  13. Wurlitzer model L orchestrion which was once on display on the Mark Twain dock at Disneyland.
  14. Coinola Midget model F cabinet piano with flute pipes is in Disney storage.
  15. Seeburg KT with xylophone is in Disney storage.
  16. Mills Violano-Virtuoso is in Disney storage.
  17. Seeburg "Grayhound" cabinet piano with dog race mechanism is in Disney storage
  18. Universal "Nickelodeon" orchestrion with xylophone (modern machine). This instrument was once on display near the entrance of the Penny Arcade at Disneyland now in storage.
  19. Ragtime Automated Music model ST orchestrion (modern machine). Was once in the lobby of the Country Bear Jamboree attraction at Disneyland and was put in storage upon the shows closure Sep 9, 2001.
  20. One of the Wurlitzer C's Named "Mr Sam" part of the Paul Eakin collection has been restored by Robert's Music Restorations and now is on working display at the Diamond Horseshoe Restaurant at Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom in Frontierland. 
  21. Most of the collection was sold in 1997


From Chris Carlisle (Paul Eakin's grandson) The following list is the complete list of the Paul Eakin collection that the Walt Disney company purchased. The collection was fabulous and included so much more then music boxes.

Please visit Chris' website: http://www.bandorganmusic.com/ 

  1. Belgian Band Organ
  2. 34 Whistle Steam Calliope - experimental model made by the Tos. J. Nichols
  3. Seeburg Style “H” - The largest Orchestrion made by Seeburg
  4. Encore Automatic Banjo - made in the 1890s
  5. Beale Street Special
  6. Mr Sam – Large Wurlitzer Orchestrion from Memphis
  7. Big Bertha – Limonaire Fair Organ with 3 hand carved figures
  8. Big Nelly – 61 key Artizan Band Organ
  9. Sara Jane - #148 Wurlitzer Military Band Organ
  10. Clancy O'Toole – 43 whistle Tangley Calliope
  11. Wurlitzer Caliola – with drums and a rear mounted keyboard
  12. Style “O” Wurlitzer Theatre Player
  13. Seeburg Style “K.T.” or “Eagle” - with flutes, castanets, triangle, mandolin and piano
  14. Wurlitzer Barroom Piano
  15. Sextrola – One of a kind machine made in 1908 for the Red Light Districts
  16. Mills Single Violin – plays first and second violin and piano
  17. Style C-2 Coinola – plays flute, bass drum, snare drum, snare drum roll, cymbal, mandolin and piano
  18. Memory Lane Special – Coinola plays bass drum, snare drum, snare drum roll, flute pipe, triangle, wood block, tambourine, tympani, castanets, cymbal, orchestra bells, mandolin and piano
  19. Wurlitzer Organette – has about 100 pipes, pipes mounted on rear of machine.
  20. Seeburg “E” - plays flute pipe, mandolin and piano
  21. Seeburg “Celeste” - plays over 100 pipes and 3 hand played chimes
  22. Seeburg “K.T.” - with xylophone, tambourine, triangle, castanets, mandolin and piano
  23. Coinola Style “A” “The Madam's Piano” - plays piano and mandolin
  24. Seeburg Dog Race – Greyhound Race Machine that plays mandolin and piano
  25. Fratti Monkey Organ – 20 key street organ or Hurdy Gurdy plays “Ta Ra Boom Der Aye” and “Yankee Doodle”
  26. Cretors Horse Drawn Popcorn Wagon
  27. Grandma (Esmerelda) Fortune Teller – Gypsy Wax
  28. Lord's Prayer Stamping Machine
  29. Drop Picture Arcade Piece – Ornate
  30. Mystic Ray Fortune Telling Machine
  31. Smiling Sam
  32. Mystic Pen
  33. Selectroscope – 5 reel Mutoscope
  34. True Love Letter Post Office
  35. License Bureau
  36. Permits
  37. Cupid's Post Office
  38. Seeress - in the same cabinet as Crystal Gazer
  39. How to Attract the Opposite Sex – attached to How Do You Look In Bed
  40. How Do You Look In Bed – attached to How to Attract the Opposite Sex
  41. Solar Horoscope
  42. Mutoscope – (Heavy Iron) “Rate x 1920”
  43. Mutoscope – (Heavy Iron) “Cheating the Chimney Worker”
  44. Mutoscope – (Heavy Iron) “The Elopement”
  45. Mutoscope – (Heavy Iron) “Old Time Flickers”
  46. Mutoscope – (Heavy Iron) “The Bar Maid's Helper”
  47. Mutoscope – (Heavy Iron) “Battle of Chateau”
  48. Mutoscope – (Heavy Iron) “The Great Stagecoach Robbery”
  49. Mutoscope – (Heavy Iron) “Dempsey-Tunney Fight”
  50. Mutoscope – (Heavy Iron) “Only For Fun”
  51. Mutoscope – (Heavy Iron) “Old Time Flickers”
  52. Mutoscope – (Heavy Iron) “Oo-La La Girl”
  53. Small Mutoscope - “The Veil Dance”
  54. Whom You Should Marry – 12 Slots
  55. Magic Pen
  56. Gypsy Palmist
  57. Roover's Nameplate Machine – (I think this is a typo and should be “Rover's”)
  58. Lord's Prayer Stamping Machine
  59. Cail-O-Scope - “Tom Mix”
  60. Selectroscope – 5 reel Mutoscope
  61. Crystal Gazer – in the same cabinet as Seeress
  62. Palmistry
  63. Railroad Post Office
  64. World Horoscope – 12 slots
  65. License Bureau
  66. Your Future Family
  67. Magic Tricks
  68. Your Ideal Love Mate
  69. Play Football
  70. Kentucky Derby
  71. Small Mutoscope - “The Jealous Wife”
  72. Small Mutoscope - “Ziegfield Follies”
  73. Mill's Illusion Arcade Piece – skull
  74. Be Healthy, Electric Nerve & Massage
  75. Grandmother's Predictions – oak case wood figure
  76. Miniature Steam Shovel
  77. Matilda – Donkey Fortune Machine (this machine was not sold to Disney)
  78. Puss In Boots - (this machine was not sold to Disney)
  79. Sister Patricia - (this machine was not sold to Disney)
  80. Snow White And The 7 Dwarfs - “Washing Scene” (mutoscope?)
  81. Paddy And The Pig
  82. Fratti Street Organ – made for push cart
  83. Sadie Mae Band Organ
  84. Molinari Monkey Organ

3 comments:

  1. Hi!
    Disney World also had a Wurlitzer Pian-Orchestra in the old Penny Arcade they got rid of... and boy this machine could play!
    This was sold at that 1997 auction, but that Seeburg KT actually was in that Penny Arcade, and ended up not getting sold and got moved to the train station along with a few other machines, some of which do not work. It's one of only 2 on display nickelodeons at Disney World. (The other being a Wurlitzer C - Mr. Sam)
    Big Bertha is refused to be played, and a recent video shows the neglect it has had in recent years.
    Thanks for posting this though, this very much helps my research on Disneyworld/land's music machines!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the comment, I shot a video of Big Bertha playing that I shot on May 1st 2012: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKcTpmc6cfU We got a performance after spending much time talking to the manager on duty. This same trip I was severely disappointed to discover that the seeburg KT at the train station was out of service, although still on display.

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  2. Update! According to a photo from Michael Phillips from the 50th anniversary of Disneyland he was allowed to tour Walt Disney's personal apartment and there is a Regina Sublima music box which still works next to the staircase.

    ReplyDelete