During the 1920s, a visit to the movie theater almost always included a singalong. Patrons joined together to render old favorites and recent hits, usually accompanied by the strains of a mighty Wurlitzer organ. The organist was responsible for choosing the repertoire and presentation style that would appeal to patrons, so each theater offered a unique experience. When sound technology drove both musicians and participatory culture out of the theater in the early 1930s, the practice faded.
Esther M. Morgan-Ellis, an assistant professor of music history and world music at the University of North Georgia, has penned a book that celebrates the picture palace singalongs of this bygone era. Published by the University of Georgia Press, Everybody Sing! Community Singing in the American Picture Palace is the first dedicated account of community singing in the picture palace.
The book presents the origins of theater singalongs in the prewar community singing movement and assesses the aftermath of sound technology.
