VOX 2 CATOE

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attending to the many chores of running a successful show; from ticket selling to publicity to organ repairs,  all while keeping an eye on that same popcorn machine (let alone many other necessary theatre-related projects).

In the early 1980s, prior management of the theatre was faced with boiler repair bills in the many thousands of dollars. The partners decided to raise the cash by selling the pipe organ. A proposed deal had virtually been sealed " that being: the organ was to be sold to a group from out-of-state that would place the organ in an organ/pizza parlor restaurant, which at that time was the current craze. Realizing that the organ deserved a better fate, and that theatre organs belong in theatres, Bill opened his checkbook and the Patio Barton remained -- in its original home for all to enjoy.

It was Bill's friendship with Hal Pearl that would lead to yet another chapter in this story; that of the Chicago Theatre Wurlitzer. Pearl was the famous organist at the Aragon Ballroom during the hey-day of the Big Bands. Prior to that he was "Balaban & Katz  Youngest Organist",  a title he jokingly reminded everyone of often!

Again, after being rebuffed time and time again by Chicago Theatre management being told "the organ was taken out years ago,"
Bill enlisted the aid of Pearl, whose friendship with longtime Chicago manager Mr. Thompson went back to the era of when pipe organs were still being played in theatres. It was only then that the chamber doors were unlocked for the first time in years. When Bill turned on the giant twin blowers in the basement, the wind supply tore open the ancient leather on the regulators off went the blower! It was not to be turned back on for nearly four years during which time the Bill Rieger-led CATOE crew restored enough of the organ to re-premiere it (with Hal Pearl) to several sold-out CATOE shows in the mid-1970s.

Bill also worked on several other organs in the Chicago area, including the 4/20 Wurlitzer in the Oriental Theatre in the loop. Under Bill Riege's leadership, the 3/10 Wurlitzer of the Aragon Ballroom was presented by CATOE for a special dance program

Bill Rieger  1920-2001

Bill Rieger never met a pipe organ he didn't like. Wurlitzer, Kimball, Barton, Geneva; he loved them all. Husband, father, friend, showman,  Bill passed away October 11 at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. He was 81. With an engineering degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Bill used his knowledge and skills throughout his career with the Hammond Organ Company, and later with Honeywell. He put these talents to use with his life-long hobby of repairing and restoring theatre pipe organs at a time when most of these instruments were unplayable, abandoned, forgotten, and in some cases considered space-wasting junk by the owners of the buildings in which they remained.

In his younger days, Bill had always admired the 3 manual Kimball organ in the fancy North Center Theatre on Chicago's northwest side, and found himself playing occasional intermissions and tinkering on the mechanical end of the organ from time to time. Years passed, but he remembered the old organ in the Patio Theatre just a few blocks from his home. Despite numerous requests to the over-protective theatre management to work and revive the 3/17 Barton, he was repeatedly turned down. But Bill Rieger was at the right place at the right time, and one day when the Patio's popcorn machine decided to balk during a busy kiddie matinee, Bill put those UW engineering skills to work and repaired the popper, saving the day (and income) for the concession stand. The legendary story of Bill Rieger and the Patio Barton had begun.

Leading a crew of CATOE volunteers through decades of accumulated dirt, gum, and other assorted unpleasantries, Bill was ready to present the organ to the public, and in April of 1967 the organ was heard for the first time in several decades with the late

When the 3/10 Wurlitzer originally from the Indiana Theatre in East Chicago, subsequently installed in suburban Maine North High School, had to be removed and was languishing in storage, Bill again took over the reigns to install the CATOE-owned pipe organ into the Tivoli Theatre in Downers Grove, Illinois. Today it is used on nearly a daily basis.

In addition to serving as CATOE Chairman, President, and board member several times, he was on the board of the Chicagoland Theatre Organ Society.  He also headed The Patio Organ Workshop and the Patio Organ Showcase.

Dennis Wolkowicz

Patio's Bill Rieger