CRTOS is dedicated to theatre organ preservation and promotion of this uniquely American instrument. We sponsor theatre organ concerts, silent films screenings, music workshops and theatre organ restoration projects in Oregon and Southern Washington.
Upcoming Shows
- Sept. 26, 2026 – 2:00 pm
Sunrise (1927)
Saturday, September 26th, 2026 – 2:00pm
The Hollywood Theatre
4122 North East Sandy Portland, OR 97212Hollywood organist Dean Lemire will be performing his original score live on the Mighty Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ.
From the creator of Nosferatu, we are proud to present, F.W. Murnau’s 1927 masterpiece……SUNRISE – A Song of Two Humans.
Considered by many to be the best film ever made by a Hollywood studio, F.W. Murnau’s SUNRISE represents silent artistry at its peak.
Murnau’s graceful moving camera, expressive lighting, and super-impositions lyrically evoke the inner passion, pain, and romanticism driving the love triangle among a simple country couple and a vampish city woman.
SUNRISE as a whole is wonderfully moving, and remains to this day one of the most visually poetic films to have ever been made.
SUNRISE’s artistic impact can be seen most notably in CITIZEN KANE (1941).We will also be screening a special rare short subject film as well!
Sydney Morning Herald – “From two points of view, SUNRISE is among the most remarkable films that have ever been flashed on the screen. One is the rich, sensitive beauty of the photography; the other the tragic tenseness of the story.”
London Evening Standard – “The film is electric: overwhelmingly passionate and sexual. – The film is electric: overwhelmingly passionate and sexual.”
Variety – #15 on the Top 100 Films of All Time
Awards:
Best Actress – Janet Gaynor – Academy Award
Best Cinematography – Karl Struss and Charles Rosher – Academy Award
IMDB – 92% rating – 8.1 of 10 stars (52,090 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes – Tomato Meter – 98% Popcorn Meter – 92%
Director: F.W. Murnau
Run-Time: (1 hr: 43 min)Purchase Tickets at: The Hollywood Theatre
Pipe Organ Pictures Series
Each of these films presented as they were meant to be experienced – with live organ accompaniment! Every film in this series is complemented by an original score, created and performed live by a professional musician.
The Hollywood organ is dedicated to the memory of Beverly Ruth Nelson and is the result of a partnership between the Hollywood Theatre and the nonprofit Columbia River Theatre Organ Society. It is the only such instrument in a public theatre in Portland.
Tickets are $12.00 at the door of the Hollywood Theatre.
About Our Instrument
The Hollywood Theatre
While previous events at the Hollywood have featured live organ accompaniment, the organ sound itself was digital, powered by large speakers backstage. Now, the sound will once again come from real pipes. The Columbia River Theatre Organ Society has spent thousands of volunteer hours meticulously refurbishing the theater organ, tracking down vintage organ parts and pipes, restoring the original Hollywood organ chamber, and installing electrical lines, wind lines, and a mammoth 15hp organ blower in the basement. Ours is the only pipe organ in a public theatre in Portland.
The Hollywood is located at: 4122 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97212, two blocks from the Hollywood MAX station.
Donations for the ongoing maintenance and expansion of this instrument can be made using the Donate button below.
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