Operation Amsterdam (1959)- Dutch Organ Music On Record...

[docjohn]

What is the name of the tune that Willem (Peter Hayes) continually plays on the barrel organ in the main square whilst the others are blowing the safe deposit box?

[mallee59]

The music heard in "Operation Amsterdam" is performed by

"De Cello", originally built by Carl Frei in 1926. Two new songs, "Pierement Waltz" and "Amsterdam Polka", were composed

for the film by Philip Green

[mallee59]

Tunes in Film "Operation Amsterdam"

By Hans van Oost



Hello everyone, The story of the street organs in the film "Operation

Amsterdam" is rather complicated:



1. The music in the film consists of several recordings of the organ

"the Cello", owned by Mr. Möhlman's nephew Gijs Perlee, as Robbie

already wrote;



2. The organ seen in the film is a Gasparini-built organ called

"de vijfbeelden" (the Five Figures), owned by Mr. Möhlmann. At the

time of shooting the film it was derelict in Mr. Möhlmann's store.

For the movie they built a mockup Bourdon celeste register, but inside

the organ was empty, hence the turning of the wheel after the organ

grinder was shot. Obviously the film makers still believed that organ

music was behaving like phono records...;



3. The "Pride of Amsterdam" LP record is not of one of these organs,

but recorded from another Carl Frei organ, named "de Duif" (the Dove).

I must say that it is easily confused with the recordings of the Cello

organ.



Regards from the Netherlands,

Hans van Oost, KDV

[mallee59]

Please note the above 2 posts were from the followinf location:

Mechanical Music Digest - Archives



My mates brother has a fairground organ which will be going to some shows this year again. They restored it over the last few years and it now resides in the back of a transit box van. Hoping to make some recordings of it soon.

Mallee

[julian_craster]

I seem to recall a 45rpm of this organ music on the TOP RANK record label in 1959.....

[darrenburnfan]

I would have thought so, but I just checked the 1959 section in my old Top Rank records catalogue issued by Record Information Services in the 1970's, which lists every Top Rank record from January, 1959 to April, 1962 and there's no sign of any music from Operation Amsterdam ever being released on Top Rank. The film itself was released on the Rank circuit in March, 1959.

[docjohn]

According to the film credits at the front, the port would have been IJmuiden, or Ymuiden as it was spelled then.



Thanks for the info on the film music, guys!

[julian_craster]

The organ music from the film was played on radio request programmes in 1959, so must have been issued on perhaps another record label ?

[julian_craster]

I assumed that a record of the Operation Amsterdam music would have been issued on TOP RANK...It is very catchy....



Is Melodisc a UK label, or perhaps a 'library music' label?



So a much sought after rarity here....some folks have said that it was never issued on record, but I heard it on record programmes on the BBC Light Programme in 1959 !

[darrenburnfan]

Because the record has a triangle centre, I guess it would have been pressed in England by the Decca group, probably in 1959, as by 1960, the triangle centres had changed to the usual four pronged round ones. It's odd that there is no mention in my old Top Rank record catalogue of this music being released on Top Rank, as Rank used their lable a lot to promote music from their latest films.

[Tomwhisky]

That constant same tune was the only thing I found wrong with the film! Variation and mood change would have been better in a war situation

[orpheum]

I must disagree with tomwhiskey,the organ music made the film so special as it was unusual and of course it was part of the story.I may have the original record,i will have a hunt for it.

[MovieDude]

I have to agree also. It is such a nice piece that i would

probably have to Waltz in the street while passing the

Organ Grinder. I recorded it the last time I saw the film

and here it is (I hope)



My link

[Tomwhisky]

Nothing wrong with the music just found it not fitting at times during the film - bit grating perhaps.

[julian_craster]

[MovieDude]

Cripes! I think i've done it! (I hope)

[Onedin]

Incidentally, Max Croiset and Lex Goudsmit were monumental Dutch actors in their day.