Stan Kann - Fox Theater Organ and Vacuums
Stan Kann (December 9, 1924 – September 29, 2008) grew up in St. Louis and majored in classical organ at Washington University. While there, he persuaded the owners of the Fox Theater, the Aruther Brothers, to refurbish its 4-36 Fox Special Wurlitzer, which had been unused for twenty years, and became the official house organist in 1952.
In 1956, Kann installed a Wurlitzer in the famous St. Louis restaurant “Ruggeri’s On The Hill“and played there regularly until 1974. His Saturday evening performances at Ruggeri’s were broadcast on NBC from 1964 to 1974.
Stan had an affinity for vacuum cleaners. On June 8, 1966, he appeared with Johnny Carson on “The Tonight Show” to show off his vacuums. He had 76 more appearances on the Carson show and also was on other shows like The Mike Douglas Show.
(YouTube)
A retrospective on Stan’s life from local TV show “Living St. Louis”: (YouTube)