Joe Rinaudo Playing the American Fotoplayer | Know Your Meme

We discovered an interesting instrument on tour in the US - an American Fotoplayer! Should we take it with us to our next performances in Seattle, Portland, L.A. and San Francisco? | Igudesman & Joo

Joe Rinaudo’s 1926 American Fotoplayer, featured on “California’s Gold” with Huell Howser, is a marvel of early cinema technology. Developed between 1912 and 1925, the Fotoplayer combined a player piano, organ pipes, percussion, and sound effects to provide accompaniment for silent films.⁠ ⁠ With the rise of “talkies” in the late 1920s, the Fotoplayer was replaced by synchronized sound systems, which allowed for pre-recorded dialogue, music, and effects to be played in sync with the film. This t