The mystery old bouzouki -Part III
Stathopoulos in Wild Wild West ?
It is the beautiful desire for old Western movies, which my friend and master luthier Chris Pantazelos has, that brings us always in front of amazing historical surprises !
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| Bouzouki in its original state (?). Digital manipulation on original listing photo. Original photo provided by musician Babis Papadimitriou |
Two years ago, Chris had discovered a Stathopoulos bouzouki in a black and white Western movie.
But this time, Chris' discovery was much more important and substantial than the previous one. It finally casts some light on a bouzouki-riddle, speculating many hypothesis by researchers and luthiers, regarding a mystery "Stathopoulos(?)" bouzouki with a flat top.
For the ones who haven't read the main article regarding the mystery bouzouki, I recommend to first read my post from May 14th 2020 , before proceeding further
During an intense research (back in 2020), I had digitally created the possible original look of that mystery bouzouki (even before its original restorations) .Back then I had written:
"Unfortunately, this beautiful instrument (as someone can identify by the "digitally restored " photos above and below) will keep its secrets (for now) away from us regarding its origin.
The beautiful rosewood bowl with the short capping strip and the very thin side capping strips, the flat soundboard with the wooden fillets running through its surface, the wooden elaborated bridge without a bone, the small thickness of the fret-board, the House of Stathopoulo style pick-guard theme, and the decorative stamp, certainty reveal older master techniques, which will continue tormenting us with questions regarding the unknown luthier behind its construction. "
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| Bouzouki in its original state.(?) Digital manipulation on original listing photo. Original photo provided by musician Babis Papadimitriou |
The riddle for this mystery bouzouki meant to be solved by a Western TV series named Wild Wild West which was produced in 1966 accordingly to the IMDB.
Release date
November 18, 1966 (United States)
The Wild Wild West: Season 2, Episode 10
Storyline
As they ride through the forest, Jim West and Artemus Gordon notice the unusual lack of vegetation and animal life. They are suddenly approached by a giant knight who takes them to a large tent. There, West and Gordon meet a miniature Robin Hood, who is really the evil Dr. Miguelito Loveless in disguise. Loveless wants to control the Indians as he starves them by killing their food with his lethal green powder.
In the movie, Antoinette ( played by the actress Phoebe Dorin ) plays the bouzouki in discussion.
The IMDB registers as bloopers /goofs, the following:
Audio/visual unsynchronized
Antoinette is seen strumming a bouzouki while the soundtrack is filled with guitar music.
A close up camera-shot from the movie, reveals that the musical instrument was tuned as a 4 course bouzouki during the 1966 .
At this point we do not know if the bouzouki was an older Anastasios Stathopoulos original instrument, a later "House of Stathopoulos" bouzouki, a much later Epiphone musical instrument /Hollywood movie prop creation, or a bouzouki made from another Greek luthier.
The flat soundboard and the 4 soundboard braces are leading me toward the Grachis s family bouzoukia , without though the above elements to be any valid verification regarding the luthier's origin !
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