One of the stars of Universal’s fantasy movie “The House With a Clock in Its Walls,” coming out on Sept. 20, has a storied Hollywood history. The veteran performer has played a role in such films as “Empire of the Sun,” “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” “The Sound of Music,” 1959’s “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” “The Abyss” and “Die Hard.”

It is a Wurlitzer Opus 1967 pipe organ, whose commanding tones run through the new movie’s soundtrack.