Coin Machine Review (& Pacific ...)

Issue: 1940 July

PACIFIC
Northwest
COINMEN PROVE ANGLING ABILITY
. . . S. F. BRINGS FOND MEMORIES
. .. TACOMA OPS GROW BEARDS FOR
JUBILEE ... ODDS AND ENDS ON THE
"ROW"
By Louis Karnolsky - - - - -
Correspondent's Note: Barbara Naf-
sted, Our Girl Thursday (she's got a
one-day jump on the field) is our
guest columnist for this month. A
thumbnail sketch of her would go
something like this : Born and raised
in Alaska. Went to high school there.
Almost two years ago she landed a job
with Jack Moore's San Francisco of-
fice, being transferred to the Seattle
branch in February of this year. A
writer of short stories and articles,
Barbara has nursed an ambition to
author this column. The e ditors of the
Review have given their approval, so
we flash the green light and say, "Go
ahead, gal, and the best of luck to
you."

Dear L. K.-
Never thot I'd be "guest-columning"
maybe some day I'll be mentioned as one
of the few successful women operators I'd
thot. Some fun! Getting the spots would
be real adventure,-li ke secret pirating
with maybe a silver fox scarf, hi-heeled
pumps, and a good whiff of Sinful Soul re-
placing the ancient props of striped sweat-
er, gold ear-loops, eye-patch and shiny
swashbuckling sword. I'd probably get an
eye-patch soon enuf. Huh? But I figure the
Coin Machine Industry is definitely a busi-
ness with a tremendous future. Wired
music, beverage vendors, union lab els, mo-
tion picture "quickies" are new terms,
necessary terms to modern livi'ng.
Burned-out fuses, collections, 6-8V lamps,
hi scores or even jack pots just don't phase
an op during this
terrific splurge of
s umm er weather
we've been having.
Instead . ..
Ken Rader, with
his mind on horse
racing, won First
Prize ( a century
note) in Baily's na-
tionwide "lucky
mascot" con t est
with a super pic-
ture of his pet purp,
Terry O'Toole .. .
Cy Morgan and his
Louis Karnofsky
nice friend, Mr.
Chisholm from San Francisco, caught four
fish in a splendiforous Canadian fishing
spree . . . Ken Shyvers fl ew home from
California with a colossal mess of Barra-
cuda . . . Louis Di Denti grand-opened a
new nite spot in Tacoma the other eve ...
And Thelma smacked a gentleman from
Honolulu. (With her car, of course!) . . .
Woodie Hall was over from Moscow, Idaho,
and said he won a lucky mascot prize too!
. . . and poor Bodie wrecked his new car
. .. Bassett of Pullman has be,e n swinging
some mighty mean golf clubs . . . "skip-
per" Dick Harthorn steers his new boat,
"Sandpiper," around the sound and you'd
think it was the Normandie the way he car-

nes
on . I . . .
Francis Brown and his brother, Walt,
have been boosting th e Tacoma Jambor~t;
(seems Tacoma builds bridges too) and
tally distressed all day as his t antalizing
you should see Francis' artistically shaped
tales of pre-Sept. '39 Europe seem to
whiskers. That kid possesses tonsorial
brighten my mind and the duller doings of
genius! . . . say, fella, if you bump into
My Day ... don't let me down, Jack, old
Milton RKO Roumm, tell him I want that
boy!
book back he borrowed two months ago or
No, dear. You're no Walter Winchell.
at leas t an inkling of "did he get her, or
I'm no columnist. Hear it makes good liv-
didn't he?" ... some hot aft. try a sundae ing tho. Well, anyhooo (and hooey) Thanx,
at the Dugout if you're down this way .. . Mr. REVIEW'er-its been fun!
be SURE to risk two bucks on Al Bras-
Barbara E. Nalsfed ♦
hem's "JOBIOSO" next time you're at
Longacres. Mr. B. says it's a sure-winner!
. . . yep, the whole business has been
reveling in good ol' summertime. Have
you?
.
And lately I've been feeling sentimen-
tally reminiscent re San Francisco. Won-
SAN FRANCISCO- The first issue of
dering if th e Sarkisian's Sportland is on
CoIN MACHINE REVIEW carried an adver-
tisement of Viking Specialty Company of
Treasure Isle again this year . . . about
Joe Tessler's darling little puppy . . . San Francisco. That firm was a consistent
"Dutch" and baseball ... dear Mr. Medin
advertiser in these pages during each sue-
... spaghetti at Monaco's, and my former
ceeding issue until last fall. At that time,
boss, Johnny Ruggiero, and his black
Einar Wilslev, the owner and founder of
Viking wrote the publisher that he was
coffee at Angelo's ... how I used to fight
with Ben & Freddie . .. nice Leo Gerkin
going to dispose of his business or slowly
of Golden Gate Novelty with his flock of reduce his enormous stocks until he could
feverish cameras. Gosh! Those memories
turn th e remainder over to some competi-
of tropical spots at the Fair. Marimba
tor at cost price or less.
music. Brave Brazilian coffee. Sardine-
But, as Einar writes, "circumstances alter
packed crowds swaying with rumba-fog
cases." And circumstances have altered
senses. Bellowing in on a Rancho Grande
cases as far as Viking is concerned. Einar
chorus. Goll-ee ! !
has not only changed his mind, but has
Saw a clipping of Sol Esfeld's newly ac-
given new impetus to the growth of Viking
and you will see the first of a new series
quired mansion. And it is! When did they
start building houses so large . . . Do
of Viking ads in this issue.
families really come that size to fill 'em?
There was only one reason for Wilslev
Wish all America could see our prettily wanting to retire. He has been quite sue-
cessful, but has been "ti ed down" too
situated "row." Just bordering Elliott Bay
like Michigan Blvd. and its lake. Wonder closely to the affairs of Viking to follow his
if you ever notice the clouds in Seattle.
natural bent of travel. He likes to "go
The way they make the world look so small
places and see things." He couldn't do that
and "just Seattle" ... and in no time you
ana give his attention to Viking also. So he
incorporated the business, took in some new
look up and they have unveiled "as far as
associates who will "stay on the job" and
you can see" . . . and "forever and ever"
.. . Makes you think. Maybe of old Chief
let him have a chance to get out in the wide
Seattle-and how he could paddle-his
open places and "air out" that sporty cab-
own canoe. Can-oo?
riolet he likes to drive.
Did I ever swoon at the sight of those
He will meet some of the boys on the op-
hundreds of handsome soldiers enroute to
erating end with whom he has had many
years of business association. He will visit
Anchorage as they troup ed up Elliott Ave-
some of the manufacturers with whom he
nue for hours one early morning last week!
Trucks and guns and cannons and wooden
has been doing business all these years.
supply boxes-and soldiers, and soldiers.
He will hunt for new ideas that will be
What a rip-snorting 4th of July Anchor-
helpful to his many customers scattered
age had this year! Oh, to be in Alaska.
all over the nation. And the store will be
Up by the Old Dam in Cordova. There's
handled by the Secretary-Treasurer of the
the swellest spot for a just-by-yourself pie-
new corporate set-up, Vance Wallace. He
nic ! You hike up and up and up and· sud-
has had a wide experience in the sellin g
denly spy an almost hallowed bit of eaJthly
and merchandising field. He has already
beauty . . . a quaint log bridge stretched 'made many friends with the local trade in
over the tinkliest, refreshingest, loveliest
San Francisco and expects to make more
little brook you ever saw or dreamed of.
friends with operators everywhere who pa-
And tall shady trees and soft soft moss to
tronize Viking. Frank Dutton will look out
lay in after you've lunched on the bridge
for the sales work in the Bay District area.
He is Vice President of the new Viking.
with your bare feet swishing the cool
brook water. Yum, yum!
Einar will be the President, naturally, but
Hope you didn't miss the American Red ,he is delegating the hard work to others.
Cross program from Hollywood last week.
Carl Sterzl will head the "service depart-
Wasn't it ideal as far as talent goes . . . ment." It is an added feature of the new
and patriotism ... and excitemen t! Loved
Viking program. Carl not only knows all
Shirley Temple's childish plea. And How-
types of coin operated equipment but he
ard Hughes' generous telegraphic dona-
can "fix anything" that requires a coi'n to
tion and the sinceri ty of the many voices.
make it go. He has been a mechanic for
Felt so filled with patriotic fervor at the several of the large jobbers and operators
finish that I wanted to run right out and
and knows his stuff.
sign up my life for my country. Whatever
Two· ladies will have charge of the office
one does. However one does it._ I was .-routine and the correspondence. It makes a
staff that is "hard to beat".
simply oooozing Faith and Help and Loy-
alty. Boy! Oh boy! OH BOY!!
Th
T
1· · b ·
· d
d
British Columbians are making gay rap-
e m~! n:ig_ 1 st IS ~:ng. revive an_ re-
idly until July 1st by swarming over the
che~ked. V1kmg News will be pu?hshe_d
boundary for one last peek of natural " agam. The new compan_y report~ busm_ess 1s
northwest fun and casualness before the
good and that_ everythmg possible will be
"passport Jaw" becomes effective.
done to make ll better.
When you go to work in the early ayem
The slogan of Viking "If it will make
what's the very first thing you see? Well,
money for the operator, Viking will have
with me. its Jack from Western Distribu- it," ought to mean something in the coin
machine industry of the Pacific Coast. ♦
tors. If he'd miss a morning, I'd be men-
Viking Incorporates
S. F. Business
43 •
COIN
MACHINE
REVIEW
https://elibrary.arcade-museum.com
Son Francisco t
l
COINMEN OPTIMISTIC ON FUTURE ...
RUGGIERO RETURNS FROM EASTERN
JAUNT . . . LICENSE TALK CLOUDS
CONFABS . .. WOLF COVERS COAST
By RONALD PATRICK
44
COIN
MACH I NE
REVIEW
SAN FRANCISCO- The trade all along
the line showed more spunk than could be
expected for these admittedly offish times.
But there haven't been any kicks-nary a
one!
Take Lou Wolch er, for instance. He's one
of the really big leaguers. I said, "Lou,
don't hold back. What do you honestly
think about the business?" Lou didn't
waste time'. He said, "What is there to say?
Business is good. In fact business by and
large, is better than it's been in any like
period of any previous year. Some of the
boys say I'm an optimist. And that's no lie,
I am. But- I'm the guy that looks into my
books. There's plenty of evidence there for
having confidence in the times." P. S., I
looked and there was. Very ni ce going Lou
- that's the stuff it takes to keep Advan ce
Automatic Sales out in front.
It was pleasant to greet John Ruggiero,
just back from the East. He's at Jack
Moore's, you know, and one of the best in
the game. He's popping with ideas-all
good. Tip: There's be some new nifty
tables showing shortly.
Lots of gas is being breezed at present
re smello legislation. Upping it to five-bucks
a unit, plus a bag of license bugs. It's
putting some less of the staunch lads in St.
Vitus quiver. But the 'old timers' ain't wast-
ing away at the waist-line over it. They sim-
ply say, "Same old stuff, same old stuff.
Don't mean a thing." I kind of string along
with 'em on that. Some of them have been
hearing the calamity squallers for over
twenty years-and they haven't moved out
of their old stands, except to larger
quarters.
Dropped in at the Wolf Sales Company.
There's a friendly team for you. 'Pop' Wolf
always has a paw ready to shake a convinc-
ing welcome into any busman off (or on)
his beat. There's plenty of light on the big
array in this mart. You can practically take
your lunch and picnic here, it's so big and
and there's so much to see. Fun, what!
But what I specially want to get at is the
tendency of the top dealers to meet you at
least half way. The swell crew these fellows
are putting into the field. Take Wolf's sons,
Al and Chick as an example. They'll bounce
up to see you whether you're in San Jose,
Calif. or Salaam, Wash, Chick, in particu-
lar, is doing the strip act, covering the coast
as a regular beat now. And if there's any
sweller regular guy, you'll hafta show me.
"Chicle" Roberts
Ran into sort of a toughie, should any of
you be interested. The charm and premium
biz, I mean. Seems that Japan is entering
the list of countries disappearing from the
supply field for the time being. After talk-
ing with Matsumoto at the Japan Importing
Co. I found that bullets are the business of
first order today. All men and materials
possible are being concentrated toward the
purposes of war production. Precious little
is getting attention in the way of other
matters. However, this offers but slight
problem as there still seems to be ample
other supply sources-and enough compe-
tish to hold prices right.
Dick Parina has been extending his ultra
stock of cigarette vendors. Some concede
he's top man in this field in northern Calif.
There's lots here if there's anything you
want to check. And Dick's quite a right guy
to do business with. (How do you like the
plug, Dick.)
Just did a quick ie into the Mills, Mape
and Viking setup. This anniversary busi-
ness is big stuff. Get so busy planning for
the edition that you get only half way
around the beat in the time you should
ought to. However, don't let the brevity of
these words put you off the .trail of their
import. These organizations are dynamos of
activity. They're ironing oµt the, kinks and
perfecting the telo and viso music deal 'from
every angle. And they're making headway
-as any of a score of today's streamlined
models so well testify.
Facts and Figures on 'Frisco
Quite some number of biggies were in
town during the past few weeks. Doing
Five "EVANS TEN STRIKES" (Late 1939) Just Like New $105.00
THREE 11939) WESTERN BASEBALL !with register>.. .................... $50.00 EA.
TWO GROETCHEN METAL TYPERS !floor samples>.. ...................... $119.50 EA.
THREE "EXHIBIT" FOOT YITALIZERS !floor samples>. ..................... $59.50 EA.
Rebullt and in First Class Condition, Automatic Pay-Outs
10 Preakn ess @ ea........................
. ..... $1 9.50
2 With ey ''Seven Grand" (new) ea . ......... $25 00
2 Prea kness (t ic ket) @ .............................. 22.50
5 Turf Cha mps (TK T) ........ ........................ 15 .00
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...................... 65.00
I Ba lly Klon dyke Multip le
Send 1 / 3 Deposit For Prompt Shipment
Reference, Walker Bank and Trust Co., .Salt Lake City
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Jhe
R. F. VOGT DISTRIBUTORS
CULLEN HOTEL BLDG.
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
the rounds were none other than such ma-
jor domos as Jack Keeney, Midge Ryan,
and Gerber of Gerber and Glass for three.
Case you haven't heard (and chances are
you haven't 'cause it's powerfully recent),
Midge Ryan has done an' married hisself a
San Francisco girl. Very good, Midge-
yes siree!
This is BIG. Here's inside dope on what
this writer believes will score as among
the hottest news of the early fall schedule.
Auto-Golf has a real zinger this time. It's
called "Water Polo Acquacade SQUOITS."
An efficient, highly visible game that's as
clean a sport as has been lugged into play-
land in many a year. I'll stake my reputa-
tion on it. You may remember Auto-Golf
as the outfit that backed the "almost," that
oversized golf game which faded as a dud
a couple of years back. The boys missed
them- and admit it. But this new game is
hot ! And I'm happy to be pitching first.
Don't say we didn't tell you ... when you
watch it sizzle them. Oh, yes, don't be sur-
prised if you see Billy Rose's name har-
nessed onto it. He's seen it and has taken
the same shine we have.

"Speed" Hardy
Gives Service
CHICAGO-One of the most important
services that any man can perform is the
selling of amusement or pleasure to his
fellow man. When the day is over, and the
cares that accompanied it are heavy, if
one can find a medium of relaxation, to help
lighten that load, we feel that whoever
makes this possible is doing a service to
mankind.
S. E. "Speed" Hardy has made a splen-
did reputation for himself operating coin-
operated phonographs in the East Peoria-
Pekin area. He handles nothing but the
latest equipment, and as fast as improve-
ments are made on these, Hardy is the
first to introduce them into his territory, re-
gardless of the expense.
The operation of coin-operated phono-
graphs is a business that requires a large
investment and a great knowledge of what
the public desires in the line of popular
music. The latest recordings of the na.
tion's most famous dance bands are kept in
all of Hardy's phonographs. They are never
permitted to go stale.
If you know of anyone whom you think
might benefit by knowing Hardy, an ap-
po intment can be made with him by calling
4-9481. They will find that he is a splendid
chap to do business with at all times, run-
ning over with new ideas for making money
in the amusement field. First with the lat-
est is Speed's motto, and they will have
to get up early in the morning to beat him

with new equipment.
Milner East on
16MM Movies
HOLLYWOOD-Dan Milner, production
chief for Television Film Corporation of
America, has just left for New York, to
establish offices and arrange for Eastern
distribution of Television Film coin ma-
chine movies.
Under the direction of Milner, Television
Films have produced several seri'es of three-
minute musical short$.
The casting department is having daily
auditions to find dancing talent for a new
series of lavish musical revues which will
go into production this month. Myra Saw-
yer, one of the outstanding dance person-
alities of the Golden Gate International Ex.
position, will be featured in the musical
revues.

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