SAINT LOUIS
- - - - - - Covered By - - - - - -
ROBERT LATIMER
ST. LOUIS (RC)-Highly satisfactory to
most operators of St. Louis was the mon th
of April - with collections on the rise
sharply during better weath er, despite the
fact that delivery of new equipment is more
than ever slow. Good business is continuing
without the advan tages of new phono·
graphs, according to the members of the
Associated Phonograph Owners of St.
Lou is, many of whom display unfilled or·
ders for new machines as much as th ree
months old. On ly one new phonograph was
delivered in 51. Louis during the entire
month by one of the largest distributors-
which shows how National Defense pres·
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W. 16 Sprague Avenue
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON
sure on manufacturers has tied up produc·
tion.
At the April meeting of the Associated
Phonograph Owners group, held at Ho tel
Melbourne on the 19th, Fred Pollnow,
head of Automatic P honograph, won Ed
Fisher's monthly attendance prize of ten
doll ars. Pollnow, who has never missed a
meeting, was stunned with the fac t that he
himself had won something - after putting
up prizes himself for several years. The
attendance prize has lapsed into two
months' amounts of $20 only once, accord·
ing to the management.
John LeBan, president of t he group, an·
nounced plans for a new membership drive,
and poin ted out that Tom Brutio of Todd
Music Company was the most recent new
member, joining way back in December.
Joe Spinicchia, head of the J & C Com·
pany, packed his clothes during April, took
leave of his friends, and answered the draft
with a move to J efIerson Barracks near St.
Louis. Joe is the third operator to be
drafted, and his route extend in g through
downtown St. Louis will be run by a part·
ner, Charlie Burrafato.
An important move was that of Schewe
Novelty Company, headed by Elmer Schewe,
to a new address at 3024 North Union
Boulevard in North St. Louis. Elmer was
formerly at 4741 Natural Bridge Avenue,
where he operated a large·scale phonograph
ren tal business, as well as a 60·machine
route split between phonographs and pin·
tables. One of the younger members of the
group, Elmer and Mrs. Schewe are fami·
liar fig ures at every coin machine occur·
rence around St. Louis.
Mrs. Margaret Trippe, wife of the Ideal
Novelty Company president, Carl F. Trippe,
is recovering slowly from a dangerous
attack of pneumonia at her home. The
phonograph association sent flowers and
best wishes at both the hospital and the
Trippe home.
Earl Bowman, formerly operating the
Ace Machine Shop, phonographs repair
organization on Grand Avenue with Frank
Scherer, has gone into the Ideal Novelty
organization in charge of phonograph sales.
Partner Scherer moved his entire shop
into the Ideal building.
Martin Balensiefer, who joined with W.
B. Novelty Company in January, is spend·
ing more time in the country sales territory
of this Seeburg distributorshi p than at any
previous time during his phonogra ph ex·
perience. Instead of seeing Balensiefer's
six·foot frame coming th rough the door
from day to day, operators of 51. Louis
now hear of h im chiefly through postcards.
The company at present is engaged with a
huge "Phonograph Sale"; first of the sort
in several years.
Harry Plitt, employee of the 1. S. Mor·
ris Novelty Company, had a bad automo·
bi le accident in East St. Louis, Illinois, in
early April, and will be confined to a hos-
pital in that city for several weeks. Candy,
books, flowers and other gifts from the local
association are hel ping to lighten his con·
finement.
A great deal of good natured fun is being
poked at Harry Davies, presiden t of Davies
Novelty Company, as the result of his giving
up phonograph operation altogether, and
transferring over to the pinball field . It
seems that a certain location owner called
up timidly in March, asking Davies to send
someone around to change the record~ on
his machine. "What's wrong with the rec:
ords?" was Davies natural answer. The '
reply was that although it was March, the
machine wa's still featuring "Santa Claus
Is Coming to Town" and "Jingle Bells" as
its outstanding discs - showing that the
Davies organization had forgotten to service
th e machine for several months. Disgusted,
Davies went out of the phonograph field
en tirely.
One of the fastest·growing organizations
in the pintable field is that of Central
Novelty Company, headed by Caesar Poll·
now, brother of Missouri's largest phono.
graph owner. The "silver·haired twins," or
Pollnow brothers, have experienced success
in every branch of the business except pin·
tables prior to this year, and now intend
to add that line wherever a Pollnow phono·
graph is to be found . Central and Auto·
matic Phonograph, the two main divisions,
are now located on Cherokee Ave.
Art Newhouse, phono operator, has
moved into a new home in St. Louis Coun·
ty, and held an open house for friends
recently.
, Air service at Fort Benning, Georgia,
has caned Paul Rittenhour, phonograph
opera tor of East St. Louis. Paul, whose
hobby was a light Cub airplane, has signed
for several years as an instructor, and his
machines have been gradually absorbed by
other operators.
Ralph Denton of Cuba, Missouri, whose
string of phonographs and other machines
now amoun ts to more than 200 uni ts, visi t·
ed association offices recently. Headquarter·
ing in Cuba, he is now covering a territory
extending for 50 miles in every direction
around the city, a nd has become one of the
largest rural operators in the business.
Another visitor was Noel Read, former
Balensiefer service man, who has opened
up his own string of phonographs in an·
other rural spot.
Many operators are still agog over reo
ports that Walter Gummershimer, for·
~I~ANrI[ PH~N~~RAPH
SAI.E
Reconditioned Equipment
SEEBURG
Rex .................................................... : ... $85.00
Symphonola Model RoyaL. ............. 95.00
K-20 .......................................................... 85.00
Sym: H. I or J ...................................... 39.50
Sym, Model B ........................................ 25.00
Sym: Model A (in illuminated
cabine t) ............................................ 45.00
WURLITZER
Model 71 (Stand $15 extra) ............ 50.00
Counter Models 61 (Stand
$15 extra .............................................. 85.00
P-12
................ ........ .. .... .. .......... 25.00
ROCK-OLA
1941 Model .......................................... 200.00
Imperial 20 Record ............................ 60.00
Standard ................................................ 135.00
Imperial 16 record ............. : ................ 39.00
No.2 ...................................................... 27.50
MILLS
Throne .................................................... 135.00
Swing King ............................................ 19.50
Dance Mas teL ...................................... 15.00
Do Re ML ............................................. 29 .50
~riIf!elo;Wu~it~;; .. 4·~12:::::::::::::::::: 1~:~g
Trumpet speaker-outside use ...... 15.00
Every machine thoroughly renovated and
rechecked by expert W .B. mechanics.
w. B. NOVELTY CO.
617 Douglas St. , Wichita. Kansas
927 Broadway, Kansas City. Mo.
1903 Washington, St. Louis
Mention of THE COIN MACHINE REVIEW is your best introduction to our advertisers.