NEW YORK
COIN
MACHINE
REVIEW
22
FOR
MAY
1942
NEW YORK-Back again and full 0'
fight!
Ditto for Joe Glick who has joined up.
Joe can now be paged in the Coast Guard.
Also Mike Gontally of Flushing, known to
the gentry in town for his A-I route, doing
his bit in the navy. The following opera-
tors have signed up as air wardens: Abe
Levy; Joseph Borodovko; Bill Hanl ey;
Louis Conte; Irving Strouse and Julius
Haberman.
Don't let anyone tell you the coin ma-
chine trade isn't doing its bit. Sales of
bonds among New York distributors
reached an all high total of $45,550 last
week. And that isn't all. Pledges are forth-
coming for even greater totals. When you
think all the slams the trade has been
taking of late you can appreciate that op-
erators and distributors can take it. And
they'll dish it out, too, as the sappy Japs
will soon find out.
A nod to the distributor in Brooklyn who
tells his accounts that for every twenty dol-
lars paid up in arrears, he'll put up a dol-
lar towards a bond_ Which is doing all right
by us and Uncle Sam, say we_
With the transportation becoming more
acute, the . servicing problem increases in
perplexity. Following are suggestions put
forward in the trade and we offer th em for
consideration: (l) Pool available units.
Have all calls received at central office and
service from this headquarters as calls come
in. Each operator to contribute towards
maintenance based on machines operated.
(2) Equip mechanics with bicycles. Supple-
ment this with the use of public convey-
ances. (3) Teach location owners certain
simple repairs. Make them responsible for
these repairs and compensate them for the
trouble by corresponding increase in their
share of the profit.
A government official sent East by the
Civil Service Commission to hunt mechan-
ics for the air force disclosed that the coin
machine industry has been fruitful in yield-
ing many mechanics which the government
needs almost as much as it needs fliers and
planes. Said the officials: "We have found
that men who have learned how to repair
and maintain amusement machines have de-
veloped a facility and technique that lends
itself admirably to maintenance of con-
stantly changing air power."
More power to Eddie Lane, ye songbird
of th e coin machine trade, in his new ven-
ture in his own advertising agency. Now
he'll have a chance to tryout his own ideas
and show the boys what he can really do.
The parts situation still remains acute.
This problem is going to tax the trade more
and more and care must be taken to avoid
ARCADE EQUIPMENT
2 Evans Ten Strikes ................ ea . $ 59.50
1 Gottlieb Skeeballette--free
play........................................ 59.50
1941 Western Baseball, Deluxe.
free play. almost new .......... 109.00
1 9-foot Skillrall .......................... 32_50
WRITE FOR PRICES
We carryall late "!:arble games. used
slots at all prices. aild a complete line
of phonographs. We will trade for used
records. Came in today/
PERCY SHIELDS
1549 West Pica Boulevard
LOS ANGELES. CALIFORNIA
FEderal 1919
hard feelings as priOrItIes make it physic-
ally impossible to supply certain materials.
Before operators run off with complaints
about some distributors and nurse grudges,
let them ascertain whether the distributor
is not in the same position as themselves.
Already several instances that have been
called to our attention have been shown
definitely not to be the fault of the dis-
tributor concerned.
The ladies again! This time a suggestion
from Mrs. Meyer Rosenthal, wife of a
Queens operator, who wants all ladies
whose husbands are operators to form an
auxiliary to combat vicious propaganda
concerning coin machine operation_ Mrs.
Rosenthal states that she invites all wives
interested to address her through the med-
ium of the COIN MACHINE REVIEW. She
promises that in addition to discussion of
plans for the trade she has plans concern-
ing the present situation-plans which the
wives of operators can carry out and ma-
terially help their husbands_ Wives whose
husbands are liable to be drafted are espe-
cially invited to participate in the proposed
organization.
While on the subject of the ladies, here's
a thought for us men to ponder: We quote
a well known operator who, for the present,
prefers to remain anonymous. "Whether we
like it or not, the future of our business
will see an increase in the number of
women who will engage in coin machine
operation. I see this definitely on the hori-
zon with wives taking over right now and
daughters becoming interested in their
fathers' businesses and other signs that
many women are forced to step into th e
place of departed men. On the whole, it
will be for the best, for, with women in the
business we'll see higher requirements,
cleaner atmospheres and what is more, a
vastly expanded market, for the women will
demand better and more ingenious ma-
chin es to fill requirements and satisfy
amusement trends not even dreamed of
now. "
Irving Sherman
..Artist ..Activities
NEW YORK-Hal McIntyre has just
added two new vocalists and a singing
quartet to his outfit. Horace Heidt will be
minus Larry Cotton soon for Cotton is
slated for the army. Guy Lombardo goes
into th e Waldorf·Astoria May 18th. Barry
Wood has been renewed for his seventh
straight year on the Hit Parade radio show.
Dinah Shore is in, Hopywood and it is
rumored Goldwyn has sIgned her for a
part in th e coming Bob Hope· Dorothy
Lamour film. Alvino Rey's recording of
"The Army Air Corps" is being adopted
by radio stations as the theme for Buy A
Bomber campaigns. The King Sisters'
"Jersey Bounce" is skymcketing to popu·
larity on the automatics.
Paul Whiteman is playing theater
dates in the West. Eddy Duchin closes at
the Chicago Palmer House June 24th to
play theaters. Glen Gray goes into the
Sherman in Chicago June 3 and will be
followed by Glenn Miller on July 7th.
Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles goes back
to six·day week May 18th with Freddy
Martin on the stand. Tommy Dorsey do-
nated his salary (reported $7500) for his
fourth week at New York Paralll.Qunt to
the Navy reli'ef.
. .
Barry Wood claims his Bluebird disc-
ing of "Put-Put-Put Your Arms About
Me" is aimed to help out boat manufac-
turers who may be feeling blue these days.
Will Swing Survive?
NEW YORK - Will swing survive the
record crisis? This question was answered
here this week by Leonard G. Feather,
noted commentator on modern music.
"The record industry is facing a sub-
stantial cut in production," said Feather,
"and some pessimists are already predicting
the death of swing and the survival of
more commercially dependable brands of
popular music_
"Actually, there is a better chance now
that good jazz may be able to find its right-
ful place, for quality will have to replace
quantity.
"It must be' remembered that jazz sur-
vived a far worse slump in the record busi-
ness than we are facing now. In the early
1930's, the phonograph was virtually out of
fashion as a medium of popular entertain-
ment. Sales were far lower than they will
be in 1942 or 1943. Yet all through that
. period, jazz continued to be recorded, and
it was around 1935, when Benny Goodmap
rose to national fame and started the whole
swing craze, that the industry underwent a
surprise renaissance.
"With the advent of the Goodman era,
records of the kind that had previously a p-
pealed only to a few specialists now
reached five and later six figure sales. The
automatic phonograph, more than any other
influence, was responsible for making th e
whole world swing-conscious. For a while
th e demand for recorded jazz was greater
abroad than it was here, and several series
of discs were recorded here especially for
export. Even today, despite the shipping
difficulties, American swing records are con-
stan tly in demand abroad. Nothing as firmly
estab]j'shed as swing music can be knocked
out by the temporary blow it has just re-
ceived."
Renting Records New
NEW YORK-What might be the fore-
runner of a number of such establishments
the country over, both for home use and
automa tic phonograph operators, is th e
Record Collectors' Exchange which has
opened on West 48th Street.
Exchange swaps new or used records, giv-
ing equivalent values, but charging a small
fee, and rents platters out just like book
loaning libraries rent out books. Charge
of three cen ts a day is made with the rental
applying towards the purchase price of th e
disc.
* * *
Confuciou s he say, "Buy honorable
Defense Bond and put Nip-on-knees."
Dig this operators and if you can't '
afford a bond get a handful of stamps.
REFINISHING and
RECONDITIONING
Finest work in the West. Bring
in your old equipment and let us
do it over_ You'll be pleased with
the results.
_MILO J. BERRING
1705 W. Pic:o Blvd.
LOS ANGELES. CALIF.
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