Coin Machine Review (& Pacific ...)

NEW YORK-The Coin Machine In-
dustry here has won over local judicial
authorities, bringing a new spirit of co-
operation between operators and city offi-
cials_
Agreeing that the greater majority of
operators stick by the rules and that New
York coinmen can be trusted with a re-
sponsibility to the public, New York au-
thorities are no longer cracking down on
locations. Since the Am a lgama ted Asso-
ciation has taken a hand in the matter, it
has been clearly shown that it is only the
independent in this territory who proves a
troublesome factor.
Better police protection has brought
down the percentage of burglaries with
only three robberies listed i'n Manhattan
for the week ending June 30th. Rewards
offered to location owners for reporting
offenders is also helping to minimize the
thievery threat to machines. But, as a word
of caution, its' a good idea to place all
machines where they can be seen by loca-
tion owners and others. The biggest van-
dalism plague right now is in connection
with the mint and peanut vendors, two
standbys that made fortunes a few years
hack. However, operators who turned po-
licemen and caught offenders, making them
examples and scaring others away, have
assisted in lowering these violations.
There is a new trend in methods of mak-
ing coin machine arcades pay. Just as sure-
ly as movie shorts replaced vaudeville,
good taste in display and elimination of
noisy barkers are believed necessary to
bring arcades back in the picture in New
York. Your reporter has spotted at least
three new arcades, one in the heart of
Yorkville uptown on 86th street. But,
there are at least a dozen places which
could be utilized, with a little push and
the right kind of merchandising.
Coi'n machines are even popular in radio.
When Lanny Ross, tenor, prllsented a "coin
machine" program on his CBS broadcast
one night, he started something. The idea
was to have imaginary nickels placed in an
imaginary coin machine for a favorite
number- then Ross sang the number or, in
informal fashion, decided to accompany an
orchestration. The enormous amount of fan
mail, praising the presentation, resulted in
repeats and it is expected to be used off
and on in the future. Ross is on for fifteen
minutes, Mondays through Fridays, 7: IS
to 7 :30 P.M. on the Columbia system.
Statistical news features the item about
Sterilock, Inc., Manhattan, which has just
incorporated. It's capitalized at $200,000.
Stockholders and members of the firm are
Mack F. Gold man , E d ward Weiss and
Mor ris H. Beer.
Organized for the arcade business, cap-
italized at $10,000 is the George-Johnson
Corporation. Members of the firm are
R o b ert Schwartz, R ichar d Geor ge and
Cecelia Campb ell.
With a "look-in" on what's being done
in the way of progress in the industry, we
find Mutoscope coming out with a 16mm
color motion pi'cture entitled "Pennies On
Parade", demonstrating how pennies can
be made to move faster, eliminating the
trial by error system. It will be loaned to
all interested operators.
The Mu n ves clan inaugurated the idea
of the new Batting Practice Advertising
Contest Series, in charge of Max D. Le-
vin e of Scientific Machine Corporation. A
$5.00 weekly prize for the best coin ma-
chine copy aimed at operators is offered to
industry associates.
Diamond JilD Brad, . . . The Silver
Queen . . . . and the Nickel Kings!
They're all history-m(llcing stories! And
Packard's PLA-MOR Remote Control
Unit is truly the King of the Nickel Re-
mote Controls. Play Appeal is the an-
swer! Nickels are magnetized b y its
streamlined beauty . . . indirect title
strip lighting .. . rotor selector insuring
perfect selection . . . triple action elim -
inating s quinting, s training, shoving!
And then there's the PLA-MOR Model
600 Console Speake r ... a perfect team-
mate for in s talling with the PLA-MOR
Remote Control units.
Jack Gutshall
PLA-MOR'S steady, dependable service
keeps profits high! PLA-MOR features
intake . .. not upkeep! Nickels tum to
dollars ! Let us tell you more about these
p rofit-partners.
Southern California m usic operators a re cordially invited to use our beauti-
ful new showrooms a s their headqu arte rs in Los Angeles. Just a cross the
way from De cca Records you will find our showrooms easy to reach from a ll
parts of the city and th ere is a lways ample parking space.
COIN
MACHINE
REVIEW
ESQUIRE MUSIC COMPANY
1870 W. Washington Blvd.
ROc:hester- 2103
43
Los Angeles. Calif.
FO R
U-Need-A-Pak tried something new by
rounding up local operators and presenting
them with choice spots at the Louis-Conn
fight. Led by Bill Weiner, staff member,
the customers received the thrill of their
Ji'ves. While discussing who would win,
they were shown U-Need-A-Pak's new
Norman Bel-Geddes-designed Model 500.
Incidentally, one of the company's main-
stays, Miss Doris Kau fman , took " that"
plunge the other day.
A suggestion has been made that coin-
men, instead of using pleasure cars to carry
machines, should try station wagons. One
operator, with a Westchester route, has
found it is cheaper than a truck and not
subject to the taxation burdens of a heavy
unit and yet it allows plenty of room for
mechanics, tools, etc.
The CMA held their third annual outing
in defiance of a cloudburst. The feature of
the event was a submarine baseball game
during which, in a slide to first base, Bill
Peek came up with an oyster and, on a
double play, Matty F o rbes tried to get
to second and landed on a coral reef. It
all took place in Wingdale, N. Y., and,
believe you us, those drenched cigarette
men were no mermaids.
Bob ( Gentle m an Bob ) Hawthor ne's
elevation to his post with DuGrenier hasn't
changed the ex-aviator much. Bob explains
the phenomenon by pointing to his three
or four terms as president of the CMA,
which he says gave him exerience to meet
any situation. Bob has some cosy, new
chairs and wants the boys to know that his
office is now a place where all coi nmen
can relax.
The little pee wee who came sliding out
on his ear the other night in the vicinity of
Leon and Eddie's was your faithful re-
porter trying to crash the all-girls' party
thrown by the ladies representing jobbers
and distributors in this territory. As soon as
we heard about it, we rushed for the kill,
flashed our -press pass and everything, but
where did it get us? From reliable sources,
however, we heard that the girls had a
great time despite our absence. A vote of
thanks was given Mildred Mendales of
I. L. Mitchell and Helen Cohen of Bu-
din's, two eyefuls who thought of the get-
together.
J ack Strauss of Brooklyn had a narrow
escape in servicing his route recently.
Sideswiped by some zany in a stolen car,
he managed to swerve in time while the
hoodlum went on to wreck a milk truck
and seriously injure its driver.
Sam (Commodore ) Yollen expects
that call anytime now, having passed his
radio operator's eXllmination and being
classed as a naval man. Sam, who may soon
find himself convoying some nifty machines
across the Atlantic, has declared that it
will take more than a submarine to stop
him if he learns any of the country's best
selling cigarette machines are in danger of
being sent to the bottom.
That reminds us that skyfighting games
are still the rage in town. But, it seems a
little more imagination is required and op-
erators might do well to consult manufac-
turers' advertising men. With all the
soldiers hitting crowded spots, a little
background for these games would give
them that chance to show off before their
girl friends.
Mention of THE COIN MACHINE REVIEW is your best introduction to our advertisers.
Irving Sherman
•
JULY-
1941