Coin Machine Review (& Pacific ...)

OPA."
The first half of th e Nelson-Michael
operating team vacationed with family
in California on a pleasure pastime, but
after all these years of equipment short-
ages, V.A. just couldn't help sneaking
in a few side-looks at the big game
centers.
Kaiser, Chrysler, Ford and the rest of
the auto men can relax now because the
Third A venue 'motor rebuild shop pur-
chased by Bill Wolf isn't going to be a
car-production plant but merely the new
office for AMI in Seattle. The shop will
undergo a thorough rebuilding so the
"Phonograph for '46" can be properly
housed.
The smile is back on Phil Shelly's red-
nosed face and the gags that made him
the waggiest of Coin Row's wags are
starting to pop out again now that the
missus is winning total victory over in-
fantile paralysis which struck last Sep-
~
tember.
"Three Alarm" Alsdorf jaunted through
the Pacific Northwest on a combination
buying and selling trip but i't turned out
to be all selling and no buying. "I took
orders for plenty of parts," said Puget
Sound's assistant manager, "but when it
came to lining up Jockeys, Turf Kings,
and Club Trophys, cash-on-the-line didn't
mean a thing."
Louis Karnofsky
H. H. Hightower and his son Les High-
tower were among the delegation of Fort
Worth operators who attended the all day
showing of Aireon phonographs by Ameri-
can Distributing Co. in Dallas. Other coin
machine personnel attending the showing
were Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hoosier, Vincent
Lopez, H. M. Snow and Drew Osburn.
According to Jack Mahoney, Panther
Distributing Coo's best selling record last
month was Lucky Millinder's Darling.
Another recording that was a top flight
favorite was Bing Crosby's singing of Mc-
Namara's Band. Finding plenty of favor
with music lovers was Stan Kenton's Shoo
Fly Pie. Other recordings that gathered
in lots of nickels were Let It Snow, Let It
Snow with Woody Herman in the groove,
Gene Autrey's singing of Silver Spurs, and
A Door Will Open by Tommy Dorsey.
Frank W. Wood
Denver
The Blackwell DistributIng Co. has had
its showing of the new Aireon Electronic
Phonograph at the company's showrooms.
The Aireon Electric Phonograph was
enthusiastically received by operators in
the Rocky Mountain Region and especially
well received was the exclusive "Distortion
Discriminator" which provides for auto-
matic volume control under any and all
conditions.
Honored guests were R. R. "Rudy"
Greenbaum, Aireon's Vice-President and
Sales Manager; C. D. Kemp, District Sales
COIN
Manager; M. K. Howk, and John McNeal,
MACHINE
Regional Service Instructors.
Fort Worth Operators are benefiting
REVIEW
A banquet was given to the operators
from a fast moving building boom which
and their families at the Brown Palace
has gotten under way to beat the antici-
pated government regulations on building. , Hotel wMch was enjoyed by all present.
The principal speaker of the evening was
Many of the best local and suburban coin
Greenbaum who delivered a timely and
machine locations are either remodeling
FOR
pertinent speech covering the hopes and
or rebuilding.
APRIL
aims of Aireon and pledged whole-hearted
Rebuilding and remodeling of equip-
1946
co-operation with the operators in the
ment is still the chief concern of Fort
region.
Worth operators. With practi'cally no new
The Blackwell Distributing Coo's show
merchandise reaching the local coin ma-
rooms had been remodeled and redecor-
chine market, every piece of available used
ated, carrying out the Aireon color scheme
equipment is being rebuilt and put on lo-
of blue and gold. The stage effect with
cation.
blue curtains as a background for the
Coin machine business which was slight-
colorful machines was most artistic and
ly off, took a nice upward trend during
effective. The comfortable seats scattered
the recent Fat Stock Show. The "Out
about the large show room afforded op-
Where The West Begins" Rodeo attracted
portunity for operators to be relaxed and
hundreds of thousands of visitors to the
at ease during the showing of the machines.
city during the Southwestern Exposition
A. A. Roberts, Wolf Sales Co., is in
and Fat Stock Show, March 8 to 17. Cafes
Salt Lake City opening up the company's
and dine and dance spots did a tremendous
new offices in that city.
business and all amusement devices came
A. C. Roberts, recently returned from
in for a good share of visiting crowds'
service in the Army is now back in the
amusement money. Music machines did a
company, but has had to undergo a tonsil-
- tremendous business during the ten day
lectomy. He is planning, however, to leave
Fat Stock Show.
next week for Salt Lake City_ Phoenix,
During the month of February. marble
and El Paso where he will assist his brother
tables receipts topped the list for local
operators with phonographs running a
close second. With Spring just around the
corner, operators say they can look for-
ward to an excellent out-door season.
Leff fo right: Frank
Bob Marti'n, one of the old time oper-
Padula, owner of fhe
ators here, has re-entered the coin machine
Melody Music Shop,
business for himself. He has just been
Chicago; Jack Nel-
released from service in the U. S. army.
son and Vidor Piro,
Jack Greenlee, a recent Navy dischargee,
owner of fhe 1424
is now associated with Panther Distributing
Club, lisfening fo fhe
Co.
firsf 1946 Wurlifzer
Clarence Cleer's new building which is to
on locafion in Chi-
house the Cleer Music Co. at 1112 East
cago, being played
Lancaster Ave. will be ready for occupancy
wifh one of Jack
April first. The new brick and tile building
Nelson's Double-Poinf
will give Cleer Music Co. more than twice
Needles. Padula, in-
their former office and warehouse space.
cidenfally, bought
The firm's present building will be con-
200 new W urlifzers
verted into a modern repair shop and
on fheir franchise
stock room. Fri'e nd Cleer says he is adding
deal.
a new line of leather novelties and dolls
which his firm will distribute in the Ft.
Worth territory.
Fort AT orth
'96
A. A. Roberts in getting the new branches
off to a good start.
Managers of the new offices are all on
the job and now ready to go as the new
branches are completed. C. K. Dart, mana-
ger at Salt Lake City, will be ably assisted
by Jean Morton, assistant manager, and
by Hugh H. Darnell, service manager.
Manager Dart and also managers J. C.
Confer of Phoenix, Ariz., and J. E. Briggs
at El Paso, Texas, report that everybody
is anxious for the new Wurlitzers to be
delivered to them. There are a lot of new
places opening up and operators are very
impatient to get going in their new lo-
cations.
Harry Bowes, of the Century Music Co.,
affiliate of Wolf Sales Co., is in Phoenix
for a week, on business. After he returns
he is planning to take life easier in the
future. This he will be able to do since
his new manager has taken over his
duties in the Denver office. The new mana-
ger comes from the rank and file in this
business, from the bottom up. -
Pete Boody was a visitor in the office
last week. Other visitors from out of town
were John Pricco from Trinidad, Colo.,
Mr. Hubert from Del Norte, Colo., and
Mr. King from Torrington, Wyo.
John Brannery, of the Wyoming Novelty
Co., Casper, Wyo., passed away last week
at the age of 46 years. He was one of the
leading operators in that vicinity. Since
the death of his son, Lieut. John Brannery,
Jr., bombardier on a heavy bomber, who
was killed over Formosa last summer, it
seemed that Brannery would not fight for
recovery. His wife and two children sur-
vive. Mrs. Brannery will continue the
business.
Wolf Reiwitz, founder of the Wolf Sales
Co., i~ planning to retire from active
business. His sons are permanently in the
office now and quite capable of relieving
him of the responsibilities of carrying on
the business to which he' had devoted many
constructive years.
Rei witz says that he has already made
preparations for a good rest and for plenty
of recreation. He has bought a 30-foot
cabin cruiser which has been unloaded
in San Francisco, ready for use. When
he retires next summer, he will go to
San Francisco, where his daughter resides,
and expects to spend his time fishing and
cruising around the adjacent waters.
Gibson Bradshaw has recently purchased
the building which he has occupied for
almost 10 years. This coming fall he
intends to celebrate his 10 year's occupancy
of his present location.
As soon as labor and materials are avail-
able Bradshaw is planning to do extensive
remodeling of the building. He said it had
been his intention to build a new store,