Coin Machine Review (& Pacific ...)

Portland
Western Distributors is now a beehive of
activity. What has happened? Aireon has
begun to roll in. I dropped in last month
for a look-see, and thought I had entered
the Pennsylvania Station; operator and
club owners were clamoring for the new
machines. Was Clayton Ballard pleased?
Budge Wright, and his right hand man
George Trambitas, were as happy as a
couple of kids in the jam jar.
M. S. Wolf has opened a branch in Port-
land. He has one of the nicest showrooms
on the coast. Had a chat with manager
A. M. Moss, one of Wolf's able assistants,
and he told me they are innovating a
school for G. I. mechanics to learn the
pin ball business. There will be classes
and a school in their new showroom. Moss
says the government has consented to use
this school to train G. L's under the G. I.
bill of rights, and they have negotiated a
deal with the Vanport housing to set aside
a housing unit there for their families.
I say more power to them on their new
enterprise. This should be good news
to the trade in general as good mechanics
are sorely needed.
Mike Pearson has the same box at the
ballgroimds, but not in front anymore since
they added three more rows in front of
his. Wonder if that was the reason I saw
him leave early one day or could it have
been that the home team just allowed six
unearned runs to cross the plate?
Another war time business has just about
hit the skids, but not because of lack of
business. No, sir. It is for the same reason
a lot of enterprises fold up. The landlord
wants the building for his own business,
so the 4th and Washington Penny Arcade
is gently bowing out unless they can re-
new their lease which at present writing
looks like no go.
Lonnie Logsdon was the big man at the
county rodeo at Mollala; at least he had
the big hat. Imagine a man who is both
pin ball impresario and Hollywood cowboy.
Yes, that's Lonnie Logsdon. Mollala round-
up time would be a blank without Lonnie
there to unofficially M.C. things.
Operators in this state are not worried
about the interpretation of the state char-
ter on lotteries, uncovered by over-zealous
die-hard blue law-ers. The moth balls
were uncovered on this law that was passed
in the days when it was sacrilege for a
woman to show her ankles. The definition
of the law is too too loopholish to cause
any concern.
Some of the boys going through music
lane looking over the new merchandise
lately and some comparing no tes were Fred
Klaus and Roy Gatto of Portland; Pete
Sorenson of Silverton; H. J. Bevan, Klam•
ath Falls; Walt Antrim, Pendleton; Frankie
Beeson, Eugene; Vern Raw, Seaside ancl
A. K. Morse.
Mike and Danny Pearson are expanding
as usual and getting their route worked up
bigger and bigger.
Ed Day, who sold out a couple of months
ago and was going to retire, couldn't resist
the call or shall we say fever of operating.
He bought the Coulter and Campbell music
operations.
G. F. Johnson Music Co., Oregon's large
outfit, have sold their music route to Hollis
Beckett.
Bill Martin and Bob Scrothof, La
Grande, and Brady Nary, Si Owens and
Vern Hellry visiting music row.
We have a big year ahead in the coin
machine business, and it is a big job to
keep the general public acquainted with
new post war devices on amusement, but
rest assured we will try to get you all the
latest news from the Northwest.
Johnny Trambitas
catching for the service team, and had a
yen to play for do-re-mi for the Bombers.
With his C. 0. looking the other way, Leo-
vich signed on with the Bombers as "Lou'
Drake, Oregon State College." The fans
and Oregon alumni, wondered where
"Drake" had been all their lives.
Leovich has his sanctum in the Rail-
way Exchange Bldg., Seattle, and right
bower is Richard W. Still.
Seattle lost one of its pioneer operators
early in July with the death of Rube Gross
who, as the Rube Gross Amusement Co.
manufactured the Torpedo and Fury ma-
chines, rated as two of the best on the
mart. At the time of his death he was co-
owner of Seattle Recreation Bowling Alleys.
He has three sons-in-law in the coin ma-
chine trade, and they are: Paul Pollack
and Vic Green, owners of Pep Sales Co.,
and Ben Beane, owner of Ideal Novelty Co.
Frank Countner is doing the honors as
a proud but nervous father of a son who
weighed-in at 8½ pounds. Incidentally,
Countner has ;ncorp urated as Countner's
Invading the Washington domain, Zam
Inc., and for $100,000. lncorporators are
Music Co. purchased locatfons and direct
Frank and his wife, and Albert Yoder.
wire equipment of the Hi-Tone Music Co . .
John J . Michael christened a new 35-foot
and has put Solotones at several Seattle
cruiser on a four-day cruise to the San Juan
spots. The high mogul for Zam in Seattle
Islands. Finny denizens of the deep blue
is John Leovich, an all-around athlete, who
failed to respond with any notable enthus-
turned his burly back on baseball this year
iasm to his fishing efforts and the score was
in favor of "soft music by direct wire."
one 14-inch salmon trout.
Leovich, who played baseball and football
George Saxton, route man for Heberling
at Oregon State, ·hockey in the old Seattle
Brothers, used his valuable vacation time
loop, and caught for the Portland Beavers
to move from the wicked city to a quiet
COIN
in the Coast League after a stint • with
suburb, Maple Valley, just outside Seattle.
MACHfNI
the Philadelphia Athletics, got a call from
They're calling Johnny Ford, operator,
REVIEW
Portland this year, but turned to business
"Hardluck" Johnny these days. The new
instead. And fans are still yammering about
handle comes as a result of having his
the fast one Leovich pulled in 1944 when
automobile stolen for the fourth time. And
he played pro ball for the Seattle Bombers.
now Johnny is trying to find insurance
John, in the Coast Guard at the time, was
which will insure him having his car for
FOR
Seattle
83
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