Coin Machine Review (& Pacific ...)

Los Angeles
COIN'
MACHINE
REVIEW
108
FOR
FEBRUARY
1947
Expansion seems to be the keynote of
coin row as the Inpustry goes into the
second month of a year that should lee
business reaching for new highs. Practically
'e very jobber and distributor is enlarging-
his establishment or has plans for enlarge.
ment in the near future. All this building
is evidence that lots of new business is just
about due.
, The local Mills Sales office, which opened
only recently, is . now nearly tw~ce the _
original size, and under the en~rlfetI~ man-
agership of George Ehrgott aCtIVIty IS cq~­
stantly increasing. The Mills Sales orgam·
zation will hold a week of sales meetings in
Chicago prior to the coin machine show.
Those scheduled to attend are: A. H.
Bouterious, general manager; W. H. Taylor,
sales manager; Frank Sandburg, George
Ehrgott, Dick Eggleston, and Frank Ferree.
The entire group will travel together from
the Bay City.
On returning to Los Angeles, Ehrgott
plans an extensive sales trip through Ari-
zona, and Southern Nevada. In his absence
the office will be under the efficient care of
Jean Blair and Red Larsen, shop foreman.
Remodeling is also under way at E. T.
Mape Distributing Co. Ray Powers is build-
ing a swank, sound-proof, air-conditioned
office for himself, where business can be
conducted in absolute comfort.
The AOLAC is scheduled to complete
occupancy of the new building at 2848 W.
Pico, with Elky Ray of Gold Coast already
settled in one part.
Well-known Ginger Cannon, who worked
for W. H. Leuenhagen about a year and
more recently has been with L. A. Wired
Music, was married in Glendale on Janu-
ary 12.
AI , Bettleman; C. A. Robinson's right-
hand man, has received delivery of a new
Plymouth convertible.
Dannie J~ckson and Sam Donin report
that Automatic Games has consummated a
big sale of 50-cent and one-dollar bell
machines to the new and highly publicized
five-mill ion-dollar Flamingo Club in Las
Vegas. The company also has recovered 50
bell machines that had been installed as a
concession on the gambling ship Lux. This
was the only outside concession permitted
on the ship and consisted of 50-cent and
one-dollar bells. The machines had been
impounded with the ship and all other
equipment. A lawsuit freed not only the
machines but the entire load money.
Automatic Games also has received de-
livery of a lIashy '47 Pontiac station wagon.
Nels Nelson says that despite talk of a
business lull in December and January, his
business has continued above average. He
has Adolph D'Este out on the road selling
Aireons and intends to add two more sales-
men to his force in 'February.
Aireon Distributor Frank Navarro is
leaving for the coin machine show on the
City of Los Angeles, accompanied by Aireon
Men Ed Wisler, Nels Nelson, and Walter
Schinkal. Profiting by the fact that Aireon
has been delivering the new electronic
phonograph in carload lots, Navarro has
done a tremendous volume of business in
the past year. "Aireon has big surprises in
the bag," says Navarro, "and operators of
these fine machines and equipment are
.going to have the chance to make 1947 the
best music merchl!ndising year in history."
W. E. Simmonli~ has returned, from a very
successful Packard Pla-Mor sales meeting
in Denver and will attend a similar meeting
in Chicago 's hortly before the show opens.
. B. C. Beyer, Automatic Machines, has
returned from a trip to Oakland and plans
Laymon Moves to
New Location
LOS ANGELES-The last of February
will see Paul A. Laymon, Inc., located in
new quarters at 1429 W. Pico Blvd., just 3
doors east of the present location. Move
was necessitated by a change of ownership
of the old building and- the new quarters
will serve to accommodate the firm until
the new Laymon building is constructed at
the corner of Pico and Berendo.
Prior to leaving for Chicago and the show
on J apuary 30, Paul expressed himself as
tremendously pleased with the fine recep-
tion he ,has had on the new Bally Deluxe
Draw Bell. "The success of the Draw Bell
practically assur~s a waiting market for the
new Deluxe and the operators have been
carting them away as fast as shipments
. "
arnve.
Placing substantial orders in recent days
at Laymon's have been Fred Allen and Alex
Koleopolus, Bakersfield; G. F. Cooper, Jack
Neil and G. L. Curtis, Riverside; Glen Cat-
lin, Montrose; Leo Vaughn and W. K.
Volner, El Centro; Howard Causey, Bell;
Walter Murra, Downey; John Mallett,
Claremont ; K E. Simmons, Paso Robles ;
Dick Sharpe, Jr. and Sr~ Santa Ana;
Happy Clark, Downey ; Ed Andary, Monte-
bello; Louie Dunn, Monterey Park; C. C.
Ellison, Lancaster; J. O. Spencer, Big Bear;
Frank Abbott, Alhambra; Lowell Ayres,
Inglewood; Thomas Boddy, Lomita; Ollie
Trevillian, Santa Barbara; Mrs. Roy Smith,
Lancaster; J. W. Olson, San Pedro; Lloyd
Barnes, Long Beach; Anton Jeppesen, Bell;
Lee Breeze, P asadena; E. R. Warner, Shaf-
ter; Art Dawes, San Diego; and Otto Pelch,
Santa Barbara.
in the future to spend an increasing amount
of time there.
THE REVIEW has learned of a recent action
'of Beyer's that should be passed on to the
entire Industry as an example of high
business ethics. Two young veterans just
ente~ing the business, recently placed large
orders with Beyer for a certain type ma-
chine. Beyer had only a few samples from
the manufacturer he was representing and
sold the machines on ' the understanding
that they would be delivered as originally
described. When delivery was made, it was
found that the manufacturer had consider-
ably altered not 'only the appearance of the
machine, but also the materials and the
mechanism. Despite the fact that the ma-
chine operated as well as the original
sample, the veterans were not, satisfied.
Beyer, . thereupon, voluntarily refunded the
entire amount of deposits he had accepted
-three thousand [Zollars.
The new Mills phonograph will be on
display at the Hotel Continental during the
Chicago show, according to George Ehrgott.
Mills Sales Co., Ltd., also expects to receive
samples of the new Photo-Matic very
shortly.
W. H. Leuenhagen is fast adding to his
stock of hard-to-find independent records,
and says that this kind of specialization is
a real boon to opera'tors. He now has Four,
Star, Linden, Rhapsody, Black and White,
and .Exclusive. T. Texas Tyler is one of the
best selling artists.
Don Clark, Clark Distributing, was a
recent v isitor to Los Angeles.
.
Two big shows at Minthorne Music and
Badger Sales brought an unusually large
number of operators to the row this month.
Some of the out-of-town visitors are named
in special articles elsewhere ' in this issue.
Coinmen · will be happy to learn Art
Dawes; popular San Diego operator, is ,up
and around again after a long siege at
Mercy Hospital. While still pretty weak
Art plans on taking in the show and keep-
ing up on new developments.
Mr. and Mrs. G. F. Cooper, Riverside,
will also Super Chief to Chicago for the
February show.
Eugene C. Steffens, vice-president and
general sales manager. of Permo, In.c.,
dropped in on local mUSIC operators whIle
on an extensive tour of Western and South-
ern states. On his California jaunt he was
accompanied by Wilbur E. Smith, the firm's
Wes~rn representative. Steffens returned to
the home office in Chicago on January 17.
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Laymon will leave on
the Super Chief on the 30th for th~ Win~y
City. They hope to be able to dnve theIr
new Cadillac back to the Coast.
Add more new car owners: Dudley Trojan
has a new Chrysler Town and Country
sedan Phil Robinson has a new Oldsmobile
and Earl Beatty has a new Cadillac out in
_
Temple City. -
Enterprise Records have purchased the
ten-press plant at the rear of their. present
establishment from Berger EnterprIses and
will wax for the trade in addition to their
own labels. This discery has signed two
new artists: Dorothy Claire, who just com-
pleted a theatrical tour with Tommy Dorsey,
and Del Courtney. Firm reports heavy sales
on Open the Door, Richard. Artist ,is Dick
Peterson (former Spike Jones drul]lmer)
and his "Vocal Yokels."
- Expansion is the keynote at M. S. WoH
Distributing Co. The firm has annexed two
exclusive distributorships: Genco for Cali-
fornia, Oregon, Washington, and A!izon?;
and Williams Mfg. Co., Northern Cahforma,
Oregon, and Washington, ... Louis Stoken.
former record and punch board sales repre-
sentative, is now on tbe Wolf payroll, giving
Southern California, Eastern Nevada, and
Arizona once-monthly coverage. . . . Two
new office workers have been added to the
force,to handle mounting business: Rosalie
Ryan and Bee Lou Thurman. • • . Mrs.
Golden Williams has been appointed man-
ager of California Amusement Co., the
firm's operating" branch in San Diego . . . .
A. A. Silberman, general manager, returned
from a two-week jaunt to the Northwest
and reports that AMI's wired music system,
Automatic Hostess, is receiving fine operator
reception. M. S. (Bill) Wolf, president of
the company, predicts big things for Genco's
Advance Roll, an improved version of
Total Roll.
Jack Rosen, top man at Superior Record-
ing Co., has returned from a trip to King
Record Co., Cincinnati, where he arranged
1947 pressing schedules for Kil}g and Queen
platters. Superior waxes these two labels for
.
the West Coast trade.
Recent visitor to the Glamour City was
Bill Marmer of Sicking, Inc. Marmer's
two-week business trip was punctuated with
pleasurable jaunts to Las Vegas, Palm
Springs, and Riverside. Jack Simon, co-
partner of the local office, accompanied
Marmer on his sojourn, albeit with a slight
limp, caused by a boil in a region which is
unnamable in a trade journal.
Capitol Adds Benny Goodman
HOLLYWOOD-Benny Goodman, his
clarinet and his orchestra have switched
allegiance from Columbia to Capitol. Good-
man, who rose to the heights in the early
days of swing and stayed there when
imitators and competitors crowded the field,
has played professionally since he was 12.
He signed with Columbia in 1939.
Permo Movie Is Show Treat
CHICAGO-"Points of Distinction," Per-
mo, Inc.'s $30,000 sound movie, will be
shown continuously at the Sherman Hotel
during the four convention days.
The movie presents an educational but
inter~sting story of how Permo needles art>
manufactured.