Boxoffice-March.06.1948

: March
St. Louis Old-Timers Recall Days
When $15 Bought Film for a Week
Pioneers of l!ic motion picture industry in the St. Louis area were guests at a dinner
given by the St. Louis Variety Club recently. Top photo, left to right in the
back: John Rees, Wellsville, Mo.; Joe Litvag of the Apollo Theatre, St. Louis; Louis
Kerasotes, Springfield; John Karzis, who gave St. Louis its first permanent motion
picture house, the World's Dream, early in 1906; Gus Kerasotes, Springfield, and
Harry Kahan, lilm delivery service operator the last 32 years.
Bottom photo: Joe Smith, booking agent and veteran circus and vaudeville performer
who played most of the St. Louis theatres 40 years ago; Sam Levin, co-owner
of the Esquire and Norside, St. Louis, and chairman of the Variety entertainment
committee; Tommy James, chief barker, who opened the first tent shows in St.
Louis; Fred Wchrenberg, king for the day. Theatre Owners of America chairman,
who opened the first film house in St. Louis in 1906; Mrs. Bessie Schulter, owner
of the Columbia and Roxy theatres, St. Louis, who was queen for the day, and (head
shown in corner) John Rees.
By DAVE BARRETT
ST. LOUIS—Veterans of the motion picture
industry in the St. Louis territory
turned time backward at the Variety Club's
luncheon last week to regale the youngsters
present with their tales of 16-ounce beers
for five cents, with free lunch on the side;
tent show cashiers who fired the cannon
ball stoves and swept the snow off the tent
as part of their nightly routine; comedians
rolling 'em In the aisles for $3 a night, and
the days when a
week's supply of film could
be had for $15.
Mrs. Bessie Schulter, owner of the Columbia
Theatre and other St. Louis houses,
as queen of the day, was the only woman
veteran in attendance.
Fred 'Wehrenberg, who started his exhibition
career in 1906 with a theatre as
an adjunct of his neighborhood grocery and
tavern, was king for the day. His co-king
the day, Barney Rosenthal, manager for
for
Monogram, was unable to attend, since he
was released from the Jewish hospital on
that day after a three-week illness.
At the head table, in addition to Queen
Bessie and King Fred were Tommy James,
who started with a tent show at 16th and
Chestnut streets about 1914, currently the
chief barker of the Variety Club; John Rees,
Wellsville, Mo.; Joe Litvag, owner of the
Apollo, St. Louis: Louis and Gus Kerasotes,
Springfield; John Karzin, who gave St.
Louis its first permanent motion picture
house, the 'World's Dream, back in 1906, and
now retired from the business; Harry Kahan,
who has been delivering films for 32 years
and still giving service; Sam Levin, who is
interested in the Esquire, Norside, Lexington
and Palm theatres, and Joe Smith,
veteran circus and vaudeville performance
and currently booking floor show acts.
Smith got a real hand when he announced
that he would supply acts free for contemplated
midnight performances in various
theatres to raise money for the Variety
Club's heart fund.
Other old-timers in attendance, included
Fred Keller, who as manager of O. T.
Crawford's film exchange sold Fred Wehrenberg
a two-piece Edison projection machine
for $140 and, as Fred put it: "I
thought he was robbing me." Keller is now
in the insurance and advertising fields but
confessed that he still has a warm spot in
his heart for pictures.
Joe Gallagher, city registrar, a member
of the old Knickerbocker Four, who was on
the bill when Wehrenberg opened his Best
Theatre, the first permanent theatre in
south St. Louis, also was there. He and Bud
Ward and Jimmy Brown sang a number of
old songs in the style popular with the
nickelodeon and tent show audiences.
Christ Zotos recalled that he bought the
World's Dream from John Karzin about
1908 and a year later took over the Retina,
which he sold to Tommy James a short time
afterward. Zotos then bought the old Pathe
Theatre and two years later had the old
Family Theatre. He went to Greece in 1919
but returned to St. Louis and the film exhibition
field in 1920. He now runs the
Roosevelt.
Mrs. Schulter told of her start as a 15-
year-old girl as inspector for the William
H. Swanson exchange at $6 week. She
a
worked nights as cashier for Harry Koplar's
Montgomery Tent show. Wehrenberg recalled
the first night he met Bess when
she reported the night's receipts as "not so
good, only $18," to Han-y Koplar as they
were seated on a bench in the tent. She
told of standing in the snow to sell tickets
and of firing the four cannon stoves prior
to the start of the night's show in the winter
time.
MIKE NASH MISSES PARTY
In 1920 when she was a booker for Universal
she entered the exhibition field as a
co-owner with Joe Litvag in the Ashland
Theatre. The theatre had 800 seats and the
adjoining airdome seated 1,200 on benches.
In the summer, when it rained, it was a real
problem to get the 1,200 persons from the
airdome into the 800-seat theatre, she recalled.
Their scale was 10 and 15 cents and
later went to 11 and 17 cents when the first
federal tax was imposed. Special pictures
rated a 20-cent admission. She built the
Columbia Theatre in 1926.
Harry Nash, who runs a theatre in California,
Mo., took a bow for his father, Mike
Nash, who was a pioneer here and who m
recent years had operated the King Bee
on Jefferson avenue. Mike had a number
of teeth extracted and couldn't be on hand,
so sent his son to pinch hit for him.
B. N. Lueken of the Macklind Theatre
brought regards from his father, now 89 years
old, who was also a pioneer here. Young Lueken
told of sitting on the floor to run handoperated
projectors at the Macklind, which
was opened in February 29, 1920. His father,
he said, purchased a hall interest in the
old Family Theatre for $50, the principal
assets being two projectors and two cannon
ball stoves.
Sol Hankin, veteran film exchange manager
and salesman, recalled an early booking
deal with Gus Kerasotes in Springfield.
Gus refused Hankin a 50-50 deal on a Jesse
James picture. So Sol rented his house for
three days for $120 and then promptly
kicked the admission to 20 cents, after ballyhooing
the picture with lots of paper and
large space in the paper. Gus thought Sol
was trying to ruin him, doubling his admission
scale. Hankin left town with a
profit of $1,000 or $1,200 for the run.
FATHER SOLD SCENERY
Dick VoUand pinch hit for his father, who
sold scenery for most of the early picture
houses of St. Louis. Lester Bena, Warner
Bros, manager, was another young veteran
who took a bow. Lester started as an usher
and singer at the first of a series of Merry
Widow theatres in the 1400-1500 block on
Chouteau avenue.
Messages of regret for their inability to
attend were received from Charles Skouras,
president of National Theatres: Harry C.
Arthur of Fanchon & Marco, and Harry
Miller of Festus, Mo. Several other oldtimers
in the territory also had to sidetrack
plans to attend at the last minute for
various causes, including John Marlowe of
Herrin. 111.: I. W. Rodgers of Cairo, 111.,
and Dominic Frisina and J. Giachetto,
Frisins Amusement Co., Springfield, 111.
Harry Hynes suggested that the old-timers
gathering be made an annual feature of
is Variety Club. It very probable this will
62 BOXOFFICE ;
be
done.
6, 1948