The Schine Brothers

From the large metropolis to the tiny dot on the map, there was always a theater in town. Whether a fancy "opera house" - although vaudeville and burlesque were usually the nightly fare - or just a meeting hall with a make-shift stage, the town's center of activity was often the theater. As the movie business grew from small nickelodeons to grand palaces, the theater continued to be a community meeting place. Entrepreneurs in the new and exciting industry developed chains of movie theaters. One of the biggest and most successful was the Schine Circuit Theaters. The story of their rise to success is worthy of the silver screen. So grab a tub of popcorn and settle back. As the house lights dim, the curtain parts on a Great American Story... in Cinemascope and Technicolor!

In 1902, eleven year old Junius Myer Schine and his brother Louis, nine, joined their father in America, coming from their native Latvia with their mother. The boys spoke no English and the family was not wealthy, but they did possess a strong desire to make something of themselves in their new country. The brothers worked a succession of jobs in and around Buffalo and Jamestown, New York. They toiled in the mills; they were candy +!@#$ ers on the railroad. Louis operated a news stand at the train station. They worked, saved and learned, awaiting an opportunity to start their own business.

After Louis enlisted in the Army during World War I, Myer discovered the burgeoning motion picture business. He wound up in the industrial town of Gloversville, New York. There he met Harry King who was showing silent films in a small upstairs theater. In 1916, the men struck a deal; Harry turned over the lease on the theater to Myer, and Myer promised to give Harry a lifetime job. A handshake was their only legal agreement. Myer remodeled the theater into a clean, comfortable family gathering place. He invested in new equipment and directed all employees to show the utmost courtesy to the patrons. The "New Hippodrome" was soon a thriving success. After buying a second theater in Amsterdam, New York, Myer bought several other theaters in rapid succession. Louis came home from the War and joined his brother in business. The Schine Brothers were on their way to realizing their fame and fortune in America.

Despite very differing personalities, the brothers worked in perfect harmony. Trim and neat, Myer was tough; a cool, analytical businessman. He had a keen intuition about people and hired the best and the brightest employees to fuel his fast growing empire. He continued to develop new properties at an astounding rate. Louis was a real teddy bear; easy-going and charming, plain spoken with a heart of gold. He oversaw day-to-day operations and had the most contact with field personnel. From the home office secretaries to the floor sweeper in the farthest flung theater, everybody loved Louie. Neither brother alone would have been as successful as the two of them together. Before long, the Schine Brothers were juggling up to 150 theaters at a time throughout five states. Often the entire holdings of a small local chain were absorbed into the Schine group at one time. They soon became the largest independent theater chain in the country, and remained so throughout the life of their business.

The Schine empire encompassed many types and styles. There were small neighborhood theaters and opulent atmospheric palaces. Patrons might relax in a peaceful Italinate garden and gaze up at stars winking in a twilight blue sky, with clouds drifting lazily by. In another, crystal chandeliers twinkled softly in the breeze, rich looking furniture graced the lady's and men's lounges. Lush tapestries accented the walls. The grand-master of theater architecture, John Eberson, designed a host of art deco delights for the Schine chain. Chrome moldings set off stunning deco whirls. Bright turquoise, purple, silver and black reflected in ornately decorated mirrors. Modern trim iced doors of bold red and black lacquer. Light fixtures were designed as shooting stars and ringed planets. Each theater sported the obligatory neon-lit-chaser-bulb frenzy of a big marquee. As someone said, "You could have a flea circus on the stage, but those marquee lights made it look like the greatest ! show on earth!" A few still stand; all remain vivid in the memories of their patrons many years later.

Riding an industry tidal wave, the Schine Circuit Theaters had it all except a trendy home office address. The Schine Brothers felt indebted to the City of Gloversville, where it all began for them. After adding a newer downtown theater in Gloversville, "The Glove", the offices on the upper floors became their corporate headquarters. Although satellite offices existed in other cities, the base of operations remained in Gloversville, providing jobs and notoriety. The Schine connections also brought Hollywood to the hometown. Everyone from Charles Laughton and Ann Rutherford to Lassie and Zippy the Chimp made personal appearances, usually in connection with a War Bond drive or a movie premiere. It was truly a golden time.

The Schine employees were an important link in the rapid growth of their business. In the theaters, work days stretched into the wee hours; weekends were mandatory. Managers often got just one day off a week. In the home office, things were always frenzied, bordering on chaotic. But the staff loved it: "You never wanted to call in sick. There was so much fun everyday you were afraid you'd miss something!" reminisced a former secretary. "Every day was like the end of the world." Still, most of the staff worked for the Schine Brothers for 20 or 30 years. Remember Harry King? He passed away in 1965, still employed by the Schine Theaters.

Throughout the 1940's and into the early 1950's, movie theaters were packed on a nightly basis. So what happened? Many factors came into play, but the main culprit was the arrival of television. Suddenly, 2500 seat movie theaters were ghost towns; even racy plots and a scantily clad Jane Russell were not enough to draw a decent attendance. Many of these theaters were converted into other uses. Many fell into disrepair and were eventually razed. It was the end of a golden era and an American Lifestyle. But the legacy of those pioneers remain, and the Schine Brothers' Theaters remain etched in our memories.

About the author:

Karen Colizzi Noonan fell in love with vintage movie palaces as a child, attending movies at the Schine's Geneva NY theater. Since 1988, she has been involved in theater restoration and preservation, and serves on the executive committee of the Theatre Historical Society of America. Considered an authority on the Schine brothers and their theater circuit, Karen has researched and writen extensively on the subject. For further information, Karen may be reached by Email.