The below post was imported from the original Crawford County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical website. Original publish date was January 23, 2013. Author unknown.
A Short History of the Background of the Schine Theater Chain.
The Schine Theater Chain was owned and operated by Junius Myer Schine (February 20, 1890 [1] – May 9, 1971) and his brother Louis Schine (1892-1977), They emigrated from Latvia in 1902 with their mother, Anne. when Myer was an eleven year old and his brother Louis, age nine, and joined their father in the United States. 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. They worked at many different jobs in and around the mills and railroads of Buffalo and Jamestown, New York.
After Louis enlisted in the Army during World War I, Myer discovered the burgeoning motion picture business. In Gloversville, New York, 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. After remodeling and installing new equipment etc., 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. When Louis came home from the War he joined his brother in business. The Schine Brothers were on their way to realizing their fame and fortune in America.
By snapping up screens in the sticks, Meyer and Louie Schine wound up holding nearly a hundred screens in their prime, (none in Cleveland or Cincinnati, but three in Bucyrus). The Schine Theater Chain opened at this Bucyrus location on February 14, 1936 and they still operated it until the early-1960’s. In 1957, Junius named his son Gerard David Schine, better known as G. David Schine (September 11, 1927 – June 19, 1996), as head of Schine Enterprises.
David was born in Gloversville, New York, and was a graduate of Harvard University, he served first in the Army Transport service then in the U.S. Army. In 1963, Junius resumed his position as head of the company. In 1965 the Schine holdings were bought by Lawrence A. Wien and Harry B. Helmsley. Junius died on May 9, 1971 in New York City. David Schine was killed in Los Angeles, California in 1996 as a passenger in a private plane, which experienced an engine failure shortly after take-off, and died with his wife and one son; they were the only three on the plane.
(excerpted from Wikipedia & other online sources)
