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The brothers worked a succession of jobs in and around Buffalo and Jamestown, New York. They toiled in the mills; they were candy butchers 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. Remember Harry King? He passed away in 1965, still employed by the Schine Theaters.
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While the Schine Brothers were busy building their theater empire, Hildegarde Feldman was growing up in Johnstown with her four brothers. Her parents, Morris and Martha Feldman, had a successful furniture store there. By the time Hildegarde was fifteen, she was an excellent singer and musician. She played the banjo, mandolin, cornet, piano and violin. One night, dressed in a tangerine gown, she performed at the Glove Theatre in an Elks' Minstrel Show. She received a box of roses that night from a man fourteen years older than her. That man was J. Myer Schine. In 1918, Hildegarde decided to seriously pursue her interest in music and attended The Castle, a private conservatory in Tarrytown. There she studied voice and piano. Returning home, she formed an all-girl band and played at school and community functions. In 1921, she graduated from Johnstown High School and opened her first studio to give piano instructions. Also that year, on her 18th birthday, Hildegarde went on her first date with Myer. They had dinner together, afterwards attending "The Return of Peter Grimm" at the Hudson Theatre in Schenectady. Hildegarde continued her studies at Syracuse University where she developed a keen appreciation for the arts and entertainment. She was an excellent student, graduating in 1925 with degrees in both liberal and fine arts. During this time, Myer was still pursuing Hildegarde as well as his own career. He and Louis had opened over 70 movie theaters by the time he proposed to her. On August 30, 1925, Myer and Hildegarde were married. It was a match which proved opposites attract, for Myer was as much an introvert as Hildegarde was outgoing. It was also a match made in heaven, as they were devoted to each other and partners in every way. Hildegarde once said, "He was the businessman and I was the friendly person, mixing with people and talking with them. I've always liked people, and done what I can to help them with their problems."
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In 1939, the Schines began wintering in Florida and bought a house in Miami. Myer came home one day in 1945 and announced, "I've just bought the Roney Plaza Hotel." Hildegarde replied, "How can you buy a hotel when I don't even have a cook?" The McAllister and the Gulf Stream Hotels soon followed. Once they moved into the Roney, they quickly became socially active, hosting cultural events and entertaining well-known personalities. In 1946, they purchased the Boca Raton Hotel. At the time, it was a private men's club occupied by the Army. Boca Raton was a town of only 700 people. Once the soldiers left, the Schines completely refurbished the property and opened it up to the general public for the first time. By 1948, Myer & Hildegarde had moved from Miami into the Boca Raton Hotel & Club. This was the beginning of a glorious era during which they entertained luminaries from around the world. Composer Irving Berlin, Actress Cobina Wright, The Duke of Windsor, and studio moguls Louis B. Meyer, Harry Warner, Spiro Skouras and Joseph Schenk were but a few of the Schine's guests.
Eventually, through Schine Enterprises, Inc., Myer & Hildegard owned and operated a total of fifteen hotels across the United States. Besides the four Florida hotels, there were five in New York: the Queensbury in Glens Falls, the Ten Eyck in Albany, the Gideon Putnam in Sarasota and the Schine Inns at Forest Hills and at Massena. There were two in Massachusetts: the Schine Inn at Chicopee and the Hotel Northampton & Wiggins Tavern in Northampton. Finally, there were the Western Skies Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico; the Schine Airport Hotel in Windsor Locks, Connecticut; the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey and the Ambassador Hotel & Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles, California.
Life was grand for the Schines, who had reached the pinnacle of success. They had four children: Doris, David, Renee and Richard, and eighteen grandchildren. They played a major role in their community. They held the first Boca Raton art exhibits, which developed into the Boca Raton Art Guild. They donated their time, talent, money, and even real estate to create the Boca Raton Library and Art Center. While taking pride in their community, the Schines also contributed on a national level, donating generously to the War Fund, the Red Cross, the Humane Society and many other cultural and charitable organizations. Many thanks to author Karen Colizzi Noonan (ebersonian@aol.com)for her contributions to this site. Karen is currently writing a fascinating book about the Schine brothers and the rise and fall of their movie theatre empire. If you have any Schine stories, photos or other memorabilia you would like to share with us, we would love to hear from you. To see pictures of some of the Schine Theatres and Hotels, please click on the links below.
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