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Health & Fitness

Greendale Review Newspaper - Revisited Week 34 - 10/7/39 to 10/21/39

With this year being the 75th anniversary I thought it might be interesting as well as fun to look back at Greendale’s beginnings from the viewpoint of its own residents and local news stories of the day. Every Thursday through the end of the year, I will be posting humorous, relevant or just interesting stories from Greendale’s original newspapers.

The following selected stories are copied exactly as they were originally written (including some misspellings) unless otherwise noted. Some may be shortened with “…”. They will be in bold and italicized type.

Also, just a reminder - Greendale first opened to residents on May 1, 1938

Find out what's happening in Greendalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

GREENDALE REVIEW – Wednesday, October 7, 1939

 “Inside Story” Of The Theatre – Continued

Find out what's happening in Greendalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

   Projection Room Made Fireproof

   Greendale’s theatre has one of the best equipped projection rooms to be found anywhere. Cost was not the first consideration in furnishing the projection room—entertainment was paramount.

   Two of the latest streamlined projection machines are employed in “showing the pictures”. Resembling small sterilizers, that are used in hospitals, more than the small movie projector that is commonly seen in the hands of amateur movie picture takers, the projectors are a marvel in themselves. A book could be written on them alone. The largest part of the projector is the arc lite chamber. The smallest part houses the “exciter” lamp and the photoelectric cell. A terrifically bright blue light is created, by an electric arc, which develops a light equivalent to what might be reproduced by a four or five thousand watt bulb. The arc light produces the most steady, concentrated, near-day light shade of light that is known to date. The carbons producing this light are electrically driven to insure a uniform intensity. A giant glass mirror focuses the light on a lens which passes through the film and from there is shown on the screen. Film travels through the projectors at a rate of 90 feet per minute. The arc light chamber has a separate ventilating system to carry off the poisonous gasses it generates. After the light passes through the film it passes through a special flat glass, highly polished, which covers the port holes. This eliminates sound from the projection room from entering the theatre.

   What is believed to be an innovation in modern theatres is the office of the theatre manager located in the foyer of the Greendale theatre. Here the manager welcomes the theatre-goers and is ever ready to attend to his needs.

   Manager A Resident

   Erwin Koenigsreiter, 6300 Schoolway, is Greendale’s theatre manager. Koenigsreiter is married and has one son. Before coming to Greendale he was manager of the Palace theatre in Milwaukee, where he literally grew up in theatre work, starting as an usher when he was 16 years old. He has worked in practically all the large theatres in Milwaukee and his hobby is taking amateur movies, what he frequently shows to the theatre-goers of Greendale. He is also a member of the national movie-men’s club for the profession, called the Variety Club, whose purpose is to act as a charitable organization for the nation’s children.

(Editor’s Note: The foregoing is the first in a series of descriptions of what goes on “behind the scene” in our business district. Watch for another in the near future.)

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   Twenty members of the Greendale Woman’s Club visited the Parklawn housing project on Thursday, September 28.

   The women were conducted through several types of units, and the club house where they were served cake and coffee by the Parklawn Mother’s Club.

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GREENDALE REVIEW – Saturday, October 21, 1939

   “Greater Value Days” Coming Nov. 1 to 4

   Local Business Men Plan Annual Event; Bargains To Be Offered

   At a recent meeting of the Business Men’s Association, an annual event was planned. November 1 to 4 inclusive, will be known as “Greendale Greater Value Days”, and during this time each merchant of the association has pledged real savings to the people. Prices will be lowered and genuine values are assured.

   Window displays will be especially attractive during this time and every resident is urged to view them.

   The slogan adopted by the group of business men is “A Golden Opportunity for Great Savings”, and customers will find bargains in every business enterprise on Broad Street.

  If the plan meets with success and with the approval of the people, similar events will be held throughout the year.

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   CHILDREN TO HAVE HALLOWEEN PARTY

   Halloween with its chamber of horrors, its witches and black cats will soon be here, and so, on Tuesday, the thirty-first of October, the children of the village of Greendale will be invited to participate in a parade. Good wholesome fun will be the order of the day. On Wednesday morning all residents can proudly say that their children had plenty of fun with no broken windows or fences to consider.

   This year there will be two parades— the first one beginning at 7 p.m. and led by all children of the village through the third grade, followed by the second parade at 7:30 to be composed of all children and young people from the fourth grade through the high school. The King of Witchland will lead his knights from the north entrance of the community building where the parades will form, through the gymnasium where two surprises will be given to each child participating, and continue through the dark passage known as the woods. Unless the noise is too great, eerie ghosts and goblins will loiter around each post and tree, at least in the imagination.

   Robert Taylor, the village Chief of Police, is cooperating whole heartedly in this program, and promises to have the necessary streets barricaded so traffic hazards will be at a minimum.

   Parents of all children below the fourth grade are urged to impress upon their children that parade is their fun, and their party. There will be no further program for them, and as the parade is finished they will be sent home, but the members of the second parade will return to the gymnasium for further entertainment.

   The committee with Mrs. Alta Mason as chairman, is doing its utmost to make this party a gala success, and with each Greendale resident cooperating, there will be fun for all, and destruction for none.

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Next week – Display House To Be Rented.

Thanks to the Greendale Historical Society, for which I am a member, for providing the original newspapers.

Steve Peters




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