Volume 12 , Issue 25

Smith Brothers of Canton OK

Roy of Perry, Oklahoma submitted this article concerning the Smith brothers at Canton, Oklahoma. Roy also says, "Our rains have quit for the time being. My rain gauge here at home, in Perry, Oklahoma had 1-6/10 inches this morning (June 15, 2010, Tuesday).

Here is what Roy says about the Smith brothers, "Bob and Charles (Smith) were twins. I did not know Charles wife and family. They operated a drive-in theatre at Wynnewood, but Charles worked with his twin brother at Theater Poster Service when it was located on West California Street just south of 'film row", in downtown Oklahoma City when I first knew them.

I think that I was still working as a teenager for "Pug" Hawkins at the Ritz Theatre at Britton, Oklahoma. At that time these brothers had the most fantastic independent collection of movie posters in the nation so far as I know.

Bob Smith and his wife Pauline lived in an apartment with their little daughter at their Grand Theatre in Canton, Oklahoma, as I recall. They operated that movie house on the weekends while servicing, renting posters to movie houses all over America from their storage building in Oklahoma City.

The brothers were always wanting to buy used paper posters from theatres who had purchased extras from National Screen Service or other suppliers, and Bob also collected the old 3"x4" glass StereOptican slides. I now have some slides and some antique machines to show them on.

When so many of the small town movie houses began closing and the industry claimed that TV was destroying the business (it didn't), the Smiths moved their business to a warehouse near their theatre in Canton, Oklahoma. Charles quit that part of the business. Bob and Pauline's daughter had grown up and married a young Columbia Picture's film salesman as I recall.

I was later told that after Bob and Pauline had passed away (this is hearsay, I have no proof) that the daughter's husband had all the advertising moved to the Houston area, divorced her and left her with almost nothing. He then made a fortune selling movie memorabilia to collectors.

If you have occasion to watch The Movie Club with B. J. Wexler on the educational network, O.E.T.A. you can see a photo of Bob and Pauline while they were on vacation in Hollywood. It is shown in the background in each and every show.   |  View or Add Comments (1 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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