FATHERS OF THE SILVER SCREEN - II Michelle Friedman Appel Terry Sever Thomas A. Law endorsements, but that's how the cards fell." Sever will face Democrat Deborah J. Goldberg in November. County commissioners serve two- year terms and are paid $25,111 a year. Issues in the primaries centered on road repairs, on the plans and costs for improving the emergency 911 telephone system and on how the county should manage mental health services. win against Linda Jolicoeur in the 18th District which covers Farmington Hills. Moffitt faces off against Democrat Ryan J. Gesund in November. • Ben Marks-lost in a tight race to Terry Sever for a seat in the 19th District, which covers Farmington, and parts of Farmington Hills and - Southfield. "I'm disappointed, but not dis- traught," said Marks. "We ran a good clean race, and had some very strong ❑ Ross: No To Fie Jewish gubernatorial candidate says primary winner is "at odds with my values." 011 LONNY GOLDSMITH Staff Writer D op oug Ross, third in Tuesday's three-man pri- mary race for the Democratic Party nomi- nation for governor, said Wednesday he does not intend to endorse the winner, Geoffrey Fieger. Ross, the only Jewish candidate for the nomi- nation, finished with 22 percent, behind Geoffrey Fieger's 41 percent, and Larry Owen's 37 percent. An unofficial tally that included 99 percent of the state's 5,611 precincts showed Fieger with 293,139 votes to 267,396 for Owen and 155,104 for Ross. Ross, a former state Doug Ross • senator who also served as Assistant U.S. Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration, said in an interview at his Southfield campaign headquarters that he was no fan of incumbent Republican- John Engler, who easily won renomination for a third term. "I can't vote for Engler," Ross said, "but right now, I don't believe I can vote for Fieger either. His actions are too much at odds with my values." Ross did not attend the Democratic Party's "Victory '98 Breakfast" at the Crown Plaza Pontchartrain in Detroit Wednesday morning because he was not ready to endorse Fieger. ❑ Within a decade after film theaters called nickelodeons opened their doors, Americans flocked to them by the tens of millions. Few existed before 1904. About 9,000 spanned the country only four years later. And by 1910, 26-million weekly patrons attended an hour of films for a nickel or dime. An industry created by Jewish vision and dynamism was to become our nation's first global enterprise. Even today, U.S. motion pictures remain a leading, highly profitable export in worldwide trade. Barney Balaban (1887-1971) fashioned the modern movie theater and rose to the presidency of Paramount Pictures. William Fox (1 879- 1952) formed the Fox Film Corporation that evolved into 20th Century Fox. Jesse Lasky (1880-1958) was the "merger king" of Hollywood who helped expand and develop the entire industry. Max Reinhardt (1873- 1943) introduced impressionism and advanced the star system with the Marlene Dietrich mystique. Others also led the way: CARL LAEMMLE (1867-1939)'b. Laupheim, Germany Immigrating to the U.S. at age seventeen, the former clothing store manager bought a ramshackle Chicago nickelodeon (1906) as a stepping stone to acquiring and refurbishing a dozen more. While building his theater network, Laemmle became a leading regional film distributor driven by higher ambition. In a series of moves, he adroitly merged with a number of smaller film production companies to form an organization later named Universal Studios. While at its helm, Laemmle produced what was among Hollywood's first full-length feature movies: Traffic in Souls, whose smashing success in 1913 revolutionized film making. He was also the first to hire celebrated stage performers such as Mary Pickford--launching the star system by giving screen credits to his talent. Purchased by the Music Corporation of America, Universal is today the world's largest and most profitable packager of TV films. MARCUS LOEW (1870-1927) b. New York City One of the earliest to recognize the immense potential of films, he teamed up with Adolph Zukor in the penny arcade business before branching out to establish the coast-to-coast chain of Leow theaters. In many of his majestic movie palaces he pioneered "mixed media" programs which drew ever - growing audiences by combining live vaudeville with motion picture presentations. In 1920, the Austrian immigrant's son turned movie mogul purchased Metro Pictures Corporation followed by Goldwyn Picture Corporation. From yet another marriage with Louis B. Mayer Pictures came Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, a giant that dominated Hollywood and established it as the center of the world's film industry. Lionized as a prime popularizer of moving pictures, Leow died prematurely at age 57, the first of his illustrious Jewish colleagues to pass away. JACK WARNER (1892-1978) b. London, Ontario, Canada He was the charismatic "showman" among four sons of Benjamin Eichelbaum, a Polish-born peddler. With older brothers Harry, Albert and Samuel, he joined a motion picture dynasty that became a powerhouse of cinematic invention and innovation. The Warners entered the Hollywood scene after great success in acquiring movie theaters and film distribution. And while heading up studio production, Jack filmed the first talkie with dialogue and music: The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson (1927). The feat was repeated in a landmark color feature two years later. Warner Brothers Pictures went on to mesmerize movie goers with gangster films like Little Caeser with Edward G. Robinson (1930) and breathtaking musical jubilees by Busby Berkeley. More recently, the company formed Time Warner Inc. by merging with Time Inc., creating the world's largest news media/entertainment conglomerate. —Saul Stadtmauer Visit many more notable Jews at our website: www.dorledor.org COMMISSION FOR THE DISSEMINATION OF JEWISH HISTORY Walter & Lea Field, Founders/Sponsors Irwin S. Field, Co-chairperson Harriet F. Siden, Co-chairperson Detroit Jewish News 8/7 1998 11