Edwin_Silverman

Edwin Silverman

Edwin Silverman

American businessman

Edwin Silverman (1898 – February 12, 1970) was an American businessman who co-founded the Essaness Theatres chain and founded WSNS-TV.

Quick Facts Born, Died ...

Biography

Silverman was born to a Jewish family in Chicago.[1] He worked as a poster clerk at the First National Pictures Corp. where he eventually became general sales manager of Warner Bros. after it took control of First National Pictures.[1]

In 1929, he co-founded the Essaness Theatres Corporation in Chicago with Sidney M. Spiegel Jr., grandson of Joseph Spiegel, founder of the Spiegel catalog.[1] The name is a play on the founder's last names Silverman & Spiegel with S&S becoming ESS-AN-ESS. The company eventually owned 33 theaters in the Chicago area.[1] He was also the founder of WSNS-TV channel 44 in Chicago[1] (SNS mirrors the pronunciation of "Essaness"). He retired to Palm Springs where he was a supporter of the Desert Hospital.[1]

By 1984, the chain operated 86 movie screens in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.[2]

Personal life

He had one daughter, Susan, and two sons, Jack and Alan, both executives of Essaness. He was buried at the Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago.[1]

References

  1. [1]
    Desert Sun: "Edwin Silverman Services Set Saturday in Chicago Number 163, 12 February 1970
  2. [2]
    "Movie Theater Tests TV Technique". New York Times. October 2, 1984.
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