THE CAUGER FAMILY’S FILM SERVICE: A LONG LEGACY IN ENGLEWOOD
Sign adorned 10922 E. Winner Rd. Indep., MO. 1948 - 1970. Photo from the collection of A. Scott Cauger.
In this month’s E-Journal, Scott Cauger, Jackson County Historical Society board member, details the history of his family’s film production business which operated for years in the Englewood district of Independence.
Scott’s father, the late Theadore “Ted” Cauger, Sr., who for a decade served as the historical society’s treasurer, operated the business begun by his father, Arthur Vern “A.V.” Cauger, whose career in the film industry began when he operated a nickelodeon in downtown Kansas City in the early 1900s.
Jackson County can boast of a rich film industry legacy, which includes the “Film Row” district of Kansas City, where Hollywood film studios coordinated the distribution of motion pictures throughout the Midwest. Yet the story of the Cauger family film business is unique in the range of services it offered, which included the production of commercials for small business clients, to the eastern Jackson County distribution of feature films produced by the Hollywood film industry.
BY A. SCOTT CAUGER
I am Arthur Scott Cauger, grandson of my namesake the late Arthur Vern Cauger, called “A.V.” by his friends and business colleagues and affectionately the “Boss” by his former employee and lifetime friend Walt Disney. I am the youngest son of the late Theadore R. Cauger, Sr., “Ted” or “Father” and Melba Jean (Scott) Cauger called “Melba” or “Mother.” My father was Treasurer of the Jackson County Historical Society (“JCHS”) twelve (12) years and for decades both my parents were active, contributing members.
I read with great interest and pleasure Brent Schondelmeyer’s article, “A New Day for the Old Englewood” in the April JCHS “Monthly News” (E-Journal) and will quote or refer to that wonderful article from time to time looking back on the history of the theater and motion picture productions in what is today the Englewood neighborhood of Independence.
My family has a long history of association with the Englewood Theater – starting day one on its storied “gala opening”, July 7, 1949. I have no doubt that July was “hot as a firecracker” as Mr. Schondelmeyer states but so was the family’s theater screen advertising, servicing, and movie distribution business that, I am told, was “catching on fire” at the same time as well.
My late father was owner and President of A.V. Cauger Service Inc. (1948-1960), a business in Hollywood movie distribution and film advertising production (live and animated commercials) for theaters and television. A. V. Cauger Service, Inc. (“Film Service”) was founded by my late grandfather Arthur Vern in April 1933 as the successor film company to others he started in Kansas City as an early pioneer in film at the turn of the 20th century.
A. V. CAUGER SERVICE, INC. camera crew outside on location in Englewood in front of 10912 E. Winner Road (now “Four Corners Framed Art”) advertising R. W. Kelley Window Shade and Venetian Blind Co. business in general and “Zonolite Insulation” in particular. R. W. Kelly started business in Englewood in the early 1950s. Photo from the collection of A. Scott Cauger.
Film Service operated under my dad’s stewardship from 1948 until early 1960 headquartered out of its national office in Englewood, Independence at the 10922 E. Winner Road building (now the Englewood Row Gallery and Art Space). From this and other earlier business locations in Kansas City my grandfather and father pioneered motion picture cartoon film advertising, among other film endeavors and innovations. Ted Sr. resumed full operations of the Film Service theater servicing, movie distribution, and film production business September, 1948 (after returning from service in World War II), the same year he and his mother purchased the building for its new national headquarters opposite the Englewood Theater on East Winner Road. Film Service under my father’s leadership was known for producing live and cartoon commercial ads, documentaries, short movie subjects, sales and other training films. While Film Service motion picture production business was dormant during most of World War II the family theater servicing network and movie distribution business remained active under the stewardship of my late grandmother Nina M. Cauger (A.V. Cauger’s wife - A. V. passed away October 27, 1945). As Mr. Schondelmeyer notes in his earlier piece average weekly movie attendance post-World War II peaked at 90 million from 1946-1948.
THEATER OPENING DAY THURSDAY JULY 7, 1949
I have one of the original “suede –covered souvenir program” from the theater “gala opening” passed down to me by my parents. The Program brought back recollections shared with me from my paternal grandmother and my parents and from many personal memories as well.
A Scott Cauger Englewood Collection.
My parents and grandmother Nina (pronounced with a long “I”) not only personally participated in the Englewood Theater opening day festivities but Film Service supported its planning by buying a full-page ad in the program (accompanying photo). The ad proudly stated, “CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST WISHES to J. A. Becker of the Associated Theatres, and Homer Vaughn of the Englewood Enterprises on the opening of the beautiful ENGLEWOOD THEATRE on the ENGLEWOOD PLAZA. We are proud to be a part of Englewood, our wishes are for continued progress and success.” Whether our family’s coveted copy of the program was complimentary (a la ad) or acquired at the theater opening events has been lost in time. Mother and Grandmother attended the afternoon open house together while my father was attending to business that weekday. Later my father and grandmother participated in the 7:00 PM opening “Dedicatory Program” (Mother was home with my older brother Teddy who was just 5 months old at the time). My guess is that my hard-working father returned to the office across the street after the theater dedication while my independent, fun-loving grandmother stayed to enjoy the movie show in the cool “comfort de luxe” of the theater (Souvenir Program “Pleasure Supreme Comfort De Luxe, p. 1).
The opening night at the Englewood Theater featured the cartoon “Donald Duck in “Sea Salts”, comedy short “Swim Parade” and a “Warner Brothers News” newsreel in addition to the Warner Brothers feature film “Colorado Territory.” “Sea Salts” was a new 1949 animated short (7 ½ minutes) by Walt Disney Productions in a shipwreck misadventure with Donald Duck and another animated character (“Mac” the Beetle) as sole survivors. True to form, Donald misbehaves in his usual mischievous, selfish, and temperamental self, first on a raft and then again on a deserted island before being rescued. The film short “Swim Parade” is a live-action movie short subject about sports (approximately 9 minutes), featuring Olympic swim champion and famous “Tarzan” screen actor Johnny Weissmuller, directed and written by Robert Youngson. Youngson was a famous film producer, director, and screenwriter who created a series of film shorts for Warner Brothers from 1948 through 1956.
Being a lifelong newshound, I always enjoyed the theater “Newsreels” with the dramatic, crisp, hard-hitting narrative and vivid photography. Occasionally my father would point out newsreel film clips that Film Service shot on behalf of national news wires like UP (United Press), INS (International New Service), UPI (United Press International), AP (Associated Press), and Reuters.
It’s more likely than not that Film Service provided both feature movies the week of the opening gala – "Colorado Territory” that Thursday and “Portrait of Jenny” the following Sunday. Film Service was in the business of Hollywood movie distribution since 1933 (and prior to that when it was known as United Film Service, Inc.) in addition to doing film production (live action and animation) for theaters and television – as illustrated in the accompanying photo of its actual Englewood business sign.
ASSOCIATED THEATRES, INC. CONTRACT
By 1912 Kansas City had 81 movie theaters with an average weekly attendance of 449,064, almost twice the official city population. Nationwide there were thousands of movie theatres vying for the latest film movie release. Distributing new movie film releases to such a vast number of far-flung theaters across the country was a major studio challenge and arduous job. How did the major movie studios disseminate copies of motion picture films (along with movie posters) to interested American theaters? Hollywood and New York movie studios used local or regional motion picture distribution companies like Film Service to arrange film placement under agreements with theater operators, like Associated Theatres, Inc.
It’s not surprising that Film Service added film distribution into its business plan. Grandfather A. V. Cauger started out in the film and slide business as a “motion picture film exhibitor” (theater operator) himself (after trying various other enterprises including oil wildcatter). In 1907 my grandfather, became a “nickelodeon” film exhibitor in Granite City, Ill. working as a “Jack Rabbit” - the nickname for early theater operators who showed single-reel films in successive empty storefronts improvised with folding chairs and a screen or curtain set up. Nickelodeon patrons paid a nickel to watch a one- reel film roughly 15 minutes in duration from a single projector. The business of film exhibition then was young, creative, uninhibited and competition was fierce. A. V. later moved his business to Carlyle, Illinois, and then to Neosho, Missouri. A. V. Cauger survived as a nickelodeon exhibitor by creatively adding music and interspersing film with live stage performance (vaudeville), slides (news, sing-along song, inspirational, aesthetic/artistic and commercial), and film ad trailers.
At one time or another over a period of 35 years Film Service (and its predecessor companies) had agreements with all the major Hollywood (and earlier) New York film studios for movie distribution (as early as the mid 1920s). When A. V. Cauger Service, Inc. was sold in spring 1960 to Alexander Film Co. it had 525 network theaters in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Southern Illinois.
Even before the Englewood Theater opening gala of July 7, 1949, Film Service had a theater screen advertising, servicing, and motion picture film distribution agreement with Associated Theatres, Inc. for movie placement to their other four theaters in Independence, (Granada, Plaza, Maywood, and Electric) before adding the Englewood Theater to its expanding portfolio. The Becker family, owners of Associated Theatres, were Cauger family business partners and personal acquaintances for decades. One memory I have as a kid going to the Englewood Theater every time our father would take us kids is seeing the ticket taker wave us in for free!
ADS AND MOVIE SHORTS
I patronized the Englewood Theatre for about 20 years from the mid-1950’s until the mid-1970’s viewing 100 film movies there or more. It was common during evenings on work-days for one of my parents to walk my brother and I over to the theater to watch a show while they were working late at the office on some ad or other film production.
The theatre souvenir program from the Englewood’s 1949 opening brought back memories when the silver screen was wonderful entertainment and more than just a “picture show.” In the 1950s and early mid-1960s there was a lot of theater entertainment including the billed “On The Screen” films. Film announcements and commercial ads always kicked off the review. “Newsreels” typically followed before a movie short subject. The movie short could be about almost anything - live action sports (e.g. Swim Parade), adventure, or beloved film comedy routines (Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, the Marx Brothers, Jerry Lewis, etc.). Next came my favorite – cartoons! Movie “trailers” of upcoming film releases followed that built up excitement for the ensuing feature movie. “Intermission” halfway through the feature movie gave patrons a second opportunity to hit the concession again for snacks (and maybe see a few more commercial film ads).
A.V. CAUGER SERVICE, INC. NEHI Beverage studio-shot Ad 1954 shown in the Englewood Theater to advertise the beverage and to drive concession drink sales. Child actor is the author at three or four years old. The original 35 mm film reel is in the author’s film service collection. Photo from the collection of A. Scott Cauger.
Some of the commercial advertisements, newsreel footage, and film shorts I watched at the Englewood Theater were produced by Film Service – productions that I recognized and may have played an acting part in.
One particular ad specifically for the silver screen that was shown at the Englewood Theater (as well as many others) was a NEHI beverage commercial around 1954 (I was about three years old at the time). As you can see in the accompanying photo the purpose of the ad was to advertise both NEHI pop beverage as well as encourage patron visits to theater concession for snacks by showcasing the latest and most modern fountain-like drink dispenser (see photo with wall sign “At Our Fountain Tasty NEHI ORANGE”). The concession’s studio set was constructed in the Film Service headquarters directly across East Winner Rd. from the Englewood Theater. Although I do not recall acting in this ad my mother tells me I understood when the director said “Action” it meant start drinking the pop but I didn’t quite grasp that “Cut” meant stop the action (stop drinking). So I dutifully polished off each glass of NEHI pop the concession lady poured to the point where I could not drink any more. Anyway, the film ad shoot ended after I said, “I’m full!” I guess that was my way of saying “I’m done!” Ad shoot over!
A.V. CAUGER SERVICE, INC. Orange Crush fruit-flavored drink ad (studio shot) shown in the Englewood Theater featuring both the pop dispenser and a fully-stocked candy counter- also to drive drink and concession sales. Photo from the collection of A. Scott Cauger.
Another theater concession “announcement” ad that my father produced and directed played at the Englewood Theater pitched “Orange Crush Fruit Flavored Drink.” You can see the Orange Crush drink being thoroughly enjoyed by a thirsty posse of cowboys in the accompanying article photo.
A Hy-Tone School Supplies studio ad produced and directed by Film Service in the late 1950s was also shown at the Englewood Theater as well as on television (see accompanying photo featuring Ted Sr. holding the ad script while coaching the young “student” actors). The retail store studio set was constructed at the Film Service headquarters directly across East Winner Rd. from the Englewood Theatre.
A.V. CAUGER SERVICE, INC. studio ad shown at the Englewood Theater and on television for Hy-Tone School Supplies. Like many others this ad was produced and directed in the late 1950s by my father Ted R. Cauger, Sr. when it was also shown at the Englewood Theater as well as on television. Ted R. Cauger, Sr. is holding the ad script while coaching the young “student” actors. Note the male actor is perspiring under the hot studio lights while he rehearses his lines so he is adorned with a cloth towel around his neck to avoid soiling his white shirt and tie before the final ad shoot. Photo from the collection of A. Scott Cauger.
Other local film ads that were shown at the Englewood Theater (as well as other Independence movie venues) advertised local retail merchants doing business right in Englewood, including Earl McHenry’s Appliance Center. McHenry’s had two locations in Englewood, first in 1948 on the south side of East Winner Road in the “Ben Franklin” building and then moving in 1952 into what is now the Puppetry Arts Institute. See the photo accompanying this article with a model “typical house wife” operating the latest in 1950’s window air conditioners (probably a “Fedders”) with my father the ad director and Mr. McHenry looking on. McHenry carried the Fedders line throughout the 1950s and 1960s advertising, “Fedders AC starts cooling off in less than 1 ½ minutes after you carry it home.” “Carton to Cooling in 77 Seconds.” The living room studio set was constructed in the Film Service headquarters directly across east Winner Rd. from the Englewood Theater.
Another Englewood business film ad was for R. W. Kelley Window Shade and Venetian Blind Co. at 10912 E. Winner Road (now “Four Corners Framed Art”). See the article photo showing a Film Service camera crew – again from the 1950s – doing an outdoor ad shoot with an attractive model advertising “Zonolite Insulation”. R.W. Kelley became an Englewood business in the early 1950’s.
A.V. CAUGER SERVICE, INC. air conditioner ad shown in the Englewood Theater for McHenry’s Appliance Center. McHenry was a long-time Englewood retail merchant. Pictured in the photo is Ted. R. Cauger, Sr., Mr. Earl McHenry and a housewife model who is demonstrating that the AC is so easy to operate it can be done without her white gloves even getting dirty! Photo from the collection of A. Scott Cauger.
Another article photo illustrates an on-the-scene film shoot for a movie short shown at the Englewood Theater circa 1958-1960 depicting a winter scene in Blue Springs at Adams Dairy Farm. The title of this corporate movie is “Pony Tail” since the Adams Dairy Farm logo and mascot was a stagecoach pulled by highly popular Shetland ponies. The movie comprised both animation and live action scenes including the history of the pony from the Shetland Islands, Scotland. The movie short contains numerous scenes of the pony-pulled stagecoach at several parades in eastern Jackson County, Missouri, in which Adams Dairy participated. Coincidentally, “Pony Tail” was another film compilation from my early silver screen acting career (with another first grader at Northwood Elementary School, Richard Kolie). In one of the scenes we are seated at a dining table in a kitchen studio set drinking copious amounts of Adams Dairy milk being poured by a perfect model “Mom”. By now, at eight years of age, I understood that “cut” meant I did not have to drain each glass of milk!
A.V. CAUGER SERVICE, INC. camera crew outside on location in Blue Springs, MO. filming a movie short shown at the Englewood Theater circa 1958-60 depicting a winter scene at Adams Dairy Farm. The title of this corporate movie is “Pony Tail” in which the author had an acting part and has in his film service collection (both the original 35 mm film and DVD version). Photo from the collection of A. Scott Cauger.
Finally, an animation ad I saw both in theaters (including the Englewood) and on television is one my father produced and directed that won “First Prize For Animation” at the 1958 Venice Film Festival which showcased (“An Amazing Collection of the World’s Best Theater and Television Commercial Films”). See accompanying photo announcing the award in “The Advertising Club of Denver” publication showing a film animation cell from that advertisement. My father sold the Film Service business in 1960 and went to work for Reid H. Ray Film Industries, Inc. out of St. Paul Minnesota).
OTHER MEMORIES
Film animation ad produced and directed by my Father Ted. R. Cauger, Sr. which was shown at the Englewood Theater and on television that was adapted for use in the US for a savings and loan/ banking business. The theme is about the importance of saving regularly. The film short was either an A. V. Cauger Film Service, Inc. or a Reid H. Ray Film Industries, Inc. animation film after my father sold the film service business in 1960 and went to work from 1960 through 1961 at Reid H. Ray Film Industries, Inc., in St. Paul, Minnesota. Photo from the collection of A. Scott Cauger.
Reading Mr. Schondelmeyer’s Englewood Theater article brought back a couple more personal memories. The original concession, per the Souvenir Program, had the “latest …equipment for the dispensing of popcorn and candy”. I recall the original concession was also accessible from both the lobby and the East Winner Road sidewalk. As long as the theater was open you could enjoy concession refreshments anytime even without a ticket! There was also an “ultra-modern Powder Room with a lounge area for the convenience of the ladies” accessible from the theater lobby and cry room (souvenir program). I recall the “crying room” mentioned in the Schondelmeyer JCHS article behind the last row of seats as you entered the auditorium via the left (east) aisle entrance. It was a room with four rows, four seats each (16 seats total) that had a large, angular plate glass window looking out over the auditorium with a good view of the big screen. The souvenir program says it was for the “convenience of parents with small children.” As a kid, I always thought it was for choked-up patrons overcome with emotion from some sad movie scene or emotional story line. I never knew at the time it was for mothers with crying babies! After a few years I called it the “cut up room” since the only patrons I ever saw use it were young adolescents wanting to talk, cut up, and carry on while the show was in progress.
Finally, I vividly recall how jammed packed with vehicles East Winner Road was after the movie let out of the Englewood Theater and in-between the 7 PM and 9 PM evening shows. On Friday and Saturday nights the traffic in the street was bumper-to-bumper! The Theater would cause a real traffic jam on East Winner Road going east and west every weekend evening with people coming and going. May we live to see that excitement again when the Englewood Theater reopens in the next year or two. Let’s hope that the new “Friends of Englewood” group, headed up by Mr. Schondelmeyer, is successful in bringing that landmark back to life as it was in its hay days of the mid - 20th century! HUZZAH!
Copyright 2025 by A. Scott Cauger
All rights reserved.
A. Scott Cauger is a retired corporate attorney (Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. now a National Grid Co.) and was previously associated with the Three Trails Law Firm Independence, Missouri. Scott is active in the Englewood Arts District where he is President of Englewood Properties, LLC investing in and renovating store front properties in the Englewood- Maywood area. Scott is a current board director of the JCHS.
SOURCES:
♦The New Englewood Theatre July 7, 1949 Souvenir Program
♦A V. Cauger Service, Inc. Photo, File & Document Archives (A. Scott Cauger Collection)
♦ Walt Disney’s Missouri The Roots of a Creative Genius, Burnes, Butler, & Viets, The Kansas City Star Co. 2002
♦ The Credits, Motion Picture Association, August 2015
♦ The Kansas City Star, Sunday, May 8, 1960
♦ Mt. Shadows Mobile Home Park Newspaper, February 1999
♦Disney History Rare & Unknown, Mike Westby, Deschutes River Press 2024
♦ Profit Margins -The American Silent Cinema & Marginalization of Advertising, Jeremy Groskopf, Indiana University Press 2021
♦ TIDE, News Magazine of Sales and Advertising, December 19, 1952
♦ Wikipedia (Sea Salt Disney cartoon, movie short Swim Parade, full length movie Colorado Territory)