Concept
of a biographical sketch by Rolf Hofmann, based on own research
The Saenger Brothers once played an important role in the early days of American Film History, but they are nearly forgotten today. Their grandfather was Rabbi Jonas Seanger (1803 – 1880) in Buttenwiesen (Bavaria). Their father Israel Saenger (1841 – 1918) had emigrated to North America and settled for a while in Norfolk in Virginia, where his sons Julian Henri and Abraham were born. Around 1890 the family moved to Shreveport in Louisina, where Israel Saenger served as Rabbi for the Hebrew Zion Community for the next ten years. His two sons studied pharmacy and opened their own business in Shreveport, the "Saenger Drug Company", with a 24 hours service, a remarkable and unique aspect in these days.
In
1911 the brothers Julian Henri and Abraham founded the "Saenger Amusement
Company". They started building and managing Vaudeville Theatres with
additional movie performances. Movies then were only a few minutes long and
without sound. But soon the great era of stillfilm movies started, and movies
developed a better quality and became longer in duration. The construction of
movie theatres became profitable, and evenings in the movie theatres were regarded
as highly attractive social events. In 1919 the "Saenger Amusement
Company" had settled in New Orleans, the amazing and bustling metropolis
on the Mississippi. The Saenger Brothers offered first class entertainment in a
theatre with outstanding splendid interior. The auditorium with its spectacular
historic palace fronts along the walls and the blue star spangled sky on top of
all reminded of ancient roman architecture. Visitors were accompanied to their
seats by ushers in uniforms and performances were preceded by life orchestra
music. Today the Saenger Theatre at Canal Street in New Orleans still exists in
its original splendor and recalls the glamour of the Golden Twenties. Still a
very fine place for high level entertainment and one of America's most
beautiful theatres of the past.
Towards
the end of the Twenties the Saenger Brothers owned about 300 movie theatres in
the Southern States and the Caribean, but for some reasons it became obvious
that the days of this fabulous Movie Empire would come to an end. These were
the days of Prohibition and Mafia in the United States of America. In 1929
Paramount Pictures Corporation bought the Saenger Brother's Movie Empire, right
before the Stock Exchange had its black friday and the country fell into a deep
depression. Adolph Zukor, hungarian jew and big boss of Paramount then,
strangely enough not even mentioned this transaction in his biography, the
Saenger Empire disappeared mysterously noiseless. And so was Julian Henry
Saenger's unexpected and sudden death in 1932 at the age of 59. Strange rumours
of family members point out that his death might have occurred not the way it
was discribed officially in the newspapers. Julian Henry, one of the movie
princes in his days, was not interred in New Orleans but in Shreveport, near
his parents graves.
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