Veteran Cinema Consultant retiring, Oberleitner Associates closing doors

posted by Michael Zoldessy on August 15, 2013 at 10:45 am

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Cinema consultant and film historian, Jack Oberleitner, entered the movie business as an usher in a small theatre in New Castle, Pennsylvania in 1959. Oberleitner stated several reasons for this heartfelt decision in an open letter to friends, associates, and customers on the Oberleitner Associates website. An extract from his letter follows" “…I am retiring for several reasons. First, I’ll celebrate my 70th birthday on August 26,2013. Second, my eyesight is getting critically worse. As some of you know, my eye problems go back to the Vietnam years. I spent more than a year in Valley Forge Army Hospital in 1968. I’ve had more than a dozen surgeries since then There’s been a lot of ups and downs since then; however, I have made a nice life, as an author, in the theatrical world, and business consultancy, ever since those days back in the 60’s.

While I have enjoyed visual stability for the past few years, my eyesight is now noticeably and critically worsening. I have a 36" computer monitor from which I have to sit about 3 inches away to read the screen. It’s time to pull the plug.

I have much to be thankful for including a wonderful family and friends and our first grandson “coming soon!”

There have been a lot of people in the movie business I hold dear in my memory. Some of these people include: Leo Mickey, George Stern Norman Mervis, Paul Simendinger, Lou Silverman, Arlene Weiner, Peter Wellman, Tom Poling, Jenny Cowperthwaite, Mike and Philip Chakeres, Grant Frazee and Fred Sweirtzer, the entire staff of the Memorial Theatre , the Capitol Theatre and countless projectionists and stagehands who shared many great theatre stories with me. I’m sorry if I’ve forgotten anyone. Thanks for the memories!

I have many plans for my grandson and grandchildren that may follow. I have stories to re-tell him/them. I have the riches of my music, my talking books and, of course, going to the movies…I’m the one in the second row squinting at the screen :–) . I hope to put a big screen projection TV in our rec-room when funds and circumstances permit. It will be nice to be surrounded by Bogie and Bacall, Bugs and Daffy, Fay and Kong anytime I want to escape.

I am still planning on staying involved in the Warner Brothers first theatre project, in New Castle, PA, which is a true labor of love.

Thanks to all of you who have been my business associates, partners, customers and friends. It’s been a Wonderful Life! I hope some of you will keep in touch. To the others, hail and farewell. And always remember,

The show must go on

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