LOUIS NOVY – INTERSTATE THEATRES
That’s Louie with Vaudeville legend, Ted Lewis, who was famous for his “stovepipe” hat and the saying, “Is everybody ready? Called “Mr. Entertainment”, he was a famous bandleader in pre-1930’s “hot jazz” era.
Louis Novy managed Karl Hoblitzelle’s Interstate Theaters’ operations in Austin, which included the Paramount Theater, State Theater, Queen Theater, and Hancock Opera House during the early Vaudeville days of the late 1920’s, through the transformation of the theatres into movie houses, until his passing in 1958. Louie was one of President Lyndon Johnson’s closest friends. Charles Root (center) would eventually become city manager for Interstate Theatres until 1975.
Louis Novy was given the Silver Medal of Honor by the United States Treasury Department for raising $8.8 million between the years 1943-1945 for the War Bond Campaign of WWII. During that period, acts which graced the Paramount stage included Houdini, The Marx Brothers, Orson Welles, George M. Cohan, Helen Hayes, Lillian Gish, and the Ziegfeld Follies to name a few.
Interstate Theatre Managers – Austin, Texas – Circa late 1930’s
Mose Macow, Bill Hellums, Charles Root, Louis Novy (center, front), Jake Macow and Al Reynolds
