MONROE - Kris Leonhardt will hold a signing of her book "Showstopper: The Adler Family and the Dawn of the Movie Industry" from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Green County Historical Society Museum at 1617 9th St., Monroe.
Leonhardt takes the reader back through time, before production companies fought for box office sales, before movie theater marquees beckoned people to their doors and before actors made millions, according to the news release.
The Adler family was a part of show business long before Hollywood became the mega center of movie production. While fate positioned J.P. Adler to become a successful showman, it was vision and persistence that helped him thrive. While building one of Wisconsin's largest independent theater chains, Adler struggled with the heavy hand of the production companies along with a multitude of obstacles. Growing up in a life of privilege, his daughters, Anne and Bette, found success outside the theater; however, the family business remained a permanent fixture in their lives.
Leonhardt will sign books, answer questions and have a small display on hand. Copies of the book are available on Amazon.com or at the museum.
Kris Leonhardt and her husband, Jim, live in the picturesque countryside of Clark County. She has worked as a muralist since 1991 and as a freelance writer since 2005. A lover of history, she writes historical columns and feature stories for multiple Wisconsin publications. She currently is working on a joint book project about former governor William H. Upham with Upham Mansion coordinator Kim Krueger.
Leonhardt takes the reader back through time, before production companies fought for box office sales, before movie theater marquees beckoned people to their doors and before actors made millions, according to the news release.
The Adler family was a part of show business long before Hollywood became the mega center of movie production. While fate positioned J.P. Adler to become a successful showman, it was vision and persistence that helped him thrive. While building one of Wisconsin's largest independent theater chains, Adler struggled with the heavy hand of the production companies along with a multitude of obstacles. Growing up in a life of privilege, his daughters, Anne and Bette, found success outside the theater; however, the family business remained a permanent fixture in their lives.
Leonhardt will sign books, answer questions and have a small display on hand. Copies of the book are available on Amazon.com or at the museum.
Kris Leonhardt and her husband, Jim, live in the picturesque countryside of Clark County. She has worked as a muralist since 1991 and as a freelance writer since 2005. A lover of history, she writes historical columns and feature stories for multiple Wisconsin publications. She currently is working on a joint book project about former governor William H. Upham with Upham Mansion coordinator Kim Krueger.
