Chapter 95 Section 14

In shopping malls, the new president, who was less than 30 years old, led the company to rush out of New York, first opened branches in Boston, Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Miami and other places along the east coast of the United States, and then expanded westward, chaining all the way to Texas. On Broadway, Ofili didn't spend all his time on pretty girls.From 1941 to 1945, he financed the production of several comedy operettas, and also entered his name into the rankings of screenwriters, assistant directors, directors, etc.During this period, Ophelia secretly married an actress and divorced soon after.No one knows exactly what happened between the young couple, but one of the friends heard Ofili vow that he would "never marry an actor again in this lifetime".

At the end of 1945, after the end of World War II, Ofeli took his company to continue westward and seek development in California.Ofili chose Los Angeles as his foothold. Needless to say, he fell in love with Hollywood, a studio city that is better than Broadway there. However, the two things that the "playboy entrepreneur" from New York set out to do basically failed to get done.Ofili originally wanted to open a branch in California, but "Bloomingdale's Designer Store" did not open in California metropolises such as Los Angeles and San Francisco until the 1990s, a decade after his death.Ofili still wanted to be in Hollywood, but he didn't make a movie until his death.Why?Because two other major events happened that could change the trajectory of his life.

The first was the remarriage of Ophelia Bloomingdale in 1946, to Betsy Newlyn, the "Pavillie Hills socialite".The Newlin family has practiced medicine for generations, and practiced dentistry.Dentistry is a high-paying class in American society and a popular subject in medical school, but not everyone with this skill and this diploma can find a job and open a clinic, especially in a place like Hollywood. Open a clinic.Bessie's father, Dr. Newlyn, owns a magnificent and huge clinic in the Pavilliers, because the old man possessed a set of "unique skills" in that era, and he could treat any ugly and crooked The teeth are neat and white, and a mouthful of neat and white teeth is almost a prerequisite for being a movie actor.

Besides Bessie herself, she may not be as good as her father in other aspects, but she has great eyesight in judging people and choosing friends.When she was young, Bessie was also beautiful* and radiant. She was recommended by one of her father’s regular customers to make several films “for fun” and met Nancy Davis, another actress who also played a small role. Reagan, the two have been inseparable since then and have become close friends. Nancy's husband, Ronald Reagan, was also filming in Hollywood at the time, and he could only get some small roles that audiences might not remember even after watching them ten times. The means of earning money is in a dilemma, and there is nowhere to go. It coincides with Bessie's marriage with the heir of the Bloomingdale family.

It is unbelievable to say that Ronald Reagan, the Republican president of the United States who entered the White House more than 30 years later, actually relied on the advice of the Democrat Ophelia Bloomingdale to enter his official career.Ofili is 8 years younger than Ronald, but he has already waded through the muddy waters of politics.As early as when he was a student, Ophelia was interested in taking time out to participate in Communist Party activities while eating, drinking and having fun.Before coming to California, he also represented New York State at the 1944 Democratic National Convention.

Between the two big events, another small event was inserted.Although Ophelia was raised by the family's Bloomingdale's company, he has always been unwilling to inherit his father's business, and only followed the path set by his ancestors. He always felt that with his own IQ and talent, he should be able to figure out some unique ideas. A unique way to make money.Among his wild ideas, one didn't come up until he arrived in Los Angeles.Hollywood theaters are different from Broadway theaters. Audiences can watch movies while drinking and chewing, without worrying about the noise and smell affecting the performance and emotions of the actors.So from 1948 to 1950, Ofili put the company's business aside to concentrate on installing a new vending machine for drinks and popcorn in movie theaters.Facts have proved that this move can make money. In less than a year, the theater's profit has increased by nearly 60%, and Ophelia's pocket has been bulging.