Ramon L. Posel

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Ramon L. Posel, art-cinema proponent and real estate developer. He was born August 1928 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; he died June 23, 2005, in New York City, from pancreatic cancer. [1]

Background

Posel was born to Russian immigrants in Philadelphia, next to the Lyric Theater, one of seven movie houses owned by his father, Leo. Posel grew up watching movies in his family's theaters, starting with janitorial work and eventually working his way up to usher, and then working in the projection room while in high school. He excelled in Philadelphia's Central High School, both academically and athletically, gaining local fame as a football player. As a youth, Posel preferred novels to movies, as he felt movies lacked novels' "resonance." His preferred recreational activities included jazz clubs.[ citation needed ]

Posel attended Swarthmore College and Harvard Law School. He was an associate attorney at the Philadelphia law firm of Wolf, Block, Schorr & Solis-Cohen. When his father died, Posel took over the father's real estate business.

In 1976, he opened the regionally popular Ritz Three theater. (later, the Ritz Five). At first, the Ritz hemorrhaged money, but later on became profitable, and he opened the Ritz Bourse in 1990. [2]

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References

  1. http://articles.philly.com/2005-06-24/news/25438443_1_art-films-ritz-five-developer
  2. "DREAMS OF A CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS". The Philadelphia Inquirer. March 1, 1985. Retrieved 27 February 2010.