Samuel M. Rubin (May 24, 1918 – February 5, 2004) was a

concessionaire A concession or concession agreement is a grant of rights, land, property, or facility by a government, local authority, corporation, individual or other legal entity. Public services such as water supply may be operated as a concession. In the ...

and businessman. He is best known for introducing

popcorn Popcorn (also called popped corn, popcorns, or pop-corn) is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated. The term also refers to the snack food produced by the expansion. It is one of the oldest snacks, with evidence of p ...

movie theater A movie theater (American English) or cinema (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as a movie house, cinema hall, picture house, picture theater, the movies, the pictures, or simply theater, is a business ...

s in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

in the 1930s, earning him the nickname "Sam the Popcorn Man". He sold pretzels at age 6 and flags at 9. He started selling popcorn in

Long Island City Long Island City (LIC) is a neighborhood within the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered by Astoria to the north; the East River to the west; Sunnyside to the east; and Newtown Creek, which separates Queens from Greenpoint, Brook ...

, New York and then at the age of 12 starting selling in theaters. He is the probable pioneer of the widespread use of popcorn machines in theaters. Rubin got the idea after watching popcorn being made in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

around 1930. There is some uncertainty about whether Rubin was the first to sell popcorn in theaters — his daughter and a former partner do not remember Rubin selling popcorn in quantity until the 1950s — but he is widely recognized for popularizing the practice. Rubin sold other snacks as well, and is responsible for creating large, "movie sized"

candy Candy, alternatively called sweets or lollies, is a Confectionery, confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, also called ''sugar confectionery'', encompasses any sweet confection, including chocolate, chewing gum ...

bars and boxes. Rubin worked for ABC Vending and its predecessors from the age of 12, when he sold candy, to shortly before his death, by which time he was a regional vice president. He managed concessions for several major movie theater chains and

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, American and British English spelling differences), many of the List of ...

s, as well as several sports stadiums,

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

, and the

Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story, Art Deco-style supertall skyscraper in the Midtown South neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its n ...

. He also owned about 10 movie theaters.

References

Samuel M. Rubin, concessionaire
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rubin, Samuel M. 1918 births 2004 deaths Popcorn 20th-century American businesspeople Place of birth missing