The Cass County Drive-In opened its gates on August 11, 1950 with Yvonne De Carlo in “Buccaneer’s Girl” along with a live band performance conducted by Jack Kroesen and a special square dancing event on its large patio led by radio stars from Kansas City station KMBC-AM 980 (now KMBZ-AM) before showing. Otherwise, it was unknown if any short subjects were added.
The original screen was destroyed by high winds in April 1971, and was repaired the following year.
The original Ellington Drive-In name only lasted for a very short period of time since its opening. It was renamed the Highway 21 Drive-In by the following month.
The actual opening date is August 25, 1949 with Abbott and Costello in “Buck Privates” along with a few short subjects. It was owned by Clyde Lesson and originally housed 250 cars with Western Electric sound and Simplex 35mm projection.
The Starlet Drive-In opened its gates on April 30, 1953 with Louis Heyward in “Captain Pirate” along with an unnamed cartoon, featuring a 55x48ft screen and an original capacity of 240 cars. It was first operated by Commonwealth and managed by George Willhoite.
The 66 Drive-In opened with Jack Carson in “Two Guys From Texas” along with the Looney Tunes cartoon “A Horse Fly Fleas” and a short entitled “Saddle Up”.
Construction of the theater started on July 11, 1949 by W.D. Bradford and V.F. Naramore who are also owners of the Roxy Theatre. Dickinson Theatres opened the theater on September 22 of the same year. Some of the original installations include RCA sound and a steel screen which was listed as one of the largest in Missouri at the time.
The 300-car Airway Drive-In opened its gates on May 22, 1953 with a one-day showing of Ronald Reagan in “Tropic Zone” along with an unnamed cartoon and an unnamed comedy, featuring an original wooden/steel 48x72ft tower. It was first operated by C.W. Locke who also operated the Time Theatre.
The St. Charles Drive-In opened its gates on July 11, 1951 with Margret Sheridan in “The Thing” (unknown if extras were added), and was renamed the Plaza Drive-In on March 13, 1959.
Despite opening successfully, two protectors from the Projection Operators Union made an appearance in protest of the employment of a non-union projection operator at the establishment on grand opening day. The two picketed the theater throughout the entire show and there is no trouble ensued. More pickets continued within the following week and they want the projectionist in the theater to get kicked in the pants. The spokesman for the corporation who operated the drive-in said that he explained that plans to operate the drive-in without a union projectionist were formed months ago. But the union said that it h is understood that as many as eight men have joined although a maximum of three operators are required in St. Charles. He does understand that the projectionists have their rights to join the union bit do not have a contract with any of the theater owners, including the drive-in’s first manager, Ms. Ethel Somborn. According to her, she believes that the organizers are letting the contract slide in order to force the drive-in to capitulate first and thus force the other theaters to conform. The union scale is said to be an estimate $156 a week while operators in St. Charles draw about $65 presently. They replied that members of the corporation cannot meet the higher salary but they desire to keep out of trouble as they are not going union until the other local theaters such as the Strand Theatre to do so. They promised that they never been approached by anyone with an offer to sit down and talk the same thing over and over again. Theaters including the Strand made it first and they think they should’ve be the first to settle the matter.
The Plaza Drive-In closed for the final time on September 30, 1983 after a 29-day run of “Private School” and “Fast Times At Ridgemont High”.
The Roxy opened on February 15, 1940 with Joe E. Brown in “Beware Spooks” along with an unknown cartoon, an Andy Clyde comedy, and a Ted Fio Rito scopitone. It was closed in 1952.
The first one started life as the Lyric Theatre on November 5, 1910, and was renamed the Strand Theatre on September 19, 1918. The older Strand closed in mid-1926 when it was relocated to a newer and larger building and reopened around the same time by Robert Stempel.
The Strand Theatre was renamed the St. Charles Cinema on November 23, 1968, reopening with Doris Day’s “With Six You Get Egg Roll” and Jerry Lewis’s “Big Mouth”.
This didn’t last long. In May 1971, the theater was briefly renamed the St. Charles Art Cinema running mostly R-rated and X-rated movies (yes there are some normal titles in there). It didn’t do as much of a success, and closed the following month in late-June 1971. The theater reopened as a live performance house under the name “The Factory” in 1972.
The Princess Theatre opened its doors in September 1915 and was located inside the Blaine building. The theater was renamed three times in its history. First it was renamed the Piedmont Theatre in Spring 1932, then it was renamed the Jefferis Theatre on August 28, 1940, and finally it was renamed the Melinda Theatre on January 1, 1958.
The theater closed in 1961 and the former theater became an office.
The actual opening date is May 19, 1953 with Sterling Hayden in “Kansas Pacific” along with an unnamed Popeye cartoon and an unknown comedy reel. It was first operated by Walter Wangler and owned by Mr. and Mrs. A. B. (Jeff) Jefferis who are also owners of the Jefferis Theatre.
This started life as Malco Twin, and opened its doors as a 420-seat twin-screener in December 1969. It was tripled in the 1980s and was renamed Malco Trio.
The Kinney Opera House opened in late-January 1894. It had several names throughout its earlier days. It was once known as the Kinney Theatre before briefly renaming it the New Theatre in 1917. It officially became the Majestic Theatre in 1918.
The Majestic Theatre was gutted in the Spring of 1940 and was quickly modernized to Al Hauetter of Kansas City, Missouri’s design. The theater reopened as the Time Theatre on September 4, 1940 with Melvin Douglas in “He Stayed For Breakfast” along with a newsreel and several shorts (one of which is the patriotic short “The Flag Speaks”).
The Time Theatre is still open in the late-1960s, although its closing date was not known yet at this time.
The Memphis Theatre opened on January 2, 1941 with Shirley Temple in “Young People” and Laurel and Hardy in “Saps At Sea” (unknown if extras added). It was first operated by Ms. Alice Johnson of Bonaparte, Iowa.
The Uptown Theatre opened its doors on August 29, 1936 with a one-day showing of Lionel Barrymore in “The Voice Of Bugle Ann” along with a special performance by the city’s high school band, comedian Edgar Jones appearing in-person, and special addresses by then-Mayor B.J. Thomas. Otherwise, no extra short subjects were added.
NOTE: The theater never opened in 1930. That info belongs to the Dickinson (later Chief) Theatre.
The Dickinson Theatre opened its doors on June 20, 1930 with William Powell in “The Benson Murder Case” along with Paramount News, Screen Song “The Prisoner’s Song”, and a short entitled “Home Edition” with sound installations by RCA Protophone.
It was renamed the Chief Theatre in mid-1936. The theater last had a capacity of 350 seats and closed in late-September 1939 following repairs, which literally became its final closing. During repair after World War II, the building was destroyed by a fire.
This started life as the Gem Theatre. It opened in August 1911 and was first operated by H.L. Pruett who was also an operator for the long-defunct Chicago & Alton Railroad (later known as simply Alton Railroad).
On December 6, 1921, Pruett ended up living inside the theater building for a time after a fire destroyed his house near the Allen Street Methodist Church. This was followed by him changing the theater’s name to the Pruett’s Theatre (not Puritt’s) in 1922.
Purett’s Theatre closed for the final time on May 4, 1933 when E.F. Bebermeyer opened up his Vista Theatre nearby.
The Bebe Drive-In, named after owner and Warrenton resident E.F. Bebermeyer, opened its gates on July 20, 1950 with Kirk Douglas in “Young Man With A Horn” (unknown if extras added). It started as a seasonal drive-in but later became an all-year drive-in following the closure of the Vista Theatre in 1960.
The Vista Theatre opened its doors on May 5, 1933 with Laurel and Hardy in “Pack Up Your Troubles” along with a few unknown short subjects (one of which is an unknown technicolor musical short as listed) featuring sound installations of Western Electric. It was operated by E.F. Bebermeyer of Warrenton who also operated most theaters across Centralia, and the Vista name was named after a Spanish term for view.
The Cass County Drive-In opened its gates on August 11, 1950 with Yvonne De Carlo in “Buccaneer’s Girl” along with a live band performance conducted by Jack Kroesen and a special square dancing event on its large patio led by radio stars from Kansas City station KMBC-AM 980 (now KMBZ-AM) before showing. Otherwise, it was unknown if any short subjects were added.
The original screen was destroyed by high winds in April 1971, and was repaired the following year.
The original Ellington Drive-In name only lasted for a very short period of time since its opening. It was renamed the Highway 21 Drive-In by the following month.
The actual opening date is August 25, 1949 with Abbott and Costello in “Buck Privates” along with a few short subjects. It was owned by Clyde Lesson and originally housed 250 cars with Western Electric sound and Simplex 35mm projection.
The Starlet Drive-In opened its gates on April 30, 1953 with Louis Heyward in “Captain Pirate” along with an unnamed cartoon, featuring a 55x48ft screen and an original capacity of 240 cars. It was first operated by Commonwealth and managed by George Willhoite.
Opened on June 15, 1962 with Robert Mitchum in “Thunder Road” and Steve McQueen in “The Magnificent Seven” with no extra short subjects.
The 66 Drive-In opened with Jack Carson in “Two Guys From Texas” along with the Looney Tunes cartoon “A Horse Fly Fleas” and a short entitled “Saddle Up”.
Construction of the theater started on July 11, 1949 by W.D. Bradford and V.F. Naramore who are also owners of the Roxy Theatre. Dickinson Theatres opened the theater on September 22 of the same year. Some of the original installations include RCA sound and a steel screen which was listed as one of the largest in Missouri at the time.
This closed in the early-1980s. A 1983 aerial view shows the screen tower removed.
The 300-car Airway Drive-In opened its gates on May 22, 1953 with a one-day showing of Ronald Reagan in “Tropic Zone” along with an unnamed cartoon and an unnamed comedy, featuring an original wooden/steel 48x72ft tower. It was first operated by C.W. Locke who also operated the Time Theatre.
The St. Charles Drive-In opened its gates on July 11, 1951 with Margret Sheridan in “The Thing” (unknown if extras were added), and was renamed the Plaza Drive-In on March 13, 1959.
The Plaza Drive-In closed for the final time on September 30, 1983 after a 29-day run of “Private School” and “Fast Times At Ridgemont High”.
Opened on August 31, 1935, closed in the mid-1940s.
The Roxy opened on February 15, 1940 with Joe E. Brown in “Beware Spooks” along with an unknown cartoon, an Andy Clyde comedy, and a Ted Fio Rito scopitone. It was closed in 1952.
There are two Strand Theatres in St. Charles.
The first one started life as the Lyric Theatre on November 5, 1910, and was renamed the Strand Theatre on September 19, 1918. The older Strand closed in mid-1926 when it was relocated to a newer and larger building and reopened around the same time by Robert Stempel.
The Strand Theatre was renamed the St. Charles Cinema on November 23, 1968, reopening with Doris Day’s “With Six You Get Egg Roll” and Jerry Lewis’s “Big Mouth”.
This didn’t last long. In May 1971, the theater was briefly renamed the St. Charles Art Cinema running mostly R-rated and X-rated movies (yes there are some normal titles in there). It didn’t do as much of a success, and closed the following month in late-June 1971. The theater reopened as a live performance house under the name “The Factory” in 1972.
The Princess Theatre opened its doors in September 1915 and was located inside the Blaine building. The theater was renamed three times in its history. First it was renamed the Piedmont Theatre in Spring 1932, then it was renamed the Jefferis Theatre on August 28, 1940, and finally it was renamed the Melinda Theatre on January 1, 1958.
The theater closed in 1961 and the former theater became an office.
The actual opening date is May 19, 1953 with Sterling Hayden in “Kansas Pacific” along with an unnamed Popeye cartoon and an unknown comedy reel. It was first operated by Walter Wangler and owned by Mr. and Mrs. A. B. (Jeff) Jefferis who are also owners of the Jefferis Theatre.
This started life as Malco Twin, and opened its doors as a 420-seat twin-screener in December 1969. It was tripled in the 1980s and was renamed Malco Trio.
Ralph White opened the Roxy on July 6, 1949 with Wallace Beery in “Big Jack” with no extra short subjects.
Opened in 1921.
Once operated by Kerasotes.
The Kinney Opera House opened in late-January 1894. It had several names throughout its earlier days. It was once known as the Kinney Theatre before briefly renaming it the New Theatre in 1917. It officially became the Majestic Theatre in 1918.
The Majestic Theatre was gutted in the Spring of 1940 and was quickly modernized to Al Hauetter of Kansas City, Missouri’s design. The theater reopened as the Time Theatre on September 4, 1940 with Melvin Douglas in “He Stayed For Breakfast” along with a newsreel and several shorts (one of which is the patriotic short “The Flag Speaks”).
The Time Theatre is still open in the late-1960s, although its closing date was not known yet at this time.
The Memphis Theatre opened on January 2, 1941 with Shirley Temple in “Young People” and Laurel and Hardy in “Saps At Sea” (unknown if extras added). It was first operated by Ms. Alice Johnson of Bonaparte, Iowa.
The Uptown Theatre opened its doors on August 29, 1936 with a one-day showing of Lionel Barrymore in “The Voice Of Bugle Ann” along with a special performance by the city’s high school band, comedian Edgar Jones appearing in-person, and special addresses by then-Mayor B.J. Thomas. Otherwise, no extra short subjects were added.
The Dickinson Theatre opened its doors on June 20, 1930 with William Powell in “The Benson Murder Case” along with Paramount News, Screen Song “The Prisoner’s Song”, and a short entitled “Home Edition” with sound installations by RCA Protophone.
It was renamed the Chief Theatre in mid-1936. The theater last had a capacity of 350 seats and closed in late-September 1939 following repairs, which literally became its final closing. During repair after World War II, the building was destroyed by a fire.
This started life as the Gem Theatre. It opened in August 1911 and was first operated by H.L. Pruett who was also an operator for the long-defunct Chicago & Alton Railroad (later known as simply Alton Railroad).
On December 6, 1921, Pruett ended up living inside the theater building for a time after a fire destroyed his house near the Allen Street Methodist Church. This was followed by him changing the theater’s name to the Pruett’s Theatre (not Puritt’s) in 1922.
Purett’s Theatre closed for the final time on May 4, 1933 when E.F. Bebermeyer opened up his Vista Theatre nearby.
The Bebe Drive-In, named after owner and Warrenton resident E.F. Bebermeyer, opened its gates on July 20, 1950 with Kirk Douglas in “Young Man With A Horn” (unknown if extras added). It started as a seasonal drive-in but later became an all-year drive-in following the closure of the Vista Theatre in 1960.
The Vista Theatre opened its doors on May 5, 1933 with Laurel and Hardy in “Pack Up Your Troubles” along with a few unknown short subjects (one of which is an unknown technicolor musical short as listed) featuring sound installations of Western Electric. It was operated by E.F. Bebermeyer of Warrenton who also operated most theaters across Centralia, and the Vista name was named after a Spanish term for view.
The Vista Theatre closed in 1960.