Comments from Kerry Manderbach

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Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about Bremen Theater on Sep 18, 2013 at 3:05 am

The sandwich place referenced above was Super Sandwich Shop, located on North Florissant @ St. Louis Ave. Across the street was Northwestern Bank (which had replaced the Hi-Way Theater on 2705 N. Florissant), and on the other corners were an ice cream shop (now a shuttered liquor store) and Clark gas station (now a Phillips 66).

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about Loew's State Theatre on Jul 14, 2012 at 7:02 pm

The Washington Ave News (books and magazines) was located to the right of the Loews during this era (1974). Katz Drugs had been on the corner to the left.

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about Plaza Cinema 4 on May 6, 2012 at 3:29 am

I submitted a page for the Troy Movie House, I hope it meets the standards of this site.

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about Central City Cinema on Feb 26, 2012 at 4:39 am

I think this ended up being a dollar show in the 90’s… I’m pretty sure I took my kids here to see “Mousehunt”…

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about Loew's State Theatre on Feb 25, 2012 at 8:16 am

Great pictures of Loews in the 60s… that’s more or less how I remember it looking in the 70s. And indeed, there was a Katz Drugs to the left at the corner, and the Washington Ave News was next door to the right. They built the “futuristic” (for it’s time) bank building across the street in 1975. Thank gosh for memories and pictures!

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about Stadium Cinema II on Feb 25, 2012 at 7:43 am

I mentioned a few of the notable films I saw at the Stadium 1 on it’s page…a few I saw at Stadium 2 were “Which Way is Up?”, “Nice Dreams”, “Bingo Long”, and a double feature of “Fists of Fury” and “The Chinese Connection” very late in the life of the theater (I had usually seen these Bruce Lee films several times in the 70’s at the Lowe’s State). I guess the Stadium 2 was aimed more at the urban crowd than the Stadium 1 was…

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about Bremen Theater on Jun 18, 2011 at 8:32 pm

Patrickgenna, as a Northsider I was raised in that area, and don’t have too much of a problem whenever I’m in “the hood”. I do keep my wits about me I’ll admit, lol. For those unfamiliar with that area, caution is the keyword. Next time I go up that way, I’ll grab some newer pics of what’s going on…

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about Hi-Way Theatre on Mar 5, 2011 at 1:56 am

This was only a couple of blocks from the North 14th Street shopping district, one of the oldest and busiest in the city. It would have been at Mongomery & N. Florissant, down the street from Bellon’s Market and Carl & Marge’s Tavern. Across the street was the Super Sandwich Shop. I skateboarded in that bank parking lot in the late 60’s. Never knew there had been a theater there.

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about Bremen Theater on Mar 5, 2011 at 1:15 am

A group called Sun Ministries has launched the Isaiah 61 Initiative, with plans furnished by Architects for Humanity. They have had youth groups come in and clean debris out of The Bremen,the next step is some deconstruction and rehabbing. Google it for more info and pictures….

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about Norside Theatre on Mar 4, 2011 at 11:51 pm

For some reason I don’t remember the Norside, even though I resided in the area as a child during 1959-1966. I do remember a Leonard Muntz TV store (“Uncle Leonard”, a sort of Steve Mizerany guy) that may have been next door, and a drugstore/soda fountain across the street (where a competing gas station is now). I don’t remember what was on the opposite corner (where the infamous White Elephant Car Wash later stood… plenty of drug deals and shootings there. Shut down by the city and is now the site of an Aldi Foods).

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about Tivoli Theatre on Jun 18, 2009 at 7:49 am

When I went there from around 1980-85, they would have a printed program of all the films to be shown for the next few months. A typical weekend in U City would be: a bite to eat at Gyro’s Greek restaurant, see an oddball film at the Tivoli (for example “The Last Tango In Paris”), walk up to Blueberry Hill and hang out for a while, then down to the Varsity to experience “Rocky Horror” for the umpteenth time (and the Stooges too!) I was just at the Tivoli last week to watch a film I worked on for the 48 Hour Film Project. The Edwards have a great community spirit!

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about Broadway Drive-In on Jun 18, 2009 at 7:11 am

There are still some stores there, Family Dollar, Subway, Radio Shack, Hardees, etc. The Hollywood/Blockbuster video is out of business. Also a new O'Reilly’s Auto Parts has just been built close to the Big Lots building, which is still unoccupied.

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about Bremen Theater on Feb 18, 2008 at 8:21 am

The “North Side city park” referred to is Hyde Park. I have a picture somewhere depicting the theater in the 1940’s that I got from somewhere…I’ll try to add it to this page next time I stop by.

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about Gravois Theatre on Feb 18, 2008 at 8:14 am

“The Gravois closed in 1968 and was demolished to make way for a fast food restaurant.”

Hmmm…Lee’s Chicken?

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about Ritz Theater on Feb 18, 2008 at 8:01 am

Yeesh. I saw a number of films there on my cheap date nights, including “Blue Thunder” with the recently deceased Roy Schieder. The place wasn’t kept very clean, but maybe it was just the sloppy neighborhood kids. I swear a rat ran across my foot there once in 1980. Wasn’t that the southernmost theater on Grand Ave?

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about Melvin Theatre on Feb 18, 2008 at 7:56 am

My niece’s stepfather Tom managed the place before it closed in the 90’s…I seem to recall the last film I saw there was “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure”.

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about Stadium Cinema I on Feb 18, 2008 at 7:46 am

Yes, “Last Tango in Paris” as well as “Jaws”, Missouri Breaks", “French Connection” and “The Sting” to name several notable films. I seem to remember going there as late as 1988…but maybe I’m thinking of a different theater…

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about Shenandoah Theatre on Feb 18, 2008 at 7:11 am

Lots of great Kung-Fu films were shown there in the mid-late 70s, I still have one of the newspaper ads I saved from ‘77 with a roster of “Return of the Dragon”, “Karado” and “Deadly China Doll”. After it closed we still had the ratty Ritz up the street to see the best of Hong Kong cinema…

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about Tower Theatre on Feb 18, 2008 at 6:59 am

Well, the site wasn’t exactly a vacant lot after the demolition…

I saw a horror movie there as a child around 1965…it was a sort of consolation prize because my mother couldn’t afford to let me go to Chain of Rocks Fun Fair for my school picnic. I think it was the only time I was in that theater.

A Jack-In-The-Box restraunt was later built there. I had a girlfriend that worked there circa 1978. The building later became a Dairy Queen, and another girlfriend worked there circa 1987. Sometime in the 1990s the spot did indeed become a vacant lot.

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about North Twin Drive-In on Feb 18, 2008 at 6:51 am

Wow, the stories I could tell from my times at the North Twin…ummm, I’d better not….

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about Creve Coeur Cine' on Feb 18, 2008 at 6:48 am

This cinema also premiered “Alien” in STL, if memory serves..

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about Loew's State Theatre on Feb 18, 2008 at 6:40 am

I saw many great Kung-Fu features there in the 70’s, as well as offbeat films like “Bug”. I snuck in to watch “Super Fly” (wasn’t old enough) but they actually let me in to see the only X-rated film they ran…“The Street Fighter” (X-rated due to extreme violence for the time). The last time I was there was shortly before they closed…a Bruce Lee double feature (which they ran several times between 1974-77…always to a packed house and extra days) “Fists Of Fury” and “The Chinese Connection”. This would have been during the second week of June, 1977…I had seen “Star Wars” at the Creve Coeur Cine' earlier in the day, and stopped by the Loews to watch Bruce again…I didn’t know they would close the place in a couple of months…

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach commented about Ambassador Theatre on Feb 18, 2008 at 6:15 am

The Ambassador was much harder to sneak into than the Loew’s State around the corner on Washington. One vivid memory I have of the Ambassador is that it ran the first Kung-Fu flick to be shown in St. Louis, “Five Fingers Of Death” in the spring of 1973. Ahh, those were the days….