Pageant Theatre
5851 Delmar Boulevard,
St. Louis,
MO
63112
5851 Delmar Boulevard,
St. Louis,
MO
63112
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Thanks, JAlex. I have another St. Louis question, so if you see this message, please contact me (email is in my profile).
Yes, it was the Pageant that had the Disney “Sleeping Beauty."
The run was from June 12 to September 17. Admission=$1.50.
No idea whatsoever, Mike. Way way way before my time. Norman Plant may know something.
Is this the St. Louis theater that had the area first-run booking in 1959 of Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty”? Might any St. Louisans (is that a word?!) know its local premiere date? JAlex? Chuck1231? Chris Utley?
Mr. Alex did Warner Brothers operate this theatre sometime during the 20’s (Late)?
The aforementioned ‘skydome’ was originally known as the Crystal Airdome; in 1921 renamed the Pageant Skydome.
Theatre wasn’t built by Fanchon (not Franchon) & Marco; they didn’t arrive in St. Louis until 1933.
During the early silent movie days, the Pageant Theatre had a ‘skydome’ open-air theatre which was located on the southeast corner of Delmar Boulevard and Laurel Street.
Problem here is that Pageant closed August 9, 1966…“Shoes” was not released until November, 1968.
JAlex, I know for a fact that the remodel took place for “Shoes of the Fisherman” and that seating at that time was 907. I worked the opening and the first three weeks of the run.
Boxoffice magazine reported the Pageant reduced its seating capacity to 878 from 1000 immediately prior to the hard-ticket engagement of “South Pacific” in 1958. This engagement was the first Todd-AO film exhibited in the St. Louis market.
In 1920 the Kilgen Organ Co installed a used Austin pipe organ from Warrensburg, MO into the Pageant.it was a 2m/8r instrument. No indication whether a true TO or church organ. Whereabout later are unknown.
JamesGrebe
The Arthur Chain did a remodel on the Pageant before opening with the hard ticket program “Shoes of the Fisherman”. New seats were installed and new draperies and the lobby remodeled. Seating at that time was 907. If there was ever stadium style seating the Pageant had to be one of the first in the St. Louis Market to have it. Long before stadium seating was the in thing.
Theatre dated back to 1915, the opening date being Sept. 18, 1915.
Architect was Norman Howard. Originally sat 1400.
The Skouras Brothers took over the theatre in 1916, the second acquisition in the just beginning Skouras empire. Pageant became a member of the St. Louis Amusement chain when it was formed in 1921. St. Louis Amusement a merging of the theatre interests of the Skouras Brothers and Harry Koplar.
In 1939 St. Louis Amusement remodeled the house and reduced the capacity to 990.