Mark Twain Theatre
4532 South Lindbergh Boulevard,
Sunset Hills,
MO
63127
4532 South Lindbergh Boulevard,
Sunset Hills,
MO
63127
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This theatre was a sister to a theatre in Mission Valley in San Diego. The late 70’s were a hard time for the industry, especially large single screen theatres. Seeing an empty auditorium of that size for 1941 was especially sad. The Jerk had it’s world premiere here. Working this theatre during Animal House, Close Encounters and Raiders was exciting!
This was my favorite movie theatre, along with the Creve Coeur Cinema. It bummed me out when it closed. Two Hearts opened in 1990 according to their website. I remember seeing SUPERMAN, ANIMAL HOUSE, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, SILENT RUNNING, DUNE, 1941, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, THE DEEP and GHOSTBUSTERS to name a few. It must have closed sometime in 1985-86 when I was away at college. I vaguely remember Wehrenberg thinking of partitioning the auditorium in to two or three houses (like they did to the Creve Coeur), but wound up closing it instead. I will have to do some research. Cool site overall. Love the old movie houses.
My husband has fond memories of this theater & seeing Star Wars here, as well as (I think) Jaws. He says he remembers being lined up around the building outside in the heat waiting to get in.
We even contemplated having our wedding reception here when we got married, since it’s now a banquet hall. :)
<<< “The Mark Twain Theatre had the St. Louis premiere of the first ‘Star Wars’ movie” >>>
Please update/delete the Star Wars reference from Chuck Van Bibber’s intro write-up. The St. Louis “premiere” of Star Wars was at Creve Coeur, where it opened on May 27, 1977; the film didn’t open at Mark Twain until August 5, 1977.
Am I the only one annoyed by the frequency with which Mr. Van Bibber needs to be corrected?
Have not been on the site for awhile. I remember eating that prepopped and trucked in from Denver popcorn over the years I worked there. Ben was free spirit and he really did not affect me too much because I had to grow up and move on with life after we worked together there. He treated me well though.
I always thought this was the most beautiful modern theater in town and never could figure out the lack of blockbuster business. During the week we were really dead. The new multiscreen lack a certain class of the old single screen houses, though in this day and age it seems about right.I really hope people in the theater management end make decent money now!!!
So many of the widescreen show boats of the 1970’s played here. The Mark Twain often featured large lobby card type pictures. “The Towering Inferno” was a big hit with fire laden pictures in the lobby. “Superman the Movie” was a typical attraction. As mentioned, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” was a delight here. But it was difficult to sustain the crowds year round as shows like “Making Love” did not prove to be sell-outs. I remember the arrival of the misbegotten “1941” at the Mark Twain in 1979. All the concession people were wearing 1941 t-shirts and everyone was ready for a blockbuster…but it was just a bust.
Since I saw “1941” in December of 1979 at the Mark Twain and it was not twinned, it had to have happened later. As I recall, it was still a single as late as 1982.
This theater looks like a bat from the front.Different though design.
A night photo of the Mark Twain Theatre courtesy of repowers.
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John; wasn’t Sandy his wife’s name ? She was a cashier at Cypress Village. I had a couple of dates with her before she married Ben.
He came to St L from K.C. and thought he was God’s gift to the world.
I was his Asst when CV opened.
Hey Have to say you poor guys who worked under BEN LITTLEFIELD, he was my DM in California, the dumbiest BOX of Rocks and that screwy
wife of his. The worst two in the world!
This was the building in 2003.
Contrary to a comment above, the Mark Twain remained a single screen house until closing, under Wehrenberg management, in September 1986. Final film was “Nothing in Common.”
I think Al had a brother named Ted, but maybe that was his first mane and he used Al. Walker was the assistant when I started there.I worked initially for a Mgr. named Richard Hosman, when I was an usher. I think when he left he took a job with General out of the St. Louis area.It was in unincorporated but the building is in Sunset Hills now.
Mark Twain was located in St. Louis County (unincorporated) at the corner of Gravois Rd and Lindbergh.
AFter Bob Hockensmith was transferred a new manager was brought in
and I can’t remember his name. I thinks Jim Walker replace me as the Asst. Mgr. This was in 1970.
Where exactly was the MARK TWAIN located? St. Louis proper? Sappington? Sunset Hills?
Wan’t the projectionist first name Ted? He started the same time I did when the theater opened.
Al Savage was the house projectionist when I was there and I believe he was the Pres.of the Union. I can’t remember any of the other guys!
Worked there 72-77, HS and College years for me. Great building, made a lot of friends and had fun! Started at $1.10 /hour.It never did the business that NG or Mann intended during my time there.Projectionist’s made a whopping $7/hour at the time I left! Remember projectionists? We had a cutting premier of Towering Inferno(of course the real one.I still can’t drive by and not smile! Many things innacurate about the history above, but cleaned up by other posts! The history in the lobby of Two Hearts is wrong also! My last Mgr. was Ben Littlefield! Split into a twin by Wehrenberg before closing after I left.
cerjda:
The the 70s time frame you talk about I was relocated up in Michigan (Butterfield territory). None of my family was involved in exhibition. As for my knowledge of St. Louis theatres, that’s from living here and continuing to do research.
The building is occupied by Two Hearts Banquet Center. The address given is:
4532 South Lindbergh Boulevard.
Sunset Hills, MO 63127
Pictures of the Mark Twain can be seen here.
The original owners of MT and Cv in 1968-1969 was National General
which was owned by Gene Klein who also owned the San Deigo Chargers.
In 1968 2 “Stars of the Future” were Clint Eastwood and Raquel Welch.
Gasoine was .25 cents a gallon and price of admission to MT was 1.00.
The stone on the front of the MT was limestone from Calif.
Locally owned Kreinenkamp Const. Built the MT.
Hi I’m Terry Metz. I was an original usher at Mt in 1968, asst manager to Ben Littlefield in 1969,CV and asst manager at MT in 1970.
Bob Hockensmith was the original manager at MT and Loren Boedker was
his asst. One of the original projectionist at MT was Ted Savage.
The best time of my life !
ok, now to comment here. everybody is right about star wars. I sat in line opening day at the creve coeur for an hour and a half and took the afternoon off work from the cypress to see it. And I’m thinking, “why in the hell didn’t mann buy this movie for me????” LOL. The house capacity was 986 – and the seats at this place were the thick plush american stellars that WEREN’T at the cypress village.
and
Damn, JAlex. with your knowledge of these two Mann Theatres, I gotta believe I know either you, your momma or your daddy: one of the 3 of you. But here’s a toughy – do you know any of the projectionists that worked at the CV or MT???? Or any of the people at the CV from 1976 to 1979: those people were incredible: a very good group to work with. I miss them to this very day…..
Thanks, Mike.
St. Louis Public Library…on microfilm.