St. Ann 4-Screen Drive-In
10425 Saint Charles Rock Road,
St. Ann,
MO
63074
10425 Saint Charles Rock Road,
St. Ann,
MO
63074
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The 1984 ads for the “St. Ann Drive-In” were independent of Wehrenberg and everybody else. Its final night was Sunday, Sept. 16, 1984. For $2 per person or $5 a carload, patrons could watch, on screens 1 & 2, “Sheena” and “Against All Odds.” On screens 3 & 4, the St. Ann advertised “Dark Forces” and “Monstoids.”
The June 9, 1951 issue of Boxoffice had a lengthy article stating that the St. Ann had opened on June 2. It cost $300,000 and had been under construction for nine months. Lewis Eugene Wilson of Los Angeles was the architect. Two sets of projectors with mirrored lenses served the four screens. The playgrounds included a coal-burning steam train that ran over 1600 feet of track.
The Oct. 6, 1951 issue of Boxoffice ran a two-page article on the St. Ann, including a rare two-page panorama photo of three of the four screens.
Opened with “Halls of Montezuma”. The shopping center is St. Ann Square Shopping Center.
June 1st, 1951 grand opening ad in photo section.
1951 photo added courtesy of the Fiftiesville Facebook page. I believe it to be of this theater.
Pics (including a spectacular shot of all 4 fields) and ads for this drive-in here: St. Louis Flashback Movie & Drive-In Theatres
Had to fly all the way home to St. Louis to answer my own question. LOL! It’s a Big Lots and some other stores as well.
To be specific, I meant “What stores within the currently standing shopping center is occupying the space now?”
The header says a shopping center.
What’s occupying the space now?
Spent many a night at the 4 screen. Before we could drive we would sneak in from the St. Ann Golf Course and turn up the nearest speakers and then lay on the golf course green watching Bruce Lee flicks. Doug and Bill Croney were friends that worked there as porters. The NW screen had bushes around a little piece of grass where we laid one night watching the flicks. Woke up with the worst case of chiggars in my life the next day.
St. Ann Facebook Group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=111310479133
St. Ann Facebook Group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=111310479133
Ceased operation in September 1984.
As a little kid, there was always a sense of feeling “cool” whenever I knew I was gonna see a movie here – because they always showed the…um…EDGIER (translation: R-rated) flicks here. To this day, whenever I see a Pam Grier movie, I think of this place!
Ahhhh yes Mr. Amsinger…..and Mary Shook was the assistant manager when I worked at the 4 Screen in the late 60’s. Had some good friends and good times there. Things will never be as good as it used to be. I miss the good ole 4 Screen!!
The Manager of the 4 Screen was a Mr. Arthur Amsinger. The assistant manager of the 4 screen was a Ms. Joan Shook.
Mr. Utley, indeed, is correct. Address of the 4-Screen was 10425; the Airway 10634. Hardly “opposite”.
One more thing…it was not “directly across the street” but, rather, a few blocks down the road from the Airway Drive-In.
This Drive-in WAS NOT closed in 1980 or demolished in 1982. I know this because I regularly attended movies here through 1984. I moved out of the St. Louis area in 1985 and when I returned to visit a year later, the place was closed.
Facility opened June 2, 1951. Architect was Lewis Wilson.