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70mm in Missouri
posted by
KingBiscuits
on
July 21, 2008 at 7:45 am
I am trying to research 70mm engagements in my home state, but there is not many things out there. I am far from any microfilm for the St. Louis and Kansas City areas and cannot research the papers from those areas from Springfield. Any help is definitely appreciated.
I am researching the St. Louis and Kansas City areas (other areas are definitely acceptable). And here is what I have so far (special thanks to Michael Coate and Bill Kallay’s from www.in70mm.com and www.fromscripttodvd.com contributions and aparofan’s flickr page for the found items).
St. Louis
4/16/1958 South Pacific (Pageant)
5/29/1968 2001: A Space Odyssey (Martin Cinerama)
12/16/1977 Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (BAC/Quad Cinema)
12/23/1977 Star Wars (Creve Coeur)
5/25/1979 Alien (Creve Coeur)
(additional engagement at the BAC/Quad Cinema starting 6/22/1979)
5/21/1980 The Empire Strikes Back (Creve Coeur)
5/25/1983 Return Of The Jedi (Esquire, Village Square)
5/23/1984 Indiana Jones and The Temple Of Doom (Clarkson 6, Creve Coeur)
7/15/1988 Die Hard (Esquire)
Kansas City
10/17/1956 Oklahoma! (Tower)
5/29/1957 Around In The World In 80 Days (Tower)
6/12/1968 2001: A Space Odyssey (Empire Cinerama)
5/25/1979 Alien (Midland)
5/21/1980 The Empire Strikes Back (Midland)
5/25/1983 Return Of The Jedi (Bannister Square, Blue Ridge East, Glenwood)
5/23/1984 Indiana Jones and The Temple Of Doom (Bannister Square, Blue Ridge East, Glenwood)
6/21/1991 The Rocketeer (Glenwood)
Springfield
5/23/1984 Indiana Jones and The Temple Of Doom (Century 21)
7/18/1986 Aliens (Century 21)
12/9/1988 Cocoon: The Return (Century 21)
5/24/1989 Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (Century 21)
5/22/1992 Far and Away (Dickinson/Springfield 8)
5/7/1993 Patriot Games (Dickinson/Springfield 8)
5/14/1993 Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (Dickinson/Springfield 8)
5/21/1993 Die Hard 2: Die Harder (Dickinson/Springfield 8)
5/28/1993 Batman (Dickinson/Springfield 8)
Once again, thank you for your comments.
Comments (17)
One theatre in the Kansas City area was the Ranch Mart, a Commonwealth house, but I believe it would have been on the Kansas side of the line, it was equipped for 70mm but rarely if ever used.
I am not totally sure on this, but was the Plaza, KC (Mann/NGC) equipped for 70?
I noted that you mentioned the Dickinson/Springfield 8, do you know if it is still equipped for 70 or has that equipment been removed.
That’s a start, but you have a long way to go if your objective is to create a comprehensive historical reconstruction of which films were exhibited in 70mm in Kansas City and St. Louis.
Despite the perception that Kansas City and St. Louis may have been secondary markets (Springfield certainly is), nearly all of the 70mm roadshows from the ‘50s and '60s played those markets in 70mm. “The Sound Of Music”… “Ben-Hur”… “2001: A Space Odyssey”… etc. And I think some will be surprised at how many theaters in those markets were equipped with 70mm projection capability.
As for the 1980s & ‘90s…I do not have a comprehensive list, but am aware that titles with very large 70mm print runs (100+) would typically play KC and St. Louis. Stuff like the second, third and fourth “Star Trek” movies, second and third “Indiana Jones,” “Aliens,” “Brainstorm,” “Top Gun,” “Far And Away,” “Willow,” “Dick Tracy,” “Quest For Fire,” etc.
Good luck, and let us know what you unearth!
I found a few St. Louis 70mm items in my notes…
SUPERMAN II (opened 06.19.1981)
Mid-America Esquire
DICK TRACY (opened 06.15.1990)
AMC Northwest Square
Wehrenberg Clarkson 6
Wehrenberg Kenrick 8
GREMLINS 2 (opened 06.15.1990)
AMC Esquire
FAR AND AWAY (opened 05.22.1992)
AMC Esquire
Wehrenberg Clarkson 6
Wehrenberg Kenrick 8
Wehrenberg St. Clair 10
If you’re curious about where the third Indiana Jones movie (“Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade”) played in 70mm, and there were many, please see my Indy tribute that’s posted on Fans of Showmanship. I never did post this here on Cinema Treasures. Perhaps I should have.
View link
(On the Indy list, consult the Kansas section as well as Missouri since, as you know, Overland Park is across the state line.)
70mm-Equipped Theaters in the Kansas City, St. Louis and Springfield markets.
As of 1960…
MISSOURI
Kansas City â€" BROOKSIDE
Kansas City â€" CAPRI
Kansas City â€" EMPIRE
Kansas City â€" MIDLAND
Kansas City â€" PLAZA
Kansas City â€" TOWER
St. Louis â€" AMBASSADOR
St. Louis â€" ESQUIRE
St. Louis â€" PAGEANT
St. Louis â€" ST. LOUIS
As of 1970…
KANSAS
Overland Park â€" GLENWOOD
MISSOURI
Belfontaine Neighbors â€" LEWIS & CLARK
Ellisville â€" ELLISVILLE
Florissant â€" 270 DRIVE-IN
Kansas City â€" BROOKSIDE
Kansas City â€" CAPRI
Kansas City â€" EMPIRE
Kansas City â€" MIDLAND
Kansas City â€" PLAZA
Kansas City â€" SAXON
Kansas City â€" TOWER
St. Ann â€" ST. ANN
St. Louis â€" AMBASSADOR
St. Louis â€" CRESTWOOD
St. Louis â€" ESQUIRE
St. Louis â€" MARTIN CINERAMA
St. Louis â€" NORTH DRIVE-IN
St. Louis â€" PAGEANT
St. Louis â€" ST. LOUIS
St. Louis â€" STADIUM
Sappington â€" MARK TWAIN
Sappington â€" RONNIE’S DRIVE-IN
As of 1980…
ILLINOIS
Belleville â€" BAC CINEMA
KANSAS
Overland Park â€" GLENWOOD
MISSOURI
Belfontaine Neighbors â€" LEWIS & CLARK
Creve Coeur â€" CREVE COEUR
Hazelwood â€" VILLAGE
Kansas City â€" BLUE RIDGE EAST
Kansas City â€" MIDLAND 3
Kansas City â€" PLAZA
Richmond Heights â€" ESQUIRE
Sappington â€" MARK TWAIN
Springfield â€" CENTURY 21
As of 1990…
ILLINOIS
Belleville â€" BAC CINEMA
KANSAS
Leewood â€" RANCHMART 4
Overland Park â€" GLENWOOD
Overland Park â€" OAK PARK PLAZA
MISSOURI
Chesterfield â€" CLARKSON 6
Clayton â€" SHADY OAKS
Creve Coeur â€" CREVE COEUR
Hazelwood â€" VILLAGE
Kansas City â€" BANNISTER MALL
Kansas City â€" BLUE RIDGE EAST
Kansas City â€" METRO NORTH
Kansas City â€" MIDLAND 3
Kansas City â€" PLAZA
Richmond Heights â€" ESQUIRE
St. Ann â€" NORTHWEST SQUARE
St. Louis â€" ST. CLAIRE 10
St. Louis â€" UNION STATION 10
Sappington â€" MARK TWAIN
Shrewsbury â€" KENRICK 8
Springfield â€" CENTURY 21
At one time I do remember seeing a 70mm print of TOP GUN in the National Film Service depot in Kansas City. Just sitting there collecting dust.
Thank you once again for the information. I appreciate it.
I also have these undated engagements:
St. Louis
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (Creve Coeur)
Kansas City
The Wonderful World Of The Brothers Grimm (Empire Cinerama)
How The West Was Won (Empire Cinerama)
It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (Empire Cinerama)
Lawrence Of Arabia (1989 reissue) (Oak Park Plaza)
And a dated but unknown theatre engagement:
St. Louis
8/28/1987 Apocalypse Now (Reissue)
Thanks to anyone who finds the dates or venues.
I found some more listings. These aren’t necessarily the dates they opened but it was somewhere during their runs.
Airport 5/28/70 (Midland)
The Greatest Story Ever Told 5/28/65 (Empire)
Battle Of The Bulge 5/27/66 (Empire)
Cinerama’s Russian Adventure 10/7/66 (Empire)
Ice Station Zebra 12/27/68 (Empire)
This Is Cinerama (Reissue) 6/15/73 (Empire)
The Empire went from 3 strip to 70mm Cinerama in late 1963 so any Cinerama listing past 12/63 will be 70mm.
Digging further into my collection of advertisement photocopies and notes (most of which was referenced from Variety and/or the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on microfilm), here are some more details for St. Louis.
SOUTH PACIFIC (premiered 04.16.1958)
PAGEANT
SLEEPING BEAUTY (early 1959)
PAGEANT
SOLOMON AND SHEBA (12.25.1959)
ST. LOUIS
CAN-CAN (05.1960)
AMBASSADOR
SPARTACUS (late 1960/early 1961)
ESQUIRE
KING OF KINGS (12.20.1961)
ESQUIRE
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (03.29.1963)
ST. LOUIS
IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD (02.20.1964)
MARTIN CINERAMA
THE SOUND OF MUSIC (04.01.1965)
ST. LOUIS (83-week run!)
CUSTER OF THE WEST (01.25.1968)
MARTIN CINERAMA
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (05.29.1968)
MARTIN CINERAMA (29 weeks)
Thanks again guys.
Michael, I was on your Fans of Showmanship website and I saw that you mentioned that Brainstorm once had the record for 70mm prints on one film. Do you know which St. Louis and Kansas City theatres played it in 70mm (the Tower played it in Springfield, who didn’t have 70mm equipment)? Thanks again.
And notice that no theatres in Springfield played Return Of The Jedi in 70mm. It had an exclusive at the Battlefield Mall 6 (on three screens, no less), who didn’t have 70mm either.
For the Kansas City market, “Brainstorm” played at GLENWOOD. For St. Louis, “Brainstorm” played at both CREVE COEUR and MARK TWAIN. The film opened on Sep. 30, 1983.
Thanks. Anymore from the saturation era?
No. I’ve given you more info than you probably deserve. (Do you intend to respond to the numerous e-mails I’ve sent you?)
I think you need to locate a library that has the KC and St. Louis papers on a digitally archived or microfilm collection instead of expecting others to just give you all of the info. If you cannot travel to a library, then consider requesting microfilm via Inter-Library Loan or hire a professional researcher to do the research for you.
There may have been 70mm-equipped theaters in Columbia (CINEMA), St. Joseph (FOX EAST HILLS and/or TRAIL), and possibly the GILLIOZ in Springfield.
Sorry, I didn’t check my e-mails.
I’ll read that e-mail as soon I get my Hotmail account working.
I’m sorry if I came out as a jerk or a beggar.