Retina Theatre
2008 Market Street,
St. Louis,
MO
63103
2008 Market Street,
St. Louis,
MO
63103
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Additional Info
Previous Names: Retina Moving Picture Show, Retina Picture Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The Retina Theatre was opened in January 1910. In November 1910 it was renamed Retina Moving Picture Show. In 1913 it was renamed Retina Picture Theatre. it alternated with those two names for several years and became an African-American theatre. It was closed as the Retina Theatre on September 28, 1929 with John Gilbert in “The Cossacks”. The reason for closure was the plan to build the 20th Street road project thru the site of the theatre. The site is now a restaurant.
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Chris1982
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Recent comments (view all 2 comments)
The Retina Theatre is the subject of a brief (but sadly unillustrated) article in the November 7, 1914, issue of Motion Picture News. The article praises the theater (rather fulsomely) and its owner, John Gentner, of having rescued its neighborhood and the benighted denizens thereof from vice and crime. The tale sounds as though it could have been drawn from the plot of one of the “uplifting” movies of the day, meant to convince the church ladies that the movies weren’t a tool of the devil after all.
The Retina Picture Show was an early silent movie house opened in January of 1910. John H. Gentner took on the venue in November of 1910 changing names to the Retina Moving Picture Show. In 1913, the name is changed to the Retina Picture Theater. In 1916, the name is changed back to the Retina Moving Picture Show advertising in the African American press and often the Retinal Theater.
In 1920, it becomes the Retina Picture Show. It switches permanently to the Retina Theater not long after continuing to its final show on September 28, 1929 with John Gilbert in The Cossacks. An ad the next day indicates that 20th Street road project will be going through the theater ending its run. They direct their patrons to attend the nearby Comet Theatre.