Brentwood Theatre
2525 S. Brentwood Boulevard,
Brentwood,
MO
63119
2525 S. Brentwood Boulevard,
Brentwood,
MO
63119
3 people
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The Brentwood and Kirkwood theaters both closed July 31, 1986 as AMC was reducing its one screen locations. Lemay Theater operators Marty Tribl and Mark Friedrich were approached by AMC to sublease the venues until they were either sold or demolished (or both). They agreed. The Brentwood relaunched August 29, 1986 with the unfortunately title “The Money Pit.” The arrangement seems to have ended October 23, 1986 with “Legal Eagles.” It became an oriental rug outlet next.
Fifty years ago today THE EXORCIST opened here. Brentwood was among only two-dozen cinemas in twenty-one North American markets to play the film at release launch.
Here is an item from the July 3, 1941 issue of The Film Daily about the Brentwood Theatre:
1947 photo added courtesy of Eileen Prunty Bax.
March 13th, 1942 grand opening ad in photo section.
I remember in 1973, the Exorcist ran at the Brentwood and the Ellisville, for quite some time. I was an usher at the Ellisville at the time, and was ask to “Help” at the Brentwood by directing traffic in the parking lot… it got crazy on the weekends. It was cold!
Nice looking theatre.
Never went to this theater…but it’s interesting how the black banner were used at this theater. Exaclty the same as the banners on the Fine Arts (Beverly) Theater. The picture of the Brentwood makes it clear this was still the case when RKO-MidAmerica, rather than just MidAmerica, ran the theater. Did other Mid-America theaters have the black banners? Like the Esquire or the Crestwood, for example? Don’t believe the Village Square ever had those…
For its first 24 years of operation, the Brentwood was a typical neighborhood house. In 1965, when Mid-America Theatres was beginning its expansion, the Brentwood was remodeled (design by Martin Bloom and Associates) and reopened with the 2nd-run of “My Fair Lady” that December. The first exclusive first-run engagement at the Brentwood followed in April with “A Thousand Clowns.” Long runs were the norm at the Brentwood with “Midnight Cowboy” running 35 weeks; a hardticket engagement of “The Lion in Winter” running 34. Management changed to RKO Mid-America in 1984, then AMC in 1985. Not fitting AMC’s multi-screen pattern, they closed the theatre in July 1986 saying the Brentwood was “old and inefficient.” The theatre reopened as an indie (with $1.50 admission)briefly, from August to October that year. The final film shown was “Legal Eagles.”
This is a small photo of the H&R Block building, however, the address is 2525.
http://tinyurl.com/6xgppa
As of 2002, the building was occupied by H&R Block.
The old lady must have been narrow-minded, because it was a Woody Allen film and not a porno.