DRIVE-IN MOVIE THEATERS IN ST. LOUIS – Movie Geek Lecture at Missouri History Museum June 2nd

I will be speaking about The History of St. Louis Drive-In Movie Theaters on Thursday June 2nd at 10:30am at Lee Auditorium inside the Missouri History Museum (Lindell and DeBaliviere in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri)

The I-44 Drive-in Movie theater was a regular hangout for me in the late 1970’s. A perfect day was to spend the daylight hours at Six Flags in Eureka, then head East on 1-44, get off at Highway 141 and spend the evening watching a double feature at that Drive-In. The I-44 had the worst location for a drive-in. It sat in the valley wedged between a landfill, railroad tracks, and the Meramec river. The fog would settle in the Valley and block out the projector’s beam, the train noise would often drown out the sound, and the mosquitos loved the river, the landfill, and the taste of those attending the drive-in. But I still loved it there. If you drive past I-141 on I-44 you can still see the building that housed the concession stand.

On Thursday June 2nd at 10:30am at Lee Auditorium inside the Missouri History Museum (Lindell and DeBaliviere in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri) I will be talking about the history of the Drive-In movie theaters in St. Louis. The lecture will be part of Johnny Rabbitt’s history series at the Museum and the theme this month is “Lost St. Louis” I am one of four speakers invited to lecture about the history and cultural significance of places that used to be in St. Louis but are no more. When Rabbitt asked me to speak, the topic of the Drive-ins was the first thing that popped in my head. Danny Gonzales Historian from the County Parks department will open the program.

Sometimes I get a sad nostalgia pang when I drive by the location of a defunct Drive-in theater in the St. Louis area. The outdoor theater I frequented the most was the Holiday, on Page Boulevard about halfway between Lindbergh and I-70. The Holiday had four screens and in the summer, they would play triple features 7 nights a week. My buddies and I all had restaurant jobs in those days and we would get off work and meet at the Holiday three or four times per week. I kept a lawn chair in my trunk so I could just park it at whichever screen was showing the better film at that time. Now the spot where the Holiday sits is owned by U-Haul and there’s a fleet of their trucks parked there.

The Airway Twin, on St. Charles Rock Road near Lindbergh, was another popular Drive-in that I frequented. The Airway had an amazing neon marquee that featured a giant drum majorette. Her neon baton would twirl in circles and her leg would kick. The Airway is long gone but officials of the city of St. Ann recognized the sign’s importance in 1991 and approved its restoration when they built what is now known as ‘Airway Shopping Center’. The sign still stands.

There were a lot more Drive-ins in the St. Louis area: The South Twin, The North Twin, The 66 Park-In, The St. Ann 4, The Ronnies, The Manchester, The Broadway, The 270, and many more including the infamous Olympic, which was sued by the city of Pagedale in 1969 for showing soft-core sex movies that could be sseen from the street! They had to drape black vinyl material around the whole complex so that the screen couldn’t be seen!

They’re all gone now (except the Skyview in Belleville), so what more perfect subject could there be for Lost St. Louis? Come hear my stories about seeing movies outdoors in my youth and an overview of the history of the local Drive-ins this Thursday at Missouri History Museum at 10:30am. Admission is FREE!