Beverly Theater

Architect Oliver W. Stiegemeyer was born in 1891, and by 1910 was listed as a draftsman, working for August F. Haeussler from 1909-1910 and then for Duggan and Huff from 1910-1912, the firm which designed the CLIMAX Theatre in Milwaukee and the CHEROKEE Theatre in St. Louis. From 1913 to 1931 he was a partner with a Mr. Kennerly and together they did a home at 3424 Longfellow in St. Louis, and the Deco/Moderne DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in Illinois. His final office address was at 4412 Lindell Boulevard, where he retired in 1942. Stiegemeyer died in 1985.

If I remember correctly, “Last Tango in Paris” played at the Fine Arts. I used to work for Mid-America Theatres and would sometimes join a group of managers in the screening room at their main office at the Holiday Drive-in. While the films shown at the Fine Arts were x-rated, they were not hardcore. Every Friday, some executives would screen x-rated films for future bookings at the Fine Arts. As the films were screened, the projectionist would have to mark sections of the films that were too hardcore for St.Louis and he would cut them out. Every projectionist who worked the screening room had their own reel of hardcore clips cut from the movies and never put back after they film was shipped out. The theatre used to keep the house lights turned up during the films to discourage any public displays.

October 6th, 1937 small grand opening ad in photo section.

I went to the Fine Arts many times back in the 1970s. It did not run hardcore pornos, but the French soft cores that were so popular, particularly with couples—The Story of O and Emmanuelle were very big and it was extremely romantic to go on a Friday or Saturday date night. And everyone was dressed to the nines! The Last Tango in Paris ran here for over half-a-year, the first few months on an advanced ticket sale and reserved seat basis. That was the first X-rated film I saw and I still think it is a classic. They also ran lots of French films that were PG and R. I saw Day For Night, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, and Claude Lelouch’s And Now, My Love, which changed my life and inspired me to become a professional cameraman. Both of those were M or PG. It was a terrific cinema. I think of it very fondly.

The Beverly turned art and repertory film in December of 1963 becoming the Beverly Art Theater launching with “An American in Paris.” Four years later, Mid-America Theaters rebranded this as the Fine Arts Theater on October 4, 1967 turning art house with “King of Hearts.” The venue also closed as the Fine Arts Theater almost 20 years later on May 31, 1986 with “April Fool’s Day.”