Brentwood Theatre
2525 S. Brentwood Boulevard,
Brentwood,
MO
63119
2525 S. Brentwood Boulevard,
Brentwood,
MO
63119
3 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: AMC Theatres, Komm Theaters, Mid-America Cinema Corp.
Functions: Office Space
Nearby Theaters
Located in Brentwood, to the west of St. Louis, MO. The Brentwood Theatre opened on March 14, 1942 with Shirley Temple in “Kathleen” & Johnny Weissmuller in “Tarzan’s Secret Treasures”. It was a well-run theatre located in an affluent neighborhood on a commercial strip. It went through some problems during its tenure as a motion picture theatre. There were bomb threats in 1965 and 1972 causing evacuation. There was a bungled burglary in 1968 (netting $11), whereby the bandits were caught when they dropped tire irons while hiding and the police apprehended then.
Billie Lasker (a smut-fighting grandma) led a march to the local prosecutor’s office in 1972, in protest to the theatre’s showing of “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask” starring Woody Allen.
The theatre had very limited parking and therefore patrons would park at neighboring areas and a problem was created again as the theatre patrons returned to their cars to be greeted by a parking ticket.
The Brentwood Theatre was always a very well maintained and well-run theatre while in the ownership of Mid-America Cinema Corp. It ran mostly first-run features and art films. The last chain to operate the Brentwood Theatre was AMC, who closed in on July 31, 1986 as they had opened their new 4-screen down the road in the Galleria Mall. It was taken over by independent operators who reopening it on August 29, 1986, but it was short lived, closing on October 23, 1986 with Robert Redford in “Legal Eagles”. It became an Oriental rug store and has since converted into office space.
Contributed by
Chuck Van Bibber
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Recent comments (view all 12 comments)
This is a small photo of the H&R Block building, however, the address is 2525.
http://tinyurl.com/6xgppa
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.”
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…
Nice looking theatre.
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!
March 13th, 1942 grand opening ad in photo section.
1947 photo added courtesy of Eileen Prunty Bax.
Here is an item from the July 3, 1941 issue of The Film Daily about the Brentwood Theatre:
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.
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.