Starlite Drive-In
15605 N. State Highway 21,
Cadet,
MO
63630
15605 N. State Highway 21,
Cadet,
MO
63630
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Daily Journal (Park Hills, MO), Aug. 17, 2013: “Fifty years ago a Washington County man by the name of Harry Blunt recognized America’s infatuation with the automobile and, in a time of prosperity, its eagerness for entertainment under the stars. His Starlite Drive-in Theater on Highway 21 in Old Mines was not the first in the area, but it is the last … Terry Mercille has owned the Starlite Drive-in since 1968, but his ties with it go back even further. He first worked in the concession stand for Blunt when he was only 14 … Though there is not a lot of hoopla about it, Mercille points out this is actually the 50th season for the theater that opened in 1952. It was a single-screen theater then, the second screen having been added about 15 years ago … There are about 225 parking slots for each screen at the Starlite … Of course, Mercille also admits, the Starlite is not his only means of income. He has an amusement game route that is his primary work and the theater is also used as a flea market during daylight hours on Saturdays and Sundays.”
All my old reference books had the Starlite under Potosi, which is also how the St. Louis Post-Dispatch described it in 2002. Anyway…
The 1953-54 Theatre Catalog included the Starlite, capacity 300, owner Harry Blount.
The Starlet (sic) Drive-In first appeared in the Motion Picture Almanac in the 1953-54 edition, capacity 228, owned by H. F. Blount, and that’s the way it stayed through the MPA’s autopilot period. When the MPA list rebooted in 1977, it showed the Starlite, capacity 200, owned by Mercille. In 1983 it changed to a twin, still owned by Mercille, and that’s how the MPA had it through its final annual list in 1988.
There are Starlite photos from 1992 and 1997 at VintageAerial.com.
The Cadet Drive-In initially opened in 1952. It has a car capacity of 700 cars.
Congrats to the Starlite for winning a digital projector from projectdrivein.
Man, you would think these Almanacs would be right on,but i am finding more and more that are wrong.
Cadet, Mo had no Drive-ins there in the late 50’s this one must have opened in the 60’s. Motion Picture Almanac 1957.
The Starlite has indeed reopened, and website above now has current features showing along with some nice photos of the drive-in. It is a really nice rural drive in that was originally one screen, but later added a second. I saw THE NUTTY PROFESSOR and HAPPY MADISON here in 1996, and have driven by it often. It was only closed for about a year, I believe, and I’m glad it has reopened. Other than the Sky View Drive-In in Belleville IL, it is probably the next closest drive in to St Louis, and is well worth the drive.
This drive-in will open on May 28th 2010.