Admittedly, St. Louis hasn’t been used as a cinematic backdrop as often as New York or Paris, but our city makes it to the big screen regularly. We lent Hollywood our beer-soaked fraternity houses, our World’s Fair, our Hill. We had our innings, with Ronald Reagan in The Winning Team and Richard Pryor in The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings. We’d love to tell you that every film about St. Louis is essential viewing, but that would mean risking our credibility. So, instead, we’ll rate your need to catch some of these flicks.
Buy: This movie belongs in your personal DVD collection.
Rent: It’s worth seeing.
Broadcast: It’s raining, it’s Sunday afternoon, the movie’s on Channel 11 ... why not?
Pass: Forget the local ties; this piece isn’t worth 90 minutes of your life.
American Flyers (1985): An early film for Kevin Costner, whose on-screen brother (David Grant) cycles through the cobblestone streets of Laclede’s Landing in the early moments of this bicycling-themed comedy/drama. The duo’s mother lives in the Central West End, where a bit more footage is shot, although St. Louis disappears from the plot after the first 20 minutes. A definite period piece, this work suffers from every cliché of 1980s filmmaking: a bombastic soundtrack,a United States vs. Russia subplot and some unfortunate fashions. Though it’s billed as family fare, Flyers is peppered with saucy scenes. Broadcast.
Animal House (1978): Co-written by Washington University alum Harold Ramis, this outrageous comedy was reportedly based on Ramis’ own experiences on the Hilltop Campus. The film catapulted John Belushi to post–Saturday Night Live stardom and will be viewed on college campuses for decades to come. Intentionally immature, its sight-gags, broad physical comedy and ridiculous plotlines make it a must-see American comedy. Rent.
The Brass Ring (1999): Director George Hickenlooper was part of “the Splicers,” a group of teenage filmmakers who prepped at Saint Louis University High School. (Other members included novelist and screenwriter James Gunn, who wrote the Dawn of the Dead remake and Scooby-Doo, and local filmmaker Bill Boll, who directed Built for Speed: The Coral Court Motel.) Hickenlooper has had a long career, flitting between documentaries and narrative features, but he’s shot just one film in his hometown: this one, based on a story by the legendary Orson Welles. Spotting local celebs, including Charles Brennan and Joe Edwards, is the great fun of watching this odd political thriller. Unfortunately, it is Hickenlooper’s least successful film, long on twisted plot turns that don’t travel anywhere satisfying. Pass.
Escape from New York (1981): If any film has acquired a lore because of its St. Louis location, it’s this one. The John Carpenter film wasn’t even capturing St. Louis; our town is used to depict a bombed-out New York City. Now-posh Washington Avenue stood in for the Big Apple, and the pre-renovation Union Station provided a perfect set for the crazy hand-to-hand battle between Kurt Russell’s antihero, Snake Plissken, and real-life wrestler Ox Baker. The cast includes Adrienne Barbeau, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Isaac Hayes and a scene-stealing Harry Dean Stanton. Though it’s little more than a camp classic elsewhere, Escape is a different kind of classic in St. Louis. Buy.
The Game of their Lives (2005): Noted sports-film director David Anspaugh (Rudy, Hoosiers) recreated the Hill of the late 1940s and early ’50s on location. Adapted from the book by the same name, Game tells the story of the 1950 U.S. World Cup team, which featured several St. Louis players and defeated England in what is arguably the greatest upset in soccer history. Dozens of St. Louisans were hired as actors, set dressers and even renters of classic cars for its production, and it energized the local film community during the summer of 2003. Look for it soon on DVD. Rent.
The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery (1959): The second film for Steve McQueen, this period potboiler saw the star of The Blob turn in a more mature performance as a young man drawn into an ill-fated plot to knock over Southwest Bank. The film is a fine character study, with the small crew of would-be bandits clashing and squabbling as they make their plans. Capturing the look and feel of St. Louis in the late 1950s, the film takes place in Tower Grove Park and at the intersection of Southwest and Kingshighway, scene of the movie’s climax. Buy.
Chuck Berry: Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll (1987): The most effective moments in this Taylor Hackford–directed bio-doc about Berry come early, as the legend visits old haunts while discussing his career as a young working musician playing gigs on both sides of the Mississippi River. Half of the film, though, consists of Berry and an all-star band playing to a sold-out Fox Theatre. Among the more enjoyable moments in the lead-up to the show are the debates, full of sparks, between Berry and Keith Richards, Berry’s musical director. An engaging look at a local legend. Rent.
Hoodlum Priest (1961): Don Murray co-wrote and starred in this gritty piece of film noir as Father Charles Dismas Clark, the famous mentor of inner-city youth. Filmed entirely in town, Priest features several local taverns, Produce Row and, at the shoot-’em-up conclusion, the old Mill Creek Valley neighborhood just before its demolition. Though slightly formulaic, the piece holds up as better–than–B-movie fare, and the spot-the-locale possibilities will delight any St. Louisan. Rent.
King of the Hill (1993): Steven Soderbergh’s film brought to life the delightful preteen memoir of writer A.E. Hotchner, who brilliantly interpreted the hardscrabble urban realities of Depression-era St. Louis. Much of the film was shot in town; the shuttered Kiel Auditorium served as a multiset soundstage and warehouse. Look for a young Adrien Brody in the cast, which also features Jesse Bradford as the hero, Aaron Kurlander. A charming, wistful story of a true underdog. Rent.
Manhunter (1986): A precursor to the blockbuster hit The Silence of the Lambs, this Hannibal Lecter mystery had less success at the box office than Lambs did, and today it looks a little dated. The film’s climactic scene involves a violent shootoutin the Chesterfield Valley, with—oops—St. Louis police officers in on the chase. The film was remade in 2002 as the far superior Red Dragon with Anthony Hopkins in the Lecter role. Pass.
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944): An obvious selection, the classic story of a young girl’s love affair during the 1904 World’s Fair. Judy Garland, surrounded by seasoned actors, makes a star turn in the stylized film. The songs, the tunes, the enduring magic of the fair make this one almost the essential St. Louis film—and a charming piece of Americana. Buy.
Monument to the Dream (1967): Is there a schoolchild in the area who hasn’t seen this classic, still playing in the theater at the base of the Arch? Thanks to the sharp documentary vision of Charles Guggenheim, we see breathtaking scenes of the icon as it rises above downtown and the passing Mississippi River. Probably no other film has been screened more often in St. Louis. Rent (or, more accurately, see it at the Arch, because it’s not offered on DVD).
One Night at McCool's (2001): Expatriate St. Louisan Scott Seidel penned this crime romp, with the fictional bar of McCool’s standing in for the popular Saint Louis University bar Humphrey’s. The film may be about St. Louis, but it was shot on a Los Angeles backlot, not in Midtown. Unfortunately, Seidel died while McCool’s was being made (in its final moments, the film is dedicated to him). Though McCool’s possesses star appeal (John Goodman, Liv Tyler, Matt Dillon), the plot never takes off, and, despite a handful of funny moments, the movie never becomes the slapstick shoot-’em up it’s intended as. Pass.
Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987): Though only part of this lighthearted comedy takes place in St. Louis, some of the funniest bits were captured here, including John Candy and Steve Martin’s hilarious romp at Lambert. Martin and the late, mourned Candy were a delightful comedy team in this wacky buddy flick, and, as in almost every other film released in the ’80s, worker bee Kevin Bacon makes an appearance, rendering Planes a valuable tool in the “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” parlor game. Martin’s eventual, inevitable rant against Candy is the highlight of the film. Rent.
The Pride of St. Louis (1952): One of the most colorful sports figures ever to call St. Louis home, Jerome “Dizzy” Dean is portrayed in this biopic starring Dan Dailey as Dean and veteran actor Richard Crenna as his talented brother, Paul “Daffy” Dean. Though the film is fun, it suffers from one of the main problems besetting sports movies of the period: a complete lack of balance. Every ballplayer’s a hero, and every storyline is intended to end happily. Still, for Cardinals fans and trivia fans, Pride is a film to seek out. Broadcast.
The Spirit of St. Louis (1957): The legendary Billy Wilder directed this tale of Charles Lindbergh, with everyman star James Stewart in the lead role. As you might expect, much of the film takes place inside the cockpit of the plane, but the story also touches on St. Louis’ role in getting Lindbergh’s dicey proposition off the ground. An all-American affair, as you might guess from the time period and Stewart’s involvement. Broadcast.
What's Love Got to Do With It? (1993): This portrayal of Tina Turner (a stunning Angela Bassett) and her troubled husband/bandleader Ike (the ever-strong Laurence Fishburne) moves through a variety of locations and periods but pays close attention to the duo’s time as a popular local club draw. Though the film is riddled with clichés, the star power of the two leads has a force all its own—and the music will have your toes tapping even when the action (by way of Ike’s behavior) gets a little rough. Broadcast.
White Palace (1990): Adapted from the debut novel by the late St. Louisan Glenn Savan, this steamy younger man–older woman romp stars James Spader and Susan Sarandon. Their predictable romance is captured better on Savan’s pages than onscreen, but there are plenty of local spots to identify and plenty of St. Louis faces in bit parts and extra roles. If you’ve always thought that the Maplewood pub Cousin Hugo’s looks familiar, this film may be the reason. Broadcast.
The World's Greatest Fair (2004): An absolute hit when it was released during the centennial celebration of the 1904 World’s Fair, this film is arguably the most stylized, attractive documentary ever produced about our town. Directed by Scott Huegerich and Bob Miano, this two-hour look back at the fair never feels long, and it tells stories known only to the most diehard researchers—including the horrific train crash that cost dozens of fairgoers their lives. Full of remarkable period photography, much of it never shown before. Buy.
