Photography Courtesy of Missouri History Museum
History doesn’t tell us what happened to Art Lee Utt and his Kilgen Wonder Organ, other than that he performed at the Tivoli Theatre’s grand opening on May 24, 1924. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch effused that the theater boasted “luxury and splendor eclipsing that of any other St. Louis theater.” And that was really saying something: Back then, we were known as the Broadway of the Midwest, and the city was crammed with opulent theaters—including the Odeon, the Princess, the Victoria, the Grand Central, and the Empress.
By the ’50s, when all the vaudeville entertainers had retired or gone to Hollywood, the Tivoli screened first-run movies. But like a lot of theaters from its era, it hit a shabby spell in the ’70s and ’80s, closing almost exactly 70 years after it opened. Loop superhero Joe Edwards swooped in, sinking $2 million into a restoration. In May 1995, the Tivoli reopened, with every swirl and rosette on its ceilings lovingly restored. It also had a new box office, three screens instead of one, and a newly installed terrazzo floor in the vestibule. Now, it is home to the 48 Hour Film Project, hosts the splashiest screenings for the St. Louis International Film Festival, and presents one-night screenings of indie films.
Its three-story-tall, Art Deco neon sign is still the most visible Loop landmark, though many associate the theater with something else: John Thompson. The Tivoli usher, ticket-taker, and changer of marquee letters began working at the theater in 1979, and every regular knew him. Perhaps more astonishingly, he remembered their names and tastes in movies, too. His presence became as much a part of the Tivoli as the red velvet curtains in the main theater and even the Edwards-style memorabilia. Thompson died earlier this year, but did what he loved till the end. “I’m going to have them carry me out of here on my shield,” Thompson told the Post’s Joe Holleman in 2003. “Just like an old warrior.”
At 4 p.m. on May 25, the Tivoli (landmarktheatres.com) celebrates its 90th birthday with a screening of Meet Me in St. Louis.
