St. Louis Municipal Opera 1943

St. Louis Municipal Opera (Muny) “Silver Anniversary” program from 1943- at the height of WWII.

A bit of St. Louis Beer History and various 1940s Advertisements

4 more pages of scans from the St. Louis Municipal Opera 1943 season. These include WWII-era ads for Hyde Park Beer, Coca Cola, Tums, and Kieffer Cleaners. The cleaners advertisement has prices listed, which I think is pretty interesting.

Four pages from the 1943 Municipal Opera Program

These next four pages of the 1943 St. Louis Municipal Opera program were packed with advertisements! Monsanto Chemicals had a full page ad, “Streamlined Flavor” appealing to World War II sensibilities:

World War 2 advertisements

Here are four more pages scanned from the 25th anniversary program of the St. Louis Municipal Opera (now known as The Muny).

The Zodiac Cocktail Lounge and Bar at the Chase Park Hotel advertised Neil Bondshu and his Society Orchestra, Mary Raye and Naldi, Don Tannen (Russian Comedy Song Star), and “Snow White” Sensational Wizard of Tap with Bobby Swain and his “Note-ables”. Entertainment nightly with Joe Karnes and Betty Barr (satirical songs and piano styling). This was probably my favorite advertisement of these pages, because they really gave me a flavor for the type of WWII nightlife and entertainment available here in St. Louis.

1940s theater program advertisements

Here are 4 more pages out of the 25th Anniversary Program for the 1943 season at the St. Louis Municipal Opera (The Muny). The St. Louis Municipal Opera was started in 1918, and 1943 was the 25th (Silver Anniversary) Season. Included is an advertisement for the musical romance “Rosalie”, an ad for Hunter Meat Food Products (out of East St. Louis Illinois), Philip Morris Cigarettes, Alpen Brau Beer (and KMOX) promotional advertisement, and an ad for Nu Grape Soda (bottled locally by American Soda Water Co.).

Silver Anniversary of the St. Louis Municipal Opera – 1943 Season Program

This entry is part 1 of 13 in the series St. Louis Municipal Opera 1943

Historical Bus Routes to the Muny in 1943

Misc. Ephemera

This entry is part 13 of 13 in the series St. Louis Municipal Opera 1943

It appears as if bus service to the Muny at Forest Park during World War II was very comprehensive! Bus service extended as far as Gravois and Hampton, Grand and Holly Hills, 3rd and Washington (downtown), Florissant and Kingshighway, and Delmar and DeBalviere… a pretty wide radius!

Also in these last few pages of the 1943 St Louis Municipal Opera program, besides ads, was the list of large donors who gave to the Municipal Theatre Associations guarantee fund. It reads like a long list of old St. Louis society’s who’s-who and includes Adolphus Busch II and his son, August Buch (of the Anheuser-Busch brewery). It’s interesting to see who the early supporters of the Muny were!

A Brief History of the Muny – St. Louis Municipal Theater Association History (as written in 1943)

Misc. Ephemera, Featured

This entry is part 12 of 13 in the series St. Louis Municipal Opera 1943

Explore the rich St. Louis Muny Opera history through these pages from the 1943 St. Louis Municipal Opera program. This archive includes the comprehensive Municipal Opera Productions Directory (from 1919-1942), offering a detailed glimpse into the evolution and milestones of the Muny Association, a cornerstone of St. Louis’ cultural heritage.

List of St. Louis Businesses in 1943

Misc. Ephemera

This entry is part 11 of 13 in the series St. Louis Municipal Opera 1943

These pages of the Municipal Opera Silver Anniversary program contained small ads for local companies that had been in business for 50 years and 75 years or more, as of 1943! This showcased St. Louis businesses that had started before 1869 and 1894. I wonder how many are still in business?

1940s St. Louis Municipal Opera Seating Chart and Ads

Misc. Ephemera, Featured

This entry is part 10 of 13 in the series St. Louis Municipal Opera 1943

This set of scans of the 1943 St. Louis Municipal Opera Theater Program includes the seating chart and seat prices in an advertisement for C.L. Finot Inc. Concessionaires. It looks like during WWII, The Muny seated 10,000 people and you could get front section box seats for two dollars, or sit in the back section for 25 cents. This was my favorite page in this set.

St. Louis WWII Business Ads

Misc. Ephemera

This entry is part 9 of 13 in the series St. Louis Municipal Opera 1943

Here are more pages of WWII business ads from the 1943 St. Louis Municipal Opera program. This starts with an advertisement for The Gatesworth (and the Walnut Room), and with the synopsis for The Great Waltz underneath.

WWII Patriotic Ads for St. Louis Businesses

Misc. Ephemera

This entry is part 8 of 13 in the series St. Louis Municipal Opera 1943

Synopsis of The Great Waltz and more 1943 St. Louis Business advertisments

Misc. Ephemera

This entry is part 7 of 13 in the series St. Louis Municipal Opera 1943

Here are more St. Louis beer and brewery advertisements and the synopsis of The Great Waltz from the 1943 St. Louis Municipal Opera Program.

Advertisers in these pages included: Falstaff Brewing Company, Manhattan Coffee, Efficiency Service Co (employment specialists), Griesedieck Brothers Brewing Company, The Circus Snack Bar at the Forest Park Hotel, and the Gaylord Container Corporation.

1940s ads for St. Louis Businesses

Misc. Ephemera

This entry is part 6 of 13 in the series St. Louis Municipal Opera 1943

These 4 pages of the 1943 St. Louis Municipal Opera Program were a little less blatantly patriotic, but such a preponderance overall of beer advertisements and funeral parlors! In today’s modern theater program, you might find one advertisement for a Mausoleum, but not so many… it reminds me that 1943 was the thick of World War II when peoples’ husbands, sons, fathers and friends were coming home in body bags or not at all.