I never saw these until 2009 when they came up in an eBay auction and I bid as high as I could possibly afford. They cropped up again recently (Summer 2010) and so now I’ve had two batches to sort through.
Both groups advertised the same St. Louis bus line so until I see otherwise I’m going to assume that they were unique to the St. Louis area. The dates found in each batch were similar as well with the earliest pass I’ve seen dated the week of October 12-18, 1941 and the latest December 26, 1948-January 1, 1949.
The style on the first few is slightly different with line drawing cartoons of the stars though by the end of 1941 they went to promotional photos for each film playing that week. Each bus pass measures approximately 2-3/8″ X 4″, making a nice sized collectible, with one of the edges perforated. Backs are blank. Typically two colors are used on a white background.
While the Gallery and Checklist below include all 212 St. Louis area bus passes that I’ve seen from both batches combined, realizing that these are most definitely weekly shows that there are many holes to fill in this checklist–we’re just a little more than halfway there!
Will they turn up again? Who knows, as I mention in each sales listing these weren’t likely horded away in any great quantity: By it’s very definition ephemera is an item which wasn’t meant to be here–disposable everyday items from the past which somehow managed to survive the trash heap after its originally intended use expired. What fits that definition better than an old bus pass, useless a day after the date printed on it … until now!
Gallery of 212 Vintage Classic Movie Bus Passes:
Just click any image to enlarge–once enlarged you can also scroll through them all. Click again to exit enlarged photo. Enjoy!
Checklist of Known 1940’s St. Louis Area Classic Movie Bus Passes
Gallery Page 1:
October 12-18, 1941 Tyrone Power in A Yank in the R.A.F.
October 19-25, 1941 Week-End in Havana depicting Alice Faye and John Payne
October 26-November 1, 1941 Rosalind Russell and Don Ameche in That Feminine Touch
November 2-8, 1941 No film listed
November 9-15, 1941 Fredric March in One Foot in Heaven
November 23-29, 1941 Fibber McGee and Molly in Look Who’s Laughing
December 7-13, 1941 Don Ameche and Joan Bennett in Confirm or Deny
December 14-20, 1941 Maureen O’Hara and Walter Pidgeon in How Green Was My Valley
January 4-10, 1942 Claudette Colbert in Remember the Day
January 11-17, 1942 Charles Boyer, Olivia de Havilland and Paulette Goddard in Hold Back the Dawn
February 1-7, 1942 Claudette Colbert, Ray Milland and Brian Aherne in Skylark
March 15-21, 1942 Marlene Dietrich and Fred MacMurray in The Lady Is Willing
May 3-9, 1942 Rita Hayworth and Victor Mature in My Gal Sal
May 10-16, 1942 Jean Gabin and Ida Lupino in Moontide
May 17-23, 1942 Spencer Tracy and Hedy Lamarr in Tortilla Flat
May 24-30, 1942 Ann Sheridan and Ronald Reagan in Juke Girl
June 14-20, 1942 Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald in I Married An Angel
June 21-27, 1942 George Montgomery and Maureen O’Hara in The Gentlemen from West Point
July 5-11, 1942 Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon in Mrs. Miniver
July 12-18, 1942 Dorothy Lamour in Beyond the Blue Horizon
August 2-8, 1942 Robert Taylor and Norma Shearer in Her Cardboard Lover
August 9-15, 1942 Paulette Goddard in Reap the Wild Wind
August 16-22, 1942 Monty Woolley in The Pied Piper
August 23-29, 1942 Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire in Holiday Inn
February 20-26, 1942 Sonja Henie and John Payne in Iceland
Complete text checklist continued directly beneath the store listings that follow:
Available right now in the Immortal Ephemera Store:
Gallery Page 2:
October 4-10, 1942 Robert Preston and Brian Donlevy in Wake Island
October 18-24, 1942 Ginger Rogers in The Major and the Minor
October 25-31, 1942 George Sanders and Doris Dudley in The Moon and Sixpence
November 15-21, 1942 Coming Soon: The Andrews Sisters in Person
November 29-December 5, 1942 Tyrone Power and Maureen O’Hara in The Black Swan
December 20-26, 1942 Robert Taylor in Stand By for Action
January 3-9, 1943 Maria Montez, Jon Hall and Sabu in Arabian Nights
January 24-30, 1943 Ida Lupino and Monty Woolley in Life Begins at 8:30
February 14-20, 1943 Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in Keeper of the Flame
February 21-27, 1943 Van Heflin in Tennessee Johnson
April 11-17, 1943 Ann Sheridan and Errol Flynn in Edge of Darkness
April 18-24, 1943 Loretta Young and Alan Ladd in China
May 2-8, 1943 Mickey Rooney in The Human Comedy
May 9-15, 1943 Tyrone Power and Anne Baxter in Crash Dive
May 16-22, 1943 Maureen O’Hara in This Land Is Mine
May 23-29, 1943 Franchot Tone, Anne Baxter and Erich Von Stroheim in 5 Graves to Cairo
May 30-June 5, 1943 Jean Arthur in The More the Merrier
June 6-12, 1943 Brian Donlevy and Anna Lee in Hangmen Also Die
June 20-26, 1943 Eddie Albert, Anne Shirley and Randolph Scott in Bombardier
July 4-10, 1943 Stage Door Canteen
July 18-24, 1943 Charles Boyer and Joan Fontaine in The Constant Nymph
July 25-31, 1943 Marjorie Reynolds and Bing Crosby in Dixie
August 1-7, 1943 Billy House on stage in person Tons of Fun
August 8-14, 1943 No film advertised
August 15-21, 1943 No film named, but Wallace Beery pictured with actress
Gallery Page 3:
August 22-28, 1943 Deanna Durbin and Joseph Cotten in Hers to Hold
September 5-11, 1943 Bette Davis and Paul Lukas in Watch on the Rhine
September 12-18, 1943 Joan Crawford and Fred MacMurray in Above Suspicion
September 19-25, 1943 Red Skelton and Eleanor Powell in I Dood It
September 26-October 2, 1943 Eddie Cantor, Joan Leslie and Dennis Morgan in Thank Your Lucky Stars
October 17-23, 1943 James Cagney in Johnny Come Lately
October 24-30, 1943 Charles Coburn and Marguerite Chapman in My Kingdom for a Cook
November 7-13, 1943 Dick Powell, Mary Martin and Franchot Tone in True to Life
November 14-20, 1943 Miriam Hopkins and Bette Davis in Old Acquaintance
November 28-December 4, 1943 Roddy McDowall and Lassie in Lassie Come Home
December 5-11, 1943 Alice Faye, Phil Baker and Carmen Miranda in The Gang’s All Here
December 12-18, 1943 Frank Sinatra in Higher and Higher!
December 19-25, 1943 Franchot Tone, Deanna Durbin and Pat O’Brien in His Butler’s Sister
December 26, 1943-January 1, 1944 Roddy McDowall and Lassie in Lassie Come Home
January 2-8, 1944 Gene Kelly and Kathryn Grayson in Thousands Cheer
January 23-29, 1944 Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert in No Time for Love
January 30-February 5, 1944 Margaret O’Brien and James Craig in Lost Angel
February 6-12, 1944 Spencer Tracy and Irene Dunne in A Guy Named Joe
February 13-19, 1944 John Wayne and Susan Hayward in The Fighting Seabees
February 20-26, 1944 Tallulah Bankhead in Life Boat
February 27-March 4, 1944 Eddie Bracken and Betty Hutton in The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek
March 5-11, 1944 Robert Taylor and Susan Peters in Song of Russia
March 26-April 1, 1944 Ginger Rogers and Robert Ryan in Tender Comrade
April 9-15, 1944 Ginny Simms and George Murphy in Broadway Rhythm
April 16-22, 1944 Donna Reed and Robert Walker in See Here Private Hargrove
Gallery Page 4:
April 23-29, 1944 Ann Sheridan and Dennis Morgan in Shine On Harvest Moon
April 30-May 6, 1944 Fredric March and Alexis Smith in The Adventures of Mark Twain
May 14-20, 1944 Irene Dunne and Alan Marshal in The White Cliffs of Dover
May 21-27, 1944 Dick Powell and Lucille Ball in Meet the People
June 11-17, 1944 Anne Baxter and William Eythe in The Eve of St. Marks
June 18-24, 1944 Irene Dunne and Alan Marshal in The White Cliffs of Dover
July 2-8, 1944 Lon McAllister, Jeanne Crain and June Haver in Home in Indiana
July 9-15, 1944 Deanna Durbin and Gene Kelly in Christmas Holiday
July 23-29, 1944 Esther Williams in Bathing Beauty
August 6-12, 1944 Bette Davis and Claude Rains in Mr. Skeffington
August 20-26, 1944 Katharine Hepburn in Dragon Seed
August 27-September 2, 1944 Spencer Tracy and Signe Hasso in The Seventh Cross
September 10-16, 1944 Darryl F. Zanuck’s Wilson
September 17-23, 1944 Jean Arthur and Lee Bowman in The Impatient Years
September 24-30, 1944 Joseph Cotten and Jennifer Jones in Since You Went Away
October 1-7, 1944 Shirley Temple and Claudette Colbert in Since You Went Away
October 15-21, 1944 Laraine Day and Alan Marshall in Bride By Mistake
October 22-28, 1944 Hedy Lamarr and Paul Henreid in Conspirators
October 29-November 4, 1944 Linda Darnell in Summer Storm
November 5-11, 1944 Brian Donlevy and Ann Richards in American Romance
November 12-18, 1944 Joan Fontaine and Arturo de Cordova in Frenchman’s Creek
November 26-December 2, 1944 Ann Sheridan, Jane Wyman and Alexis Smith in The Dough Girls
December 17-23, 1944 Eleanor Parker and Dennis Morgan in The Very Thought of You
December 24-30, 1944 Bob Hope and Virginia Mayo in Princess and the Pirate
December 31, 1944-January 6, 1945 Deanna Durbin and Robert Paige in Can’t Help Singing
Gallery Page 5:
January 28-February 3, 1945 Edward G. Robinson and Joan Bennett in The Woman in the Window
February 4-10, 1945 Anne Baxter and John Hodiak in Sunday Dinner for a Soldier
February 25-March 3, 1945 Margaret O’Brien and Jimmy Durante in Music for Millions
March 11-17, 1945 Rosalind Russell and Jack Carson in Roughly Speaking
March 18-24, 1945 Peggy Ann Garner, Dorothy McGuire and Ted Donaldson in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
April 1-7, 1945 Van Johnson and Marilyn Maxwell in Between Two Women
April 8-14, 1945 Gypsy Rose Lee and Randolph Scott in Belle of the Yukon
April 15-21, 1945 Helmut Dantine and Peter Lorre in Hotel Berlin
April 22-28, 1945 William Eythe and Tallulah Bankhead in A Royal Scandal
April 29-May 5, 1945 Hurd Hatfield and Donna Reed in The Picture of Dorian Gray
May 6-12, 1945 Wallace Beery and James Gleason in This Man’s Navy
May 13-19, 1945 Joan Fontaine and George Brent in Affairs of Susan
May 20-26, 1945 Betty Grable and Dick Haymes in Diamond Horseshoe
May 27-June 2, 1945 Laraine Day and Robert Young in Those Endearing Young Charms
June 3-9, 1945 Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in Without Love
June 17-23, 1945 Lawrence Tierney in Dillinger
June 24-30, 1945 Johnny Coy and Peggy Ryan in That’s the Spirit
July 15-21, 1945 James Cagney and Sylvia Sidney in Blood on the Sun
July 29-August 4, 1945 Peggy Ann Garner and Scotty Beckett in Junior Miss
August 12-18, 1945 Van Johnson and Esther Williams in Thrill of a Romance
August 19-25, 1945 Claudette Colbert and Don Ameche in Guest Wife
September 30-October 6, 1945 John Garfield and Eleanor Parker in Pride of the Marines
October 7-13, 1945 Jeanne Crain and Dana Andrews in State Fair
October 14-20, 1945 William Eythe in The House on 92nd Street
October 27-November 2, 1946 Van Johnson and Keenan Wynn in No Leave No Love
Gallery Page 6:
Contents for Page 6 and Beyond Coming Soon!
