Once More, the Black

When it rang down the curtain on its 4Oth season last week, the St. Louis municipal open-air opera could not only boast that it was "alone in its greatness" --it was also lonely in its solvency. St. Louis, its production costs breaking the $1,000,000 mark for the first time, spiced up its shows through the 12-week season with such stars as Bob Hope (in Roberta) and Andy Devine (in Show Boat), and, despite four rained-out performances, pulled a record 650,000 customers. It was a big enough gate to win the battle against night baseball, TV and home air conditioning, no small matter in the humid Missouri summer.

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