March 21st brought great spring weather to our neighborhood and along with it — a movie company. The Television Corporation of America was on the 6000 block of Pershing shooting action spots for the movie “Pleasure Doing Business”. The movie is set in St. Louis and stars Tommy Smothers and Phyllis Diller. Curious on-lookers did not get to see the two stars, however, since their work on the film was finished two weeks ago. But, Conrad Bain who plays the next-door neighbor on “Maude” was “on location” along with a treacherous-looking thug type that attracted much attention.
The building chosen for the scenes is located on the north corner of Des Peres and Pershing. It is a stately apartment building with white columns on the front balconies. In the movie Phyllis Diller portrays the landlady of the apartment building. One of the apartments was photographed by the movie company and a duplicate of it will be erected on a sound stage so it can be used in scenes of the movie.
There is no historical reason that this particular building was chosen. A typical city neighborhood was needed to film the street scenes. A member of the crew who used to live in St. Louis and a promotion man thought that the apartment building was interesting and liked the location.
The film crews were pleasant and informative. They let the crowd that gathered know what they were doing and where to stand for the best viewing. The crowd was also co-operative, being quiet during sound segments and staying out of the camera range while shooting. The bells of St. Roch’s were not so co-operative. They rang during a sound take.
The day was beautiful, warm, and very exciting. Surely it will not be forgotten for a long time by both youngsters and adults. We, of The Paper and of the neighborhood wish the Television Corporation of American, Phyllis Diller and Tommy Smothers much success with their movie and thank them for filming in St. Louis and for making our neighborhood “immortal.”
Original photograph caption
Apartment building pictured with “S-D Becomes Movie Set.” The Paper, April 1978, page 1. Photographer not credited.
Originally published in The Paper, April 1978.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Archival transcription note: The printed “Television Corporation of American” is retained.
Original source: SD_Times1978_04.pdf, printed page(s) 1; PDF page(s) 1.
