Returning to the Wildey after 40 years, “Stingray,” a movie filmed in the Metro East, will be presented by the Friends of the Wildey at 7 p.m. Saturday. The film’s director, Richard Taylor, hero star Less Lannom, villain star Bert Hinchman, and character actor Will Shaw will be on hand to speak to the audience, answer questions, and sign autographs. Tickets are just $10 and can be purchased online at WildeyTheatre.com or by calling (618) 307-1750.
The story of “Stingray” involves two drug dealers who try to track down a briefcase with a million bucks and drugs, which they stashed in a red Corvette Stingray in a used car lot only to find out the car has been sold. Lots of mistaken identities and car chases through late 1970s Edwardsville include Main Street, the old A&W, the former Cassens Car Lot, the County Courthouse, and a Corvette making a high-speed getaway across City Park, just missing the library.
Guests at the event will not only see this hometown favorite on the Wildey’s big screen, but will also have an opportunity to meet and hear stories from the director and cast. The restored film, now DVD BluRay, includes never-seen-before scenes from the director’s cut.
All proceeds will benefit the Wildey Theatre, a city-owned community performing arts theater at 252 N. Main St. in downtown Edwardsville.
According to IMDb, the film was shot on location in East St. Louis, Edwardsville, Wood River and Madison County.