Remembering the Forty-One Drive-In

posted by Michael Zoldessy on June 29, 2007 at 7:35 am

CHATTANOOGA, TN — An article goes into detail about the history of the Forty-One Drive-In.

One ‘ozoner,’ the Forty-one Drive-in Theater, had a different sort of last picture show. If you stand on Fincher Avenue off Ringgold Road, and look towards the East Ridge interchange of Interstate 75, you will be looking at the old theater property. The Forty-one Drive-in’s rise and fall were both due to the automobile.

The parking lot of the Forty-one could hold up to 600 cars. That’s a lot of potential popcorn profits, but it was a smaller venue than the nearby Skyway, which could park at least 1,040 automobiles. The Forty-one Drive-in’s location was conveniently located to the growing suburbs of East Ridge and Brainerd. All of the traffic between Nashville and Atlanta traveled along Ringgold Road, so tourists might also be numbered among the customers.

For more, read the Chattanoogan.