Smithtown All Weather Drive-In
Middle Country Road and Deer Valley Drive,
Nesconset,
NY
11767
Middle Country Road and Deer Valley Drive,
Nesconset,
NY
11767
5 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 32 comments
The ticket booth was torn down with the drive-in. The structure which stand near, but not exactly where the ticket booth once stood is probably the guard house for the housing community.
Closed on February 6, 1986 with “Power”.
Grand opening ad:
Smithtown All-Weather Drive-In opening 29 May 1962, Tue Newsday (Suffolk Edition) (Melville, New York) Newspapers.com
A more familiar name than the village of Nesconset in which it is located. Confusing. However, Nesconset IS located in the TOWN of Smithtown.
On a similar note the new Huntington Plaza Theater is located in the village of East Northport which is in the TOWN of Huntington.
Why the name Smithtown?
There is a small building on tne entrance to the housing development that might be the former ticket booth?
Opened with “The man who Liberty Valance”. The site is now the Country Pointe residential housing development.
The original concept of the various Prudential All Weather theaters was that the same movie was shown at the indoor and outdoor theaters, albeit at different times, regardless of the weather. By the 1980s when UA was the managing circuit it was not uncommon for one film to play indoors and a double feature of other films outdoors. This policy was also in effect at the Johnny All Weather in Copiague and the Patchogue Sunrise.
Opened on May 29, 1962.
More information here from NY Drive-Ins
A very ambitious compilation. The format can be a tad confusing, however, the way two different villages may seem to overlap and the fact that there are multiple listings for theatres which have been divided, e.g. the Mattituck which started out as a single screen, went twin and eventually 8.
Moviegoer: Website moved to http://movie-theatre.org/usa/ny/NYC/readlongisland
There’s an aerial short of the drive in (and many other theaters in this odd pamphlet:
http://movie-theatre.org/usa/ny/NYC/NY%20NYC%20Long%20Island.pdf
During the late sixties..my family worked there from my mother at the ticket booth, my brother as an usher in the indoor theatre and myself in the concession stand where I specialized in knishes..deepfried full of heartburn. It was during the time of Bond’s “You Only Live Twice”
Growing up in the 70’s, I lived on the road located behind the outdoor screen here. At night if I had my bedroom window open, I could hear the movie playing. The summer of 1977 was incredible as I would listen to Star Wars each and every night.
My neighbors there built a deck in their backyard that would allow a angeled view of the screen, and I watched Star Wars at least 2 dozen times that way that summer.
Fun times!
tILSLOEWS see comment i made on screen partners.I know you will like it. This Drive-in is very very large.And it ain’t in Texas.
Very large drive-in.
One little correction: the movie’s name was “The Sword IN the Stone”.
I remember this movie house very fondly. When my Aunt and Uncle – accompanied by my Grandmother – became part of the Brooklyn diaspora into Suffolk County during the early 1960’s, they settled into Selden, which was situated a few miles east of this theater. On two occasions – one outdoor and one inside – we visited this theater. While I distinctly remember seeing Disney’s “The Sword and the Stone” here, I don’t recall the other encounter. I do, however, recall that we greatly enjoyed both visits.
When my relatives moved to Selden, it was still part of the “country” and had not yet been wholly incorporated into an emerging suburbia. For a couple of years, in fact, an extensive forest existed just south of my relative’s property line. (It has now become the grounds of Selden High School.) So, just as Selden became part of suburbia, this old drive-in lived out its useful existence – and now hosts a “little boxes” type suburban development. Thus goes progress!
Sorry L. I. forever, the names escape me…..but remeber havingsome fun times with those I worked with.
In my opinion the biggest error on the Drive In site is to list one in Centereach. Hardtop yes. Drive-In no.
The Drive-In site is incorrect. According to an ad in the Port Jefferson Record, the opening date for this theatre (these theatres, indoor and outdoor) was Tues, May 29, 1962.
Hi all… Did you work at the Smithtown All Weather Drive-In and Indoor Theater around 1974 – 1978 ? if so do you recall names of some employees ? Wendy, Karen, Danny, Vinny ?
Hope to hear from you !
Hey JimMann9,
Would love to see any pictures of the SMITHTOWN AW DI if you have them. Thanks for the memories!!!!!!!!!!
*How come no listings/postings for the Hauppauge Theater ??