Boxoffice, Oct. 20, 1956: “SILVERTON, COLO. – The Barlows, who run the Lode Theatre here, are convinced that it’s wise for business people to keep up with changing times. Since they remodeled their theatre this year to accommodate wide-screen projection, they say the quality of shows has been raised and the general improvements are paying off in increased customer support.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 8, 1956: “GILLESPIE, ILL. – Louis Odorizzi of Staunton, Ill., who owns and operates the Sunset Drive-In on Highway 66 near Mount Olive, Ill., has leased the old Lyric Theatre here and is readying it for reopening in the next 60 days. … Odorizzi plans to reopen the house with a new name, the Canna Theatre.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 3, 1953: “the Cinema Park Drive-In … Arizona’s largest ozoner was bought by Ted Karatz of Minneapolis, whose son Stanley will manage the showcase.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 11, 1956: “Pacific Drive-In Theatres of California has purchased an interest in the Cinema Park Drive-In at 5500 North Seventh St. from Ted Karatz, who remains as stockholder in the operation.”
The Grand Opening ad in the photo section said the Clinton was 1¼ miles north of Clinton on Highway 63. The Boxoffice note I just posted said the Breeze-Way was 3½ miles north on Highway 63. Both are accurate. The Clinton did not become the Breeze-Way.
HistoricAerials shows the Clinton in 1949 at 2801 N Main St., and still there in 1953 and 1955. All three times, the future Breeze-Way site is undeveloped. In the 1962 aerial, there’s nothing left of the Clinton; it looks just like the gravel supply it is now. But the Breeze-Way is there in 1962, further north on the same highway. The Breeze-Way was still outlined in a 1987 topo map, but the screen was gone by a 1992 photo.
Boxoffice, July 28, 1956: “CLINTON, IND. – Gene Marietta and Gene Hathaway have opened their new Breeze-Way Drive-In Theatre, three and a half miles north on Highway 63.”
Boxoffice, July 28, 1956: “Harry L. Nace, head of the Harry L. Nace Theatres, has bought the interest of Malcolm White, mayor of Scottsdale, in the Valley Theatre Corp. there. … The purchase makes his the sole owner of the two Scottsdale theatres, the Roundup and the Kiva. … The Roundup, a drive-in, will be expanded with 150 stadium-type seats being installed for walk-in patrons, and 270 new automobile speakers added.”
Boxoffice, June 30, 1956: “WILLCOX, ARIZ. – The new drive-in theatre here, owned by Long Theatres of Safford, has been opened here under the supervision of Cecil Flint, manager of the Long Theatres here.”
Boxoffice, June 23, 1956: “Fire destroyed the $20,000 screen at the Falls Motor Vu Drive-In shortly before opening time on a recent Monday night. Owner-Manager L. A. Donohue said the 60x108-foot screen, a total loss, is insured for $20,000. Donohue said he believed the fire may have been started by children playing behind the screen, as four children came from the vicinity of the screen about 7:55 p.m. and told him it was on fire. The blaze was out of control before fire trucks arrived.”
Boxoffice, June 9, 1956: “WESTWOOD VILLAGE, CALIF. – Continuing to expand its southland exhibition holdings, the Robert L. Lippert circuit has purchased the Uclan Theatre here from the Paul Dietrich-Manny Feldstein chain. The 850-seat showcase, operating for the past several years on an art house policy, will be renamed the Crest”
Boxoffice, June 2, 1956: “GEARHART, ORE. – The Sunset Drive-In here has been bought by Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Kershul who purchased it from Coast Theatres, operators of the outdoor theatre since 1950.”
In the May 26, 1956 issue, one of the typical managerial rotation notes in Boxoffice mentioned that the Fulton Drive-In had been “recently acquired by Commonwealth.”
Boxoffice, May 19, 1956: “J. K. Munsell’s just-completed Baker Drive-In Theatre is open for business. The 230-car outdoorer, four miles west of town, is described as “strictly modern,” with a widescreen specifically built to eliminate distortion from the sides of the parking area.”
There was a nice long article in the April 28, 1956 issue of Boxoffice describing how incoming manager Ralph Bradshaw ended the practice of using an armed guard to chase away vandals and began employing young native Americans from a nearby Yaqui settlement to maintain and police the site.
Boxoffice, April 21, 1956: “Mr. and Mrs. Harvey E. Sampson, owners of the Lower Lake Theatre, have purchased the Lake Drive-In Theatre at Clearlake Highlands from Mr. and Mrs. M. W. Bouldin, who erected and operated the outdoor theatre last summer.” (They opened in June 1955 and closed for the season in November.)
Boxoffice, March 31, 1956: “MANCOS, COLO. – Philip M. Belt, formerly of Cortez, Colo., recently purchased the Mancos Theatre here.”
Boxoffice, April 21, 1956: “Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Bauer have sold the Mancos Theatre to Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Belt of Cortez. … Mr. and Mrs. Bauer … started the business in 1949 in the new Bauer building which was built to replace the old Bauer Mercantile building, destroyed by fire in 1948.”
The April 14, 1956 issue of Boxoffice ran a very lengthy article (sadly, without photos) of E. R. “Chub” Munger’s shift from county sheriff to first-time drive-in owner. There are tons of details, including screen sizes (40x60 feet to start, x80 in 1955), details of the annual car giveaway, and his favorite publicity stunt. “I believe it was the rooster project. I simply released a bunch of roosters for the audience to catch with the understanding that once caught, the roosters belonged to the catchers. The show put on by the audience that evening outdid the attraction on the screen.”
Boxoffice, April 7, 1956: “LIBERAL, KAS. – Jay Wooten of Hutchinson and Ben Adams of El Dorado have started grading in the north end of town for the construction of a new drive-in. The partners built the Great Western at the south end of town and have operated it since May 1949.”
Boxoffice, March 31, 1956: “H. L. Boehm, who operates theatres at Woodward, Okla., has bought the Mission and El Rancho Drive-In, Dalhart, Tex., from J. C. Parker.”
Boxoffice, March 24, 1956: “Recent sale of the Star Drive-In, south of Conrad, to the Kluth interests was announced by former owner, Ray Yeager, Brady. Yeager built the drive-in in the summer of 1952 and has owned and operated it the past four years.”
Boxoffice, March 10, 1956: “BOISE, IDA. – Lou Pressler of Seattle has purchased the Boise and Broadway drive-ins here. They were formerly owned by Joy Naylor and the late Milton Fry.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 20, 1956: “SILVERTON, COLO. – The Barlows, who run the Lode Theatre here, are convinced that it’s wise for business people to keep up with changing times. Since they remodeled their theatre this year to accommodate wide-screen projection, they say the quality of shows has been raised and the general improvements are paying off in increased customer support.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 29, 1956: “Paul Cody sold the Wigwam Theatre and the Cody Drive-In, Basin, Wyo., to Glen Woods.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 29, 1956: “Paul Cody sold the Wigwam Theatre and the Cody Drive-In, Basin, Wyo., to Glen Woods.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 8, 1956: “GILLESPIE, ILL. – Louis Odorizzi of Staunton, Ill., who owns and operates the Sunset Drive-In on Highway 66 near Mount Olive, Ill., has leased the old Lyric Theatre here and is readying it for reopening in the next 60 days. … Odorizzi plans to reopen the house with a new name, the Canna Theatre.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 1, 1956: “Al O'Keefe and Judy Poynter have taken over the Sunset Drive-In in Taft from Jim Parks”
Boxoffice, Oct. 3, 1953: “the Cinema Park Drive-In … Arizona’s largest ozoner was bought by Ted Karatz of Minneapolis, whose son Stanley will manage the showcase.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 11, 1956: “Pacific Drive-In Theatres of California has purchased an interest in the Cinema Park Drive-In at 5500 North Seventh St. from Ted Karatz, who remains as stockholder in the operation.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 4, 1956: “The Five Points Drive-In, Five Points, has been closed permanently”
The Grand Opening ad in the photo section said the Clinton was 1¼ miles north of Clinton on Highway 63. The Boxoffice note I just posted said the Breeze-Way was 3½ miles north on Highway 63. Both are accurate. The Clinton did not become the Breeze-Way.
HistoricAerials shows the Clinton in 1949 at 2801 N Main St., and still there in 1953 and 1955. All three times, the future Breeze-Way site is undeveloped. In the 1962 aerial, there’s nothing left of the Clinton; it looks just like the gravel supply it is now. But the Breeze-Way is there in 1962, further north on the same highway. The Breeze-Way was still outlined in a 1987 topo map, but the screen was gone by a 1992 photo.
Boxoffice, July 28, 1956: “CLINTON, IND. – Gene Marietta and Gene Hathaway have opened their new Breeze-Way Drive-In Theatre, three and a half miles north on Highway 63.”
Boxoffice, July 28, 1956: “Harry L. Nace, head of the Harry L. Nace Theatres, has bought the interest of Malcolm White, mayor of Scottsdale, in the Valley Theatre Corp. there. … The purchase makes his the sole owner of the two Scottsdale theatres, the Roundup and the Kiva. … The Roundup, a drive-in, will be expanded with 150 stadium-type seats being installed for walk-in patrons, and 270 new automobile speakers added.”
Boxoffice, June 30, 1956: “WILLCOX, ARIZ. – The new drive-in theatre here, owned by Long Theatres of Safford, has been opened here under the supervision of Cecil Flint, manager of the Long Theatres here.”
Boxoffice, June 23, 1956: “Fire destroyed the $20,000 screen at the Falls Motor Vu Drive-In shortly before opening time on a recent Monday night. Owner-Manager L. A. Donohue said the 60x108-foot screen, a total loss, is insured for $20,000. Donohue said he believed the fire may have been started by children playing behind the screen, as four children came from the vicinity of the screen about 7:55 p.m. and told him it was on fire. The blaze was out of control before fire trucks arrived.”
Boxoffice, June 9, 1956: “WESTWOOD VILLAGE, CALIF. – Continuing to expand its southland exhibition holdings, the Robert L. Lippert circuit has purchased the Uclan Theatre here from the Paul Dietrich-Manny Feldstein chain. The 850-seat showcase, operating for the past several years on an art house policy, will be renamed the Crest”
Boxoffice, June 2, 1956: “Paul Milner has bought the Star, Imperial, Neb., from Carlin Smith”
Boxoffice, June 2, 1956: “GEARHART, ORE. – The Sunset Drive-In here has been bought by Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Kershul who purchased it from Coast Theatres, operators of the outdoor theatre since 1950.”
In the May 26, 1956 issue, one of the typical managerial rotation notes in Boxoffice mentioned that the Fulton Drive-In had been “recently acquired by Commonwealth.”
Boxoffice, May 19, 1956: “J. K. Munsell’s just-completed Baker Drive-In Theatre is open for business. The 230-car outdoorer, four miles west of town, is described as “strictly modern,” with a widescreen specifically built to eliminate distortion from the sides of the parking area.”
There was a nice long article in the April 28, 1956 issue of Boxoffice describing how incoming manager Ralph Bradshaw ended the practice of using an armed guard to chase away vandals and began employing young native Americans from a nearby Yaqui settlement to maintain and police the site.
Boxoffice, April 21, 1956: “Mr. and Mrs. Harvey E. Sampson, owners of the Lower Lake Theatre, have purchased the Lake Drive-In Theatre at Clearlake Highlands from Mr. and Mrs. M. W. Bouldin, who erected and operated the outdoor theatre last summer.” (They opened in June 1955 and closed for the season in November.)
Boxoffice, March 31, 1956: “MANCOS, COLO. – Philip M. Belt, formerly of Cortez, Colo., recently purchased the Mancos Theatre here.”
Boxoffice, April 21, 1956: “Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Bauer have sold the Mancos Theatre to Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Belt of Cortez. … Mr. and Mrs. Bauer … started the business in 1949 in the new Bauer building which was built to replace the old Bauer Mercantile building, destroyed by fire in 1948.”
The April 14, 1956 issue of Boxoffice ran a very lengthy article (sadly, without photos) of E. R. “Chub” Munger’s shift from county sheriff to first-time drive-in owner. There are tons of details, including screen sizes (40x60 feet to start, x80 in 1955), details of the annual car giveaway, and his favorite publicity stunt. “I believe it was the rooster project. I simply released a bunch of roosters for the audience to catch with the understanding that once caught, the roosters belonged to the catchers. The show put on by the audience that evening outdid the attraction on the screen.”
Boxoffice, April 7, 1956: “LIBERAL, KAS. – Jay Wooten of Hutchinson and Ben Adams of El Dorado have started grading in the north end of town for the construction of a new drive-in. The partners built the Great Western at the south end of town and have operated it since May 1949.”
Boxoffice, March 31, 1956: “H. L. Boehm, who operates theatres at Woodward, Okla., has bought the Mission and El Rancho Drive-In, Dalhart, Tex., from J. C. Parker.”
Boxoffice, March 24, 1956: “Recent sale of the Star Drive-In, south of Conrad, to the Kluth interests was announced by former owner, Ray Yeager, Brady. Yeager built the drive-in in the summer of 1952 and has owned and operated it the past four years.”
Boxoffice, March 10, 1956: “BOISE, IDA. – Lou Pressler of Seattle has purchased the Boise and Broadway drive-ins here. They were formerly owned by Joy Naylor and the late Milton Fry.”