Boxoffice, April 19, 1952: “Jack Zamsky and associates opened their 500-car Coachella Drive-In near Indio Saturday (12) with Jack Anderson as manager.”
Boxoffice, April 19, 1952: “CALDWELL, IDA. – Virgil Odell, former manager of the two Fox theatres in Nampa, has purchased the Chief Drive-In two miles east of here from Rex and Marjorie Moyle of Star. He will continue to operate the drive-in at Emmett which he bought two years ago. The Chief will be renamed the Terrace.”
Same drive-in? Boxoffice, March 29, 1952: “GLASGOW, MONT. – Burglars made away with equipment valued at more than $1,000 in break-ins at the Glasgow Drive-In Theatre west of here.”
Boxoffice, March 29, 1952: “COOLIDGE, ARIZ. – Roy Tharrington has been appointed manager of the new 440-car Prince Drive-In, just opened here by the Louis Long circuit. Constructed at the cost of $65,000, the ozoner is equipped with Altec sound and Century projection equipment.”
Boxoffice, March 22, 1952: “An improvement project has been completed at the Mesa Drive-In in Yuma, increasing the car capacity by more than 100. The ozoner is managed by Bob Klauer.”
A note in the Feb. 23, 1952 issue of Boxoffice said that the Brush opened on July 1, 1951. The occasion of the note was the sale of the drive-in by Jake Bauer to John H. Roberts, who owned all the other theaters in Morgan County.
Boxoffice, Feb. 23, 1952: “The Santa Paula Drive-In at Santa Paula has been purchased from Hickey Associates by Milt Smith … (who) will take up residence in Santa Paula to devote full time to operating the ozoner.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 16, 1952:
Arizona’s first 1952 theatre casualty is the Twin Screen Drive-In, which closed recently after a year of operation. The outdoorer, a McCormack-Nace enterprise, was the largest in this area."
Boxoffice, Feb. 9, 1952: “Joe English sold his three theatres and a drive-in at Bozeman, Mont., to Ed Pegrum, veteran showman of the Intermountain area.”
I liked this unused, proposed name better. Boxoffice, Feb. 9, 1952: “Ralph Trathen of Associated Amusements … made plans for opening this summer in Twin Falls of the Movie Car-Ral, a 400-car ozoner, which will be the second drive-in in the town”.
The Feb. 9, 1952 issue of Boxoffice described manager T. I. Wagner’s suggestion for making a little money in the offseason. The Winston Chevrolet Co. advertised on the marquee, lit from dusk to 9:30 p.m. “According to Wagner, the sign has created comment from sources more than 60 miles away and more important, has kept the theatre name alive.” (With photo, uploaded here.)
From the Feb. 2, 1952 issue of Boxoffice: “W. Lee, motion picture engineer, is operating what is probably one of the smallest drive-in theatres in the country with space for 52 cars. Before Labor day Lee operated one of the few Fly-In Drive-Ins in the country, located at Keystone Heights ranch but with the end of the summer season he built one in Keystone Heights, Fla., on Main St., one block from the postoffice. Lee built this drive-in from the ground up, with no help of any kind, even to installing the speakers and projectors. Lee has been in the motion picture business since 1910, he and his wife having owned a large number of indoor theatres.”
It isn’t good enough to be worth that $5, but Boxoffice ran an aerial photo of the 69 in its Feb. 2, 1952 issue. It illustrated a one-page story about the ways Dickinson Theatres managed its drive-ins.
On Feb. 2, 1952, Boxoffice ran a two-page spread on the Terrace with plenty of photos, mostly illustrating how the drive-in used a San Francisco hillside in its construction.
Boxoffice, Dec. 29, 1951: “ARTESIA, N. M. – Another drive-in is planned for this area. Ray Bartlett, owner of the Landsun and Ocotillo theatres and the Circle-B Drive-In, has purchased a site about three and one-half miles south of town, and is planning for an Easter opening of the new project. Because of the steel shortage the tower will be constructed of wood. It will be replaced when steel becomes available. Bartlett plans to use first runs in one drive-in and subsequent runs in the other.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 8, 1951: “In a violent windstorm … recently, major damage was done at the Super 99 Drive-In on McLoughlin boulevard, when the huge outdoor screen was toppled. It would have to be completely rebuilt, the management said, and as a result, the theatre was closed for the remainder of the season.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 15, 1951: “Tom Griffing of Griffing-Lasky Construction Co. left (Boston) for Albuquerque, N. M. to supervise the construction of a drive-in theater there. To be called the Terrace, it will be operated by All State Theatres and is expected to be finished by mid-October. … It takes its name from the fact that between 400 and 500 lounge chair seats will be installed on the terrace for patrons who prefer to leave their cars.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 1, 1951: “The Terrace Drive-In opened with what the owners say is the largest screen tower in the country. The projection booth sits back 550 feet.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 1, 1951: “LOVELAND, COLO. – Acquisition of the Luv-Vu Drive-In by the University Theatre Corp. of Boulder was announced by Richard W. Koenig. The latter, who has owned the Motorena Drive-In at Boulder for three years, negotiated the purchase from Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Martell.”
Early story of the actual Rio; I wonder whether it opened as the Terrace. Boxoffice, Nov. 17, 1951: “THERMOPOLIS, WYO. – Dietz Lusk of Kansas City, who has designed 26 of the largest drive-in theatres in the country, was here recently laying plans with Fred Curtis for the new Terrace Drive-In, Walk-In Theatre at the junction of Highway 20 and Park street, which was formerly the elk pasture on State park land. It was stated that work on the new theatre grounds will get under way this fall.”
Boxoffice, Nov. 10, 1951: “YUMA, ARIZ. – Cinema Park Theatres, Inc., of Phoenix has started construction of a $375,000 drive-in on the Yuma mesa, across Highway 95 from Panther field. In keeping with its name, the Silver Buck Drive-In will charge $1 a carload and will be able to accommodate 1,000 autos, making it one of the largest underskyers in the state. The screen, 75x80 feet, will be the biggest in Arizona.”
The Nov. 3, 1951 Boxoffice ran a lengthy article about the unusual features of the “Dian 29 Drive-In,” which had opened “not long ago”. There was a wood-burning fireplace in the concession area “for atmospheric effect only,” since it also had modern heating. A fish pond sat between the first ramp and the screen tower, which was covered with asbestos shingle siding. The screen was 42x59 feet.
Boxoffice, Nov. 3, 1951: “An explosion and fire thought to have been caused by spontaneous combustion in the coal bin caused $100,000 damages to the El Raton at Raton, N. M. The house, belonging to Hubbard & Murphy, Inc., suffered a burned-out stage and auditorium. Although the lobby was practically undamaged, the force of the explosion blew a door across the street. The walls and the ceiling were also undamaged. This was the A-house and the policy is being moved over to the Schuler until the 684-seat El Raton can be rebuilt. The fire occurred at 10:40 in the morning so no one was in the theatre, and it so happend that no one was passing when the door was blown off the hinges.”
The Oct. 27, 1951 issue of Boxoffice had a two-page story, with pictures, of the Wareham and how it rebounded from terrible flood damage in July that year.
Boxoffice, Oct. 20, 1951: “NOGALES, ARIZ. – The Diamos interests have started construction work here on a new drive-in that will cost between $80,000 and $90,000. The outdoorer will be named the El Rancho and will follow a western motif in design and construction. Opening has been tentatively set for the early part of 1952. The 600-car drive-in is being built five miles north of Nogales on the Tucson highway and will cover about ten acres.”
Boxoffice, April 19, 1952: “Jack Zamsky and associates opened their 500-car Coachella Drive-In near Indio Saturday (12) with Jack Anderson as manager.”
Boxoffice, April 19, 1952: “CALDWELL, IDA. – Virgil Odell, former manager of the two Fox theatres in Nampa, has purchased the Chief Drive-In two miles east of here from Rex and Marjorie Moyle of Star. He will continue to operate the drive-in at Emmett which he bought two years ago. The Chief will be renamed the Terrace.”
Same drive-in? Boxoffice, March 29, 1952: “GLASGOW, MONT. – Burglars made away with equipment valued at more than $1,000 in break-ins at the Glasgow Drive-In Theatre west of here.”
Boxoffice, March 29, 1952: “COOLIDGE, ARIZ. – Roy Tharrington has been appointed manager of the new 440-car Prince Drive-In, just opened here by the Louis Long circuit. Constructed at the cost of $65,000, the ozoner is equipped with Altec sound and Century projection equipment.”
Boxoffice, March 22, 1952: “An improvement project has been completed at the Mesa Drive-In in Yuma, increasing the car capacity by more than 100. The ozoner is managed by Bob Klauer.”
A note in the Feb. 23, 1952 issue of Boxoffice said that the Brush opened on July 1, 1951. The occasion of the note was the sale of the drive-in by Jake Bauer to John H. Roberts, who owned all the other theaters in Morgan County.
Boxoffice, Feb. 23, 1952: “The Santa Paula Drive-In at Santa Paula has been purchased from Hickey Associates by Milt Smith … (who) will take up residence in Santa Paula to devote full time to operating the ozoner.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 16, 1952: Arizona’s first 1952 theatre casualty is the Twin Screen Drive-In, which closed recently after a year of operation. The outdoorer, a McCormack-Nace enterprise, was the largest in this area."
Boxoffice, Feb. 9, 1952: “Joe English sold his three theatres and a drive-in at Bozeman, Mont., to Ed Pegrum, veteran showman of the Intermountain area.”
I liked this unused, proposed name better. Boxoffice, Feb. 9, 1952: “Ralph Trathen of Associated Amusements … made plans for opening this summer in Twin Falls of the Movie Car-Ral, a 400-car ozoner, which will be the second drive-in in the town”.
The Feb. 9, 1952 issue of Boxoffice described manager T. I. Wagner’s suggestion for making a little money in the offseason. The Winston Chevrolet Co. advertised on the marquee, lit from dusk to 9:30 p.m. “According to Wagner, the sign has created comment from sources more than 60 miles away and more important, has kept the theatre name alive.” (With photo, uploaded here.)
From the Feb. 2, 1952 issue of Boxoffice: “W. Lee, motion picture engineer, is operating what is probably one of the smallest drive-in theatres in the country with space for 52 cars. Before Labor day Lee operated one of the few Fly-In Drive-Ins in the country, located at Keystone Heights ranch but with the end of the summer season he built one in Keystone Heights, Fla., on Main St., one block from the postoffice. Lee built this drive-in from the ground up, with no help of any kind, even to installing the speakers and projectors. Lee has been in the motion picture business since 1910, he and his wife having owned a large number of indoor theatres.”
The Feb. 2, 1952 issue of Boxoffice included a two-page article about South Park’s Kiddyland, which opened in July 1951. It included plenty of photos.
It isn’t good enough to be worth that $5, but Boxoffice ran an aerial photo of the 69 in its Feb. 2, 1952 issue. It illustrated a one-page story about the ways Dickinson Theatres managed its drive-ins.
On Feb. 2, 1952, Boxoffice ran a two-page spread on the Terrace with plenty of photos, mostly illustrating how the drive-in used a San Francisco hillside in its construction.
Boxoffice, Dec. 29, 1951: “ARTESIA, N. M. – Another drive-in is planned for this area. Ray Bartlett, owner of the Landsun and Ocotillo theatres and the Circle-B Drive-In, has purchased a site about three and one-half miles south of town, and is planning for an Easter opening of the new project. Because of the steel shortage the tower will be constructed of wood. It will be replaced when steel becomes available. Bartlett plans to use first runs in one drive-in and subsequent runs in the other.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 8, 1951: “In a violent windstorm … recently, major damage was done at the Super 99 Drive-In on McLoughlin boulevard, when the huge outdoor screen was toppled. It would have to be completely rebuilt, the management said, and as a result, the theatre was closed for the remainder of the season.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 15, 1951: “Tom Griffing of Griffing-Lasky Construction Co. left (Boston) for Albuquerque, N. M. to supervise the construction of a drive-in theater there. To be called the Terrace, it will be operated by All State Theatres and is expected to be finished by mid-October. … It takes its name from the fact that between 400 and 500 lounge chair seats will be installed on the terrace for patrons who prefer to leave their cars.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 1, 1951: “The Terrace Drive-In opened with what the owners say is the largest screen tower in the country. The projection booth sits back 550 feet.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 1, 1951: “LOVELAND, COLO. – Acquisition of the Luv-Vu Drive-In by the University Theatre Corp. of Boulder was announced by Richard W. Koenig. The latter, who has owned the Motorena Drive-In at Boulder for three years, negotiated the purchase from Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Martell.”
Early story of the actual Rio; I wonder whether it opened as the Terrace. Boxoffice, Nov. 17, 1951: “THERMOPOLIS, WYO. – Dietz Lusk of Kansas City, who has designed 26 of the largest drive-in theatres in the country, was here recently laying plans with Fred Curtis for the new Terrace Drive-In, Walk-In Theatre at the junction of Highway 20 and Park street, which was formerly the elk pasture on State park land. It was stated that work on the new theatre grounds will get under way this fall.”
Boxoffice, Nov. 10, 1951: “YUMA, ARIZ. – Cinema Park Theatres, Inc., of Phoenix has started construction of a $375,000 drive-in on the Yuma mesa, across Highway 95 from Panther field. In keeping with its name, the Silver Buck Drive-In will charge $1 a carload and will be able to accommodate 1,000 autos, making it one of the largest underskyers in the state. The screen, 75x80 feet, will be the biggest in Arizona.”
The Nov. 3, 1951 Boxoffice ran a lengthy article about the unusual features of the “Dian 29 Drive-In,” which had opened “not long ago”. There was a wood-burning fireplace in the concession area “for atmospheric effect only,” since it also had modern heating. A fish pond sat between the first ramp and the screen tower, which was covered with asbestos shingle siding. The screen was 42x59 feet.
Boxoffice, Nov. 3, 1951: “An explosion and fire thought to have been caused by spontaneous combustion in the coal bin caused $100,000 damages to the El Raton at Raton, N. M. The house, belonging to Hubbard & Murphy, Inc., suffered a burned-out stage and auditorium. Although the lobby was practically undamaged, the force of the explosion blew a door across the street. The walls and the ceiling were also undamaged. This was the A-house and the policy is being moved over to the Schuler until the 684-seat El Raton can be rebuilt. The fire occurred at 10:40 in the morning so no one was in the theatre, and it so happend that no one was passing when the door was blown off the hinges.”
The Oct. 27, 1951 issue of Boxoffice had a two-page story, with pictures, of the Wareham and how it rebounded from terrible flood damage in July that year.
Boxoffice, Oct. 20, 1951: “NOGALES, ARIZ. – The Diamos interests have started construction work here on a new drive-in that will cost between $80,000 and $90,000. The outdoorer will be named the El Rancho and will follow a western motif in design and construction. Opening has been tentatively set for the early part of 1952. The 600-car drive-in is being built five miles north of Nogales on the Tucson highway and will cover about ten acres.”