The thought of teaching 6-year-olds to drive at a drive-in theater seems so weird today that I’m hanging on to this note in the June 6, 1960 issue of Boxoffice:
Since 1958, many drive-in theatres have earned goodwill by sponsoring safe driving course on their grounds for kids from six to 12. The courses are under the auspices of Junior Crusaders National Ass’n., Inc., a nonprofit organization.
The Twin Drive-In Theatre, Cincinnati, was one of the first drive-ins to promote this successful program. One of the attendant goodwill features is the approval of and attendance at the opening by civic, religious and educational leaders, and the widespread publicity received.
Youngsters participating are divided into three groups: the six to seven-year olds, the eight to nine-year children and the ten through 12-year youths. They drive small, gas-driven convertibles on a course designed with simulated traffic and highway conditions to help them learn traffic safety laws.
The cars are sponsored by local or national advertisers; the theatre provides the track.
Boxoffice magazine, always chummy with Film Row denizens, ran the saga of Ward Pennington over several issues in early 1952. He was a manager for Paramount (or was that the Paramount Theatre?) in Denver, but bought the Crest and moved his family and effects to Beatrice. Sounds like it was culture shock even then.
April 5, 1952 Boxoffice: “ARRIBA, COLO. – Woodrow Williams, owner of the Plains Theatre at Eads, Colo., died here recently from a heart attack. He was in his early 40s and operated the theatre himself.”
DOLORES, COLO. – Raye Benham, owner and manager of the Rio Theatre, resumed operations at the house in March after it had been shut down two months for repair and renovation. Since the closing late in December, alterations were made on the exterior as well as the auditorium. Centralized heating was the largest expenditure in the program. Minor improvements in the plumbing still await warmer weather.
Based on this note and the drive-in’s MPA debut above, I’d guess it opened in 1951. April 12, 1952 Boxoffice: “J. H. Roberts has temporarily closed the Fort Morgan Theatre, which he bought in February from Jake Bauer. When the remodeling and improvement program is completed, Roberts will rename the situation the Valley Drive-In. He also owns the Brush Drive-In at Brush, Colo.”
April 12, 1952 Boxoffice: “J. H. Roberts has temporarily closed the Fort Morgan Theatre, which he bought in February from Jake Bauer. When the remodeling and improvement program is completed, Roberts will rename the situation the Valley Drive-In. He also owns the Brush Drive-In at Brush, Colo.”
CLAY CENTER, KAS. – A capacity crowd of 2,400 people in more than 400 cars attended the reopening of the Skyline Drive-In, Manager Ken Ehret reported, and saw the mishap when a loose spark ignited the gala fireworks display and set it all off at once. Gordon Erickson, who was presenting the pyrotechnics, lost his topcoat in the blaze.
The concession stand was remodeled this year. Arrangements were made to serve patrons inside during bad weather. The parking area was resurfaced.
April 26, 1952 Boxoffice: “CHANDLER, ARIZ. – Mr. and Mrs. Joe H. Woods have opened a new drive-in here, the Mustang, with accommodations for 400 cars. It includes a children’s playground. The Woods are celebrating their twentieth year as theatre operators in Chandler. They opened the Rowena Theatre in February 1932, and the Parkway in May 1945. Both are downtown houses.”
April 26, 1952 Boxoffice: “PHOENIX – The Twin Screen Drive-In, which closed early last January, has been reopened by Fred Crockett and Harry L. Nace as the Acres of Fun. Only one screen is being utilized, reducing the capacity of the airer, formerly a McCormack-Nace enterprise, to around 625 cars. The duel screen outdoorer was the largest drive-in in the state under its original operation. The current manager is Otto Silvester.”
This little note in the May 3, 1952 Boxoffice is phrased as if the Sierra first opened that year: “Gibraltar Theatres has opened its new 200-car Sierra Drive-In, Socorro. N. M.”
Nov. 6, 1957 Motion Picture Exhibitor: “Wayne Long is selling his Corral Drive-In, the Texan, and the Ward at Monahans, Tex. The two latter were purchased from Frontier Theatres in 1956. The real estate, buildings and equipment will be offered at auction.”
This April 3, 1963 note in Motion Picture Exhibitor suggests the Wagon Wheel was closed by then: “Wright Hale, who operates the Lyric, indoor house, and the Holiday Drive-In, Spearman, Tex., and Everett Mahanley, who is constructing the Corral Drive-In, Guymon, have purchased the Wagonwheel (sic) Drive-In, Spearman, from J. D. Wilbanks and will dismantle the drive-in.”
The Corral probably opened in 1963, based on this April 3, 1963 note in Motion Picture Exhibitor: Wright Hale, who operates the Lyric, indoor house, and the Holiday Drive-In, Spearman, Tex., and Everett Mahanley, who is constructing the Corral Drive-In, Guymon, have purchased the Wagonwheel Drive-In, Spearman, from J. D. Wilbanks and will dismantle the drive-in.
Wow, that took forever! The Dec. 10, 1962 issue of Boxoffice included an announcement that the Corral Drive-In of Eldon MO had finally joined the Theatre Owners of America. “The Corral Drive-In is owned and operated by Tom E. Edwards of Eldon.”
March 25, 1964 Motion Picture Exhibitor: Walter Allen, Maquoketa, has purchased the Bel-Air Drive-In, Davenport, from George Dinelli, Peru, Ill. Allen, who also operates the Corral Drive-In, Moline, Ill., plans some renovating at the Davenport Drive-In.
March 4, 1964 Motion Picture Exhibitor: Don Smith has purchased the Atlantic and Corral Drive-In, Atlantic, Ia. Smith has been associated with Pioneer Theatres for more than 30 years. He and his wife have moved to Atlantic from Carroll, Ia.
Motion Picture Herald, May 3, 1952: Charles Brent has sold the Yucca drive-in, Santa Fe, N. M., to Wiles & Noah, who operate a drive-in at Excelsior Springs, Mo.
Found it! Thanks to some help in the Hudson clerk’s office, I spotted the old Corral in a 1953 USGS aerial. Ironically, the new highway mentioned in the 1960 note above just missed the Corral, which should have still been accessible from the old highway / new frontage road, so now I really don’t know when the Corral closed. Anyway, the business that’s on that site now has the address of 22303 Interstate 76 Frontage Rd, Hudson, CO 80642.
The Corral opened in the spring of 1952. On May 3, 1952, Boxoffice wrote, “M. H. Philpson (sic) has opened his new 250-car Corrall (sic) Drive-In at Hudson, Colo., which opens this town to films.”
Was there a second (or third) theater in Limon’s history, or just one that was renamed a few times? The evidence I’ve found supports the latter conclusion.
The first reference I could find to a Limon theater was in the Jan. 5, 1918 Moving Picture World: “Sharon Springs, Kan. – Mrs. Henrietta Pope has sold her picture show and has bought a show at Limon, Colo.” Later that summer, that magazine included the Elite Theatre of Limon in its Pershing Crusader Roll of Honor.
The next news I found was from 1928 issues of Film Daily. Sept. 16: “Limon, Colo. – Free shows are presented at the Auditorium here each Saturday afternoon for the benefit of local merchants.” And in the Nov. 15 issue: “Limon, Colo. – The Auditorium 250-seat house owned by John Blair was destroyed by fire, caused by an overheated furnace.”
Someone rebuilt the Auditorium, because it went through some ownership changes in 1931-32, according to notes in Film Daily.
Oct. 20: Closing - Limon - Auditorium.
Nov. 19: “Hugo, Colo. - Fay Lieber has sold the Empress to J. H. Wible, owner of the Auditorium in Limon.” (Variety called the owner J. L. Wible.)
Nov. 20: Reopening - Limon - Auditorium.
Dec. 13: “Limon, Colo. - The Auditorium is again under the ownership and management of John Blair, who leased the house a year ago to the Grand Theater Co. It was recently controlled by J. T. Wible.”
Dec. 22: Changes in Ownership: Limon - Auditorium, sold to John Blair.
Mar. 8: “Theaters closing in the past week in this district include … the Auditorium, Limon, Colo.”
May 28: “Burlington, Colo. - Vincent S. Hennen, part owner of the Midway, and Clarice R. Hamilton of Denver, were married recently at Castle Rock, Colo. They will make their home here. Hennen formerly owned theaters at Durango, Sterling and Limon, Colo.”
June 1: “Limon, Colo. - C. W. Sebern has leased the Auditorium and will reopen it after remodeling.”
June 22: “Limon - Auditorium, sold to C. W. Sebern by John Blair.”
Variety reported on April 25, 1933 that the Auditorium had closed (again).
On Jan. 15, 1938, Film Daily reported that National Theatre Supply Co.’s Denver office supplied “to the Auditorium Theater, Limon, Colo., two Simplex Acme sound projectors complete and Walker Silversheet sound screen”. Which suggests that the theater was being remodeled or rebuilt but hadn’t changed its name yet.
As JimRankin wrote, the theater’s owner at this point was Egon W. G. Wieselmann. A July 13, 1940 Boxoffice note still called it the Auditorium, but an earlier note in the Motion Picture Herald said it was the Cactus.
The rest of my notes confirm JimRankin’s account. On May 5, 1945, Boxoffice wrote, “John L. Steele, rancher, has bought the Cactus Theatre, Limon, Colo., from E. W. G. Weiselmann, who plans to take a lengthy vacation before returning to the theatre business.” By the end of the year, Showmen’s Trade Review noted that Weiselmann was “operating a manufacturing company in Colorado Springs.” And on Sept. 10, 1949, the STR wrote, “Roy Steele has sold the Cactus, Limon, Colo., to Sam Feinstein and Charles McCarthy.”
Found it! A good address for the site is 5201 S Cherokee St, the southwest corner of 53rd Street & US 64.
The drive-in was outlined in a 1978 topo map, but a 1980 aerial photo shows a building there that looks a lot like the building there today. That aerial still showed hints of ramps, but I don’t see them now.
After a sneak preview the night before for employees and invited guests, the Groy Drive-In held its Grand Opening on May 12, 1950, according to notes in the Salida Daily Mail-Record that week. Its opening program was “The Michigan Kid” plus “Urubu” and other short subjects.
“Ben and Louis Groy, Salida residents for many years, have been overseeing the construction of their outdoor theatre for the past several weeks. Located but a short distance across from the Little River Motel and Cafe, it is easily accessible for tourists who are passing thru on Highway 50.”
Ben and Louis took out a three-column display ad the following Monday to say “Thanks to the wonderful people of Salida” for making their Grand Opening “a huge success”.
The Star held its Grand Opening on Friday, July 1, 1955, based on a front-page story in that day’s Monte Vista Journal. It was owned and managed by Mr. and Mrs. George Kelloff, “who are moving to Monte Vista and will occupy an apartment at the theatre site.” The opening program was “Gypsy Colt” and a cartoon carnival. The drive-in held 500 cars and had been built “on the old airport site.”
The Frontier Drive-In held its grand opening on Saturday, May 14, 1955, based on a front-page story in the previous day’s issue of the Monte Vista Journal. Admission was free for the opening, which featured the movie “Warpath”.
The drive-in was described “eleven miles north of Monte Vista on the Gunbarrel,” the locals' name for US 285, which has no curves in that stretch. It was owned by Herb and Theta Gumpers, who also owned the Center Theatre, the La Jara Theatre, and the Round-Up Drive-In in La Jara.
“Gumpers has constructed the theatre screen and installations himself.” The screen was 44x80 feet, and the lot held 320 cars. Walter Nichols was the manager.
The Grand Opening for the Island Acres was on Friday, July 22, 1955, based on the top front-page story in that week’s Gunnison News-Champion. The first program was “The Fast and the Furious” (the 1954 version), “The Law vs. Billy the Kid,” and “always a cartoon”.
The thought of teaching 6-year-olds to drive at a drive-in theater seems so weird today that I’m hanging on to this note in the June 6, 1960 issue of Boxoffice:
Since 1958, many drive-in theatres have earned goodwill by sponsoring safe driving course on their grounds for kids from six to 12. The courses are under the auspices of Junior Crusaders National Ass’n., Inc., a nonprofit organization.
The Twin Drive-In Theatre, Cincinnati, was one of the first drive-ins to promote this successful program. One of the attendant goodwill features is the approval of and attendance at the opening by civic, religious and educational leaders, and the widespread publicity received.
Youngsters participating are divided into three groups: the six to seven-year olds, the eight to nine-year children and the ten through 12-year youths. They drive small, gas-driven convertibles on a course designed with simulated traffic and highway conditions to help them learn traffic safety laws.
The cars are sponsored by local or national advertisers; the theatre provides the track.
Boxoffice magazine, always chummy with Film Row denizens, ran the saga of Ward Pennington over several issues in early 1952. He was a manager for Paramount (or was that the Paramount Theatre?) in Denver, but bought the Crest and moved his family and effects to Beatrice. Sounds like it was culture shock even then.
April 5, 1952 Boxoffice: “ARRIBA, COLO. – Woodrow Williams, owner of the Plains Theatre at Eads, Colo., died here recently from a heart attack. He was in his early 40s and operated the theatre himself.”
Same theater? April 5, 1952 Boxoffice:
DOLORES, COLO. – Raye Benham, owner and manager of the Rio Theatre, resumed operations at the house in March after it had been shut down two months for repair and renovation. Since the closing late in December, alterations were made on the exterior as well as the auditorium. Centralized heating was the largest expenditure in the program. Minor improvements in the plumbing still await warmer weather.
Based on this note and the drive-in’s MPA debut above, I’d guess it opened in 1951. April 12, 1952 Boxoffice: “J. H. Roberts has temporarily closed the Fort Morgan Theatre, which he bought in February from Jake Bauer. When the remodeling and improvement program is completed, Roberts will rename the situation the Valley Drive-In. He also owns the Brush Drive-In at Brush, Colo.”
April 12, 1952 Boxoffice: “J. H. Roberts has temporarily closed the Fort Morgan Theatre, which he bought in February from Jake Bauer. When the remodeling and improvement program is completed, Roberts will rename the situation the Valley Drive-In. He also owns the Brush Drive-In at Brush, Colo.”
Fun note from the April 26, 1952 Boxoffice:
CLAY CENTER, KAS. – A capacity crowd of 2,400 people in more than 400 cars attended the reopening of the Skyline Drive-In, Manager Ken Ehret reported, and saw the mishap when a loose spark ignited the gala fireworks display and set it all off at once. Gordon Erickson, who was presenting the pyrotechnics, lost his topcoat in the blaze.
The concession stand was remodeled this year. Arrangements were made to serve patrons inside during bad weather. The parking area was resurfaced.
April 26, 1952 Boxoffice: “CHANDLER, ARIZ. – Mr. and Mrs. Joe H. Woods have opened a new drive-in here, the Mustang, with accommodations for 400 cars. It includes a children’s playground. The Woods are celebrating their twentieth year as theatre operators in Chandler. They opened the Rowena Theatre in February 1932, and the Parkway in May 1945. Both are downtown houses.”
April 26, 1952 Boxoffice: Delbert Stewart has bought the Hill Top Drive-In, Torrington, Wyo., from James B. Nolan.
April 26, 1952 Boxoffice: “PHOENIX – The Twin Screen Drive-In, which closed early last January, has been reopened by Fred Crockett and Harry L. Nace as the Acres of Fun. Only one screen is being utilized, reducing the capacity of the airer, formerly a McCormack-Nace enterprise, to around 625 cars. The duel screen outdoorer was the largest drive-in in the state under its original operation. The current manager is Otto Silvester.”
This little note in the May 3, 1952 Boxoffice is phrased as if the Sierra first opened that year: “Gibraltar Theatres has opened its new 200-car Sierra Drive-In, Socorro. N. M.”
Nov. 6, 1957 Motion Picture Exhibitor: “Wayne Long is selling his Corral Drive-In, the Texan, and the Ward at Monahans, Tex. The two latter were purchased from Frontier Theatres in 1956. The real estate, buildings and equipment will be offered at auction.”
This April 3, 1963 note in Motion Picture Exhibitor suggests the Wagon Wheel was closed by then: “Wright Hale, who operates the Lyric, indoor house, and the Holiday Drive-In, Spearman, Tex., and Everett Mahanley, who is constructing the Corral Drive-In, Guymon, have purchased the Wagonwheel (sic) Drive-In, Spearman, from J. D. Wilbanks and will dismantle the drive-in.”
The Corral probably opened in 1963, based on this April 3, 1963 note in Motion Picture Exhibitor: Wright Hale, who operates the Lyric, indoor house, and the Holiday Drive-In, Spearman, Tex., and Everett Mahanley, who is constructing the Corral Drive-In, Guymon, have purchased the Wagonwheel Drive-In, Spearman, from J. D. Wilbanks and will dismantle the drive-in.
Wow, that took forever! The Dec. 10, 1962 issue of Boxoffice included an announcement that the Corral Drive-In of Eldon MO had finally joined the Theatre Owners of America. “The Corral Drive-In is owned and operated by Tom E. Edwards of Eldon.”
March 25, 1964 Motion Picture Exhibitor: Walter Allen, Maquoketa, has purchased the Bel-Air Drive-In, Davenport, from George Dinelli, Peru, Ill. Allen, who also operates the Corral Drive-In, Moline, Ill., plans some renovating at the Davenport Drive-In.
March 4, 1964 Motion Picture Exhibitor: Don Smith has purchased the Atlantic and Corral Drive-In, Atlantic, Ia. Smith has been associated with Pioneer Theatres for more than 30 years. He and his wife have moved to Atlantic from Carroll, Ia.
Motion Picture Herald, May 3, 1952: Charles Brent has sold the Yucca drive-in, Santa Fe, N. M., to Wiles & Noah, who operate a drive-in at Excelsior Springs, Mo.
Found it! Thanks to some help in the Hudson clerk’s office, I spotted the old Corral in a 1953 USGS aerial. Ironically, the new highway mentioned in the 1960 note above just missed the Corral, which should have still been accessible from the old highway / new frontage road, so now I really don’t know when the Corral closed. Anyway, the business that’s on that site now has the address of 22303 Interstate 76 Frontage Rd, Hudson, CO 80642.
The Corral opened in the spring of 1952. On May 3, 1952, Boxoffice wrote, “M. H. Philpson (sic) has opened his new 250-car Corrall (sic) Drive-In at Hudson, Colo., which opens this town to films.”
Was there a second (or third) theater in Limon’s history, or just one that was renamed a few times? The evidence I’ve found supports the latter conclusion.
The first reference I could find to a Limon theater was in the Jan. 5, 1918 Moving Picture World: “Sharon Springs, Kan. – Mrs. Henrietta Pope has sold her picture show and has bought a show at Limon, Colo.” Later that summer, that magazine included the Elite Theatre of Limon in its Pershing Crusader Roll of Honor.
The next news I found was from 1928 issues of Film Daily. Sept. 16: “Limon, Colo. – Free shows are presented at the Auditorium here each Saturday afternoon for the benefit of local merchants.” And in the Nov. 15 issue: “Limon, Colo. – The Auditorium 250-seat house owned by John Blair was destroyed by fire, caused by an overheated furnace.”
Someone rebuilt the Auditorium, because it went through some ownership changes in 1931-32, according to notes in Film Daily.
Variety reported on April 25, 1933 that the Auditorium had closed (again).
On Jan. 15, 1938, Film Daily reported that National Theatre Supply Co.’s Denver office supplied “to the Auditorium Theater, Limon, Colo., two Simplex Acme sound projectors complete and Walker Silversheet sound screen”. Which suggests that the theater was being remodeled or rebuilt but hadn’t changed its name yet.
As JimRankin wrote, the theater’s owner at this point was Egon W. G. Wieselmann. A July 13, 1940 Boxoffice note still called it the Auditorium, but an earlier note in the Motion Picture Herald said it was the Cactus.
The rest of my notes confirm JimRankin’s account. On May 5, 1945, Boxoffice wrote, “John L. Steele, rancher, has bought the Cactus Theatre, Limon, Colo., from E. W. G. Weiselmann, who plans to take a lengthy vacation before returning to the theatre business.” By the end of the year, Showmen’s Trade Review noted that Weiselmann was “operating a manufacturing company in Colorado Springs.” And on Sept. 10, 1949, the STR wrote, “Roy Steele has sold the Cactus, Limon, Colo., to Sam Feinstein and Charles McCarthy.”
Found it! A good address for the site is 5201 S Cherokee St, the southwest corner of 53rd Street & US 64.
The drive-in was outlined in a 1978 topo map, but a 1980 aerial photo shows a building there that looks a lot like the building there today. That aerial still showed hints of ramps, but I don’t see them now.
After a sneak preview the night before for employees and invited guests, the Groy Drive-In held its Grand Opening on May 12, 1950, according to notes in the Salida Daily Mail-Record that week. Its opening program was “The Michigan Kid” plus “Urubu” and other short subjects.
“Ben and Louis Groy, Salida residents for many years, have been overseeing the construction of their outdoor theatre for the past several weeks. Located but a short distance across from the Little River Motel and Cafe, it is easily accessible for tourists who are passing thru on Highway 50.”
Ben and Louis took out a three-column display ad the following Monday to say “Thanks to the wonderful people of Salida” for making their Grand Opening “a huge success”.
The Star held its Grand Opening on Friday, July 1, 1955, based on a front-page story in that day’s Monte Vista Journal. It was owned and managed by Mr. and Mrs. George Kelloff, “who are moving to Monte Vista and will occupy an apartment at the theatre site.” The opening program was “Gypsy Colt” and a cartoon carnival. The drive-in held 500 cars and had been built “on the old airport site.”
The Frontier Drive-In held its grand opening on Saturday, May 14, 1955, based on a front-page story in the previous day’s issue of the Monte Vista Journal. Admission was free for the opening, which featured the movie “Warpath”.
The drive-in was described “eleven miles north of Monte Vista on the Gunbarrel,” the locals' name for US 285, which has no curves in that stretch. It was owned by Herb and Theta Gumpers, who also owned the Center Theatre, the La Jara Theatre, and the Round-Up Drive-In in La Jara.
“Gumpers has constructed the theatre screen and installations himself.” The screen was 44x80 feet, and the lot held 320 cars. Walter Nichols was the manager.
The Grand Opening for the Island Acres was on Friday, July 22, 1955, based on the top front-page story in that week’s Gunnison News-Champion. The first program was “The Fast and the Furious” (the 1954 version), “The Law vs. Billy the Kid,” and “always a cartoon”.