The Alton (IL) Telegraph wrote on Aug. 23, 1990 that one of many events to celebrate the Mount Olive quasquicentennial would be a horse pull at the “old Sunset Drive-In property”. So at least we know it was closed by then.
In Memorial Park Cemetery in nearby Staunton, one Louis Odorizzi has a headstone, born 1908, died 1976. That might match the drive-in’s closure date.
According to the book Historic Movie Theatres in Illinois, 1883-1960
by Konrad Schiecke, the Arthur was at 200 South Main St. The book said it opened before 1920 as the Ideal Theatre, showing silent movies. It was renamed the Lemont in 1932. After Arthur Lindanao acquired the place in 1943, he changed the name to Arthur. It was demolished in the early 1980s.
LEMONT, ILL. – Installation of a new marquee and neon sign has completed major improvements at the Arthur Theatre operated by William Lindenau here. During the last 18 months the theatre has been redecorated, and a new air conditioning system has been installed. In addition to new seating, other improvements include new projection and sound equipment.
The AutoVue was open by 1949, based on this note in the Nov. 12, 1949 issue of BoxOffice: “SPOKANE – The AutoVue Drive-In north of the city limits closed its 1949 season recently. Cyrus W. Young of the company said the ozoner would reopen next spring as soon as weather permits.”
From the Nov. 12, 1949 issue of BoxOffice: “BRECKENRIDGE, COLO. – Ervin Theatres has closed the Dillon Theatre here due to colder weather and the lack of help.” Possibly just closed for the season.
It probably opened in 1950. The Nov. 12, 1949 issue of BoxOffice reported: “BOZEMAN, MONT. – Construction of the drive-in theatre being erected on Route 10 west of here has been stopped for the winter. A building to house the projection booth, the screen tower and a fence are finished.”
OROVILLE, CALIF. – The Mesa Drive-In was opened here recently by George Hickox and Newell C. Post. The theatre was built at a cost of $130,000 and will accommodate 570 cars.
Hickox plans to inaugurate a plan whereby suggestion slips will be available to patrons so they may list their choice for advance bookings.
The Nov. 12, 1949 issue of BoxOffice had a few more details and a different unused name.
POCATELLO – A new ozoner, the Auto Vu Drive-In, has been completed at Pole Line and Quinn road at a cost of $100,000. It is expected to open next April. The new drive-in, which has a capacity of 650 cars, has a screen tower measuring 70x70 feet. Construction was under the direction of Cartwright and Wilson of Salt Lake City, with equipment to come from the Service Theatre Supply Co., which has equipped more than 50 theatres between Denver and Los Angeles in recent months.
Mel Morris of American Falls, Ida., is the principal stockholder of the new venture, which will be managed by Richard M. Morris, now a senior at Idaho State college. The project also will include a playground.
Some kind of drive-in was open in Cortez in 1949. Did it become the Arroyo? From the Nov. 12, 1949 issue of BoxOffice: “CORTEZ, COLO. – The Independent Drive-In Theatre near here has been closed for the season, according to Phillip Belt, owner.”
The Arroyo debuted in the 1951 Film Daily Year Book.
The 1952 Theatre Catalog listed the Arroyo, capacity 500, “Exec: Owen Maxey, Mgr.” The 1955-56 Catalog lowered the capacity to 300 and changed the Exec to Mr. and Mrs. Torenzio Gai.
Motion Picture Almanac appearances for the Arroyo:
1953-66: capacity 300, owner E. H. Davison
1967-76: 300 (no owner info)
1977-82: 350, Allen Ths.
1983-88: 1 screen, Allen Theas.
The Arroyo was not included in Allen Theatres' holdings in the circuits section of the 1977-82 MPAs, but arrived in the 1983 edition. Maybe for once the drive-in list guy knew more than the circuit list guy?
Another view of that renaming came the following week in the Nov. 5, issue. “LUBBOCK – The Lone Star Theatres, Inc., has changed the name of the Plains Drive-In here to the Westerner, to eliminate difficulties arising from the duplication of the name Plains. There is a Plains Theatre here, owned by P. E. Smith and the names have caused considerable confusion among bookers, shippers and cashiers.”
The drive-in was across the street from what is now an auto repair shop at 23705 Elk Rd, Chanute, KS 66720. Back then, the street was US Highway 169; now it’s just Elk Road.
The Nov. 5, 1949 issue of BoxOffice took care of the naming question:
CHANUTE, KAS. – Neocha, a combination of the first three letters of Neosho and Chanute, was the name selected for the new drive-in north of here by Ray Walsh and Dan Payton. W. R. Hill was winner of the $25 naming contest award. About 175 entries were received and each entrant will receive a complimentary ticket to the theatre when it opens next springs.
The Sept. 3, 1949 issue of BoxOffice reported an optimistic opening date. “William Bradfield of the Roxy, Carthage, Mo., was (in Kansas City) for several days buying and booking films for the Roxy and his new 66 Drive-In, one mile west of Carthage, which will open September 11. Friends in the industry have been invited to attend the opening.”
And the Nov. 5 issue told of a problem overcome. “CARTHAGE, MO. – Mechanical difficulties handicapped the opening of the 66 Drive-In west of Municipal park here recently. One of the sound amplifiers went out and a short in the arc furnishing light to one of the projectors caused faint images on the screen. Bill Bradfield, one of the owners, said the troubles were corrected the following day and shows went off as scheduled.”
One last transaction. The Springfield Journal-Register reported on Oct. 14, 1981 that the Springfield Drive-In had been sold along with 25 other Frisina theaters to Mid America Theaters of Sharon Springs KS.
Mid America’s co-owner Craig Stout said the drive-in would gradually move to family-oriented movies. “For the remainder of this season, we definitely will have no X-movies,” Stout said, “but we might have some ‘hard R’ films.”
There was a lengthy Associated Press article about the Egyptian and owner Alene Smith published in the July 14, 1985 issue of the Springfield IL State Journal-Register.
Smith would pick up the microphone and tell the patrons listening to the drive-in’s AM/FM feed that its screen “is the largest in the world – nine stories high and 200 feet wide”. She would also plug the “Charlie Burger” named after local gangster Charlie Birger, the last man hanged for murder in Illinois.
The News Tribune of Tacoma published a short video yesterday of a crew preparing to demolish the Star-Lite screen tower to make way for a distribution center.
A lengthy Copley News Service article, published in the Aug. 12, 2005 issue of the Springfield IL State Journal-Register, provided more details. Justin West, then 41, opened the Galva Autovue and was the projectionist. The screens were 20x48 feet.
An Associated Press article, published Oct. 5, 1997 in the Springfield IL State Journal-Register, added more details about the drive-in’s restoration. B&B Theaters co-owner Elmer Bills Jr. said that when they were planning the indoor theater, “We went out and looked around the site and the old screen tower was still standing, and we said we might as well put the drive-in back in operation. We sure had plenty of room.”
The drive-in used FM radio for sound and used the indoor theater for snack bar, restrooms, and a second-floor projection room. At the time, Bills believed it was the only hybrid indoor-outdoor theater in the country.
As a rule of thumb, the vast majority of drive-ins with a number in their names are on or near a highway with that number. For example, that’s the reason it’s called the 19 Drive-In in Cuba MO.
Kenmore, while I am not immune from typos and mistakes, that quote is accurate from Page 84. I saw M. A. Harris + the Y Drive-In and put it here. Considering that there are no large Y intersections west of Pryor, my guess is that someone in the BoxOffice editorial chain typed the wrong town name.
Renaming and winterizing notes in a lengthy article from the Oct. 29, 1949 issue of BoxOffice:
LUBBOCK, TEX.—Extensive improvements have been completed for another winter of operation of the drive-in operated here by E. K. Lamb of Lubboclt and Doyle Garrett of Dallas.
Known as the Plains since its completion more than a year ago, the drive-in has been rechristened the Westerner. The name was chosen. Lam said, because it is appropriate and, specifically, as a salute to the football and other competitive teams representing Lubbock High school. The current high school football Westerners are the undefeated, untied favorites for the 1949 Texas championship.
RAMPS ARE PAVED – The most important improvement, Lamb said, was the paving of the ramps. Blueprinted for next spring is an extensive landscaping program which has necessitated drilling a well and installation of a distribution system for irrigation. The total program adds up to a cost estimated at more than $20,000.
All-winter operation will not be an experiment at the Westerner. Lamb and Garrett tried it last winter in the face of warnings that they were inviting bankruptcy. They played to good business throughout the season without missing a performance because of cold weather. The only time lost, aggregating about 20 days, resulted from ramps softened by one of the worst blizzards this area has seen in years.
Lamb expressed confidence that the new paving will be the answer to that problem. The two other operating drive-ins serving Lubbock plan to close around the middle of December. They are the Corral, one of the
Llndsley Theatres, and the Five Points, a Preston E. Smith Enterprises house.
REOPEN TWO IN MARCH – Both said extensive improvements are planned before reopening in March. J. B. Rhea, Llndslev manager, said projected work at the Corral includes further development of elaborate lanscaping, on which considerable progress was made this year. By next
year, expectations are the theatre will be given a park-like setting.
All the operators reported drive-in business this year improved over that of last year.
Smith estimated the increase at the Five Points for comparable periods since he acquired it in June 1948, at about 30 per cent. He spent more than $25,000 in improvements immediately after taking possession.
Looks like the opening was in late 1949, as reported in the Oct. 29 issue of BoxOffice that year: “M. A. Harris has opened a 300-car outdoor theatre three miles west of Pryor. He named it the Y Drive-In.”
The Alton (IL) Telegraph wrote on Aug. 23, 1990 that one of many events to celebrate the Mount Olive quasquicentennial would be a horse pull at the “old Sunset Drive-In property”. So at least we know it was closed by then.
In Memorial Park Cemetery in nearby Staunton, one Louis Odorizzi has a headstone, born 1908, died 1976. That might match the drive-in’s closure date.
Correction, the Boot Hill apparently opened in 1950.
According to the book Historic Movie Theatres in Illinois, 1883-1960 by Konrad Schiecke, the Arthur was at 200 South Main St. The book said it opened before 1920 as the Ideal Theatre, showing silent movies. It was renamed the Lemont in 1932. After Arthur Lindanao acquired the place in 1943, he changed the name to Arthur. It was demolished in the early 1980s.
From the Nov. 12, 1949 issue of BoxOffice:
LEMONT, ILL. – Installation of a new marquee and neon sign has completed major improvements at the Arthur Theatre operated by William Lindenau here. During the last 18 months the theatre has been redecorated, and a new air conditioning system has been installed. In addition to new seating, other improvements include new projection and sound equipment.
The AutoVue was open by 1949, based on this note in the Nov. 12, 1949 issue of BoxOffice: “SPOKANE – The AutoVue Drive-In north of the city limits closed its 1949 season recently. Cyrus W. Young of the company said the ozoner would reopen next spring as soon as weather permits.”
From the Nov. 12, 1949 issue of BoxOffice: “BRECKENRIDGE, COLO. – Ervin Theatres has closed the Dillon Theatre here due to colder weather and the lack of help.” Possibly just closed for the season.
It probably opened in 1950. The Nov. 12, 1949 issue of BoxOffice reported: “BOZEMAN, MONT. – Construction of the drive-in theatre being erected on Route 10 west of here has been stopped for the winter. A building to house the projection booth, the screen tower and a fence are finished.”
From the Nov. 12, 1949 issue of BoxOffice:
OROVILLE, CALIF. – The Mesa Drive-In was opened here recently by George Hickox and Newell C. Post. The theatre was built at a cost of $130,000 and will accommodate 570 cars.
Hickox plans to inaugurate a plan whereby suggestion slips will be available to patrons so they may list their choice for advance bookings.
A Nov. 12, 1949 note in BoxOffice mentioned Max Storey as “owner of a drive-in in Delta, Colo.” Must have been the Skylite.
The Nov. 12, 1949 issue of BoxOffice had a few more details and a different unused name.
POCATELLO – A new ozoner, the Auto Vu Drive-In, has been completed at Pole Line and Quinn road at a cost of $100,000. It is expected to open next April. The new drive-in, which has a capacity of 650 cars, has a screen tower measuring 70x70 feet. Construction was under the direction of Cartwright and Wilson of Salt Lake City, with equipment to come from the Service Theatre Supply Co., which has equipped more than 50 theatres between Denver and Los Angeles in recent months.
Mel Morris of American Falls, Ida., is the principal stockholder of the new venture, which will be managed by Richard M. Morris, now a senior at Idaho State college. The project also will include a playground.
Some kind of drive-in was open in Cortez in 1949. Did it become the Arroyo? From the Nov. 12, 1949 issue of BoxOffice: “CORTEZ, COLO. – The Independent Drive-In Theatre near here has been closed for the season, according to Phillip Belt, owner.”
The Arroyo debuted in the 1951 Film Daily Year Book.
The 1952 Theatre Catalog listed the Arroyo, capacity 500, “Exec: Owen Maxey, Mgr.” The 1955-56 Catalog lowered the capacity to 300 and changed the Exec to Mr. and Mrs. Torenzio Gai.
Motion Picture Almanac appearances for the Arroyo:
The Arroyo was not included in Allen Theatres' holdings in the circuits section of the 1977-82 MPAs, but arrived in the 1983 edition. Maybe for once the drive-in list guy knew more than the circuit list guy?
Another view of that renaming came the following week in the Nov. 5, issue. “LUBBOCK – The Lone Star Theatres, Inc., has changed the name of the Plains Drive-In here to the Westerner, to eliminate difficulties arising from the duplication of the name Plains. There is a Plains Theatre here, owned by P. E. Smith and the names have caused considerable confusion among bookers, shippers and cashiers.”
The drive-in was across the street from what is now an auto repair shop at 23705 Elk Rd, Chanute, KS 66720. Back then, the street was US Highway 169; now it’s just Elk Road.
The Nov. 5, 1949 issue of BoxOffice took care of the naming question:
CHANUTE, KAS. – Neocha, a combination of the first three letters of Neosho and Chanute, was the name selected for the new drive-in north of here by Ray Walsh and Dan Payton. W. R. Hill was winner of the $25 naming contest award. About 175 entries were received and each entrant will receive a complimentary ticket to the theatre when it opens next springs.
The Sept. 3, 1949 issue of BoxOffice reported an optimistic opening date. “William Bradfield of the Roxy, Carthage, Mo., was (in Kansas City) for several days buying and booking films for the Roxy and his new 66 Drive-In, one mile west of Carthage, which will open September 11. Friends in the industry have been invited to attend the opening.”
And the Nov. 5 issue told of a problem overcome. “CARTHAGE, MO. – Mechanical difficulties handicapped the opening of the 66 Drive-In west of Municipal park here recently. One of the sound amplifiers went out and a short in the arc furnishing light to one of the projectors caused faint images on the screen. Bill Bradfield, one of the owners, said the troubles were corrected the following day and shows went off as scheduled.”
One last transaction. The Springfield Journal-Register reported on Oct. 14, 1981 that the Springfield Drive-In had been sold along with 25 other Frisina theaters to Mid America Theaters of Sharon Springs KS.
Mid America’s co-owner Craig Stout said the drive-in would gradually move to family-oriented movies. “For the remainder of this season, we definitely will have no X-movies,” Stout said, “but we might have some ‘hard R’ films.”
There was a lengthy Associated Press article about the Egyptian and owner Alene Smith published in the July 14, 1985 issue of the Springfield IL State Journal-Register.
Smith would pick up the microphone and tell the patrons listening to the drive-in’s AM/FM feed that its screen “is the largest in the world – nine stories high and 200 feet wide”. She would also plug the “Charlie Burger” named after local gangster Charlie Birger, the last man hanged for murder in Illinois.
The News Tribune of Tacoma published a short video yesterday of a crew preparing to demolish the Star-Lite screen tower to make way for a distribution center.
A lengthy Copley News Service article, published in the Aug. 12, 2005 issue of the Springfield IL State Journal-Register, provided more details. Justin West, then 41, opened the Galva Autovue and was the projectionist. The screens were 20x48 feet.
An Associated Press article, published Oct. 5, 1997 in the Springfield IL State Journal-Register, added more details about the drive-in’s restoration. B&B Theaters co-owner Elmer Bills Jr. said that when they were planning the indoor theater, “We went out and looked around the site and the old screen tower was still standing, and we said we might as well put the drive-in back in operation. We sure had plenty of room.”
The drive-in used FM radio for sound and used the indoor theater for snack bar, restrooms, and a second-floor projection room. At the time, Bills believed it was the only hybrid indoor-outdoor theater in the country.
As a rule of thumb, the vast majority of drive-ins with a number in their names are on or near a highway with that number. For example, that’s the reason it’s called the 19 Drive-In in Cuba MO.
Kenmore, while I am not immune from typos and mistakes, that quote is accurate from Page 84. I saw M. A. Harris + the Y Drive-In and put it here. Considering that there are no large Y intersections west of Pryor, my guess is that someone in the BoxOffice editorial chain typed the wrong town name.
Renaming and winterizing notes in a lengthy article from the Oct. 29, 1949 issue of BoxOffice:
LUBBOCK, TEX.—Extensive improvements have been completed for another winter of operation of the drive-in operated here by E. K. Lamb of Lubboclt and Doyle Garrett of Dallas.
Known as the Plains since its completion more than a year ago, the drive-in has been rechristened the Westerner. The name was chosen. Lam said, because it is appropriate and, specifically, as a salute to the football and other competitive teams representing Lubbock High school. The current high school football Westerners are the undefeated, untied favorites for the 1949 Texas championship.
RAMPS ARE PAVED – The most important improvement, Lamb said, was the paving of the ramps. Blueprinted for next spring is an extensive landscaping program which has necessitated drilling a well and installation of a distribution system for irrigation. The total program adds up to a cost estimated at more than $20,000.
All-winter operation will not be an experiment at the Westerner. Lamb and Garrett tried it last winter in the face of warnings that they were inviting bankruptcy. They played to good business throughout the season without missing a performance because of cold weather. The only time lost, aggregating about 20 days, resulted from ramps softened by one of the worst blizzards this area has seen in years.
Lamb expressed confidence that the new paving will be the answer to that problem. The two other operating drive-ins serving Lubbock plan to close around the middle of December. They are the Corral, one of the Llndsley Theatres, and the Five Points, a Preston E. Smith Enterprises house.
REOPEN TWO IN MARCH – Both said extensive improvements are planned before reopening in March. J. B. Rhea, Llndslev manager, said projected work at the Corral includes further development of elaborate lanscaping, on which considerable progress was made this year. By next year, expectations are the theatre will be given a park-like setting.
All the operators reported drive-in business this year improved over that of last year.
Smith estimated the increase at the Five Points for comparable periods since he acquired it in June 1948, at about 30 per cent. He spent more than $25,000 in improvements immediately after taking possession.
Looks like the opening was in late 1949, as reported in the Oct. 29 issue of BoxOffice that year: “M. A. Harris has opened a 300-car outdoor theatre three miles west of Pryor. He named it the Y Drive-In.”