The July 2, 1949 issue of BoxOffice reported that the Sunset, owned by Johnnie Blocker, opened June 3. But the July 16 issue reported that he’d already disposed of it, “Johnnie Blocker has sold his Sunset Drive-In in Amarillo to W. O. Bearden, who also owns the Train Drive-In there; and the Arcadia and Chief theatres in Lubbock.”
The July 16, 1949 issue of BoxOffice reported, “The Skylark Drive-In being erected by the Durwood circuit on Shrine Park road south of Leavenworth, Kas., was expected to be ready for opening by August 1.”
An article in the July 16, 1949 issue of BoxOffice places the Corral’s opening date as probably Saturday July 2 that year:
CHEROKEE, IOWA – The opening of the Corral Drive-In theatre here was a Fourth of July weekend attraction. The theatre was packed on all three nights – Saturday, Sunday and Monday – according to Art Downard manager.
An article in the July 16, 1949 issue of BoxOffice places the opening of the drive-in in that year.
GRAND ISLAND, NEB. – Tri-States Theatre Corp., operators of the Grand and Capitol here, have opened the 650-car Drive-In one-half mile west of the viaduct on the west edge of town. The theatre is owned by a corporation including A. H. Blank head of Tri-States, William Youngclaus and Madeline Schiller Kaufmann. …
The new theatre is located on a nine-acre tract and is equipped with RCA sound, a 35x35-foot screen and a concession stand. The manager’s office, yardman’s workroom and employes' dressing rooms are in the base of the screen tower.
Wally Kemp, Tri-States city manager, manages the drive-in. Floyd Kerwood is the projectionist and Arlyn Masten is the head cashier. Traffic is being managed by Arthur Rosenkotter and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Burtle are in charge of the concession stand.
At last, a location hint, from the July 16, 1949 BoxOffice:
LENNOX, S. D. – Arden Davidson, former operator of a theatre in Bridgewater, has purchased two and one-half acres of land at the northeast edge of town for construction of a 175-car drive-in. He plans a 20x30-foot screen and four large amplifiers. Two concession stands will also be erected.
And now that you know where to look, check out the entrance and exit driveways on the sharper 1958 aerial at about 27780 SD-17.
CRAWFORDSVILLE, ILL. (sic) – The 600-car C-Ville Drive-In has been opened east of town on the Lebanon road. RCA equipment is in use. An aluminum fence encloses the area and an aluminum sign marks the entrance. The theatre is managed by Jack Cook. Associates with Cook are Joe Million of Veedersburg and Peter J. Fortune and Otto Elbert of Indianapolis.
The July 16, 1949 issue of BoxOffice provided a projected opening date and the real reason for the Tesuque’s name.
“Clifford Butler’s new drive-in at Albuquerque is scheduled to open July 22. The 312-car theatre is located on the corner of Tesque (sic) street and Pennsylvania avenue on the east side of town. It will be known as the Tesque Drive-In, the second outdoor theatre in the vicinity.”
MILES CITY, MONT. – “Homestretch” was the opening feature at the Sunset Drive-In. The 400-car theater has RCA in-car speakers installed by S. R. Egan of San Francisco. A concession stand was erected at the rear of the area. The Sunset is managed by Jack Holmes.
The June 18, 1949 issue of BoxOffice reported, “Robert Otwell and W. F. Chopping are building a 300-car, $75,000 drive-in near Riverton, Wyo., equipping it with Motiograph booth equipment and sound and Service Theatre Supply speakers, bought from Ted Knox.”
And a month later, it had opened. The July 16, 1949 BoxOffice noted that, “Bob Otwell and Bill Chopping, owners of the West Drive-In west of town, have begun work on a new theatre to be ready the latter part of September.” That indoor theater was probably the Gem.
Based on the timing, I’d say the Gem was built on the success of the West Drive-In. From the July 16, 1949 issue of BoxOffice:
RIVERTON, WYO. – Bob Otwell and Bill Chopping, owners of the West Drive-In west of town, have begun work on a new theatre to be ready the latter part of September. The building will be 50x140 feet with the second floor front being used as business offices for the two theatres. The new theater will be of masonry construction with a numalite tile front.
The reports of this drive-in’s demise were premature. It has been open for the 2019 summer season since Memorial Day weekend. Check out the Midway’s Facebook page for current movies.
A note in the July 9, 1949 issue of BoxOffice narrows the opening date, “The 1,000-car Mounds Drive-In on the Collinsville road near Monks mound has been opened by the owners, the Pimes (sic) Company, controlled by East St. Louis interests.”
BAKERSFIELD, CALIF. – Bakersfield’s first drive-in theatre, bought several months ago by Lloyd Miller and his associates William and Joe Gannon and Owen Clark, was reopened recently with new projection equipment, restrooms and an enormous snack bar.
The drive-in, located on South Chester avenue at the junction of Highway 99, popularly called “the busiest highway in the world,” was renamed the South Chester Drive-In, and is a companion theatre to the recently opened 99 Drive-In, located on the opposite side of town and also owned by Miller and his associates.
The South Chester has a 60-foot screen tower which dominates the lower end of the San Joaquin Valley, and is the first thing that can be seen by the thousands of cars that dip down from Fresno into the cotton and oil bowl.
The huge snack bar can serve 1,000 persons in 15 minutes with its rapid-service soft drink equipment and huge commercial popcorn poppers. RCA sound and projection equipment also was installed.
The July 9, 1949 issue of BoxOffice places the opening date that year.
MONROVIA, CALIF. – The $350,000 Edwards Drive-In has opened on a 16-acre plot at Live Oak and Peck road. The drive-in, which has accommodations for over 400 cars, is managed by G. G. Henderson, former manager of the Temple in Temple City. Architect for the new Edwards circuit theatre was Charles Lee. Simplex sound and projection equipment is in use.
The July 9, 1949 issue of BoxOffice places the opening that year.
EVANSTON, WYO. – An early July opening was arranged here for a 300-car drive-in located back of Wood’s Motel on Highway 30S. Cartwright & Wilson, Tooele, Utah, contractors, are building the theatre for Charles Wood, owner and operator of the motel and Wood’s cafe. Russell Dauterman, Salt Lake City, will do the booking and Rudger Davis will be the projectionist.
A 1948 aerial photo showed the Motorena looking active.
The drive-in still looked good in the 1969 aerial I uploaded. Topo maps for 1970-83 still included the drive-in. By the 1999 aerial, it was long gone. The Motorena’s final appearance in the Motion Picture Almanac Drive-In list was the 1976 edition.
According to the July 2, 1949 issue of BoxOffice, the “Riverroad” was segregated when it opened. The drive-in had a special section for black patrons “with a separate entrance and separate concession stand and playgrounds.”
Perhaps it opened as the Lennox. From the July 2, 1949 issue of BoxOffice:
LENNOX, S. D. – H. E. Davidson plans to open the Lennox Drive-In about July 17. Population of the town is 1,164. Capacity of the drive-in will be 130 autos. Davidson formerly had theatres at Bridgewater and Marion, S. D.
For Konnieann, the 1966 Motion Picture Almanac also listed A.W. Adamson as the owner. That’s probably who it was for the next couple of decades or as long as the Canyon was open.
This origin story in the June 4, 1949 issue of BoxOffice may explain some of the confusion about the early San Angelo drive-ins:
R. S. Starling, a gasoline distributor and retailer of San Angelo, Tex., says he got into the drive-in business by accident. It happened like this:
About five years ago, in an attempt to sell more gasoline he put up a big screen on the back roof of one of his filling stations and gave purchasers of five gallons of gas a free ticket to the show. The idea clicked. Cars came in droves; filling station attendants couldn’t even get to the pumps.
The oil man decided there must be something to the drive-in business. He started enhancing and improving the place, called it the Twilite Drive-In and charged a regular admission. Gas sales continued to boom as a result of many cars on the lot.
As materials eased up and costs leveled off, Starling was set to put in a real drive-in and the Starlite was the result. He has since also enlarged and improved his Twilite Drive-In.
It won’t help us figure out its location, but the June 4, 1949 issue of BoxOffice had a great origin story for the Starlite:
R. S. Starling, a gasoline distributor and retailer of San Angelo, Tex., says he got into the drive-in business by accident. It happened like this:
About five years ago, in an attempt to sell more gasoline he put up a big screen on the back roof of one of his filling stations and gave purchasers of five gallons of gas a free ticket to the show. The idea clicked. Cars came in droves; filling station attendants couldn’t even get to the pumps.
The oil man decided there must be something to the drive-in business. He started enhancing and improving the place, called it the Twilite Drive-In and charged a regular admission. Gas sales continued to boom as a result of many cars on the lot.
As materials eased up and costs leveled off, Starling was set to put in a real drive-in and the Starlite was the result. He has since also enlarged and improved his Twilite Drive-In.
Y'know, jwmovies, it’s weird. When I stood at the Safeway and the little office buildings just south of it, I was sure I was at a former drive-in even before I checked here. But we were both wrong; the Diane was just south of those offices. Aerial photos show that after 1994, the drive-in was replaced by a neighborhood of duplexes along Garfield and Gabel Streets. The address of the Senior Citizen’s Center at the entrance to the neighborhood is 205 S 10th St, so that would make a more accurate address for the Diane.
More details in this planning announcement in the June 4, 1949 issue of BoxOffice:
ARTESIA, N. M. – A 16-acre tract one mile west of here has been purchased by Ray Bartlett and his son Bill, Carlsbad, as the site for a 400-car drive-in which they will build at a cost of approximately $75,000. Features of the new open air theatre, construction of which is expected to be started soon, will include a playground with slides, sand piles and other equipment. A contest now is being sponsored to select a name for the ozoner, with a $10 book of tickets as the prize for the one judged best.
The July 2, 1949 issue of BoxOffice reported that the Sunset, owned by Johnnie Blocker, opened June 3. But the July 16 issue reported that he’d already disposed of it, “Johnnie Blocker has sold his Sunset Drive-In in Amarillo to W. O. Bearden, who also owns the Train Drive-In there; and the Arcadia and Chief theatres in Lubbock.”
The July 16, 1949 issue of BoxOffice reported, “The Skylark Drive-In being erected by the Durwood circuit on Shrine Park road south of Leavenworth, Kas., was expected to be ready for opening by August 1.”
An article in the July 16, 1949 issue of BoxOffice places the Corral’s opening date as probably Saturday July 2 that year:
CHEROKEE, IOWA – The opening of the Corral Drive-In theatre here was a Fourth of July weekend attraction. The theatre was packed on all three nights – Saturday, Sunday and Monday – according to Art Downard manager.
An article in the July 16, 1949 issue of BoxOffice places the opening of the drive-in in that year.
GRAND ISLAND, NEB. – Tri-States Theatre Corp., operators of the Grand and Capitol here, have opened the 650-car Drive-In one-half mile west of the viaduct on the west edge of town. The theatre is owned by a corporation including A. H. Blank head of Tri-States, William Youngclaus and Madeline Schiller Kaufmann. …
The new theatre is located on a nine-acre tract and is equipped with RCA sound, a 35x35-foot screen and a concession stand. The manager’s office, yardman’s workroom and employes' dressing rooms are in the base of the screen tower.
Wally Kemp, Tri-States city manager, manages the drive-in. Floyd Kerwood is the projectionist and Arlyn Masten is the head cashier. Traffic is being managed by Arthur Rosenkotter and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Burtle are in charge of the concession stand.
At last, a location hint, from the July 16, 1949 BoxOffice:
LENNOX, S. D. – Arden Davidson, former operator of a theatre in Bridgewater, has purchased two and one-half acres of land at the northeast edge of town for construction of a 175-car drive-in. He plans a 20x30-foot screen and four large amplifiers. Two concession stands will also be erected.
And now that you know where to look, check out the entrance and exit driveways on the sharper 1958 aerial at about 27780 SD-17.
From the July 16, 1949 issue of BoxOffice:
CRAWFORDSVILLE, ILL. (sic) – The 600-car C-Ville Drive-In has been opened east of town on the Lebanon road. RCA equipment is in use. An aluminum fence encloses the area and an aluminum sign marks the entrance. The theatre is managed by Jack Cook. Associates with Cook are Joe Million of Veedersburg and Peter J. Fortune and Otto Elbert of Indianapolis.
The July 16, 1949 issue of BoxOffice provided a projected opening date and the real reason for the Tesuque’s name.
“Clifford Butler’s new drive-in at Albuquerque is scheduled to open July 22. The 312-car theatre is located on the corner of Tesque (sic) street and Pennsylvania avenue on the east side of town. It will be known as the Tesque Drive-In, the second outdoor theatre in the vicinity.”
From the July 16, 1949 issue of BoxOffice:
MILES CITY, MONT. – “Homestretch” was the opening feature at the Sunset Drive-In. The 400-car theater has RCA in-car speakers installed by S. R. Egan of San Francisco. A concession stand was erected at the rear of the area. The Sunset is managed by Jack Holmes.
The June 18, 1949 issue of BoxOffice reported, “Robert Otwell and W. F. Chopping are building a 300-car, $75,000 drive-in near Riverton, Wyo., equipping it with Motiograph booth equipment and sound and Service Theatre Supply speakers, bought from Ted Knox.”
And a month later, it had opened. The July 16, 1949 BoxOffice noted that, “Bob Otwell and Bill Chopping, owners of the West Drive-In west of town, have begun work on a new theatre to be ready the latter part of September.” That indoor theater was probably the Gem.
Based on the timing, I’d say the Gem was built on the success of the West Drive-In. From the July 16, 1949 issue of BoxOffice:
RIVERTON, WYO. – Bob Otwell and Bill Chopping, owners of the West Drive-In west of town, have begun work on a new theatre to be ready the latter part of September. The building will be 50x140 feet with the second floor front being used as business offices for the two theatres. The new theater will be of masonry construction with a numalite tile front.
The reports of this drive-in’s demise were premature. It has been open for the 2019 summer season since Memorial Day weekend. Check out the Midway’s Facebook page for current movies.
The Hillcrest was scheduled to open July 15, 1949, according to a note in the July 9, 1949 issue of BoxOffice.
A note in the July 9, 1949 issue of BoxOffice narrows the opening date, “The 1,000-car Mounds Drive-In on the Collinsville road near Monks mound has been opened by the owners, the Pimes (sic) Company, controlled by East St. Louis interests.”
From the July 9, 1949 issue of BoxOffice:
BAKERSFIELD, CALIF. – Bakersfield’s first drive-in theatre, bought several months ago by Lloyd Miller and his associates William and Joe Gannon and Owen Clark, was reopened recently with new projection equipment, restrooms and an enormous snack bar.
The drive-in, located on South Chester avenue at the junction of Highway 99, popularly called “the busiest highway in the world,” was renamed the South Chester Drive-In, and is a companion theatre to the recently opened 99 Drive-In, located on the opposite side of town and also owned by Miller and his associates.
The South Chester has a 60-foot screen tower which dominates the lower end of the San Joaquin Valley, and is the first thing that can be seen by the thousands of cars that dip down from Fresno into the cotton and oil bowl.
The huge snack bar can serve 1,000 persons in 15 minutes with its rapid-service soft drink equipment and huge commercial popcorn poppers. RCA sound and projection equipment also was installed.
The July 9, 1949 issue of BoxOffice places the opening date that year.
MONROVIA, CALIF. – The $350,000 Edwards Drive-In has opened on a 16-acre plot at Live Oak and Peck road. The drive-in, which has accommodations for over 400 cars, is managed by G. G. Henderson, former manager of the Temple in Temple City. Architect for the new Edwards circuit theatre was Charles Lee. Simplex sound and projection equipment is in use.
The July 9, 1949 issue of BoxOffice places the opening that year.
EVANSTON, WYO. – An early July opening was arranged here for a 300-car drive-in located back of Wood’s Motel on Highway 30S. Cartwright & Wilson, Tooele, Utah, contractors, are building the theatre for Charles Wood, owner and operator of the motel and Wood’s cafe. Russell Dauterman, Salt Lake City, will do the booking and Rudger Davis will be the projectionist.
A 1948 aerial photo showed the Motorena looking active.
The drive-in still looked good in the 1969 aerial I uploaded. Topo maps for 1970-83 still included the drive-in. By the 1999 aerial, it was long gone. The Motorena’s final appearance in the Motion Picture Almanac Drive-In list was the 1976 edition.
The 1961 aerial showed empty ground.
The 1966 topo included the Trail. So it probably opened in the early 1960s.
The 1999 aerial showed a drive-in that still looked active, but then again, it still looks decent today, 20 years later.
According to the July 2, 1949 issue of BoxOffice, the “Riverroad” was segregated when it opened. The drive-in had a special section for black patrons “with a separate entrance and separate concession stand and playgrounds.”
Perhaps it opened as the Lennox. From the July 2, 1949 issue of BoxOffice:
LENNOX, S. D. – H. E. Davidson plans to open the Lennox Drive-In about July 17. Population of the town is 1,164. Capacity of the drive-in will be 130 autos. Davidson formerly had theatres at Bridgewater and Marion, S. D.
For Konnieann, the 1966 Motion Picture Almanac also listed A.W. Adamson as the owner. That’s probably who it was for the next couple of decades or as long as the Canyon was open.
This origin story in the June 4, 1949 issue of BoxOffice may explain some of the confusion about the early San Angelo drive-ins:
R. S. Starling, a gasoline distributor and retailer of San Angelo, Tex., says he got into the drive-in business by accident. It happened like this:
About five years ago, in an attempt to sell more gasoline he put up a big screen on the back roof of one of his filling stations and gave purchasers of five gallons of gas a free ticket to the show. The idea clicked. Cars came in droves; filling station attendants couldn’t even get to the pumps.
The oil man decided there must be something to the drive-in business. He started enhancing and improving the place, called it the Twilite Drive-In and charged a regular admission. Gas sales continued to boom as a result of many cars on the lot.
As materials eased up and costs leveled off, Starling was set to put in a real drive-in and the Starlite was the result. He has since also enlarged and improved his Twilite Drive-In.
It won’t help us figure out its location, but the June 4, 1949 issue of BoxOffice had a great origin story for the Starlite:
R. S. Starling, a gasoline distributor and retailer of San Angelo, Tex., says he got into the drive-in business by accident. It happened like this:
About five years ago, in an attempt to sell more gasoline he put up a big screen on the back roof of one of his filling stations and gave purchasers of five gallons of gas a free ticket to the show. The idea clicked. Cars came in droves; filling station attendants couldn’t even get to the pumps.
The oil man decided there must be something to the drive-in business. He started enhancing and improving the place, called it the Twilite Drive-In and charged a regular admission. Gas sales continued to boom as a result of many cars on the lot.
As materials eased up and costs leveled off, Starling was set to put in a real drive-in and the Starlite was the result. He has since also enlarged and improved his Twilite Drive-In.
Y'know, jwmovies, it’s weird. When I stood at the Safeway and the little office buildings just south of it, I was sure I was at a former drive-in even before I checked here. But we were both wrong; the Diane was just south of those offices. Aerial photos show that after 1994, the drive-in was replaced by a neighborhood of duplexes along Garfield and Gabel Streets. The address of the Senior Citizen’s Center at the entrance to the neighborhood is 205 S 10th St, so that would make a more accurate address for the Diane.
More details in this planning announcement in the June 4, 1949 issue of BoxOffice:
ARTESIA, N. M. – A 16-acre tract one mile west of here has been purchased by Ray Bartlett and his son Bill, Carlsbad, as the site for a 400-car drive-in which they will build at a cost of approximately $75,000. Features of the new open air theatre, construction of which is expected to be started soon, will include a playground with slides, sand piles and other equipment. A contest now is being sponsored to select a name for the ozoner, with a $10 book of tickets as the prize for the one judged best.