Boxoffice, Sept. 22, 1969: “George Brehm, general manager of Edmondson and Elkridge drive-ins, has discontinued running dusk-to-dawn shows at both drive-ins.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 22, 1969: “George Brehm, general manager of Edmondson and Elkridge drive-ins, has discontinued running dusk-to-dawn shows at both drive-ins.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 22, 1969: “Herbert Goldstein, younger brother of Howard, reported the General Warren Drive-In, Castleton, Vt., enjoyed a pretty good summer despite rain and product shortage. "The Love Bug” proved among the top grossers, Herb added. A fourth grade teacher in the Troy public school system, the articulate, quiet-spoken partner in the Vermont ozoner now lives in Niskayuna with his wife (ex-instructor at Shaker Ridge School, Colonie) and their two children"
Boxoffice, Sept. 22, 1969: “ALBANY - The postponement of the opening of Fabian’s new Latham Drive-In on Route 9, Albany-Saratoga Road was apparently caused by a shortage of labor and building materials. The contractor has encountered difficulty in finding a sufficient number of carpenters and electricians, lumber for the projection booth did not arrive as scheduled and a shortage of electrical power is alleged to have hampered progress. Construction engineer for the 850-car Fabian ozoner is Fred Haas. Industry men express differing opinions about the situation. Some feel the drive-in can premiere this fall but others indicate the debut will have to be deferred until spring. Bill With, former Palace manager, supervises area Fabian drive-ins from an office at the Mohawk, Albany-Schenectady Road.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 22, 1969: “HUDSON, N. Y. - A fall opening is planned for the new 360-seat Brandt Theatre now under construction on Fairview Avenue Extension next to the Jamesway Shopping Center.”
I doubt that this was unique, but it’s the first story I’ve read of an ozoner garden.
Boxoffice, Aug. 26, 1968: “Bill Meyers, owner of the Pocomoke Drive-In sent George Brehm, general manager of the Westview Cinema, some tomatoes he raised in his garden at the airer.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 26, 1968: “Starlite Drive-In, Fairmount, W. Va., sustained the loss of its concession building via fire some weeks ago, and has since been rebuilt and reopened.”
This appeared in the Wagner Sign Service ad in the Oct. 16, 1967 issue of Boxoffice (and possibly elsewhere). I can’t find a copyright notice in that issue; if true, that would put its contents in the public domain.
One more note. Boxoffice, Nov. 13, 1961: “A. L. Royal Theatres acquired the operations of the East Forest Drive-In, Petal, Miss., and renamed it the Royal”
Boxoffice ran an article on Oct. 18, 1976 about officer elections for the Southern Independent Theatre Exhibitors. One of the vice presidents was Larry Daniels, Nancy Cinema, Forsyth, Ga.
The Nancy was included in Boxoffice’s “For Sale or Lease” classified ads for several weeks in January 1977. “Central Georgia - 296 seats, two years old, 5,000 city population, 20,000 drawing area. Only theatre in town. Owner retiring, terms to suit. 100% first class. Nancy Cinema, P.O. Box 846, Forsyth, Ga. 31029. (912) 994-9467.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 1, 1977: “Southern Independent Theatres reported that they will begin doing the booking and buying for the Nancy Cinema, Forsyth”
The Independent Film Journal, July 24, 1954: “D. A. Olson has opened his new 400-car Green Lake Drive-In at Spicer, Minn.”
Boxoffice, June 26, 1961: “SPICER, MINN. — Richard R. Henderson has purchased the Green Lake Drive-In from D. A. Olson. To assist him in efficient operation of his new property, Henderson has entered a long term subscription to Boxoffice.”
Boxoffice ran an article on Oct. 18, 1976 about officer elections for the Southern Independent Theatre Exhibitors. One of the vice presidents was Larry Daniels, Nancy Cinema, Forsyth, Ga.
The Nancy was included in Boxoffice’s “For Sale or Lease” classified ads for several weeks in January 1977. “Central Georgia - 296 seats, two years old, 5,000 city population, 20,000 drawing area. Only theatre in town. Owner retiring, terms to suit. 100% first class. Nancy Cinema, P.O. Box 846, Forsyth, Ga. 31029. (912) 994-9467.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 1, 1977: “Southern Independent Theatres reported that they will begin doing the booking and buying for the Nancy Cinema, Forsyth”
Motion Picture Herald, June 11, 1955: “Drive-In Theatre Co. of Sioux Falls, S. D., will build a 650-car drive-in at Faribault, Minn. John Watters of Fairmont, Minn., will manage the project.”
Years earlier, Nash-Watters built Fairmont’s Family Drive-In. I guess they liked the name.
John Watters of the Nash-Watters Theatre Company appeared in an ad in the Nov. 3, 1951 issue of Boxoffice. At the time, Nash-Watters operated the Family Drive-In in Fairmont and the State Theatre in Jackson MN.
Here’s the ad that 50sSnipes probably found, the first I saw in the Daily World. The only previous mention I found in that newspaper was a front-page note on July 25, 1949, saying that the Fourth Street Drive-in Movie, Inc., could open August 1, weather permitting. It had incorporated by Sam Anderson, Ed Blair, Mrs. Irene Blair, and Mrs. Juanita Anderson.
In a roundup of theater openings, the Sept. 17, 1949 issue of Boxoffice reported, under Memphis, Tenn., that the Fourth Street Drive-In, with a capacity of 300 cars, had been “opened by Ed Blair.” That was the same name that the magazine mentioned on Oct. 7, 1950 in a list of visitors to Memphis' Film Row.
Boxoffice, Sept. 12, 1953: “Commerce, Ga. - James E. Jarrell, owner of the Roxy Theatre here, has purchased a site on the Commerce-Athens highway for construction of a drive-in, hoping to open next spring.”
US 441 was (and is) the highway between Commerce and Athens.
A 1956 aerial photo showed a drive-in about a mile southeast of Commerce on the west side of the highway, approximately where 627 GA-15 (then US 441) is today. There were dozens of cars parked there (a used parts lot?) in 1963. By 1981, the ramps were barely visible, and I can see no trace of the drive-in today.
Based on HistoricAerials and that hand-drawn, west-on-top map, I would choose the modern-day address as either 2145 5th Ave, the office building that sits where the Mesa had been, or 888 Mitchell Ave, the exact spot of the Mesa’s entrance. Both are Zip Code 95965.
The Denver Post reported today that the Oriental’s owners were trying again to restore the marquee. General manager Scott Happel said, “We’ve had it done twice, apparently by people that weren’t quite sure how to do it correctly.“ This time the work is being done by Morry Weseloh’s company, Morry’s Neon Signs. Full story with pictures here
The drive-in still existed in this Jan. 26, 1965 road conditions report in the San Francisco Chronicle. For US 101 convoys, “Heavy commercial vehicles assemble at the Garberville maintenance yard and all pickups and passenger cars assemble in the drive-in theater at Garberville. Chains should be carried.” The Humboldt Standard ran a similar note.
It’s a very minor data point, but it makes me wonder whether the current CalTrans yard existed then and was separate from the drive-in. Then I look again at the topo map, the note about the canyon north of the drive-in, and its described position (only?) a quarter-mile north of town. The topo map shows that the current Redwood Drive shifted from its old position when it was US 101.
Could it be that there was a flat area, perhaps on a plateau, just south of Bear Canyon, large enough for the drive-in? The new 101 would have used as much of it as possible, obliterating any trace of the drive-in in the 1968 aerial photo. I just don’t know.
Boxoffice, Nov. 23, 1964: “Howard Wagonheim, vice-president of Schwaber Theatres, which recently purchased the Aurora and renamed it the Seven East, in the next block from the Five West, also a Schwaber house, reported that the theatre will be opened in the next ten days. Seating has been reduced from 369 to 303, a new sound system installed and the marquee is undergoing changes.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 22, 1969: “George Brehm, general manager of Edmondson and Elkridge drive-ins, has discontinued running dusk-to-dawn shows at both drive-ins.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 22, 1969: “George Brehm, general manager of Edmondson and Elkridge drive-ins, has discontinued running dusk-to-dawn shows at both drive-ins.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 22, 1969: “Herbert Goldstein, younger brother of Howard, reported the General Warren Drive-In, Castleton, Vt., enjoyed a pretty good summer despite rain and product shortage. "The Love Bug” proved among the top grossers, Herb added. A fourth grade teacher in the Troy public school system, the articulate, quiet-spoken partner in the Vermont ozoner now lives in Niskayuna with his wife (ex-instructor at Shaker Ridge School, Colonie) and their two children"
Boxoffice, Sept. 22, 1969: “ALBANY - The postponement of the opening of Fabian’s new Latham Drive-In on Route 9, Albany-Saratoga Road was apparently caused by a shortage of labor and building materials. The contractor has encountered difficulty in finding a sufficient number of carpenters and electricians, lumber for the projection booth did not arrive as scheduled and a shortage of electrical power is alleged to have hampered progress. Construction engineer for the 850-car Fabian ozoner is Fred Haas. Industry men express differing opinions about the situation. Some feel the drive-in can premiere this fall but others indicate the debut will have to be deferred until spring. Bill With, former Palace manager, supervises area Fabian drive-ins from an office at the Mohawk, Albany-Schenectady Road.”
Same theater, with a delayed/renamed opening?
Boxoffice, Sept. 22, 1969: “HUDSON, N. Y. - A fall opening is planned for the new 360-seat Brandt Theatre now under construction on Fairview Avenue Extension next to the Jamesway Shopping Center.”
I doubt that this was unique, but it’s the first story I’ve read of an ozoner garden.
Boxoffice, Aug. 26, 1968: “Bill Meyers, owner of the Pocomoke Drive-In sent George Brehm, general manager of the Westview Cinema, some tomatoes he raised in his garden at the airer.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 26, 1968: “Starlite Drive-In, Fairmount, W. Va., sustained the loss of its concession building via fire some weeks ago, and has since been rebuilt and reopened.”
Part of the Adler Silhouette Letter Co. ad in that issue.
This appeared in the Wagner Sign Service ad in the Oct. 16, 1967 issue of Boxoffice (and possibly elsewhere). I can’t find a copyright notice in that issue; if true, that would put its contents in the public domain.
One more note. Boxoffice, Nov. 13, 1961: “A. L. Royal Theatres acquired the operations of the East Forest Drive-In, Petal, Miss., and renamed it the Royal”
Boxoffice, Nov. 13, 1961: “Leroy LeBlanc has taken over the management-operations of the Bayouland Drive-In, Barton (Donaldsville) La.”
Boxoffice ran an article on Oct. 18, 1976 about officer elections for the Southern Independent Theatre Exhibitors. One of the vice presidents was Larry Daniels, Nancy Cinema, Forsyth, Ga.
The Nancy was included in Boxoffice’s “For Sale or Lease” classified ads for several weeks in January 1977. “Central Georgia - 296 seats, two years old, 5,000 city population, 20,000 drawing area. Only theatre in town. Owner retiring, terms to suit. 100% first class. Nancy Cinema, P.O. Box 846, Forsyth, Ga. 31029. (912) 994-9467.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 1, 1977: “Southern Independent Theatres reported that they will begin doing the booking and buying for the Nancy Cinema, Forsyth”
The Independent Film Journal, July 24, 1954: “D. A. Olson has opened his new 400-car Green Lake Drive-In at Spicer, Minn.”
Boxoffice, June 26, 1961: “SPICER, MINN. — Richard R. Henderson has purchased the Green Lake Drive-In from D. A. Olson. To assist him in efficient operation of his new property, Henderson has entered a long term subscription to Boxoffice.”
Boxoffice ran an article on Oct. 18, 1976 about officer elections for the Southern Independent Theatre Exhibitors. One of the vice presidents was Larry Daniels, Nancy Cinema, Forsyth, Ga.
The Nancy was included in Boxoffice’s “For Sale or Lease” classified ads for several weeks in January 1977. “Central Georgia - 296 seats, two years old, 5,000 city population, 20,000 drawing area. Only theatre in town. Owner retiring, terms to suit. 100% first class. Nancy Cinema, P.O. Box 846, Forsyth, Ga. 31029. (912) 994-9467.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 1, 1977: “Southern Independent Theatres reported that they will begin doing the booking and buying for the Nancy Cinema, Forsyth”
Motion Picture Herald, June 11, 1955: “Drive-In Theatre Co. of Sioux Falls, S. D., will build a 650-car drive-in at Faribault, Minn. John Watters of Fairmont, Minn., will manage the project.”
Years earlier, Nash-Watters built Fairmont’s Family Drive-In. I guess they liked the name.
John Watters of the Nash-Watters Theatre Company appeared in an ad in the Nov. 3, 1951 issue of Boxoffice. At the time, Nash-Watters operated the Family Drive-In in Fairmont and the State Theatre in Jackson MN.
Here’s the ad that 50sSnipes probably found, the first I saw in the Daily World. The only previous mention I found in that newspaper was a front-page note on July 25, 1949, saying that the Fourth Street Drive-in Movie, Inc., could open August 1, weather permitting. It had incorporated by Sam Anderson, Ed Blair, Mrs. Irene Blair, and Mrs. Juanita Anderson.
In a roundup of theater openings, the Sept. 17, 1949 issue of Boxoffice reported, under Memphis, Tenn., that the Fourth Street Drive-In, with a capacity of 300 cars, had been “opened by Ed Blair.” That was the same name that the magazine mentioned on Oct. 7, 1950 in a list of visitors to Memphis' Film Row.
Boxoffice, Sept. 12, 1953: “Commerce, Ga. - James E. Jarrell, owner of the Roxy Theatre here, has purchased a site on the Commerce-Athens highway for construction of a drive-in, hoping to open next spring.”
US 441 was (and is) the highway between Commerce and Athens.
A 1956 aerial photo showed a drive-in about a mile southeast of Commerce on the west side of the highway, approximately where 627 GA-15 (then US 441) is today. There were dozens of cars parked there (a used parts lot?) in 1963. By 1981, the ramps were barely visible, and I can see no trace of the drive-in today.
Based on HistoricAerials and that hand-drawn, west-on-top map, I would choose the modern-day address as either 2145 5th Ave, the office building that sits where the Mesa had been, or 888 Mitchell Ave, the exact spot of the Mesa’s entrance. Both are Zip Code 95965.
The Denver Post reported today that the Oriental’s owners were trying again to restore the marquee. General manager Scott Happel said, “We’ve had it done twice, apparently by people that weren’t quite sure how to do it correctly.“ This time the work is being done by Morry Weseloh’s company, Morry’s Neon Signs. Full story with pictures here
The drive-in still existed in this Jan. 26, 1965 road conditions report in the San Francisco Chronicle. For US 101 convoys, “Heavy commercial vehicles assemble at the Garberville maintenance yard and all pickups and passenger cars assemble in the drive-in theater at Garberville. Chains should be carried.” The Humboldt Standard ran a similar note.
It’s a very minor data point, but it makes me wonder whether the current CalTrans yard existed then and was separate from the drive-in. Then I look again at the topo map, the note about the canyon north of the drive-in, and its described position (only?) a quarter-mile north of town. The topo map shows that the current Redwood Drive shifted from its old position when it was US 101.
Could it be that there was a flat area, perhaps on a plateau, just south of Bear Canyon, large enough for the drive-in? The new 101 would have used as much of it as possible, obliterating any trace of the drive-in in the 1968 aerial photo. I just don’t know.
Boxoffice, Nov. 23, 1964: “Howard Wagonheim, vice-president of Schwaber Theatres, which recently purchased the Aurora and renamed it the Seven East, in the next block from the Five West, also a Schwaber house, reported that the theatre will be opened in the next ten days. Seating has been reduced from 369 to 303, a new sound system installed and the marquee is undergoing changes.”