Looks like the Pines opened in 1949. From the June 3, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
YORK, NEB. – The Pines Drive-In has been reopened by Manager Carl Rose and his assistant Keith Hines, former assistant manager at the Sun Theatre. The 400-car ozoner was built and opened last summer by Dean Sack, who later leased it to the Central States Theatre Corp.
I wonder why the Carmar didn’t open on schedule, as elaborated in the June 3, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
NEOSHO, MO. – Hugh Gardner will open a 225-car drive-in one mile south of Neosho on Highway 71 which leads into Camp Crowder. The opening is scheduled for July 1 to coincide with the 30th anniversary date on which Gardner took over the old Whiteway Theatre, which was renamed the Orpheum. Besides the Orpheum he now operates the Band Box. Harley Fryer, who has been manager of the city theatres for seven years, also will manage the new drive-in.
This drive-in, listed in the 1952 Theatre Catalog, was set to open in June 1950. From the June 3, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
ARCADIA, MO. – The 300-car drive-in being constructed on Route 70 by William Basden and Irwin Degonia will be named the Killarney. Equipment purchased from Joe Hornstein, Inc., St. Louis, includes a timber screen tower, Century projection and sound and Cooperative diecast speakers. The theatre will open this month.
From the June 3, 1950 issue of BoxOffice, under the Salt Lake City area heading: “Al Knox and O. J. Hazen were in Cheyenne last week for the opening of the Starlite Drive-In, being operated by the Motor-Vu Theatre Co.”
I just uploaded a 1953 aerial that matches the angled aerial shared by jeterga. DEFG is right in saying that the thick-walled screen tower from the June 1948 photo doesn’t match the metal supports in jeterga’s.
Also, it’s true that there are too many photos posted on CT without permission (and too often without proper attribution!), but keep in mind that CT is a non-profit, and these photos are typically posted for the Fair Use of illustrating some point of history.
An approximate date for the renaming comes from the April 16, 1955 issue of BoxOffice:
FORT WORTH, TEX. – The Corral Drive-In, which is the former Jacksboro Drive-In doubled in size and with everything made new, held open house recently. Everybody was invited to see the first show free.
CHAFFEE, MO. – The Montgomery Drive-In just north of the city limits had its grand opening on Easter Sunday (April 10, 1955). It is owned and operated by Bernice Montgomery, who also owns and operates the 500-seat Horstman Theatre. The opposition, Home of the Stars Drive-In, owned by Robert Capshaw, a local automobile dealer, also had its grand opening the same day.
From the April 16, 1955 issue of BoxOffice: “Sero Amusement, headed by William Oldknow, has taken over and reopened the Cherry Pass Drive-In between Banning and Beaumont. For a time the ozoner was operated by Syd Lehman and Harry Rackin of Exhibitors' Service.”
From the April 16, 1955 issue of BoxOffice: “Lee Theatres, operating three drive-ins in the state, has bought the Lakewood Theatre in Lakewood from the Jefferson Amusement Co.”
More details on the Aircadia’s opening, as carried by the April 16, 1955 issue of BoxOffice:
COLORADO SPRINGS – The new Aircadia, 800-car drive-in just completed by Westland Theatres on Highway 24, was opened recently. Named manager was Gerald R. Truesdell, who comes from the Eighth Street Drive-In. Derald Hart is city manager for Westland Theatres. Larry Starsmore is president and general manager of the company.
The theatre is situated on a 40-acre tract, part of which has been made into a supervised Fairyland for children. Parents can watch the playground from the patio which is one one side of the self-service snack restaurant. The manager’s office and projection booth are on top of the restaurant. The screen accommodates an 86x48-foot picture.
Grounds of the theatre are adorned with large planter boxes of flowers outside the restaurant, projection building and boxoffice. The two exits at the rear of the parking space lead to several routes of departure from the grounds.
Architects were Lusk and Wallace, and local contractors did most of the work.
WELLINGTON, KAS. – The new 420-car Chisholm Trail Drive-In on Route 160 about one mile east of here recently was opened. The open air theatre was erected and is being operated by Sol Frank, Coldwater, and F. E. Estes, Charles Gregg and J. L. Young, all of Caney.
I wonder if anyone still has a copy of the Grand Opening program. From the May 27, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
Al Powell, co-owner and manager of the affiliated Griffith Theatres in Guthrie, Okla., recently opened the Beacon Drive-In, an event that was marked by special cooperation from local merchants.
Powell prepared a special 48-page souvenir program giving complete details on the service and comforts offered by the new operation, biographical information on all executives in the organization, and a list of future attractions booked at the three local theatres.
Merchant ads covered complete cost of the program.
Early suggestion of what was coming in the May 20, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
BRISTOW, OKLA. – H. A. Walling, local theatreman, has disclosed plans for construction of a 350-car drive-in on Route 66 west of here. A name for the open air theatre has not yet been chosen. An exhibitor many years, Walling operates the Princess and Walmur theatres here.
CONCORDIA, KAS. – The new $50,000 drive-in north of the river bridge here has been opened by Manager Carl Lowery, who also manages the Strand Theatre, owned by the Schniderman interests.
The drive-in is surrounded by a 7-foot rustic fence and has graveled driveway and parking areas. The ozoner will accommodate 400 cars.
Fun note from the May 20, 1950 issue of BoxOffice: “There was quite a little talk in Red Oak, Iowa, about the twister that came down the road and struck and severely damaged the Red Oak airport. On the opposite side of the road stood Alfred Haals' Red Oak Drive-In which escaped damage.”
LA JUNTA, COLO. – Basil L. Smith, former owner of a grocery market here, has purchased J. W. Barton’s interest in the La Junta Drive-In. The airer, located one mile and a half east of town on Highway 50, has a capacity of 350 cars, and was recently opened for the season. Dr. C. M. Alderson of Dodge City, Kas. will continue as the other partner.
Opening note from the May 20, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
MONTROSE, COLO. – The new 360-car Star Drive-In near here recently was opened by Harry Barrett and George De Vries. Seats for walk-in patrons yet remain to be installed before the new open air theatre is completed.
Looks like it opened on May 11, 1950. The note from the May 20, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
ALTADENA, CALIF. – Featuring the latest in modern equipment, the new Hastings Drive-In, a 1,000-car operation, opened here Thursday (11). It is the first ozoner to be constructed by Comet Theatre Enterprises, headed by R. H. Hoese, president; Earl Whitaker, vice-president, and Ernie LeSueur, secretary-treasurer.
The opening night’s attraction included personal appearances by Roy Rogers, Republic cowboy star, his actress-wife Dale Evans and Trigger. The outdoor showcase is being operated on a single-bill policy and an 80-cent admission scale.
In a USGS photo taken June 8, 1975, the Kar-Vu site is already partially overgrown and the other drive-in north of town is active. I’d guess that the Kar-Vu closed around 1972.
As I mentioned on the page for the Kar-Vu in Lamar, the Arrow debuted in the Motion Picture Almanac drive-in list in the 1977 edition, though it’s likely that it opened a bit earlier. If it truly replaced the east side Kar-Vu, it would have been in the early 1970s.
The Arrow isn’t included in a 1977 topo map, but it’s included in the 1979 and 1985 versions. A 1987 aerial showed little remaining of the drive-in.
There are several references to a drive-in on the east side of Lamar, so that would have to be this site, which was visible on 1954 and 1977 topo maps but gone from the 1979 topo map.
At least some Motion Picture Almanacs (looking at 1962 as I type) carried a listing for the Kar-Vu in Lamar, New Mexico. Except that there is no town named Lamar in NM, so I’d guess it’s southern Colorado instead. Capacity was 400 (much larger than Springfield’s later Kar-Vu), owner Atlas Thea. Corp.
Sure enough, when I cross-reference the Denver-based Atlas Theatre Corp. listing that year, it shows only Colorado theaters, including the Kar-Vu Drive-In (and the Lamar and the Pioneer) in Lamar CO. Atlas continued to include the Lamar’s Kar-Vu in its holdings through at least 1972, though it was gone by 1976.
The May 20, 1950 issue of BoxOffice wrote, “C. U. Yeager, has opened his new 400-car $40,000 drive-in at Lamar, Colo., where he owns other theatres. He has named it the Kar-Vu.”
That came one week after another BoxOffice note on the future Kar-Vu’s geography. “LAMAR, COLO. – C. U. Yeager, president of Atlas Theatre Corp., opened the 400-car, $60,000 drive-in under way here about May 6. It is located east of the city.”
Looks like the Pines opened in 1949. From the June 3, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
YORK, NEB. – The Pines Drive-In has been reopened by Manager Carl Rose and his assistant Keith Hines, former assistant manager at the Sun Theatre. The 400-car ozoner was built and opened last summer by Dean Sack, who later leased it to the Central States Theatre Corp.
I wonder why the Carmar didn’t open on schedule, as elaborated in the June 3, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
NEOSHO, MO. – Hugh Gardner will open a 225-car drive-in one mile south of Neosho on Highway 71 which leads into Camp Crowder. The opening is scheduled for July 1 to coincide with the 30th anniversary date on which Gardner took over the old Whiteway Theatre, which was renamed the Orpheum. Besides the Orpheum he now operates the Band Box. Harley Fryer, who has been manager of the city theatres for seven years, also will manage the new drive-in.
This drive-in, listed in the 1952 Theatre Catalog, was set to open in June 1950. From the June 3, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
ARCADIA, MO. – The 300-car drive-in being constructed on Route 70 by William Basden and Irwin Degonia will be named the Killarney. Equipment purchased from Joe Hornstein, Inc., St. Louis, includes a timber screen tower, Century projection and sound and Cooperative diecast speakers. The theatre will open this month.
From the June 3, 1950 issue of BoxOffice, under the Salt Lake City area heading: “Al Knox and O. J. Hazen were in Cheyenne last week for the opening of the Starlite Drive-In, being operated by the Motor-Vu Theatre Co.”
I wonder whether this note, from the June 3, 1950 issue of BoxOffice, is relevant:
GLENDIVE, MONT. – Bob and Bill Johnson have opened the new Star-Lit Drive-In, first local outdoor theatre. The theatre accommodates 300 cars.
I just uploaded a 1953 aerial that matches the angled aerial shared by jeterga. DEFG is right in saying that the thick-walled screen tower from the June 1948 photo doesn’t match the metal supports in jeterga’s.
Also, it’s true that there are too many photos posted on CT without permission (and too often without proper attribution!), but keep in mind that CT is a non-profit, and these photos are typically posted for the Fair Use of illustrating some point of history.
An approximate date for the renaming comes from the April 16, 1955 issue of BoxOffice:
FORT WORTH, TEX. – The Corral Drive-In, which is the former Jacksboro Drive-In doubled in size and with everything made new, held open house recently. Everybody was invited to see the first show free.
The April 16, 1955 issue of BoxOffice reported, “Norman Edwards is completing his new Branson Drive-In here, which is scheduled to be opened May 15.”
From the April 16, 1955 issue of BoxOffice:
CHAFFEE, MO. – The Montgomery Drive-In just north of the city limits had its grand opening on Easter Sunday (April 10, 1955). It is owned and operated by Bernice Montgomery, who also owns and operates the 500-seat Horstman Theatre. The opposition, Home of the Stars Drive-In, owned by Robert Capshaw, a local automobile dealer, also had its grand opening the same day.
From the April 16, 1955 issue of BoxOffice: “Sero Amusement, headed by William Oldknow, has taken over and reopened the Cherry Pass Drive-In between Banning and Beaumont. For a time the ozoner was operated by Syd Lehman and Harry Rackin of Exhibitors' Service.”
From the April 16, 1955 issue of BoxOffice: “Lee Theatres, operating three drive-ins in the state, has bought the Lakewood Theatre in Lakewood from the Jefferson Amusement Co.”
More details on the Aircadia’s opening, as carried by the April 16, 1955 issue of BoxOffice:
COLORADO SPRINGS – The new Aircadia, 800-car drive-in just completed by Westland Theatres on Highway 24, was opened recently. Named manager was Gerald R. Truesdell, who comes from the Eighth Street Drive-In. Derald Hart is city manager for Westland Theatres. Larry Starsmore is president and general manager of the company.
The theatre is situated on a 40-acre tract, part of which has been made into a supervised Fairyland for children. Parents can watch the playground from the patio which is one one side of the self-service snack restaurant. The manager’s office and projection booth are on top of the restaurant. The screen accommodates an 86x48-foot picture.
Grounds of the theatre are adorned with large planter boxes of flowers outside the restaurant, projection building and boxoffice. The two exits at the rear of the parking space lead to several routes of departure from the grounds.
Architects were Lusk and Wallace, and local contractors did most of the work.
From the May 27, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
WELLINGTON, KAS. – The new 420-car Chisholm Trail Drive-In on Route 160 about one mile east of here recently was opened. The open air theatre was erected and is being operated by Sol Frank, Coldwater, and F. E. Estes, Charles Gregg and J. L. Young, all of Caney.
I wonder if anyone still has a copy of the Grand Opening program. From the May 27, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
Al Powell, co-owner and manager of the affiliated Griffith Theatres in Guthrie, Okla., recently opened the Beacon Drive-In, an event that was marked by special cooperation from local merchants.
Powell prepared a special 48-page souvenir program giving complete details on the service and comforts offered by the new operation, biographical information on all executives in the organization, and a list of future attractions booked at the three local theatres.
Merchant ads covered complete cost of the program.
The May 20, 1950 issue of BoxOffice reported that Video Theatres “and partner James Zarataludes” had opened the Teepee on May 5.
Early suggestion of what was coming in the May 20, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
BRISTOW, OKLA. – H. A. Walling, local theatreman, has disclosed plans for construction of a 350-car drive-in on Route 66 west of here. A name for the open air theatre has not yet been chosen. An exhibitor many years, Walling operates the Princess and Walmur theatres here.
From the May 20, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
CONCORDIA, KAS. – The new $50,000 drive-in north of the river bridge here has been opened by Manager Carl Lowery, who also manages the Strand Theatre, owned by the Schniderman interests.
The drive-in is surrounded by a 7-foot rustic fence and has graveled driveway and parking areas. The ozoner will accommodate 400 cars.
Fun note from the May 20, 1950 issue of BoxOffice: “There was quite a little talk in Red Oak, Iowa, about the twister that came down the road and struck and severely damaged the Red Oak airport. On the opposite side of the road stood Alfred Haals' Red Oak Drive-In which escaped damage.”
The following week, BoxOffice magazine reported that the Hillcrest’s opening night featured the films Keep ‘Em Flying and Panhandle.
From the May 20, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
LA JUNTA, COLO. – Basil L. Smith, former owner of a grocery market here, has purchased J. W. Barton’s interest in the La Junta Drive-In. The airer, located one mile and a half east of town on Highway 50, has a capacity of 350 cars, and was recently opened for the season. Dr. C. M. Alderson of Dodge City, Kas. will continue as the other partner.
Opening note from the May 20, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
MONTROSE, COLO. – The new 360-car Star Drive-In near here recently was opened by Harry Barrett and George De Vries. Seats for walk-in patrons yet remain to be installed before the new open air theatre is completed.
Looks like it opened on May 11, 1950. The note from the May 20, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
ALTADENA, CALIF. – Featuring the latest in modern equipment, the new Hastings Drive-In, a 1,000-car operation, opened here Thursday (11). It is the first ozoner to be constructed by Comet Theatre Enterprises, headed by R. H. Hoese, president; Earl Whitaker, vice-president, and Ernie LeSueur, secretary-treasurer.
The opening night’s attraction included personal appearances by Roy Rogers, Republic cowboy star, his actress-wife Dale Evans and Trigger. The outdoor showcase is being operated on a single-bill policy and an 80-cent admission scale.
In a USGS photo taken June 8, 1975, the Kar-Vu site is already partially overgrown and the other drive-in north of town is active. I’d guess that the Kar-Vu closed around 1972.
As I mentioned on the page for the Kar-Vu in Lamar, the Arrow debuted in the Motion Picture Almanac drive-in list in the 1977 edition, though it’s likely that it opened a bit earlier. If it truly replaced the east side Kar-Vu, it would have been in the early 1970s.
The Arrow isn’t included in a 1977 topo map, but it’s included in the 1979 and 1985 versions. A 1987 aerial showed little remaining of the drive-in.
There are several references to a drive-in on the east side of Lamar, so that would have to be this site, which was visible on 1954 and 1977 topo maps but gone from the 1979 topo map.
At least some Motion Picture Almanacs (looking at 1962 as I type) carried a listing for the Kar-Vu in Lamar, New Mexico. Except that there is no town named Lamar in NM, so I’d guess it’s southern Colorado instead. Capacity was 400 (much larger than Springfield’s later Kar-Vu), owner Atlas Thea. Corp.
Sure enough, when I cross-reference the Denver-based Atlas Theatre Corp. listing that year, it shows only Colorado theaters, including the Kar-Vu Drive-In (and the Lamar and the Pioneer) in Lamar CO. Atlas continued to include the Lamar’s Kar-Vu in its holdings through at least 1972, though it was gone by 1976.
The May 20, 1950 issue of BoxOffice wrote, “C. U. Yeager, has opened his new 400-car $40,000 drive-in at Lamar, Colo., where he owns other theatres. He has named it the Kar-Vu.”
That came one week after another BoxOffice note on the future Kar-Vu’s geography. “LAMAR, COLO. – C. U. Yeager, president of Atlas Theatre Corp., opened the 400-car, $60,000 drive-in under way here about May 6. It is located east of the city.”