The first twinkling of an eye in the history of the Mesa was reported in the May 20, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
BLENDE, COLO. – A 26-acre site on Route 50 about one mile east of here has been purchased by officials of the Westland Theatres as the site for a 1,200-car drive-in to be built and completed by May 1, 1951. Construction will not be started until crops now planted have been harvested. The circuit now operated the Chief, Colorado and Victory theatres in Pueblo and a drive-in recently completed near Colorado Springs.
Houston, Tex. – The fireworks display marking the grand opening of the Trail Drive-In recently caused more of a stir among residents than owner Jack A. Farr anticipated. Many people, apparently jittery over talk of flying saucers, swamped switchboards at the Houston Post and police station with frantic calls about explosions.
The fireworks display lasted from 9:14 to 9:47. Farr also had put up an artificial moon on a 100-foot pole. The green and amber lights that normally blend into artificial moonlight gave spectators a thrill.
Farr said the display was completely legal as he had obtained permission from the fire marshal. He was surprised that the display startled anybody because he had run newspaper ads announcing the opening of the Trail and the fireworks display. The Trail is located at 3201 Old Spanish Trail and accommodates 1,004 cars.
Looks like the South was right about its opening date. The May 13, 1950 issue of BoxOffice reported, “The South Drive-In, Columbus, owned by Milton Yassenoff, will be ready for opening soon. It is a new operation and accommodates approximately 500 cars.”
The Lyons was still included in a 1972 topo map. In a 1991 aerial photo, it was gone though still undeveloped.
From the May 13, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
LYONS, KAS. – The new 350-car Lyons Drive-In on Route 50-N west of here, the initial open air theatre in Rice county, recently was opened by Luther Osborne and Don Cuthbertson. Both men are new to show business. Osborne formerly was associated with the Central Drilling Co., Great Bend, while Cuthbertson formerly operated a grocery store and locker plant. Features of the new ozoner include a concession stand and a playground for children. The drive-in is being managed by Cuthbertson.
ARTESIA, N. M. – The Circle B Drive-In, one mile west of Artesia on the Hope highway, opened recently. “The Trail of the Lonesome Pine” was the opening feature.
The Circle B was shown on 1955 and 1978 topo maps.
From the May 13, 1950 issue of BoxOffice magazine:
WRAY, COLO. – The 500-seat, $100,000 Cliff Theatre will open May 15 for J. K. Powell and J. A. Hughes. Five hundred Kroehler Push-Back seats have been installed and RCA sound equipment is ready for installation. The front of the Cliff is to be finished immediately. The first story of the building, to the marquee, is to be finished in Roman brick Permastone. The upper part will be white stucco flanked with a darker shade of stucco.
Walls of the foyer are finished in ivory stucco and the floor is carpeted in a leaf design of maroon, browns and tans. A cry room is provided in the balcony.
Seats in the auditorium are staggered and are of dark green leather. Backs of the seats are of a dark green corded material. The auditorium walls are rose and are draped with a gold brocade material. A hospital benefit is being planned as part of the opening ceremonies.
The May 13, 1950 issue of BoxOffice wrote, “The Bauer Drive-In, Fort Morgan, will be opened by Jack Bauer May 19. The $40,000 drive-in accommodates 350-cars.” It appears that this was the opener for the eventual Valley Drive-In.
The 1951-52 Motion Picture Almanac listed only Bauer’s Drive-In, capacity 350. Starting in the 1955 MPA, it had become the Valley, capacity 350, owned by John Roberts.
CHARLESTON, S. C. – The Ebony Drive-In, one of the few outdoor theatres for Negro patrons, has been opened here by John Thomason and Andrea C. Patterson, president and secretary-treasurer, respectively, of the Palmetto Theatre Corp.
The Ebony, which accommodates 400 cars and 300 walk-in patrons, is the first of five drive-ins for Negroes planned by Palmetto. Thomason said the others will be constructed at Greenville, N. C., Savannah, Ga., Atlanta and Jacksonville, Fla.
First noticed by kencmcintyre, here’s a note from the May 6, 1950 issue of BoxOffice that suggests the 66 opened by 1949:
ELK CITY, OKLA. – Winfred Wilcoxon, formerly at the Elk Theater here, now is manager of the 66 Drive-In on Route 66 west of here. Dale Brister, who managed the drive-in last season, has been shifted to the Elk.
The May 5, 1960 issue of BoxOffice marked the passing of John H. Griffin, former mayor, police and fire commissioner of Miami. “He was in charge of Miami’s three downtown theatres and the drive-in north of town when he died.”
WELLSBURG, W. VA. – Two men were killed and three others were injured seriously here when a concrete block screen tower on which they were working working collapsed before a strong wind. Four of the workers were on a scaffold 42 feet high when the strong gust of wind blew over the top six feet of six-inch-thick blocks which formed the screen backing.
Witnesses said the screen top bulged and the freshly laid concrete blocks tumbled down. Five workmen were buried beneath the rubble at the base of the tower. The fifth workman was unloading a truck at the foot of the wall.
INDEPENDENCE, KAS. – The 300-car Sunset Drive-In, a Theatre Enterprises – William H. Wagner operation, opened here last week on a ten-acre tract on Highways 160-75. To add easier driving and parking, each ramp is plainly marked in neon.
The Sunset is equipped with RCA in-car speakers. Abbie Cook is in charge of the refreshment bar. A 27x16-foot patio in front of the concession stand is equipped with tables, chairs and speakers, for patrons who wish to leave their cars. There also is a playground for children.
A large neon sign on the back of the screen tower facing the highway depicts a sun setting behind a mountain. The operation will be under the direction of Wagner and W. R. Marshall, city manager here for TEI, with Myron Slater as house manager. Orven Knoles is chief projectionish and Vera Graham is cashier.
An Elk City history book, found at the Old Town Museum there, said that the 66 Drive-In Theatre was under construction in late 1949 and was owned by Griffith Theatre and Amusement Company, which also owned the Elk Theatre and the (also under construction) Westland Theatre.
An Elk City history book, found at the Old Town Museum there, said that the Westland Theatre was under construction in late 1949 and was owned by Griffith Theatre and Amusement Company, which also owned the Elk Theatre and the (also under construction) 66 Drive-In Theatre.
Joe E. Stribling ran the Gem from at least 1955, the date of a photo I just uploaded.
And we know when the Gem closed. Joe Vogel found the following one-paragraph story from Boxoffice, Aug. 13, 1962, under the Oklahoma City column:
Another little town, Davenport, a few miles east of Chandler, has lost its theatres. Joe E. Stribling and wife, who have operated the Gem Theatre and Rig Drive-In there for years, called it quits and closed both. The drive-in is being dismantled and the equipment stored in the Gem. They have a fine set of CinemaScope lenses and about 50 Simplex speakers, all for sale at a very reasonable price. Stribling was a manager for Griffith Amusement Co. and its successor, Video Independent, for many years, then entered exhibition on his own at the Ritz in Stroud, also in the Chandler area. For several years he has had a job with the telephone company which keeps him out of town during the week, while his wife is busy teaching piano. They admit they have not had time to look after the theatres properly. That and a decline in business caused them to call it quits.
I just uploaded a grainy third-generation image of the Rig’s screen tower. If it was originally taken in March 1955 as its source described, then it’s possible that the Rig opened earlier.
I’ll skip more homespun chatter, quoted in later issues of the Herald, and jump to the Sept. 28, 1957 issue of BoxOffice, where the classified Theatres For Sale ads included (apparently) the Pine Hill.
“Beautiful drive-in and indoor theatre, no competition. Owner retiring. A. B. Jefferis, Piedmont, Mo.”
The Sept. 28, 1957 issue of BoxOffice said that 19 owner Adolph Meier was soon going to reopen the indoor Cuba Theatre, which had been closed for the summer.
Motion Picture Almanac references for Lamar (CO & NM):
A stronger hint for the opening date was reported in the May 20, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
Groy Brothers have opened their new 407-car $50,000 drive-in, Salida, Colo., naming it the Groy.
The first twinkling of an eye in the history of the Mesa was reported in the May 20, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
BLENDE, COLO. – A 26-acre site on Route 50 about one mile east of here has been purchased by officials of the Westland Theatres as the site for a 1,200-car drive-in to be built and completed by May 1, 1951. Construction will not be started until crops now planted have been harvested. The circuit now operated the Chief, Colorado and Victory theatres in Pueblo and a drive-in recently completed near Colorado Springs.
From the May 13, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
Houston, Tex. – The fireworks display marking the grand opening of the Trail Drive-In recently caused more of a stir among residents than owner Jack A. Farr anticipated. Many people, apparently jittery over talk of flying saucers, swamped switchboards at the Houston Post and police station with frantic calls about explosions.
The fireworks display lasted from 9:14 to 9:47. Farr also had put up an artificial moon on a 100-foot pole. The green and amber lights that normally blend into artificial moonlight gave spectators a thrill.
Farr said the display was completely legal as he had obtained permission from the fire marshal. He was surprised that the display startled anybody because he had run newspaper ads announcing the opening of the Trail and the fireworks display. The Trail is located at 3201 Old Spanish Trail and accommodates 1,004 cars.
Looks like the South was right about its opening date. The May 13, 1950 issue of BoxOffice reported, “The South Drive-In, Columbus, owned by Milton Yassenoff, will be ready for opening soon. It is a new operation and accommodates approximately 500 cars.”
The Lyons was still included in a 1972 topo map. In a 1991 aerial photo, it was gone though still undeveloped.
From the May 13, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
LYONS, KAS. – The new 350-car Lyons Drive-In on Route 50-N west of here, the initial open air theatre in Rice county, recently was opened by Luther Osborne and Don Cuthbertson. Both men are new to show business. Osborne formerly was associated with the Central Drilling Co., Great Bend, while Cuthbertson formerly operated a grocery store and locker plant. Features of the new ozoner include a concession stand and a playground for children. The drive-in is being managed by Cuthbertson.
From the May 13, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
ARTESIA, N. M. – The Circle B Drive-In, one mile west of Artesia on the Hope highway, opened recently. “The Trail of the Lonesome Pine” was the opening feature.
The Circle B was shown on 1955 and 1978 topo maps.
From the May 13, 1950 issue of BoxOffice magazine:
WRAY, COLO. – The 500-seat, $100,000 Cliff Theatre will open May 15 for J. K. Powell and J. A. Hughes. Five hundred Kroehler Push-Back seats have been installed and RCA sound equipment is ready for installation. The front of the Cliff is to be finished immediately. The first story of the building, to the marquee, is to be finished in Roman brick Permastone. The upper part will be white stucco flanked with a darker shade of stucco.
Walls of the foyer are finished in ivory stucco and the floor is carpeted in a leaf design of maroon, browns and tans. A cry room is provided in the balcony.
Seats in the auditorium are staggered and are of dark green leather. Backs of the seats are of a dark green corded material. The auditorium walls are rose and are draped with a gold brocade material. A hospital benefit is being planned as part of the opening ceremonies.
The May 13, 1950 issue of BoxOffice wrote, “The Bauer Drive-In, Fort Morgan, will be opened by Jack Bauer May 19. The $40,000 drive-in accommodates 350-cars.” It appears that this was the opener for the eventual Valley Drive-In.
The 1951-52 Motion Picture Almanac listed only Bauer’s Drive-In, capacity 350. Starting in the 1955 MPA, it had become the Valley, capacity 350, owned by John Roberts.
From the May 6, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
CHARLESTON, S. C. – The Ebony Drive-In, one of the few outdoor theatres for Negro patrons, has been opened here by John Thomason and Andrea C. Patterson, president and secretary-treasurer, respectively, of the Palmetto Theatre Corp.
The Ebony, which accommodates 400 cars and 300 walk-in patrons, is the first of five drive-ins for Negroes planned by Palmetto. Thomason said the others will be constructed at Greenville, N. C., Savannah, Ga., Atlanta and Jacksonville, Fla.
First noticed by kencmcintyre, here’s a note from the May 6, 1950 issue of BoxOffice that suggests the 66 opened by 1949:
ELK CITY, OKLA. – Winfred Wilcoxon, formerly at the Elk Theater here, now is manager of the 66 Drive-In on Route 66 west of here. Dale Brister, who managed the drive-in last season, has been shifted to the Elk.
The May 5, 1960 issue of BoxOffice marked the passing of John H. Griffin, former mayor, police and fire commissioner of Miami. “He was in charge of Miami’s three downtown theatres and the drive-in north of town when he died.”
It’s true. This Dotyville Sooner is what I’d call Sooner #1, not #2, since it was a Sooner first.
From the May 6, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
WELLSBURG, W. VA. – Two men were killed and three others were injured seriously here when a concrete block screen tower on which they were working working collapsed before a strong wind. Four of the workers were on a scaffold 42 feet high when the strong gust of wind blew over the top six feet of six-inch-thick blocks which formed the screen backing.
Witnesses said the screen top bulged and the freshly laid concrete blocks tumbled down. Five workmen were buried beneath the rubble at the base of the tower. The fifth workman was unloading a truck at the foot of the wall.
I had wondered how the drive-in got its name. Now I know. From the May 6, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
CORAOPOLIS, PA. – Joseph Marcus, who heads Dependable Coal Co., is constructing a new outdoor theatre near here to be named the Dependable Drive-In.
From the May 6, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
INDEPENDENCE, KAS. – The 300-car Sunset Drive-In, a Theatre Enterprises – William H. Wagner operation, opened here last week on a ten-acre tract on Highways 160-75. To add easier driving and parking, each ramp is plainly marked in neon.
The Sunset is equipped with RCA in-car speakers. Abbie Cook is in charge of the refreshment bar. A 27x16-foot patio in front of the concession stand is equipped with tables, chairs and speakers, for patrons who wish to leave their cars. There also is a playground for children.
A large neon sign on the back of the screen tower facing the highway depicts a sun setting behind a mountain. The operation will be under the direction of Wagner and W. R. Marshall, city manager here for TEI, with Myron Slater as house manager. Orven Knoles is chief projectionish and Vera Graham is cashier.
An Elk City history book, found at the Old Town Museum there, said that the 66 Drive-In Theatre was under construction in late 1949 and was owned by Griffith Theatre and Amusement Company, which also owned the Elk Theatre and the (also under construction) Westland Theatre.
An Elk City history book, found at the Old Town Museum there, said that the Westland Theatre was under construction in late 1949 and was owned by Griffith Theatre and Amusement Company, which also owned the Elk Theatre and the (also under construction) 66 Drive-In Theatre.
Joe E. Stribling ran the Gem from at least 1955, the date of a photo I just uploaded.
And we know when the Gem closed. Joe Vogel found the following one-paragraph story from Boxoffice, Aug. 13, 1962, under the Oklahoma City column:
Another little town, Davenport, a few miles east of Chandler, has lost its theatres. Joe E. Stribling and wife, who have operated the Gem Theatre and Rig Drive-In there for years, called it quits and closed both. The drive-in is being dismantled and the equipment stored in the Gem. They have a fine set of CinemaScope lenses and about 50 Simplex speakers, all for sale at a very reasonable price. Stribling was a manager for Griffith Amusement Co. and its successor, Video Independent, for many years, then entered exhibition on his own at the Ritz in Stroud, also in the Chandler area. For several years he has had a job with the telephone company which keeps him out of town during the week, while his wife is busy teaching piano. They admit they have not had time to look after the theatres properly. That and a decline in business caused them to call it quits.
I just uploaded a grainy third-generation image of the Rig’s screen tower. If it was originally taken in March 1955 as its source described, then it’s possible that the Rig opened earlier.
M. Phillipson visited Denver in 1960 on behalf of the Corral, per an Aug. 1, 1960 mention in BoxOffice magazine.
A short note from the Aug. 1, 1960 issue of BoxOffice: “The Tru-Vu Drive-In, Delta, was destroyed by fire and is closed.”
I’ll skip more homespun chatter, quoted in later issues of the Herald, and jump to the Sept. 28, 1957 issue of BoxOffice, where the classified Theatres For Sale ads included (apparently) the Pine Hill.
“Beautiful drive-in and indoor theatre, no competition. Owner retiring. A. B. Jefferis, Piedmont, Mo.”
The Sept. 28, 1957 issue of BoxOffice said that 19 owner Adolph Meier was soon going to reopen the indoor Cuba Theatre, which had been closed for the summer.
The Oct. 19, 1957 issue of BoxOffice ran a lengthy story about the Twin adding a shopping center to its grounds.