The April 3, 1961 issue of Boxoffice had a note from Sky View manager Jim Schlatter about staying open “all this past winter”. Schlatter said that even with a small crew, his concession did better on several winter nights than on nights the summer before.
Thanks to Joe Vogel for the citation. Here’s the full 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.
Today, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch marked the 25th anniversary of the destruction of the 66 Park-In’s screen. I added that page to the Internet Archive, so the link should stay alive longer here.
The street address is accurate, but the site is within Oak Lawn IL, just barely. (Across 87th Street to the north is Burbank, and across S. Cicero Street to the east is Hometown.)
The Twin Open Air was still visible in a 1962 aerial photo but already replaced by the shopping center in the 1965 topo map.
The Bel-Air debuted in the 1949-50 Theatre Catalog, listed with exec: T. I. Wagner. The 1952 Catalog added the capacity of 1000 and changed the owner to H. and E. Balaban Ct.
The Motion Picture Almanac usually listed the “Belair” under Joliet. It was included in the MPA’s first drive-in list, for the 1950-51 edition, capacity 1000, owner Bel Aire Theatre Co.
The MPA showed the Bel Air on Romeoville Road in Lockport for a while, but included it through its final drive-in list in the 1988 edition.
Based on its absence in the Theatre Catalog the year before, there’s a decent chance that this drive-in opened in 1949. The “Hilltop” debuted in the 1949-50 Theatre Catalog, exec: Rube Levine. By the 1952 edition, the name had changed to two words and the exec had changed to H. and E. Balaban Ct.
In its first drive-in list, for the 1950-51 edition, the Motion Picture Almanac listed three drive-ins in Joliet: the Belair (capacity 1000); the Hamilton, capacity “500-600”, owner Hiltop(sic?) Drive-In Theatre, Inc.; and the Hill Top, no owner or capacity mentioned.
Both the Hamilton and Hill Top (capacity 500) were listed in the 1952-53 edition’s drive-in list as owned by H. & E. Balaban Circuit. But the theatre circuit listing for Balaban, H. & E. Corp. showed the “Hilltop” as its only drive-in. I wonder what confused the MPA into thinking there had been a Hamilton Drive-In, and based on the Theatre Catalog listings, I doubt that the Hamilton ever existed.
Checking the borders with Google Maps, it seems clear that the former Falcon site is in Collinsville. Also, I get a better result on Google Maps with 7798 Collinsville Road.
My guess is that the Pontiac became the Star Chief, possibly after changing hands or being enlarged. What are two Cinema Treasures listings as of this writing should merge under the Star Chief.
The Pontiac was first listed in the 1949-50 Theatre Catalog, owner Kenneth Murray. The 1952 Theatre Catalog, added a capacity (264) and changed the owner to T. E. Lally. The 1955-56 Catalog changed the owner again, this time to Ken Phillips.
That’s probably the same Ken Phillips who sold the Star Chief to Kerasotes Theatres in 1958.
The Pontiac was in the first Motion Picture Almanac list in the 1950-51 edition, showing a capacity of just 100, owner Martin Murray. Then came a period of overlap where the ever-fallible MPA listed the tiny Pontiac next to an improbably same-named drive-in with the same capacity as the later Star Chief.
Total MPA list mentions for Pontiac IL:
1950: Pontiac, capacity 100, owner Martin Murray
1951-54: Pontiac, 100, Martin Murray; AND Pontiac, 275, J. E. Lally
1955: Pontiac, 275, L. O. Hewitt
1956-59: Star Chief, 275, Kenneth Phillips
1960-64: Star Chief, 275, George Kerasotes
1965-66: Star Chief, 250, George Kerasotes
1969-76: Star Chief, 250
1977-83: Starchief, Kerasotes
(Of course, we have excellent evidence that the Star Chief ceased operations after the 1981 season.)
The Motion Picture Almanac first listed this as “Drive-In” in its 1951-52 edition, capacity 400, owners Steve Bennis, Gus Constan. The name changed to Auto-Vue (with hyphen) in 1952-53, and the capacity changed to 500 in 1953-54. In the 1955 edition, Constan was dropped, and that’s the way it stayed until 1977, when the owner changed to W. Bennis and the name changed to Bennis Auto Vue. The listing stayed that way through the final MPA drive-in list in its 1988 edition.
Strangely, the Theatre Catalog seems to have got it right from the first. Its 1952 drive-in list had the Bennis Auto Vue, owner Steve Bennis, though the capacity was 300.
The Winter 1996 issue of Our Times (Logan County IL) wrote that “Bennis was in the process of building the Auto-Vue … when the Lincoln Drive-In opened … in 1950.” Sounds like it opened in 1951.
An Aug. 5, 1988 article in The Pantagraph of Bloomington IL lamented that the Bennis Auto Vue was one of many central Illinois drive-ins no longer in operation. The last movie listing I could find in The Pantagraph for the drive-in was Aug. 28, 1982.
Amplifying JAlex’s note, the best Google Maps address I could find is 1190 Chain of Rocks Road, Pontoon Beach, IL 62040. (That marks the point where the old entrance ramp, now Bel Air Drive, connected with old Route 66.) Pontoon Beach has some weird borders, but the old Bel-Air ramps are visible within the city limits, albeit a literal stone’s throw from Granite City.
The first ad I can find in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for the Bel-Air (with hyphen) is on March 29, 1954. A Jan. 2, 1955 article there reported that the The Bel-Air Drive-In, owned and operated by the Jablonow-Komm Theaters, “is reported to be the first drive-in theater in this area to provide in-car heaters and an air-conditioned Ramp House for patrons who prefer theater-type seating.”
A Jan. 21, 1971 Post-Dispatch profile of Louis and Julius Jablonow said that “in 1953 (Louis) built the Bel-Air Drive-In in Granite City.” He said he thought it was the first outdoor theater with “in-car heaters, an enclosed seating area, and an elaborate cafeteria style concession building.”
Throughout the 1970s and 80s, the Post-Dispatch’s drive-in round-up ads would use hyphens for the Bel-Air inconsistently, without more often than with. Considering those editorial uses above, I would still vote hyphen.
Motion Picture Almanacs placed the “Bel Air” in Mitchell from its first appearance in the 1955 edition and never included a hyphen through its final list in 1988. All MPA drive-in list mentions:
1955-66: capacity 600, owner Sam Kamm Theatres
1969-76: capacity 600, no owner info
1977-82: capacity 700, owner Mid Am. Thea.
1983-84: 1 screen, owner Mid Am. Thea.
1985-88: Bel Air Twin, 1 screen(sic), owner BAC Theas.
The Motion Picture Almanac listed the Freer as capacity 250, owner H. J. Telford, through 1966. For another decade, the Freer stayed on the list, which didn’t include owner info and was rarely updated in that period. For the 1977 MPA, the Freer fell off the list.
The first newspaper reference I could find was Nov. 15, 1949 when the Joplin Globe reported a benefit turkey shoot to be held “by Clyde Leeson, operator of Sunset Courts and Sunset Drive-In theater.”
The Theatre Catalog listed the Sunset’s capacity as 300, but the Motion Picture Almanac put it at 200.
The Sunset ad in the Carthage Press said that the Sept. 23, 1973 slate of Kansas City Bomber and Return of Sabata would be “the last showing for this season.” A church note from Jan. 26, 1974 casually mentioned that the 66 and the Sunset were (still) “in operation here.” I didn’t see any later drive-in ads, though the Sunset was the site of many group rummage sales listed in the want ads through at least 1976.
Anna Leeson’s obituary (June 28, 1988, Joplin Globe) said that she and her husband owned and operated the Sunset for 20 years. Clyde’s obit (April 13, 1981, Joplin Globe) also mentioned 20 years of operating the Sunset.
The Webb City opened on June 27, 1953 per an article the next day in the Joplin Globe. “Howard Larsen, manager, said some 800 persons were present. Larsen said a park playground with children’s rides and a lake stocked with fish will be added later on part of the 18-acre tract lease from Mrs. George Hammill.”
An Aug. 25, 1991 article in the Springfield (MO) News-Leader said that the Webb City was still operating on weekends.
The Crescent advertised in the Joplin Globe in May-October 1954. It appears to have ceased advertising in 1955.
An Oct. 16, 1974 obituary in The Kansas City Times said that Vernon D. Gelebert of Baxter Springs KS “owned and operated the Crescent Drive-In, Galena, three years.”
The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog listed the Crescent, capacity 150, owner Vernon D. Geabert.
The Crescent was listed in the Motion Picture Almanac drive-in lists in the 1955-59 editions, owner P. Hardwick, no capacity included. In the 1960 edition, it was off the list.
According to extensive notes at MiamiHistory.net, the Tri State had its Grand Opening on June 30, 1949, and had a capacity of 500 cars. “At some point between 1961 and 1965, the Tri-State was renamed to the Sooner. According to historian Fredas Cook, it was to take advantage of the much nicer Sooner sign formerly used south of town.”
Aha! Thanks to the excellent notes at MiamiHistory.net, I have a better explanation for the confusion. The original Sooner opened “a mile south of town, on 66.” Miami History claims that site was prone to flooding, and anyway “At some point between 1961 and 1965, the Tri-State was renamed to the Sooner. According to historian Fredas Cook, it was to take advantage of the much nicer Sooner sign formerly used south of town. Fredas also points out that the original Sooner was a traffic hazard due to its screen facing the highway, that may have contributed to its being closed shortly after opening.”
Where was that short-lived original Sooner? Looking at the maps and photos at Historic Aerials, I’ve found a good candidate in an otherwise unaccounted for drive-in at Dotyville, just southwest of Miami. It’s on the northwest corner of US 59 & Old Route 66 – Google Maps calls it 10991 US-69. The drive-in was on the 1963 topo map, and the ramps were still visible in 1980, but there appears to be no trace of it now.
For the 1952 Theatre Catalog, the Sooner (referred to as #2 D. I.) was under construction. Both the Sooner and the Tri State were listed in the 1955-56 Theatre Catalog. The Sooner’s capacity was 300; Tri State was 400.
For some reason, it’s much easier to find ads for the Tri State in the Miami Daily News-Record than for the Sooner, though the Sooner was included in prizes for the first baby of 1954.
When did it close? In July 1984, the Joplin Globe wrote about alleged bicycle thieves who were “cornered on foot at the Sooner Drive-In theater on North Main Street.”
There’s a good photo from 1985, showing the back of the screen in need of some repair, at American Classic Images.
I’m surprised that some of the outstanding Oklahoma drive-in historians haven’t chimed in with the details on the Lariat. All I have is my bookshelf, but here’s what I’ve got.
The Lariat was absent from the Theatre Catalog’s first two lists in their 1948-50 editions. It debuted on the TC’s third list for the 1952 edition.
The Lariat was in the first Motion Picture Almanac list, the 1950-51 edition. Here’s a summary of all of its MPA list mentions:
1950-52: capacity 300, no owner
1952-54: capacity 300, owner Video
1958-66: capacity 300, owner Video Ind.
1969-76: capacity 300, no owner info (though included in the Video Independent Theatres, Inc's holdings)
There’s a nice aerial photo at the Tulsa Historical Society, although it inaccurately captions that the Skyline opened in 1956. Actually, it was included in the Theatre Catalog’s first drive-in list in the 1948-49 edition. The exec at the time was Henry Gritting of Griffith Theatres.
The Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Apache with a capacity of 225, then 200, which seems reasonable looking at Drive-in 54’s aerial photo. The Theatre Catalogs had the capacity at 300, owner Earl Snyder.
The 1955-56 Theatre Almanac listed the Pirate with a capacity of 150, owner Henry Simpson.
The drive-in’s first appearance in the Motion Picture Almanac was the 1960 edition, when it was listed as the “Purple Pirate” in Briston(sic), capacity 220, owner Henry Simpson. Except for correcting to Bristow, it stayed that way through 1976.
In the 1977 MPA, it changed to the Pirate, owner R. Stomme, capacity 200. That’s the way it stayed through the MPA’s final drive-in list in 1988.
The Motion Picture Almanac series whiffed completely on the Rig. Another reason to believe that there were more drive-ins than any single source ever listed.
I could find a few hints elsewhere. It was listed in the 1955 Film Daily Year Book and the 1955-56 Theatre Catalog (capacity 200, owner J. E. Stribling).
An ad in the May 5, 1957 Daily Oklahoman included the Rig as one of the theatres to show The Buster Keaton Story.
The April 3, 1961 issue of Boxoffice had a note from Sky View manager Jim Schlatter about staying open “all this past winter”. Schlatter said that even with a small crew, his concession did better on several winter nights than on nights the summer before.
Thanks to Joe Vogel for the citation. Here’s the full 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.
Today, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch marked the 25th anniversary of the destruction of the 66 Park-In’s screen. I added that page to the Internet Archive, so the link should stay alive longer here.
The street address is accurate, but the site is within Oak Lawn IL, just barely. (Across 87th Street to the north is Burbank, and across S. Cicero Street to the east is Hometown.)
The Twin Open Air was still visible in a 1962 aerial photo but already replaced by the shopping center in the 1965 topo map.
The most recent ad in the Chicago Tribune for the Double Drive-In that I could find was Sept. 7, 1995.
The Bel-Air debuted in the 1949-50 Theatre Catalog, listed with exec: T. I. Wagner. The 1952 Catalog added the capacity of 1000 and changed the owner to H. and E. Balaban Ct.
The Motion Picture Almanac usually listed the “Belair” under Joliet. It was included in the MPA’s first drive-in list, for the 1950-51 edition, capacity 1000, owner Bel Aire Theatre Co.
The MPA showed the Bel Air on Romeoville Road in Lockport for a while, but included it through its final drive-in list in the 1988 edition.
Based on its absence in the Theatre Catalog the year before, there’s a decent chance that this drive-in opened in 1949. The “Hilltop” debuted in the 1949-50 Theatre Catalog, exec: Rube Levine. By the 1952 edition, the name had changed to two words and the exec had changed to H. and E. Balaban Ct.
In its first drive-in list, for the 1950-51 edition, the Motion Picture Almanac listed three drive-ins in Joliet: the Belair (capacity 1000); the Hamilton, capacity “500-600”, owner Hiltop(sic?) Drive-In Theatre, Inc.; and the Hill Top, no owner or capacity mentioned.
Both the Hamilton and Hill Top (capacity 500) were listed in the 1952-53 edition’s drive-in list as owned by H. & E. Balaban Circuit. But the theatre circuit listing for Balaban, H. & E. Corp. showed the “Hilltop” as its only drive-in. I wonder what confused the MPA into thinking there had been a Hamilton Drive-In, and based on the Theatre Catalog listings, I doubt that the Hamilton ever existed.
Checking the borders with Google Maps, it seems clear that the former Falcon site is in Collinsville. Also, I get a better result on Google Maps with 7798 Collinsville Road.
My guess is that the Pontiac became the Star Chief, possibly after changing hands or being enlarged. What are two Cinema Treasures listings as of this writing should merge under the Star Chief.
The Pontiac was first listed in the 1949-50 Theatre Catalog, owner Kenneth Murray. The 1952 Theatre Catalog, added a capacity (264) and changed the owner to T. E. Lally. The 1955-56 Catalog changed the owner again, this time to Ken Phillips.
That’s probably the same Ken Phillips who sold the Star Chief to Kerasotes Theatres in 1958.
The Pontiac was in the first Motion Picture Almanac list in the 1950-51 edition, showing a capacity of just 100, owner Martin Murray. Then came a period of overlap where the ever-fallible MPA listed the tiny Pontiac next to an improbably same-named drive-in with the same capacity as the later Star Chief.
Total MPA list mentions for Pontiac IL:
(Of course, we have excellent evidence that the Star Chief ceased operations after the 1981 season.)
The Motion Picture Almanac first listed this as “Drive-In” in its 1951-52 edition, capacity 400, owners Steve Bennis, Gus Constan. The name changed to Auto-Vue (with hyphen) in 1952-53, and the capacity changed to 500 in 1953-54. In the 1955 edition, Constan was dropped, and that’s the way it stayed until 1977, when the owner changed to W. Bennis and the name changed to Bennis Auto Vue. The listing stayed that way through the final MPA drive-in list in its 1988 edition.
Strangely, the Theatre Catalog seems to have got it right from the first. Its 1952 drive-in list had the Bennis Auto Vue, owner Steve Bennis, though the capacity was 300.
The Winter 1996 issue of Our Times (Logan County IL) wrote that “Bennis was in the process of building the Auto-Vue … when the Lincoln Drive-In opened … in 1950.” Sounds like it opened in 1951.
An Aug. 5, 1988 article in The Pantagraph of Bloomington IL lamented that the Bennis Auto Vue was one of many central Illinois drive-ins no longer in operation. The last movie listing I could find in The Pantagraph for the drive-in was Aug. 28, 1982.
Amplifying JAlex’s note, the best Google Maps address I could find is 1190 Chain of Rocks Road, Pontoon Beach, IL 62040. (That marks the point where the old entrance ramp, now Bel Air Drive, connected with old Route 66.) Pontoon Beach has some weird borders, but the old Bel-Air ramps are visible within the city limits, albeit a literal stone’s throw from Granite City.
The first ad I can find in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for the Bel-Air (with hyphen) is on March 29, 1954. A Jan. 2, 1955 article there reported that the The Bel-Air Drive-In, owned and operated by the Jablonow-Komm Theaters, “is reported to be the first drive-in theater in this area to provide in-car heaters and an air-conditioned Ramp House for patrons who prefer theater-type seating.”
A Jan. 21, 1971 Post-Dispatch profile of Louis and Julius Jablonow said that “in 1953 (Louis) built the Bel-Air Drive-In in Granite City.” He said he thought it was the first outdoor theater with “in-car heaters, an enclosed seating area, and an elaborate cafeteria style concession building.”
Throughout the 1970s and 80s, the Post-Dispatch’s drive-in round-up ads would use hyphens for the Bel-Air inconsistently, without more often than with. Considering those editorial uses above, I would still vote hyphen.
Motion Picture Almanacs placed the “Bel Air” in Mitchell from its first appearance in the 1955 edition and never included a hyphen through its final list in 1988. All MPA drive-in list mentions:
The Motion Picture Almanac listed the Freer as capacity 250, owner H. J. Telford, through 1966. For another decade, the Freer stayed on the list, which didn’t include owner info and was rarely updated in that period. For the 1977 MPA, the Freer fell off the list.
The first newspaper reference I could find was Nov. 15, 1949 when the Joplin Globe reported a benefit turkey shoot to be held “by Clyde Leeson, operator of Sunset Courts and Sunset Drive-In theater.”
The Theatre Catalog listed the Sunset’s capacity as 300, but the Motion Picture Almanac put it at 200.
The Sunset ad in the Carthage Press said that the Sept. 23, 1973 slate of Kansas City Bomber and Return of Sabata would be “the last showing for this season.” A church note from Jan. 26, 1974 casually mentioned that the 66 and the Sunset were (still) “in operation here.” I didn’t see any later drive-in ads, though the Sunset was the site of many group rummage sales listed in the want ads through at least 1976.
Anna Leeson’s obituary (June 28, 1988, Joplin Globe) said that she and her husband owned and operated the Sunset for 20 years. Clyde’s obit (April 13, 1981, Joplin Globe) also mentioned 20 years of operating the Sunset.
The Webb City opened on June 27, 1953 per an article the next day in the Joplin Globe. “Howard Larsen, manager, said some 800 persons were present. Larsen said a park playground with children’s rides and a lake stocked with fish will be added later on part of the 18-acre tract lease from Mrs. George Hammill.”
An Aug. 25, 1991 article in the Springfield (MO) News-Leader said that the Webb City was still operating on weekends.
The Crescent advertised in the Joplin Globe in May-October 1954. It appears to have ceased advertising in 1955.
An Oct. 16, 1974 obituary in The Kansas City Times said that Vernon D. Gelebert of Baxter Springs KS “owned and operated the Crescent Drive-In, Galena, three years.”
The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog listed the Crescent, capacity 150, owner Vernon D. Geabert.
The Crescent was listed in the Motion Picture Almanac drive-in lists in the 1955-59 editions, owner P. Hardwick, no capacity included. In the 1960 edition, it was off the list.
According to extensive notes at MiamiHistory.net, the Tri State had its Grand Opening on June 30, 1949, and had a capacity of 500 cars. “At some point between 1961 and 1965, the Tri-State was renamed to the Sooner. According to historian Fredas Cook, it was to take advantage of the much nicer Sooner sign formerly used south of town.”
Aha! Thanks to the excellent notes at MiamiHistory.net, I have a better explanation for the confusion. The original Sooner opened “a mile south of town, on 66.” Miami History claims that site was prone to flooding, and anyway “At some point between 1961 and 1965, the Tri-State was renamed to the Sooner. According to historian Fredas Cook, it was to take advantage of the much nicer Sooner sign formerly used south of town. Fredas also points out that the original Sooner was a traffic hazard due to its screen facing the highway, that may have contributed to its being closed shortly after opening.”
Where was that short-lived original Sooner? Looking at the maps and photos at Historic Aerials, I’ve found a good candidate in an otherwise unaccounted for drive-in at Dotyville, just southwest of Miami. It’s on the northwest corner of US 59 & Old Route 66 – Google Maps calls it 10991 US-69. The drive-in was on the 1963 topo map, and the ramps were still visible in 1980, but there appears to be no trace of it now.
For the 1952 Theatre Catalog, the Sooner (referred to as #2 D. I.) was under construction. Both the Sooner and the Tri State were listed in the 1955-56 Theatre Catalog. The Sooner’s capacity was 300; Tri State was 400.
For some reason, it’s much easier to find ads for the Tri State in the Miami Daily News-Record than for the Sooner, though the Sooner was included in prizes for the first baby of 1954.
When did it close? In July 1984, the Joplin Globe wrote about alleged bicycle thieves who were “cornered on foot at the Sooner Drive-In theater on North Main Street.”
There’s a good photo from 1985, showing the back of the screen in need of some repair, at American Classic Images.
I’m surprised that some of the outstanding Oklahoma drive-in historians haven’t chimed in with the details on the Lariat. All I have is my bookshelf, but here’s what I’ve got.
The Lariat was absent from the Theatre Catalog’s first two lists in their 1948-50 editions. It debuted on the TC’s third list for the 1952 edition.
The Lariat was in the first Motion Picture Almanac list, the 1950-51 edition. Here’s a summary of all of its MPA list mentions:
The screen was gone from the 1995 aerial photo.
There’s a nice aerial photo at the Tulsa Historical Society, although it inaccurately captions that the Skyline opened in 1956. Actually, it was included in the Theatre Catalog’s first drive-in list in the 1948-49 edition. The exec at the time was Henry Gritting of Griffith Theatres.
Motion Picture Almanac drive-in theater list mentions:
The Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Apache with a capacity of 225, then 200, which seems reasonable looking at Drive-in 54’s aerial photo. The Theatre Catalogs had the capacity at 300, owner Earl Snyder.
The 1955-56 Theatre Almanac listed the Pirate with a capacity of 150, owner Henry Simpson.
The drive-in’s first appearance in the Motion Picture Almanac was the 1960 edition, when it was listed as the “Purple Pirate” in Briston(sic), capacity 220, owner Henry Simpson. Except for correcting to Bristow, it stayed that way through 1976.
In the 1977 MPA, it changed to the Pirate, owner R. Stomme, capacity 200. That’s the way it stayed through the MPA’s final drive-in list in 1988.
The Motion Picture Almanac series whiffed completely on the Rig. Another reason to believe that there were more drive-ins than any single source ever listed.
I could find a few hints elsewhere. It was listed in the 1955 Film Daily Year Book and the 1955-56 Theatre Catalog (capacity 200, owner J. E. Stribling).
An ad in the May 5, 1957 Daily Oklahoman included the Rig as one of the theatres to show The Buster Keaton Story.