The Joplin Globe reported on April 18, 1948, “Formal opening of the Tri-State Drive-In theater, west of the city, proved to be a success last night as motor cars filled the large arena to capacity to witness the ceremonies, an elaborate fireworks display and the screen attractions.” The article went on to say that the drive-in could handle 650 cars and the movie was Home in Indiana, a 1944 film starring Walter Brennan.
Through the decades, every reference in the Globe listed the name as Tri-State, although a couple of reference works got it wrong.
The drive-in’s first appearance in the Film Daily Year Book was in the 1948 edition as Drive-In, changed in the 1949 edition to Tri-States (sic).
The first Theatre Catalog drive-in list, in the 1948-49 edition, included the Tri-States (sic), capacity 500, owner Jack Braunagle, Tri-States Drive-In Corp. The next year, the capacity changed to 583 and the owner to Commonwealth Theatres Ct. That number returned to 500 in the 1952-56 editions.
The Tri-State was in the Motion Picture Almanac’s first drive-in list in 1950-51, and in the Theatre Circuits section, Commonwealth Theatres included it among its holdings. All MPA drive-in list appearances:
The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog listed the Webb City with a capacity of 400, owner Howard Larsen.
Appearances in the Motion Picture Almanac drive-in lists:
1955-59: Drive-In, no capacity, no owner info
1960-66: Drive-In, 400, W. Brandfield
1967-76: Drive-In, 400 (no owner info)
1977-82: Webb City Drive In, 350, Dickinson
1983-88: Webb City Drive In, 1 screen, Dickinson
The Salina (KS) Journal reported on Sept. 18, 1994 that some projection equipment from a closed Dickinson theater there was going “to a drive-in theater in Webb City, Mo.”
In a 1996 aerial, the drive-in still looked active. A Facebook photo collection includes the marquee advertising Kingpin, which came out in late July 1996.
Per another aerial, the drive-in was completely gone by 2003.
The Sunset’s first appearance in the Film Daily Year Book drive-in list was the 1951 edition.
In the 1952-56 Theatre Catalogs, the Sunset was owned by Commonwealth, capacity 520.
The Sunset’s first appearance in the Motion Picture Almanac drive-in lists was the 1951-52 edition, capacity 546, owner Commonwealth. That’s how it stayed till 1977, when the capacity changed to 520. Despite its earlier demise, the Sunset stayed on the MPA list through its final edition in 1988.
The Little Dixie Airway opened on August 31, 1950 according to full-page grand opening news reported by the Mexico Ledger two days earlier. The first program was Mickey starring Lois Butler, the short Contest Crazy with Edgar Kennedy, and the cartoon The Coo-Coo Bird Dog.
The Frisina Amusement Co. purchased the site’s 15 acres from John and Ray Hagan on Highway 54 three miles east of Mexico. The screen was 52x42 feet, 260 feet from the projector, and the tower was made of heavy pine timbers sheeted with asbestos. The drive-in accommodated 500 cars, each greeted by a uniformed attendant who directed it to its ramp.
Google and Wikipedia are friends to all of us with questions.
The Shepherd of the Hills was a 1907 novel written by Harold Bell Wright based on his summers in the Ozark Mountains. It was quite popular at the time, and through the years the story was repeatedly adapted to film, including a 1941 movie starring John Wayne.
The “Drive-In” was in the first Motion Picture Almanac drive-in list in the 1950-51 edition. All MPA list mentions:
1950-56: Drive-In, capacity 350, owner S. M. Taft Amusement Corp.
1957: off the list (at a page break, probably a layout typo)
1958-59: Drive-In, 350, S. M. Taft Corp.
1960-66: Springfield, 350, Commonwealth
1967-76: Springfield, 350 (no owner info)
1977-79: Springfield, 400, Commonwealth
1980: off the list
Sure enough, in the Theatre Circuits section of the MPAs, Commonwealth showed the Drive-In / Springfield Drive-In in its holdings beginning in that same 1950-51 edition, even though it took the drive-in list a decade to notice.
DavidZornig, what was the source of your 1973 Mt. Baldy photo? I’m working on a project and could use clearance on some of the pictures you’ve uploaded.
1963(!)-66: Capacity 1,200, owner N. T. & T. Amuse. Corp.
1967-76 1,200 (no owner info)
1977-82: 1200, Mann Theas.
1983-88: 1 screen, L. Jacobs
I don’t know what NT&T was supposed to stand for; in the MPA’s circuit lists, Fox West Coast Theatres Corp, a subsidiary of National General, owned the Mt. Baldy in 1963-69. NGC Theatre Corporation (National General) owned the Mt. Baldy in 1970-72. Mann Theatres bought National General in 1973.
Based on the aerial, a slightly better address would be 40630 CA-299, Willow Creek, CA 95573, home of Bigfoot Rafting. You can still see hints of the ramps behind the building.
The 1956 aerial showed an empty field. It’s there by 1972 and gone by 1989 even though a 1988 topo map shows its outline.
Motion Picture Almanac drive-in list mentions:
1960-61: Meribel Drive-In, capacity 500, owner Walter Bell
1962-66: Arcata Drive-In, 500, Theatre Management
1967-76: Arcata, 500 (no owner info)
1977-82: Arcata, 500, M. Thomas
1983-88: Arcata, 1 screen, R. Rickard
By the way, the MPA eventually added a second drive-in in Arcata, though it could have been the decades-old Midway that was between Arcata and Eureka.
1985-88: Midway, 1 screen, R. Rickard
The North Coast Journal wrote on March 26, 2009 that Bob Rickard’s career “included running the 299 Drive-in in Willow Creek then the Arcata and Midway drive-ins”.
I don’t think this drive-in was ever called anything except the 50 Highway or some variant.
The “50 Drive-In” advertised in the Sedalia Democrat in July 1979 and early May 1980. News reports of the May 12, 1980 tornado said it obliterated the “Highway 50 Drive-In Theater”. (Commonwealth Theaters reopened the indoor Fox in June while promising to have the “New 50” ready for the 1981 season.)
This drive-in managed to go through three names in about six years. From the Sedalia Democrat:
May 24, 1995: Ad says “Don’t Miss This Opening Weekend” May 26-28, showing Tall Tale and Man of the House.
May 31, 1998: The Diamond Drive-In opened in 1995, but is now known as the Starzz Drive-In. “Michael Lentz of Sedalia bought the drive-in with other investors in January. To date, the marquee fronting Route MM still says Diamond.”
Spot checks: The Starzz Drive-In advertised in July 1998 and July 1999.
Sedalia Drive-In, “2 mi. west of Sedalia off Hwy. 50”, advertised in July 2000. I couldn’t find a drive-in ad in July 2001.
Sep. 12, 2002: Effects of the “Diamond Drive-Inn”, including the screen and “large sign with arrow in front of theatre”, were to be auctioned off on Sept. 20, 2002.
In his 2007 book Cinema Houston: From Nickelodeon to Megaplex, David Welling wrote, “The Mini Drive-In, an X-rated theatre at 15010 East Highway 90, bore the distinction of being Houston’s only outdoor theatre-in-the-round.”
The Dickinson theater chain listed the Shepherd of the Hills Drive-In in its holdings in the Motion Picture Almanac section for Theatre Circuits in the 1955-57 editions, although the drive-in itself never appeared in any of the MPA drive-in lists.
I just uploaded the aerial photo of the Cinema 248’s likely location. It’s just west of Highway 248 at the present-day 134 Depew Dr, Branson, MO 65616.
The Cinema 248 Drive-In was different from the Branson Drive-In, which opened by 1955 and closed by 1969. The Branson was on Highway 76 west of town.
The June 23, 1974 Springfield Leader and Press reported: “BRANSON – Clemenson Enterprises, Inc., operated by Kon and Debbie Clemenson, have opened the Cinema 248 Drive-In Movie Theater on Taney County 248 north of here”.
The 1977-82 MPAs listed the Cinema 248 Drive-In, 1100 W Highway 76 (probably its mailing address), capacity 250, owner Kambeitz. It fell off the list in 1983.
The Bar-Len first appeared in the Film Daily Year Book in the 1950 edition. It was also in the first Motion Picture Almanac drive-in list, the 1950-51 edition, and the second Theatre Catalog list, 1949-50.
Motion Picture Almanac drive-in list mentions:
1950-55: Capacity 400, owner P. K. Lyons, by Ish. White
1956: off the list (huh?)
1957-59: 400, P.K. Lyons
1960-66: 400, Western Amusement Co
1967-76: 400 (no owner info)
1977-88: off the list
But the “Barlen” was still included in Western Amusement’s holdings in the MPA’s Theatre Circuit section through 1984.
I just saw an aerial taken Oct. 5, 1959 (sorry, can’t post it yet) that shows the 66 looking very active. And that reminded me to check another section of those Motion Picture Almanacs.
Harry L. Nace Theatres still included the 66 among its holdings in the 1960-61 MPA Theatre Circuits sections even though the drive-in was off the list in the drive-in lists for those years. The Nace list didn’t include the 66 in 1962, and the January 1964 aerial I just posted showed the screen was gone by then, but it’s possible the drive-in lasted till 1961 or so.
I didn’t upload this, but I also found it at an Oklahoma Historical Society web page. (21412.M2021.1, Z. P. Meyers/Barney Hillerman Photographic Collection, OHS).
The Joplin Globe reported on April 18, 1948, “Formal opening of the Tri-State Drive-In theater, west of the city, proved to be a success last night as motor cars filled the large arena to capacity to witness the ceremonies, an elaborate fireworks display and the screen attractions.” The article went on to say that the drive-in could handle 650 cars and the movie was Home in Indiana, a 1944 film starring Walter Brennan.
Through the decades, every reference in the Globe listed the name as Tri-State, although a couple of reference works got it wrong.
The drive-in’s first appearance in the Film Daily Year Book was in the 1948 edition as Drive-In, changed in the 1949 edition to Tri-States (sic).
The first Theatre Catalog drive-in list, in the 1948-49 edition, included the Tri-States (sic), capacity 500, owner Jack Braunagle, Tri-States Drive-In Corp. The next year, the capacity changed to 583 and the owner to Commonwealth Theatres Ct. That number returned to 500 in the 1952-56 editions.
The Tri-State was in the Motion Picture Almanac’s first drive-in list in 1950-51, and in the Theatre Circuits section, Commonwealth Theatres included it among its holdings. All MPA drive-in list appearances:
The Globe ad on Aug. 25, 1988 listed the Tri-State under Commonwealth Theatres. I can’t find references to any other owner.
On June 26, 1998, in an article about active drive-ins, the Joplin Globe mentioned, “More recently, Webb City Drive-In closed.”
The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog listed the Webb City with a capacity of 400, owner Howard Larsen.
Appearances in the Motion Picture Almanac drive-in lists:
The Salina (KS) Journal reported on Sept. 18, 1994 that some projection equipment from a closed Dickinson theater there was going “to a drive-in theater in Webb City, Mo.”
In a 1996 aerial, the drive-in still looked active. A Facebook photo collection includes the marquee advertising Kingpin, which came out in late July 1996.
Per another aerial, the drive-in was completely gone by 2003.
The Sunset’s first appearance in the Film Daily Year Book drive-in list was the 1951 edition.
In the 1952-56 Theatre Catalogs, the Sunset was owned by Commonwealth, capacity 520.
The Sunset’s first appearance in the Motion Picture Almanac drive-in lists was the 1951-52 edition, capacity 546, owner Commonwealth. That’s how it stayed till 1977, when the capacity changed to 520. Despite its earlier demise, the Sunset stayed on the MPA list through its final edition in 1988.
The Little Dixie Airway opened on August 31, 1950 according to full-page grand opening news reported by the Mexico Ledger two days earlier. The first program was Mickey starring Lois Butler, the short Contest Crazy with Edgar Kennedy, and the cartoon The Coo-Coo Bird Dog.
The Frisina Amusement Co. purchased the site’s 15 acres from John and Ray Hagan on Highway 54 three miles east of Mexico. The screen was 52x42 feet, 260 feet from the projector, and the tower was made of heavy pine timbers sheeted with asbestos. The drive-in accommodated 500 cars, each greeted by a uniformed attendant who directed it to its ramp.
Google and Wikipedia are friends to all of us with questions.
The Shepherd of the Hills was a 1907 novel written by Harold Bell Wright based on his summers in the Ozark Mountains. It was quite popular at the time, and through the years the story was repeatedly adapted to film, including a 1941 movie starring John Wayne.
The first appearance of a Springfield MO drive-in in the Film Daily Year Book was the “Park-In” in the 1948 edition.
The “Drive-In” was in the first Theatre Catalog drive-in list in the 1948-49 edition. Selected Theatre Catalog list mentions:
The “Drive-In” was in the first Motion Picture Almanac drive-in list in the 1950-51 edition. All MPA list mentions:
Sure enough, in the Theatre Circuits section of the MPAs, Commonwealth showed the Drive-In / Springfield Drive-In in its holdings beginning in that same 1950-51 edition, even though it took the drive-in list a decade to notice.
The “Sixty-Six” first appeared in the Film Daily Year Book in the 1949 edition under nearby La Grange.
The Motion Picture Almanac listed the 66 under LaGrange, then Lyons Township, then La Grange. MPA drive-in list appearances:
DavidZornig, what was the source of your 1973 Mt. Baldy photo? I’m working on a project and could use clearance on some of the pictures you’ve uploaded.
This photo belongs with the Diamond / Starzz / Sedalia drive-in that opened long after the 50 closed.
Hey DavidZornig! I could use your help on a project. Would you please drop me a line at mkilg
Motion Picture Almanac drive-in list mentions:
I don’t know what NT&T was supposed to stand for; in the MPA’s circuit lists, Fox West Coast Theatres Corp, a subsidiary of National General, owned the Mt. Baldy in 1963-69. NGC Theatre Corporation (National General) owned the Mt. Baldy in 1970-72. Mann Theatres bought National General in 1973.
Based on the aerial, a slightly better address would be 40630 CA-299, Willow Creek, CA 95573, home of Bigfoot Rafting. You can still see hints of the ramps behind the building.
The 1956 aerial showed an empty field. It’s there by 1972 and gone by 1989 even though a 1988 topo map shows its outline.
Motion Picture Almanac drive-in list mentions:
By the way, the MPA eventually added a second drive-in in Arcata, though it could have been the decades-old Midway that was between Arcata and Eureka.
The North Coast Journal wrote on March 26, 2009 that Bob Rickard’s career “included running the 299 Drive-in in Willow Creek then the Arcata and Midway drive-ins”.
I don’t think this drive-in was ever called anything except the 50 Highway or some variant.
The “50 Drive-In” advertised in the Sedalia Democrat in July 1979 and early May 1980. News reports of the May 12, 1980 tornado said it obliterated the “Highway 50 Drive-In Theater”. (Commonwealth Theaters reopened the indoor Fox in June while promising to have the “New 50” ready for the 1981 season.)
This drive-in managed to go through three names in about six years. From the Sedalia Democrat:
May 24, 1995: Ad says “Don’t Miss This Opening Weekend” May 26-28, showing Tall Tale and Man of the House.
May 31, 1998: The Diamond Drive-In opened in 1995, but is now known as the Starzz Drive-In. “Michael Lentz of Sedalia bought the drive-in with other investors in January. To date, the marquee fronting Route MM still says Diamond.”
Spot checks: The Starzz Drive-In advertised in July 1998 and July 1999. Sedalia Drive-In, “2 mi. west of Sedalia off Hwy. 50”, advertised in July 2000. I couldn’t find a drive-in ad in July 2001.
Sep. 12, 2002: Effects of the “Diamond Drive-Inn”, including the screen and “large sign with arrow in front of theatre”, were to be auctioned off on Sept. 20, 2002.
Bob, I’m curious about your Buffalo Autoscope photo. Could you please drop me a line at mkil
In his 2007 book Cinema Houston: From Nickelodeon to Megaplex, David Welling wrote, “The Mini Drive-In, an X-rated theatre at 15010 East Highway 90, bore the distinction of being Houston’s only outdoor theatre-in-the-round.”
Actually, it’s the Aug. 8, 1953 issue. I hear that no one ever renewed its copyright, which would place the whole magazine in the public domain.
The Dickinson theater chain listed the Shepherd of the Hills Drive-In in its holdings in the Motion Picture Almanac section for Theatre Circuits in the 1955-57 editions, although the drive-in itself never appeared in any of the MPA drive-in lists.
I just uploaded the aerial photo of the Cinema 248’s likely location. It’s just west of Highway 248 at the present-day 134 Depew Dr, Branson, MO 65616.
The Cinema 248 Drive-In was different from the Branson Drive-In, which opened by 1955 and closed by 1969. The Branson was on Highway 76 west of town.
The June 23, 1974 Springfield Leader and Press reported: “BRANSON – Clemenson Enterprises, Inc., operated by Kon and Debbie Clemenson, have opened the Cinema 248 Drive-In Movie Theater on Taney County 248 north of here”.
The 1977-82 MPAs listed the Cinema 248 Drive-In, 1100 W Highway 76 (probably its mailing address), capacity 250, owner Kambeitz. It fell off the list in 1983.
The Bar-Len first appeared in the Film Daily Year Book in the 1950 edition. It was also in the first Motion Picture Almanac drive-in list, the 1950-51 edition, and the second Theatre Catalog list, 1949-50.
Motion Picture Almanac drive-in list mentions:
But the “Barlen” was still included in Western Amusement’s holdings in the MPA’s Theatre Circuit section through 1984.
I just saw an aerial taken Oct. 5, 1959 (sorry, can’t post it yet) that shows the 66 looking very active. And that reminded me to check another section of those Motion Picture Almanacs.
Harry L. Nace Theatres still included the 66 among its holdings in the 1960-61 MPA Theatre Circuits sections even though the drive-in was off the list in the drive-in lists for those years. The Nace list didn’t include the 66 in 1962, and the January 1964 aerial I just posted showed the screen was gone by then, but it’s possible the drive-in lasted till 1961 or so.
I didn’t upload this, but I also found it at an Oklahoma Historical Society web page. (21412.M2021.1, Z. P. Meyers/Barney Hillerman Photographic Collection, OHS).