Ficks opened in April 1949. Its ad in the April 22, 1949 Uniontown Morning Herald said to “watch for opening of the district’s newest most modern constructed drive-in”. Its first now showing ad was Tuesday April 26, “One Sunday Afternoon”. For some reason, the current Brownsville site says the original box office was erected in June 1949.
Ficks Drive-In Theatre, Inc. filed public notice of incorporation for February 9, 1950.
The Daily Courier of Connellsville wrote on July 3, 1951: I. J. Ficks and Margaret B. A. Moody were deeded nine and a half acres of ground with buildings along Route 40 by the Ficks Drive-In Theatre, Inc. That would be Isadore J. Ficks.
In March 1954, I. J. Ficks announced purchase of the Moody interests in the Ficks Drive-In theater.
The Brownsville, formerly Ficks, reopened for the season in March 1959, now owned by Louis Stuler and Durward Coe, the pair who started the Sky View a few miles down the road in Carmichaels.
The 1952 Theatre Catalog listed “Fick’s” in East Brownsville, Exec: Moody and Baker. The 1955-56 Catalog listed “Fick’s” in Brownsville, Exec: Basie and Laskey Entr., and F. D. Moore Th. Serv.
Ficks is listed under Brownsville in the 1952-59 Motion Picture Almanacs, capacity 400, owned by Moody & Dickinson. For the 1961-66 editions, it became the Brownsville DI, owned by Louis Stuler & Darwin Coe. It fell off the MPA list in 1978, never to return.
The 1993 photo at HistoricAerials.com shows only two screens, so the third must have come after that. The 1969 photo shows that the main screen used to be northwest of the concession stand.
Every anecdotal source says this drive-in opened in 1946, but they’re all wrong. The Jan. 25 1951 Evening Standard of nearby Unionville wrote about a lawsuit against the drive-in’s owners that “when the theater was opened in 1948, reddog and earth was heaped up near the headwaters of a brook”. Which explains what the Theatre Catalog wrote.
The 1948-49 Theatre Catalog listed Carmichaels Drive-In as under construction, Exec: Lou Stuler, Stuler and Coe. Carmichaels was in the regular drive-in list in the 1949-50 edition. By the 1952 edition of the Catalog, its name had changed to the Skyview, still owned by L. Stuler and Duard Coe.
In the newspapers in nearby Unionville, its first mention was in a February 1950 traffic accident report as “the Drive-In theater”. It was advertising in those papers by summer, calling itself the Sky View with a small gap between words. By the 1960s, the ads were running as the Sky-View with a hyphen.
In 1960, the Brownsville Telegraph mentioned that “Lewis Stuler and Durwood Coe” owned the “Skyview”.
The Pittsburgh Press ran an obituary for Louis S. Stuler after he died of a heart attack at the age of 47 on August 10, 1961. “Together with Duard Coe of Waynesburg, Mr. Stuler owned and operated the Sky View and Brownsville Drive-In Theaters”.
The 1952-66 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Skyview Auto (later just the Skyview) as owned by Stuler & Coe. Capacity was originally 225, but doubled to 450 by 1963. When ownership info returned for the 1978-82 editions, capacity was 400 and the owner was Cinemette Corporation of America, based in Pittsburgh. In the 1984-88 editions, the owner changed to G & G Theaters, Inc., which incorporated in 1963 and is now inactive.
There’s another name that’s not mentioned often enough, it appears. The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog showed the Central in Blackwood VA, owners H. Kiser and R. Lodge, capacity 150.
The 1953-66 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Central under Blackwood VA, owner Russell Large, capacity 150. In the 1978-88 editions, after ownership information resumed, the owner was R. Kiser, capacity 100.
Was that co-owner Large or Lodge? Historically the Catalog had fewer errors, so my guess would be Lodge. Update: Except I’m wrong. On Facebook, the reply I received was “the original owners were the Kiser family and the Large family.” It’s the rare case when the MPA was right and the Catalog wasn’t.
The Kingsport Times-News wrote that the Central opened “in 1952 by the Kiser family of Wise County”.
“Buddy and Paula (Herron) bought the Central in 2005 from Jeff Kiser following the death of his mother, Agnes Kiser Lay, the Kiser family’s much loved drive-in darling who operated the Central for many if not most of those years since it opened in 1952.”
Multiple reports say the Central has a very nice arcade. This YouTube video from July 2017 includes a glimpse plus some drone footage with a train passing by across the highway from the screen.
Also, the 25 Drive In Auto Theatre is up to three screens now. A photo copyright 2015 still showed two, and a July 2016 photo showed “Now 3 screens”, so I’d guess it was an early 2016 addition.
On a probably unrelated note, the McCutcheons took a couple of months off at the beginning of this year. They told the Greenwood Index-Journal, “since 2010, we’ve been open 52 weeks out of the year and it’s hard to visit people when you only have two days off.”
The 1952-56 Theatre Catalogs listed the Monetta as owned by Sam Bogo, capacity 230.
In the 1952-66 Motion Picture Almanacs, the Monetta was owned by Twin City Amusement Co., capacity 200. It was off the list for 1969-76.
In the 1978 edition, the owner was J. Warren, capacity 210, which is how it stayed through the 1988 edition, again showing that the MPA didn’t always notice change.
Richard and Lisa Boaz added a second screen in 2005, and as noted above, a third screen in 2011.
There was a lightning strike June 18, 2017 that knocked out all three screens. They were all up and running by June 22.
In 2014, some locals were trying to find a way to save the mural. The story was in The Post and Courier of Charleston.
Tex Roberts, whose uncle helped create it, was leading the effort, and “the owner, Keith Kinard, also is willing to work to save the screen, even going so far as to subdivide his land.”
Based on what I see in a May 2106 Google Street View and the 2017 aerial view, I’d guess it was torn down. :(
The 1980-82 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Plaza 21 Drive-in in Beaufort, owned by P. Trask, capacity 300. (There’s a Yelp page that still calls it the Plaza 21. And Google Maps calls the highway in front of the drive-in the Trask Parkway. Hmm.) For the 1984-88 editions, it had the Hiway 21, owned by J. Warren.
The Island News wrote that the drive-in closed in 2002. Bonnie and Joe Barth bought the Highway 21 and reopened it in 2003, per The Post and Courier of Charleston.
The 1952-56 Theatre Catalogs had the Family owned by W. P. Riggins, capacity 300.
The 1952-61 editions of the Motion Picture Almanac listed the Family Drive-In in Jessup (sic) with owner W. P. Reggins (sic), capacity 300. It was off the list in the 1963-66 editions.
The Family was back in Jesup in the 1969-76 MPAs with a capacity of 350. When ownership info returned in the 1978 MPA, its name had changed to the Jesup, the owner was Cockfield, and capacity was 250. In 1980-88, the Jesup Twin was owned by Floyd Theatres of Lakeland FL.
The Florida Times-Union wrote in 1999 that “had been closed for 10 years when (Tim) Cockfield bought it in 1970. In 1975, Cockfield ‘twinned it,’ turning the back two rows around and adding two more.” It also said at the time that “Cockfield, 72, works behind the counter before the movie starts” and “Tim Cockfield Jr. … is poised to take over when the time comes.”
In 2012, the Savannah Morning News quoted Ward P. Riggins III, grandson of the original builder, who said “It’s been here since the 1940s.”
“There was only a short time when it wasn’t operational,” Riggins says. “My dad, who is 87, said they built the Jesup Strand Theatre in 1924 in the center of town. In 1948, they built the Jesup Family Drive-in.” … When Riggins’ grandfather got sick, Ward Jr. continued the business.
Although the Stateline’s About Us page says it opened in 1947, it wasn’t listed in the 1949-50 Theatre Catalog. The 1952-56 editions listed owner Earl B. Bolling, capacity 250.
The 1952-66 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the owner as R. D. Dunn, capacity 246. The 1978-84 editions listed R. (Ray) Glover, 200. The 1986-88 editions (finally?) sort of agreed with the old Catalogs, listing the owner as E. Bolling.
In an article about the history of the city’s indoor theater, the Elizabethton Star wrote that in 1962, Earl Bolling was the owner and operator of the Stateline Drive-In.
An archived 2009 Elizabethton Star article (PDF) wrote, “Now owned by Andy Wetsel (sic) Jr., the Stateline Drive-In was built in 1947. Wetsel purchased the theater from the late Earl Bolling, who owned it from 1952 until the 1970s, and again from 1980 to 1995.”
A 2000 article in American Profile talked to then-owner Andy Whetsel (sic). Andrew “Andy” Wetzel (as it’s spelled by every reference except the previous two) is still the owner as of March 2017.
A 2008 Topix discussion thread, which also included plenty of inflammatory talk of which I have no first-hand knowledge, said that Wetzel is married to the daughter of Bolling’s widow, which is how he acquired the Stateline.
In April 2016, the City of Elizabethton was the highest bidder to acquire the Bonnie Kate.
Here’s its history at that point, shamelessly* copied from the Elizabethton Star:
The first owner was Mrs. Ollie Browning of Bluefield WV in 1926. She lived upstairs above the theater. …
The theater formally opened to a full house on July 4, with a christening by former Governor Alfred Taylor. …
In 1950, Bob Neal, who owned the Ritz Theater downtown, purchased the theater from the Browning family.
In 1962, Earl Bolling, owner and operator of the Stateline Drive-In bought it from Bob Neal. …
In 1973, Ray Glover began managing the theater with his wife, Jeanette, until 1989. Then, they sold it to Leroy and Agnes Policky, who operated it for 15 years.
During the 1970s, a massive sheetrock wall was built to twin the theater, allowing two movies to be shown simultaneously.
In 2004, Leroy Policky sold the theater to Brian and Cindy Higgs, who operated it till 2012.
Since then, it has been without an owner. (Huh? If it was abandoned, then why were folks bidding on it?)
For the “fair use” scholarly purpose of establishing the timeline for this historic theater.
The 1952 Theatre Catalog lists the Sunset owned by Colonial Ths., capacity 300. The 1955-56 edition raised that to 342.
The 1952-63 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Sunset in Swainsville and owned by Colonial Theatres Inc., capacity 300. The MPA said that in 1953 it was the first drive-in for the small chain, based in Valdese NC, then run by general manager G. D. Carpenter. It wasn’t listed in the 1966-69 editions, but returned in Shelby for the 1972-76 editions.
When owner info returned in the 1978-82 editions, the Sunset was still owned by Colonial. For 1984-88, it was owned by Benfield Th.
Modern accounts say that Rick Stinnett, whose family built and ran the Bessemer City Kings Mountain Drive-In until it closed after the 2014 season, bought the Sunset in 1985. He spent $100,000 to remodel and convert the projection room in early 2014.
According to The Fayetteville Observer, the Keysville was reopened (in 2009 I guess) by Mark and Jennifer Frank, but they sold it to focus on a more recent purchase, the Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre in Henderson NC.
A lot of news outlets got confused about the Family’s ownership structure. I guess the Wikipedia entry wasn’t around yet.
From The Washington Post, July 26, 2013: “William Dalke Jr. built the Family Drive-in Theatre outside Winchester in 1956 in the midst of an American drive-in building boom. … in time (son Tim) Dalke took over the Family Drive-In. ‘I twinned the screen in 1989 because we could double the product we were offering the public,’ he says. … (Dalke) says that Jim Kopp will be his first option if he ever wants to sell the park”.
From WTOP, August 2012: “owner Jim Kopp … took over the theater three years ago.”
From the Drive-In Theater Adventures blog, August 2013: “In March 2009, Tim Dalke leased the theatre to Jim Kopp (the lease runs for another 7 years).”
The Pittsburgh Press wrote on July 6, 1950 that “The New Dependable Drive-In Theater … opened just a week ago … was heavily damaged” in a flood that caused widespread damage in Moon Township.
The Pittsburgh Press wrote in December 1950 that the Dependable’s “owner”, “president Joseph Marcus, of the Dependable Drive-In, Inc.,” sued DeVry Corp., makers of the film projector, and sales agent D. E. Lovett for selling a bad unit and failing to repair it.
The Daily Courier of Connellsville PA wrote in September 1951 that the Dependable’s owner was Howard C. Benson when it was the victim of a holdup. The armed robber was caught, convicted and sentenced in just three months. Those were the days!
In April 1952, The Pittsburgh Press wrote that the Dependable Corp. had been chartered in 1950 with stock held by three couples – H.C.A. Hofacker and wife Florence, Joseph Marcus and wife Dora, and Robert J. Springer and wife Helen May. The Springers sued the other two couples for leasing the drive-in to Ernest Stern in June 1951. The Moon Drive-In Theater, Inc. “gained control from Mr. Stern” in September 1951.
Robert J. Springer offered a reward in 1955 for whoever shot the tame mallards at the adjoining lake.
In March 1974, neighbors signed petitions against the X-rated movies showing at the Dependable. “Let’s face it – X-rated films are the only thing that saves us,” Rick Glaus, Dependable manager, told The Pittsburgh Press.
In February 1977, Dependable Drive-In Inc. sold 26.4 acres to Regal Development Corp. for $500,000.
The 1952-56 Theatre Catalogs listed the Dependable with owners Norbert and Ernest Stern, Assoc. Drive-In Ths., capacity 400. Or maybe they were just the bookers.
The 1952-59 Motion Picture Almanacs had the “Owner or Booker” as Hanna Theatre Service, capacity 400. In the 1961-66 editions, it was Associated Theas.
When ownership info returned in the 1978 edition, the capacity was up to 500 and the owner was R. Glaus. It stayed that way through 1982, then the Dependable was off the MPA list by 1984.
The Tribune-Review said Glaus was 56 in July 2010, which would have made him about 24 in 1978. Maybe that City Paper story meant 1978 instead of 1968.
In 2006, the Pittsburgh City Paper wrote that Rick Glaus was the drive-in’s “operator … who has run the Dependable since 1968”. Starting that fall, he planned to keep the drive-in open all year.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review wrote in 2010 that Rick Glaus “operates the drive-in with his son, Jonathan. The Glaus family bought the Dependable in the late 1960s from original owner Pat Springer.” Some other sources call Rick the son of the original owner.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote in 2011 that Rick owned the Dependable, and that he was “a son of the late John Glaus, who managed and owned indoor and outdoor theaters.”
I’m guessing that Jonathan soon became known as Jay, because The Pitt News wrote in 2012 about “Jay Glaus, the 19-year-old manager”.
The Beaver County Times wrote in February 2016 that Jay Glaus was the “general manager”, and the Dependable had just added a 9-hole mini-golf course. A month later, WTAE wrote that Rick was (still) the owner.
In 2012, The Exponent Telegram wrote, “During the past 65 years, (then-manager John) Ellis only knows of one season the Sunset Drive-In wasn’t open.
“Ellis and his wife Norma have been running the Sunset for the past 12 years, helping his older brother Anthony Ellis, who owns both the drive-in and the neighboring Sunset Ellis Restaurant.
“For the 25 years prior to that, Ellis’ brother leased the Sunset Drive-In to Jim Henderson, owner of the Grafton Drive-In, before Ellis and his wife took over.”
That explains the Henderson listing, but now I’m stuck wondering what year the Sunset was closed.
The West Virginia Historic Theatre Trail wrote, “The Sunset Drive-in Theater opened in 1947 … making it the oldest operational drive-in theater in West Virginia. It has been owned by the Ellis family since 1955, along with the adjacent Sunset Ellis Restaurant, which shares its roadside marquee. (Prior to that time, the Ellises had owned another combination drive-in theater and restaurant operation, the Ellis Drive-in, in nearby Bridgeport; it no longer exists.)
When I clicked on Kenmore’s map link today, Google said the address is 2643 Horners Run Rd, Shinnston, WV 26431. Wikipedia says that Meadowbrook is an unincorporated area, yet that’s where my reference books site it 70 years ago. Confusing!
The Sunset was one of just 748 drive-ins in the first Theatre Catalog list in the 1948-49 edition, owned by Alex Silay and Steve Medve, Jr., capacity 400. In 1952, it was Alex Silay and Gray Barker. The 1955-56 edition lists it owned by Ellis Bros. and Joe Feeney.
The 1952-54 editions of the Motion Picture Almanac had the Sunset owned by A. Silay, capacity 400. The 1955-59 editions listed the owners as Silay & Medve. In 1961-66, it was Ellis Bros.
The 1978 MPA bumped the capacity to 500 and changed the owner to A.J. Ellis. Other owner listings:
1980-82: M. Deangelis.
1984: De Angelis.
1986-88: J. Henderson.
There’s a very nice 70th Anniversary video on YouTube.
There’s a very nice story about Warner’s at the West Virginia Historic Theatre Trail web site. Charlie Warner and his son Harold opened the Warner’s Drive-In in April of 1952. More than 50 years later, it was somehow the property of the Franklin Oil Company, which didn’t want to spend the cash to convert it to digital projection, and it closed in 2014.
A group of locals formed a non-profit to refurbish the concession stand, buy a new projector, and reopen Warner’s. It finished its first full season on the new equipment in 2017.
The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog listed the Warner DI owned by Harold Warner, capacity 150.
The first appearance of the Warner in the Motion Picture Almanac was the 1953-54 edition. It eventually listed the owner as Harold Warner, capacity 200. By the 1966 edition, it was the Warner Circ.
In the 1978-84 editions, the Warner (still no apostrophe) was owned by M. Warner. It was gone by the 1986 edition.
Collegiate Times wrote in 2012 that the “Starlite was opened in 1953 by Richard and Dorothy Beasley. The two ‘built, owned, and operated the Starlite Theater together for all those years’ before Richard passed away in July of 2009.”
Peggy Beasley was the current owner in that 2012 article, and she’s still the owner in 2017.
The Starlite has radio sound, but they run “a six-speaker sound system sitting atop” the concession / projection building because some folks are afraid of running down their car batteries. Gee whiz, why not spend a little cash on rentable portable radios instead of your lawyer?
The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog listed the Starlite as owned by R. W. Beasley, capacity 162.
The Starlite’s first appearance in the Motion Picture Almanac was the 1955 edition. Again, owned by R. W. Beasley but no capacity figure. It stayed that way through 1966, with an eventual capacity of 150.
When ownership info returned for the 1978-84 editions, the “Starlight” was owned by H.W. Beasley, capacity 300. The drive-in was off the MPA lists by 1986.
Ficks opened in April 1949. Its ad in the April 22, 1949 Uniontown Morning Herald said to “watch for opening of the district’s newest most modern constructed drive-in”. Its first now showing ad was Tuesday April 26, “One Sunday Afternoon”. For some reason, the current Brownsville site says the original box office was erected in June 1949.
Ficks Drive-In Theatre, Inc. filed public notice of incorporation for February 9, 1950.
The Daily Courier of Connellsville wrote on July 3, 1951: I. J. Ficks and Margaret B. A. Moody were deeded nine and a half acres of ground with buildings along Route 40 by the Ficks Drive-In Theatre, Inc. That would be Isadore J. Ficks.
In March 1954, I. J. Ficks announced purchase of the Moody interests in the Ficks Drive-In theater.
The Brownsville, formerly Ficks, reopened for the season in March 1959, now owned by Louis Stuler and Durward Coe, the pair who started the Sky View a few miles down the road in Carmichaels.
The 1952 Theatre Catalog listed “Fick’s” in East Brownsville, Exec: Moody and Baker. The 1955-56 Catalog listed “Fick’s” in Brownsville, Exec: Basie and Laskey Entr., and F. D. Moore Th. Serv.
Ficks is listed under Brownsville in the 1952-59 Motion Picture Almanacs, capacity 400, owned by Moody & Dickinson. For the 1961-66 editions, it became the Brownsville DI, owned by Louis Stuler & Darwin Coe. It fell off the MPA list in 1978, never to return.
The 1993 photo at HistoricAerials.com shows only two screens, so the third must have come after that. The 1969 photo shows that the main screen used to be northwest of the concession stand.
Every anecdotal source says this drive-in opened in 1946, but they’re all wrong. The Jan. 25 1951 Evening Standard of nearby Unionville wrote about a lawsuit against the drive-in’s owners that “when the theater was opened in 1948, reddog and earth was heaped up near the headwaters of a brook”. Which explains what the Theatre Catalog wrote.
The 1948-49 Theatre Catalog listed Carmichaels Drive-In as under construction, Exec: Lou Stuler, Stuler and Coe. Carmichaels was in the regular drive-in list in the 1949-50 edition. By the 1952 edition of the Catalog, its name had changed to the Skyview, still owned by L. Stuler and Duard Coe.
In the newspapers in nearby Unionville, its first mention was in a February 1950 traffic accident report as “the Drive-In theater”. It was advertising in those papers by summer, calling itself the Sky View with a small gap between words. By the 1960s, the ads were running as the Sky-View with a hyphen.
In 1960, the Brownsville Telegraph mentioned that “Lewis Stuler and Durwood Coe” owned the “Skyview”.
The Pittsburgh Press ran an obituary for Louis S. Stuler after he died of a heart attack at the age of 47 on August 10, 1961. “Together with Duard Coe of Waynesburg, Mr. Stuler owned and operated the Sky View and Brownsville Drive-In Theaters”.
The 1952-66 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Skyview Auto (later just the Skyview) as owned by Stuler & Coe. Capacity was originally 225, but doubled to 450 by 1963. When ownership info returned for the 1978-82 editions, capacity was 400 and the owner was Cinemette Corporation of America, based in Pittsburgh. In the 1984-88 editions, the owner changed to G & G Theaters, Inc., which incorporated in 1963 and is now inactive.
There’s another name that’s not mentioned often enough, it appears. The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog showed the Central in Blackwood VA, owners H. Kiser and R. Lodge, capacity 150.
The 1953-66 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Central under Blackwood VA, owner Russell Large, capacity 150. In the 1978-88 editions, after ownership information resumed, the owner was R. Kiser, capacity 100.
Was that co-owner Large or Lodge? Historically the Catalog had fewer errors, so my guess would be Lodge. Update: Except I’m wrong. On Facebook, the reply I received was “the original owners were the Kiser family and the Large family.” It’s the rare case when the MPA was right and the Catalog wasn’t.
The Kingsport Times-News wrote that the Central opened “in 1952 by the Kiser family of Wise County”.
“Buddy and Paula (Herron) bought the Central in 2005 from Jeff Kiser following the death of his mother, Agnes Kiser Lay, the Kiser family’s much loved drive-in darling who operated the Central for many if not most of those years since it opened in 1952.”
Multiple reports say the Central has a very nice arcade. This YouTube video from July 2017 includes a glimpse plus some drone footage with a train passing by across the highway from the screen.
Also, the 25 Drive In Auto Theatre is up to three screens now. A photo copyright 2015 still showed two, and a July 2016 photo showed “Now 3 screens”, so I’d guess it was an early 2016 addition.
On a probably unrelated note, the McCutcheons took a couple of months off at the beginning of this year. They told the Greenwood Index-Journal, “since 2010, we’ve been open 52 weeks out of the year and it’s hard to visit people when you only have two days off.”
In their YouTube video, published in 2014 and shot before digital projection, a banner on the concession building says “Showing movies since 1945”.
The first Theatre Catalog drive-in list in 1948-49 listed just “Drive-In” for Greenwood, owned by A. T. Livingston, capacity 250.
The 1952-56 Theatre Catalogs listed the Monetta as owned by Sam Bogo, capacity 230.
In the 1952-66 Motion Picture Almanacs, the Monetta was owned by Twin City Amusement Co., capacity 200. It was off the list for 1969-76.
In the 1978 edition, the owner was J. Warren, capacity 210, which is how it stayed through the 1988 edition, again showing that the MPA didn’t always notice change.
Richard and Lisa Boaz added a second screen in 2005, and as noted above, a third screen in 2011.
There was a lightning strike June 18, 2017 that knocked out all three screens. They were all up and running by June 22.
In 2014, some locals were trying to find a way to save the mural. The story was in The Post and Courier of Charleston.
Tex Roberts, whose uncle helped create it, was leading the effort, and “the owner, Keith Kinard, also is willing to work to save the screen, even going so far as to subdivide his land.”
Based on what I see in a May 2106 Google Street View and the 2017 aerial view, I’d guess it was torn down. :(
The 1980-82 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Plaza 21 Drive-in in Beaufort, owned by P. Trask, capacity 300. (There’s a Yelp page that still calls it the Plaza 21. And Google Maps calls the highway in front of the drive-in the Trask Parkway. Hmm.) For the 1984-88 editions, it had the Hiway 21, owned by J. Warren.
The Island News wrote that the drive-in closed in 2002. Bonnie and Joe Barth bought the Highway 21 and reopened it in 2003, per The Post and Courier of Charleston.
The 1952-56 Theatre Catalogs had the Family owned by W. P. Riggins, capacity 300.
The 1952-61 editions of the Motion Picture Almanac listed the Family Drive-In in Jessup (sic) with owner W. P. Reggins (sic), capacity 300. It was off the list in the 1963-66 editions.
The Family was back in Jesup in the 1969-76 MPAs with a capacity of 350. When ownership info returned in the 1978 MPA, its name had changed to the Jesup, the owner was Cockfield, and capacity was 250. In 1980-88, the Jesup Twin was owned by Floyd Theatres of Lakeland FL.
The Florida Times-Union wrote in 1999 that “had been closed for 10 years when (Tim) Cockfield bought it in 1970. In 1975, Cockfield ‘twinned it,’ turning the back two rows around and adding two more.” It also said at the time that “Cockfield, 72, works behind the counter before the movie starts” and “Tim Cockfield Jr. … is poised to take over when the time comes.”
In 2012, the Savannah Morning News quoted Ward P. Riggins III, grandson of the original builder, who said “It’s been here since the 1940s.”
“There was only a short time when it wasn’t operational,” Riggins says. “My dad, who is 87, said they built the Jesup Strand Theatre in 1924 in the center of town. In 1948, they built the Jesup Family Drive-in.” … When Riggins’ grandfather got sick, Ward Jr. continued the business.
Although the Stateline’s About Us page says it opened in 1947, it wasn’t listed in the 1949-50 Theatre Catalog. The 1952-56 editions listed owner Earl B. Bolling, capacity 250.
The 1952-66 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the owner as R. D. Dunn, capacity 246. The 1978-84 editions listed R. (Ray) Glover, 200. The 1986-88 editions (finally?) sort of agreed with the old Catalogs, listing the owner as E. Bolling.
In an article about the history of the city’s indoor theater, the Elizabethton Star wrote that in 1962, Earl Bolling was the owner and operator of the Stateline Drive-In.
An archived 2009 Elizabethton Star article (PDF) wrote, “Now owned by Andy Wetsel (sic) Jr., the Stateline Drive-In was built in 1947. Wetsel purchased the theater from the late Earl Bolling, who owned it from 1952 until the 1970s, and again from 1980 to 1995.”
A 2000 article in American Profile talked to then-owner Andy Whetsel (sic). Andrew “Andy” Wetzel (as it’s spelled by every reference except the previous two) is still the owner as of March 2017.
A 2008 Topix discussion thread, which also included plenty of inflammatory talk of which I have no first-hand knowledge, said that Wetzel is married to the daughter of Bolling’s widow, which is how he acquired the Stateline.
In April 2016, the City of Elizabethton was the highest bidder to acquire the Bonnie Kate.
Here’s its history at that point, shamelessly* copied from the Elizabethton Star:
The first owner was Mrs. Ollie Browning of Bluefield WV in 1926. She lived upstairs above the theater. …
The theater formally opened to a full house on July 4, with a christening by former Governor Alfred Taylor. …
In 1950, Bob Neal, who owned the Ritz Theater downtown, purchased the theater from the Browning family.
In 1962, Earl Bolling, owner and operator of the Stateline Drive-In bought it from Bob Neal. …
In 1973, Ray Glover began managing the theater with his wife, Jeanette, until 1989. Then, they sold it to Leroy and Agnes Policky, who operated it for 15 years.
During the 1970s, a massive sheetrock wall was built to twin the theater, allowing two movies to be shown simultaneously.
In 2004, Leroy Policky sold the theater to Brian and Cindy Higgs, who operated it till 2012.
Since then, it has been without an owner. (Huh? If it was abandoned, then why were folks bidding on it?)
The 1952 Theatre Catalog lists the Sunset owned by Colonial Ths., capacity 300. The 1955-56 edition raised that to 342.
The 1952-63 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Sunset in Swainsville and owned by Colonial Theatres Inc., capacity 300. The MPA said that in 1953 it was the first drive-in for the small chain, based in Valdese NC, then run by general manager G. D. Carpenter. It wasn’t listed in the 1966-69 editions, but returned in Shelby for the 1972-76 editions.
When owner info returned in the 1978-82 editions, the Sunset was still owned by Colonial. For 1984-88, it was owned by Benfield Th.
Modern accounts say that Rick Stinnett, whose family built and ran the Bessemer City Kings Mountain Drive-In until it closed after the 2014 season, bought the Sunset in 1985. He spent $100,000 to remodel and convert the projection room in early 2014.
According to The Fayetteville Observer, the Keysville was reopened (in 2009 I guess) by Mark and Jennifer Frank, but they sold it to focus on a more recent purchase, the Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre in Henderson NC.
A lot of news outlets got confused about the Family’s ownership structure. I guess the Wikipedia entry wasn’t around yet.
From The Washington Post, July 26, 2013: “William Dalke Jr. built the Family Drive-in Theatre outside Winchester in 1956 in the midst of an American drive-in building boom. … in time (son Tim) Dalke took over the Family Drive-In. ‘I twinned the screen in 1989 because we could double the product we were offering the public,’ he says. … (Dalke) says that Jim Kopp will be his first option if he ever wants to sell the park”.
From WTOP, August 2012: “owner Jim Kopp … took over the theater three years ago.”
From the Drive-In Theater Adventures blog, August 2013: “In March 2009, Tim Dalke leased the theatre to Jim Kopp (the lease runs for another 7 years).”
The Pittsburgh Press wrote on July 6, 1950 that “The New Dependable Drive-In Theater … opened just a week ago … was heavily damaged” in a flood that caused widespread damage in Moon Township.
The Pittsburgh Press wrote in December 1950 that the Dependable’s “owner”, “president Joseph Marcus, of the Dependable Drive-In, Inc.,” sued DeVry Corp., makers of the film projector, and sales agent D. E. Lovett for selling a bad unit and failing to repair it.
The Daily Courier of Connellsville PA wrote in September 1951 that the Dependable’s owner was Howard C. Benson when it was the victim of a holdup. The armed robber was caught, convicted and sentenced in just three months. Those were the days!
In April 1952, The Pittsburgh Press wrote that the Dependable Corp. had been chartered in 1950 with stock held by three couples – H.C.A. Hofacker and wife Florence, Joseph Marcus and wife Dora, and Robert J. Springer and wife Helen May. The Springers sued the other two couples for leasing the drive-in to Ernest Stern in June 1951. The Moon Drive-In Theater, Inc. “gained control from Mr. Stern” in September 1951.
Robert J. Springer offered a reward in 1955 for whoever shot the tame mallards at the adjoining lake.
In March 1974, neighbors signed petitions against the X-rated movies showing at the Dependable. “Let’s face it – X-rated films are the only thing that saves us,” Rick Glaus, Dependable manager, told The Pittsburgh Press.
In February 1977, Dependable Drive-In Inc. sold 26.4 acres to Regal Development Corp. for $500,000.
The 1952-56 Theatre Catalogs listed the Dependable with owners Norbert and Ernest Stern, Assoc. Drive-In Ths., capacity 400. Or maybe they were just the bookers.
The 1952-59 Motion Picture Almanacs had the “Owner or Booker” as Hanna Theatre Service, capacity 400. In the 1961-66 editions, it was Associated Theas.
When ownership info returned in the 1978 edition, the capacity was up to 500 and the owner was R. Glaus. It stayed that way through 1982, then the Dependable was off the MPA list by 1984.
The Tribune-Review said Glaus was 56 in July 2010, which would have made him about 24 in 1978. Maybe that City Paper story meant 1978 instead of 1968.
In 2006, the Pittsburgh City Paper wrote that Rick Glaus was the drive-in’s “operator … who has run the Dependable since 1968”. Starting that fall, he planned to keep the drive-in open all year.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review wrote in 2010 that Rick Glaus “operates the drive-in with his son, Jonathan. The Glaus family bought the Dependable in the late 1960s from original owner Pat Springer.” Some other sources call Rick the son of the original owner.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote in 2011 that Rick owned the Dependable, and that he was “a son of the late John Glaus, who managed and owned indoor and outdoor theaters.”
I’m guessing that Jonathan soon became known as Jay, because The Pitt News wrote in 2012 about “Jay Glaus, the 19-year-old manager”.
The Beaver County Times wrote in February 2016 that Jay Glaus was the “general manager”, and the Dependable had just added a 9-hole mini-golf course. A month later, WTAE wrote that Rick was (still) the owner.
It was still open in 2012 as owner Jim Henderson worried about converting to digital, per The Exponent Telegram. I can guess what happened soon after.
Thanks for the first-hand report and photos.
In 2012, The Exponent Telegram wrote, “During the past 65 years, (then-manager John) Ellis only knows of one season the Sunset Drive-In wasn’t open.
“Ellis and his wife Norma have been running the Sunset for the past 12 years, helping his older brother Anthony Ellis, who owns both the drive-in and the neighboring Sunset Ellis Restaurant.
“For the 25 years prior to that, Ellis’ brother leased the Sunset Drive-In to Jim Henderson, owner of the Grafton Drive-In, before Ellis and his wife took over.”
That explains the Henderson listing, but now I’m stuck wondering what year the Sunset was closed.
The West Virginia Historic Theatre Trail wrote, “The Sunset Drive-in Theater opened in 1947 … making it the oldest operational drive-in theater in West Virginia. It has been owned by the Ellis family since 1955, along with the adjacent Sunset Ellis Restaurant, which shares its roadside marquee. (Prior to that time, the Ellises had owned another combination drive-in theater and restaurant operation, the Ellis Drive-in, in nearby Bridgeport; it no longer exists.)
When I clicked on Kenmore’s map link today, Google said the address is 2643 Horners Run Rd, Shinnston, WV 26431. Wikipedia says that Meadowbrook is an unincorporated area, yet that’s where my reference books site it 70 years ago. Confusing!
The Sunset was one of just 748 drive-ins in the first Theatre Catalog list in the 1948-49 edition, owned by Alex Silay and Steve Medve, Jr., capacity 400. In 1952, it was Alex Silay and Gray Barker. The 1955-56 edition lists it owned by Ellis Bros. and Joe Feeney.
The 1952-54 editions of the Motion Picture Almanac had the Sunset owned by A. Silay, capacity 400. The 1955-59 editions listed the owners as Silay & Medve. In 1961-66, it was Ellis Bros.
The 1978 MPA bumped the capacity to 500 and changed the owner to A.J. Ellis. Other owner listings: 1980-82: M. Deangelis. 1984: De Angelis. 1986-88: J. Henderson.
There’s a very nice 70th Anniversary video on YouTube.
There’s a very nice story about Warner’s at the West Virginia Historic Theatre Trail web site. Charlie Warner and his son Harold opened the Warner’s Drive-In in April of 1952. More than 50 years later, it was somehow the property of the Franklin Oil Company, which didn’t want to spend the cash to convert it to digital projection, and it closed in 2014.
A group of locals formed a non-profit to refurbish the concession stand, buy a new projector, and reopen Warner’s. It finished its first full season on the new equipment in 2017.
The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog listed the Warner DI owned by Harold Warner, capacity 150.
The first appearance of the Warner in the Motion Picture Almanac was the 1953-54 edition. It eventually listed the owner as Harold Warner, capacity 200. By the 1966 edition, it was the Warner Circ.
In the 1978-84 editions, the Warner (still no apostrophe) was owned by M. Warner. It was gone by the 1986 edition.
Collegiate Times wrote in 2012 that the “Starlite was opened in 1953 by Richard and Dorothy Beasley. The two ‘built, owned, and operated the Starlite Theater together for all those years’ before Richard passed away in July of 2009.”
Peggy Beasley was the current owner in that 2012 article, and she’s still the owner in 2017.
The Starlite has radio sound, but they run “a six-speaker sound system sitting atop” the concession / projection building because some folks are afraid of running down their car batteries. Gee whiz, why not spend a little cash on rentable portable radios instead of your lawyer?
The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog listed the Starlite as owned by R. W. Beasley, capacity 162.
The Starlite’s first appearance in the Motion Picture Almanac was the 1955 edition. Again, owned by R. W. Beasley but no capacity figure. It stayed that way through 1966, with an eventual capacity of 150.
When ownership info returned for the 1978-84 editions, the “Starlight” was owned by H.W. Beasley, capacity 300. The drive-in was off the MPA lists by 1986.