The Herald-Palladium (St. Joseph MI), Sept. 22, 2014: “The Evergreen’s grand opening was June 29, 1950, with a showing of “Johnny Holiday” … An advertisement touted the theater’s capacity of over 300 cars, a giant screen 50 feet tall and 45 feet wide … By 1971, the Evergreen - like other drive-ins in some rural areas nationwide - had begun showing a mixture of mainstream and increasingly more X-rated movies … The last movies shown at the Evergreen were on Aug. 31, 1986, and were “Sex Play” and “Punk Rock,” both rated XXX."
The Herald-Palladium (St. Joseph MI), Sept. 22, 2014: “In 1987, the once-mighty Airport Drive-In Theatre also closed after final showings of “Roxanne” and “The Untouchables” on Sept. 6(, 1987). One month later, (its owner, the Drive-In Theatre Corp.) sold the projection building, screen and entrance booth appraised at $40,000 for $20,000 to Marquette County. The county had leased 28 acres to the theater company since 1954 and it razed the drive-in for expanded development of an industrial park at the old airport … Today the Airport and Evergreen drive-in properties remain undeveloped, with … the concession building still standing at the Airport."
The Herald-Palladium (St. Joseph MI), Sept. 22, 2014: “Evergreen Theatres Inc. - the same company operating the Evergreen Theatre west of Ishpeming - opened the Marquette Outdoor Theatre on Aug. 20, 1954. The movie playing that night was the 1953 western thriller "Arrowhead” starring Charlton Heston and Jack Palance … The Marquette Outdoor Theatre was built on 10 acres with room for 500 cars, a capacity that would rival Escanaba’s Hilltop Drive-In for tops in the U.P. … the Marquette Outdoor Theatre … quietly closed … on Sept. 23, 1956, just over two years since it opened … Today, the place where the theater stood is in the area of businesses along U.S. 41 that includes Tractor Supply Co. and Charter Communications."
1979 photo by John Margolies, part of the Library of Congress’s John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive, and is effectively in the public domain.
Boxoffice, Dec. 16, 1950: “Storm clouds have apparently gathered for some of the newer drive-in theatres in Ontario. The Ontario Gazette, official publication of the provincial government, contains notice of application for the winding up of four automobile theatres, with a liquidator to be appointed in each case. The four are located at St. Thomas, Sudbury, Cornwall and Pembroke. The erection of further drive-ins in Canada has been halted by the federal emergency order, effective January 1, which prohibits the use of steel in structures for amusement purposes.”
Ronald Dalziel, who had purchased the St. Thomas Drive-In the year before, leased the Capitol from Famous Players in January 1977, according to an article in the March 28, 1977 issue of Boxoffice.
Oshawa native Ronald Dalziel, then age 26, was the guy who bought the St. Thomas in 1976 and converted it into a dual theatre, according to an article in the March 28, 1977 issue of Boxoffice.
The Saint Thomas Drive-In’s first appearance in the Motion Picture Almanac series was in the 1950-51 edition, with a capacity of 400 cars, and the owner listed as B. Herman. The capacity stayed the same for the rest of its run in the MPA drive-in list. Ownership changes:
1980 photo by John Margolies, part of the Library of Congress’s John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive and effectively in the public domain.
1980 photo by John Margolies, part of the Library of Congress’s John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive and effectively in the public domain.
1980 photo by John Margolies, part of the Library of Congress’s John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive and effectively in the public domain.
1977 photo by John Margolies, part of the Library of Congress’s John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive and effectively in the public domain.
1977 photo by John Margolies, part of the Library of Congress’s John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive and effectively in the public domain.
I enjoy being proven wrong, but I don’t believe this one. I’ve done a lot of research in Holbrook, and I’ve had some help from the Navajo County Historial Society. Despite hard digging into back issues of the Holbrook Tribune News, we have found zero evidence of any drive-ins other than the two that briefly battled it out in 1955 - the 66 and the Western Star.
It’s difficult to prove a negative, but I would point you to Holbrook’s 1957 topo map, viewable at HistoricAerials.com. That map shows outlines for the then-operating 66 and the closed Western Star, but no drive-ins on Iowa Street.
As the guy who wrote the book, twice, of the history of every drive-in that ever existed on Route 66, I’ve seen plenty of erratic, random mentions of drive-ins that were really just ideas, or that were built somewhere else. I would appreciate learning the sources for the belief that Holbrook had a third drive-in.
422nd Place is/was the road from Highway 210 to the cemeteries, so it’s possible that it was referred to as the cemetery road, just as the highway to a neighboring town was often called the “That-Town Highway”.
Another data point that the Lantern probably opened in September 1953. Independent Film Journal, Oct. 16, 1954: “The Lantern Drive-In at Denton, N.C. celebrated its first anniversary with a week of special events.”
And supporting the Theatre Catalog’s spelling over the MPA’s, the Raleigh News and Observer mentioned on Aug. 13, 1953 that “Jack H. Foust of Lexington” had been appointed a notary public.
I uploaded a 1953 High Point Enterprise ad that mentioned the intersection of “new 64” and 109 south of Thomasville. For a little while, the Lantern ads didn’t mention those highways, instead specifying Route 2 in Thomasville.
By July 1960, the Lantern ad return to calling its location as “109 on New 64”. (BTW, I just saw a Google Map that continues to call the old 64, well, Old 64.)
That “new” US 64 had a diamond interchange with 109, visible on a 1955 aerial photo but not the contemporary topo map. The Lantern was immediately west of that diamond, which is still there today. A wooded field now occupies the old Lantern site, fronted by a car repair shop at 8614 E US Hwy 64, Thomasville, NC 27360. Note that the repair shop is not within the Thomasville city limits; that’s just the post office that delivers its mail.
The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog included the Lantern under Silver Valley NC, Hwys. 64 and 109, capacity 200, owner Jack H. Foust.
The Lantern made its first appearance in the Motion Picture Almanac in the 1957 edition. It was listed under “Silver City,” which is likely to have been a typo since that was also the misspelled home of the Siler City Drive-In. (Which was itself misspelled with an extra V.)
The MPA listed the owner as Jack Faust and the capacity at 218 cars. That remained the same through 1961, the Lantern’s final MPA appearance. It fell off the drive-in list for 1962, which typically suggests that it closed in 1961.
Boxoffice, June 15, 1970: “Tri-State Theatre Services is booking and buying for the Buccaneer Drive-In, Richmond, Ky., for owners Harold Bryant and Harry Roadin.”
This may be relevant. The Oct. 23, 1961 issue of Boxoffice included an ad from an auction company for a 350-car drive-in “located 3 miles N. of Richmond, Ky. on U. S. 25 in Madison County / Due to the death of a member of the corporation, this Drive-In Theatre will be sold at absolute auction. It is improved with a Steel CinemaScope Screen Tower, modern and efficiently equipped concession building, RCA equipment, and is situation on 16 acres of land.”
Since I’m always looking for (or inventing) connections, maybe one of the Redas passed away, then the future Eastern owner bought the place. The dates and location match.
Then again, here’s the caption to a small photo of a crumpled screen that appeared in the Aug. 15, 1966 issue of Boxoffice: “The screen tower at the Eastern Drive-In, Richmond, Ky., was blown down and damaged July 14 in gale-like winds. The drive-in is managed by Mose Reda, a 40-year veteran of the theatre business. His son Tony is manager of the Michigan Drive-In at Detroit and a brother Don is manager of the Jolly Roger outdoor theatre, also in Detroit.”
The Herald-Palladium (St. Joseph MI), Sept. 22, 2014: “The Evergreen’s grand opening was June 29, 1950, with a showing of “Johnny Holiday” … An advertisement touted the theater’s capacity of over 300 cars, a giant screen 50 feet tall and 45 feet wide … By 1971, the Evergreen - like other drive-ins in some rural areas nationwide - had begun showing a mixture of mainstream and increasingly more X-rated movies … The last movies shown at the Evergreen were on Aug. 31, 1986, and were “Sex Play” and “Punk Rock,” both rated XXX."
The Herald-Palladium (St. Joseph MI), Sept. 22, 2014: “In 1987, the once-mighty Airport Drive-In Theatre also closed after final showings of “Roxanne” and “The Untouchables” on Sept. 6(, 1987). One month later, (its owner, the Drive-In Theatre Corp.) sold the projection building, screen and entrance booth appraised at $40,000 for $20,000 to Marquette County. The county had leased 28 acres to the theater company since 1954 and it razed the drive-in for expanded development of an industrial park at the old airport … Today the Airport and Evergreen drive-in properties remain undeveloped, with … the concession building still standing at the Airport."
The Herald-Palladium (St. Joseph MI), Sept. 22, 2014: “Evergreen Theatres Inc. - the same company operating the Evergreen Theatre west of Ishpeming - opened the Marquette Outdoor Theatre on Aug. 20, 1954. The movie playing that night was the 1953 western thriller "Arrowhead” starring Charlton Heston and Jack Palance … The Marquette Outdoor Theatre was built on 10 acres with room for 500 cars, a capacity that would rival Escanaba’s Hilltop Drive-In for tops in the U.P. … the Marquette Outdoor Theatre … quietly closed … on Sept. 23, 1956, just over two years since it opened … Today, the place where the theater stood is in the area of businesses along U.S. 41 that includes Tractor Supply Co. and Charter Communications."
1973 photo by Steve Fitch, for sale here
I found this one in the collections of The Henry Ford in Michigan, of all places. It said the photo was taken in 1951.
1979 photo by John Margolies, part of the Library of Congress’s John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive, and is effectively in the public domain.
It’s part of the Library of Congress’s John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive, and is effectively in the public domain.
Boxoffice, Dec. 16, 1950: “Storm clouds have apparently gathered for some of the newer drive-in theatres in Ontario. The Ontario Gazette, official publication of the provincial government, contains notice of application for the winding up of four automobile theatres, with a liquidator to be appointed in each case. The four are located at St. Thomas, Sudbury, Cornwall and Pembroke. The erection of further drive-ins in Canada has been halted by the federal emergency order, effective January 1, which prohibits the use of steel in structures for amusement purposes.”
This drive-in must have opened by 1950.
Boxoffice, Dec. 16, 1950: “Jack Marion, in charge of the Oshawa Drive-In last season, has been installed as manager of the Columbia at St. Thomas”
Ronald Dalziel, who had purchased the St. Thomas Drive-In the year before, leased the Capitol from Famous Players in January 1977, according to an article in the March 28, 1977 issue of Boxoffice.
Oshawa native Ronald Dalziel, then age 26, was the guy who bought the St. Thomas in 1976 and converted it into a dual theatre, according to an article in the March 28, 1977 issue of Boxoffice.
The Saint Thomas Drive-In’s first appearance in the Motion Picture Almanac series was in the 1950-51 edition, with a capacity of 400 cars, and the owner listed as B. Herman. The capacity stayed the same for the rest of its run in the MPA drive-in list. Ownership changes:
1952-53 edition: Twinex 1960 edition: Moonlight Drive-In 1964 edition: Twinex (again)
1980 photo by John Margolies, part of the Library of Congress’s John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive and effectively in the public domain.
1980 photo by John Margolies, part of the Library of Congress’s John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive and effectively in the public domain.
1980 photo by John Margolies, part of the Library of Congress’s John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive and effectively in the public domain.
1977 photo by John Margolies, part of the Library of Congress’s John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive and effectively in the public domain.
1977 photo by John Margolies, part of the Library of Congress’s John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive and effectively in the public domain.
I enjoy being proven wrong, but I don’t believe this one. I’ve done a lot of research in Holbrook, and I’ve had some help from the Navajo County Historial Society. Despite hard digging into back issues of the Holbrook Tribune News, we have found zero evidence of any drive-ins other than the two that briefly battled it out in 1955 - the 66 and the Western Star.
It’s difficult to prove a negative, but I would point you to Holbrook’s 1957 topo map, viewable at HistoricAerials.com. That map shows outlines for the then-operating 66 and the closed Western Star, but no drive-ins on Iowa Street.
As the guy who wrote the book, twice, of the history of every drive-in that ever existed on Route 66, I’ve seen plenty of erratic, random mentions of drive-ins that were really just ideas, or that were built somewhere else. I would appreciate learning the sources for the belief that Holbrook had a third drive-in.
422nd Place is/was the road from Highway 210 to the cemeteries, so it’s possible that it was referred to as the cemetery road, just as the highway to a neighboring town was often called the “That-Town Highway”.
Another data point that the Lantern probably opened in September 1953. Independent Film Journal, Oct. 16, 1954: “The Lantern Drive-In at Denton, N.C. celebrated its first anniversary with a week of special events.”
And supporting the Theatre Catalog’s spelling over the MPA’s, the Raleigh News and Observer mentioned on Aug. 13, 1953 that “Jack H. Foust of Lexington” had been appointed a notary public.
I uploaded a 1953 High Point Enterprise ad that mentioned the intersection of “new 64” and 109 south of Thomasville. For a little while, the Lantern ads didn’t mention those highways, instead specifying Route 2 in Thomasville.
By July 1960, the Lantern ad return to calling its location as “109 on New 64”. (BTW, I just saw a Google Map that continues to call the old 64, well, Old 64.)
That “new” US 64 had a diamond interchange with 109, visible on a 1955 aerial photo but not the contemporary topo map. The Lantern was immediately west of that diamond, which is still there today. A wooded field now occupies the old Lantern site, fronted by a car repair shop at 8614 E US Hwy 64, Thomasville, NC 27360. Note that the repair shop is not within the Thomasville city limits; that’s just the post office that delivers its mail.
The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog included the Lantern under Silver Valley NC, Hwys. 64 and 109, capacity 200, owner Jack H. Foust.
The Lantern made its first appearance in the Motion Picture Almanac in the 1957 edition. It was listed under “Silver City,” which is likely to have been a typo since that was also the misspelled home of the Siler City Drive-In. (Which was itself misspelled with an extra V.)
The MPA listed the owner as Jack Faust and the capacity at 218 cars. That remained the same through 1961, the Lantern’s final MPA appearance. It fell off the drive-in list for 1962, which typically suggests that it closed in 1961.
Boxoffice, June 15, 1970: “Tri-State Theatre Services is booking and buying for the Buccaneer Drive-In, Richmond, Ky., for owners Harold Bryant and Harry Roadin.”
This may be relevant. The Oct. 23, 1961 issue of Boxoffice included an ad from an auction company for a 350-car drive-in “located 3 miles N. of Richmond, Ky. on U. S. 25 in Madison County / Due to the death of a member of the corporation, this Drive-In Theatre will be sold at absolute auction. It is improved with a Steel CinemaScope Screen Tower, modern and efficiently equipped concession building, RCA equipment, and is situation on 16 acres of land.”
Since I’m always looking for (or inventing) connections, maybe one of the Redas passed away, then the future Eastern owner bought the place. The dates and location match.
Then again, here’s the caption to a small photo of a crumpled screen that appeared in the Aug. 15, 1966 issue of Boxoffice: “The screen tower at the Eastern Drive-In, Richmond, Ky., was blown down and damaged July 14 in gale-like winds. The drive-in is managed by Mose Reda, a 40-year veteran of the theatre business. His son Tony is manager of the Michigan Drive-In at Detroit and a brother Don is manager of the Jolly Roger outdoor theatre, also in Detroit.”