Boxoffice, Aug. 11, 1958: “Bob Trautman, whose Hill-Top Drive-In near Butler was closed about two seasons because of highway projects, reopened this spring.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 11, 1958: “Jim (Geibel)’s original outdoor theatre, the Geibel Drive-In near Butler, has been closed for three years because of a state road building project. Jim wants some action on damages from the highway department, but nothing has happened to date.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 14, 1958: “The Knickerbocker News illustrated a story on the acquisition of the Super 50 Drive-In, Ballston, by Tri-City Drive-In Theatres of Albany, with a picture of Alan V. Iselin and Claude Swanson, new manager of the 1,000-carer, shaking hands”
Boxoffice, June 19, 1967: “Hillcrest Drive-In, Heber Springs, Ark., operated by J. O. Smith, opened for full-time operation Friday (16).”
An article about Cinema Radio sound conversions in the March 17, 1975 issue of Boxoffice said that Altec Service Corp. had upgraded “the 400-car Hillcrest Drive-In, Heber Springs, Ark., (Victor Weber)”.
The 1972 Motion Picture Almanac listed the Hillcrest with a capacity of 270 cars. After the MPA rebooted its drive-in list in 1977, it no longer included the Hillcrest; without other evidence, I would guess that the drive-in closed after the 1975 or 1976 season.
Thanks, Kenmore. I knew that if anyone could find it, you could.
I’ve uploaded a postcard of the Stevesville motel that mentions the drive-in. Another postcard I noticed on eBay of the same motel noted on the back that its proprietor was Steve P. Neofotis, matching the Theatre Catalog listing.
To underline an earlier point, I put the ever-fallible Motion Picture Almanac’s erroneous spelling of the drive-in in quotes to show that I did not endorse it. Although there is a city in Virginia with the N, it’s 150 miles away. The Stevesville (no-N) cabins were one mile north of Lexington, and that was the name of the adjacent drive-in.
One more note. Joseph George Daher coached the Virginia Military Institute men’s basketball team for three years, 1943-45. VMI is also in Lexington, so it’s probably the same guy. He and the wife also had a couple of apparently unrelated real estate transactions in Lexington in the late 1950s.
Just sayin', the Motion Picture Almanac never updated its listing for the “Stevensville.” It continued through 1976 with no capacity. When the MPA rebooted its drive-in list, briefly getting serious about it after years of relative neglect, the Stevesville/Stevensville was gone.
I have no idea how long this drive-in stayed open. The idea that it was leased to another operator in late 1958 suggests that it might not have lasted long after that, and I have no evidence that it operated in 1959 or later.
Boxoffice, Sept. 1, 1958: “John Popescu of the Blue Sky (sic?) Drive-In near Ellwood City, celebrated his fifth anniversary there very profitably. For two evenings the patrons were admitted for five cents, and approximately 2,000 were counted. Each year at anniversary time Popescu exploits the event with fireworks, giveaways, etc.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 1, 1958: “A Clark Transfer driver discovered a fire in the concession stand of Charlie Rowlett’s Blue Star Drive-In, Petersburg, Va. Working around the clock, Charlie was back in business come showtime.”
The Modern Theatre section of the Sept. 8, 1958 issue of Boxoffice had a two-page feature on the Carlin Drive-In. Its top feature was its paved viewing area, for which the “cost for this excellent surface was approximately $1 per square yard.”
My favorite sentence: “The theatre is surrounded by a seven-foot redwood picket fence topped with three strands of barbed wire.”
The article never used the apostrophe-s with the name. At a minimum, “Carlin Drive-In” should be an alternate name for this record.
Boxoffice, Sept. 8, 1958: “The Triangle Theatre in East Liberty, which was a well-patronized theatre for most of its two score years, has closed. Located on teeming Frankstown avenue, it had been a Negro patronage house for many years. A few years ago Abe Joseph turned over the operation to the Mervis brothers. They tried a foreign film policy but it didn’t click; then they returned to a last-run east-end policy, then had to go to weekends only. Being dismantled this week, the old Triangle reportedly will be remodeled into a bingo parlor and amusement center.”
The Merryland first appeared in the Motion Picture Almanac in the 1967 edition (capacity 500) as one of two Marietta drive-ins, along with the Starlite. That persisted through the 1976 edition. In 1977, the MPA rebooted its drive-in list, and the Starlite was the only Marietta drive-in.
A reasonably thorough search of the 1967 MPA circuit list failed to turn up the Merryland. JUR Theatre Circuit owned the Starlite and the Riverside, which was listed under Constitution OH. Shea Enterprises owned two local indoor houses, the Colony and the Putnam. As always, I would love to know the source of the assertion that the Merryland was open from at least 1968-70.
Temporary? The Exhibitor, Nov. 14, 1951: “The Seligman, Seligman, Ariz., closed its doors. The house was managed by Mrs. J. B. Knadler, and was operated by Harry L. Nace.”
I found a name. Boxoffice, Nov. 2, 1940: (Dallas Filmrow visitors) “Wick Johnson, Comfort, conferring with equipment and film firms for his new drive-in at Alamo”
It must have died in the mid-1940s. The Film Daily Year Book’s drive-in list included the Rio Grande Valley through the 1948 edition, then dropped it in 1949. The more reliable Theatre Catalog, which started its drive-in list later, never included the Rio Grande Valley. Looking at 1955 aerial photos, I can’t find any trace of a drive-in between Alamo and San Juan.
2003 photo by John Margolies. Part of the John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive (1972-2008), Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
Boxoffice, Sept. 15, 1958: “Closed several years, the State Theatre at Meyersdale is being modernized by owner Phil Reich. Daily operation, except Sunday, is planned, starting September 29.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 15, 1958: “William and Chester DeMarsh, who recently opened their new Pioneer Drive-In on Route 8 about five miles north of Butler, are moving their Grove City Firestone store the the concrete screen tower building at their Larkfield Drive-In near Grove City. The father-and-son team has operated a recapping plant near the Larkfield for some time. The DeMarshes said that they will have their Firestone business in three floors of the Larkfield screen building before Christmas.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 15, 1958: “William and Chester Demarsh, who recently opened their new Pioneer Drive-In on Route 8 about five miles north of Butler, are moving their Grove City Firestone store the the concrete screen tower building at their Larkfield Drive-In near Grove City. The father-and-son team has operated a recapping plant near the Larkfield for some time … Their Pioneer screen building near Butler may be offered for rent”
Adding to Joe Vogel’s note, the April 23, 1934 Film Daily wrote that the Grand had been transferred to E. T. Schnur by Jim Rocco and W. V. Woodford.
Film Daily, July 27, 1938: “The Belington Theater, Belington, W. Va., operated by O. O. Peling, is closing indefinitely.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 1, 1938: “John Panopoulos, former New Cumberland, W. Va., exhibitor, was a (Pittsburgh) Filmrow booker the other day, reporting that he has opened at his new stand, the old Grand, at Belington, W. Va., which he has named the Belington”
The Dec. 10, 1938 Motion Picture Herald, in a roundup of equipment purchases, noted that “John Panopulous” bought new sound tech for the Grand.
Boxoffice, April 27, 1940: “John Panopoulos, Belington, W. Va., theatre owner, is remodeling his apartment on the second floor of the Seneca”
Boxoffice, Sept. 22, 1958: “Reopening of the Seneca Theatre, Belington, W. Va., was short lived. After one night, the house went dark again”
Boxoffice, Oct. 13, 1958: “Sam Yakish, Titusville outdoor exhibitor, who visited (Pittsburgh) Filmrow, said he and Mrs. Yakish will be returning soon to their Bethel Park home for the winter. During the outdoor season they reside in their apartment in the screen tower of their Auto Drive-In.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 13, 1958: “Workmen have started to raze the Park Theatre in Medina, a landmark there. The theatre was built in 1915 by the Seylee Cook estate to provide a place for high school recreation programs. When the high school was built in 1922, Ernest Reynolds took it over and converted it into a theatre. It was closed around 1935 and remained vacant until three years ago when it was used as a church for a while. Because of taxes and the cost of putting it into shape, Dipson Theatres of Batavia decided to raze the building for a parking area.”
Boxoffice, Nov. 3, 1958: “Meadowbrook, W. Va. - After a series of explorations, water has been found on the Sunset Drive-In property, according to owner John Ellis. Former owners Alex Silay and Steve Medve jr. gave up in their search for water at the ozoner and sold out several years ago.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 11, 1958: “Bob Trautman, whose Hill-Top Drive-In near Butler was closed about two seasons because of highway projects, reopened this spring.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 11, 1958: “Jim (Geibel)’s original outdoor theatre, the Geibel Drive-In near Butler, has been closed for three years because of a state road building project. Jim wants some action on damages from the highway department, but nothing has happened to date.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 14, 1958: “The Knickerbocker News illustrated a story on the acquisition of the Super 50 Drive-In, Ballston, by Tri-City Drive-In Theatres of Albany, with a picture of Alan V. Iselin and Claude Swanson, new manager of the 1,000-carer, shaking hands”
Boxoffice, June 19, 1967: “Hillcrest Drive-In, Heber Springs, Ark., operated by J. O. Smith, opened for full-time operation Friday (16).”
An article about Cinema Radio sound conversions in the March 17, 1975 issue of Boxoffice said that Altec Service Corp. had upgraded “the 400-car Hillcrest Drive-In, Heber Springs, Ark., (Victor Weber)”.
The 1972 Motion Picture Almanac listed the Hillcrest with a capacity of 270 cars. After the MPA rebooted its drive-in list in 1977, it no longer included the Hillcrest; without other evidence, I would guess that the drive-in closed after the 1975 or 1976 season.
Thanks, Kenmore. I knew that if anyone could find it, you could.
I’ve uploaded a postcard of the Stevesville motel that mentions the drive-in. Another postcard I noticed on eBay of the same motel noted on the back that its proprietor was Steve P. Neofotis, matching the Theatre Catalog listing.
To underline an earlier point, I put the ever-fallible Motion Picture Almanac’s erroneous spelling of the drive-in in quotes to show that I did not endorse it. Although there is a city in Virginia with the N, it’s 150 miles away. The Stevesville (no-N) cabins were one mile north of Lexington, and that was the name of the adjacent drive-in.
One more note. Joseph George Daher coached the Virginia Military Institute men’s basketball team for three years, 1943-45. VMI is also in Lexington, so it’s probably the same guy. He and the wife also had a couple of apparently unrelated real estate transactions in Lexington in the late 1950s.
Just sayin', the Motion Picture Almanac never updated its listing for the “Stevensville.” It continued through 1976 with no capacity. When the MPA rebooted its drive-in list, briefly getting serious about it after years of relative neglect, the Stevesville/Stevensville was gone.
I have no idea how long this drive-in stayed open. The idea that it was leased to another operator in late 1958 suggests that it might not have lasted long after that, and I have no evidence that it operated in 1959 or later.
Boxoffice, Sept. 1, 1958: “John Popescu of the Blue Sky (sic?) Drive-In near Ellwood City, celebrated his fifth anniversary there very profitably. For two evenings the patrons were admitted for five cents, and approximately 2,000 were counted. Each year at anniversary time Popescu exploits the event with fireworks, giveaways, etc.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 1, 1958: “The Princess at Donora, closed for a number of years, has been dismantled and remodeled into a bus station”
Boxoffice, Sept. 1, 1958: “A Clark Transfer driver discovered a fire in the concession stand of Charlie Rowlett’s Blue Star Drive-In, Petersburg, Va. Working around the clock, Charlie was back in business come showtime.”
The Modern Theatre section of the Sept. 8, 1958 issue of Boxoffice had a two-page feature on the Carlin Drive-In. Its top feature was its paved viewing area, for which the “cost for this excellent surface was approximately $1 per square yard.”
My favorite sentence: “The theatre is surrounded by a seven-foot redwood picket fence topped with three strands of barbed wire.”
The article never used the apostrophe-s with the name. At a minimum, “Carlin Drive-In” should be an alternate name for this record.
Boxoffice, Sept. 8, 1958: “The Triangle Theatre in East Liberty, which was a well-patronized theatre for most of its two score years, has closed. Located on teeming Frankstown avenue, it had been a Negro patronage house for many years. A few years ago Abe Joseph turned over the operation to the Mervis brothers. They tried a foreign film policy but it didn’t click; then they returned to a last-run east-end policy, then had to go to weekends only. Being dismantled this week, the old Triangle reportedly will be remodeled into a bingo parlor and amusement center.”
The Merryland first appeared in the Motion Picture Almanac in the 1967 edition (capacity 500) as one of two Marietta drive-ins, along with the Starlite. That persisted through the 1976 edition. In 1977, the MPA rebooted its drive-in list, and the Starlite was the only Marietta drive-in.
A reasonably thorough search of the 1967 MPA circuit list failed to turn up the Merryland. JUR Theatre Circuit owned the Starlite and the Riverside, which was listed under Constitution OH. Shea Enterprises owned two local indoor houses, the Colony and the Putnam. As always, I would love to know the source of the assertion that the Merryland was open from at least 1968-70.
Temporary? The Exhibitor, Nov. 14, 1951: “The Seligman, Seligman, Ariz., closed its doors. The house was managed by Mrs. J. B. Knadler, and was operated by Harry L. Nace.”
I found a name. Boxoffice, Nov. 2, 1940: (Dallas Filmrow visitors) “Wick Johnson, Comfort, conferring with equipment and film firms for his new drive-in at Alamo”
It must have died in the mid-1940s. The Film Daily Year Book’s drive-in list included the Rio Grande Valley through the 1948 edition, then dropped it in 1949. The more reliable Theatre Catalog, which started its drive-in list later, never included the Rio Grande Valley. Looking at 1955 aerial photos, I can’t find any trace of a drive-in between Alamo and San Juan.
2003 photo by John Margolies. Part of the John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive (1972-2008), Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
Boxoffice, Sept. 15, 1958: “Closed several years, the State Theatre at Meyersdale is being modernized by owner Phil Reich. Daily operation, except Sunday, is planned, starting September 29.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 15, 1958: “William and Chester DeMarsh, who recently opened their new Pioneer Drive-In on Route 8 about five miles north of Butler, are moving their Grove City Firestone store the the concrete screen tower building at their Larkfield Drive-In near Grove City. The father-and-son team has operated a recapping plant near the Larkfield for some time. The DeMarshes said that they will have their Firestone business in three floors of the Larkfield screen building before Christmas.”
Yes, the Pioneer opened in 1958.
Boxoffice, Sept. 15, 1958: “William and Chester Demarsh, who recently opened their new Pioneer Drive-In on Route 8 about five miles north of Butler, are moving their Grove City Firestone store the the concrete screen tower building at their Larkfield Drive-In near Grove City. The father-and-son team has operated a recapping plant near the Larkfield for some time … Their Pioneer screen building near Butler may be offered for rent”
Adding to Joe Vogel’s note, the April 23, 1934 Film Daily wrote that the Grand had been transferred to E. T. Schnur by Jim Rocco and W. V. Woodford.
Film Daily, July 27, 1938: “The Belington Theater, Belington, W. Va., operated by O. O. Peling, is closing indefinitely.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 1, 1938: “John Panopoulos, former New Cumberland, W. Va., exhibitor, was a (Pittsburgh) Filmrow booker the other day, reporting that he has opened at his new stand, the old Grand, at Belington, W. Va., which he has named the Belington”
The Dec. 10, 1938 Motion Picture Herald, in a roundup of equipment purchases, noted that “John Panopulous” bought new sound tech for the Grand.
Boxoffice, April 27, 1940: “John Panopoulos, Belington, W. Va., theatre owner, is remodeling his apartment on the second floor of the Seneca”
Boxoffice, Sept. 22, 1958: “Reopening of the Seneca Theatre, Belington, W. Va., was short lived. After one night, the house went dark again”
Boxoffice, Oct. 13, 1958: “Sam Yakish, Titusville outdoor exhibitor, who visited (Pittsburgh) Filmrow, said he and Mrs. Yakish will be returning soon to their Bethel Park home for the winter. During the outdoor season they reside in their apartment in the screen tower of their Auto Drive-In.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 13, 1958: “Workmen have started to raze the Park Theatre in Medina, a landmark there. The theatre was built in 1915 by the Seylee Cook estate to provide a place for high school recreation programs. When the high school was built in 1922, Ernest Reynolds took it over and converted it into a theatre. It was closed around 1935 and remained vacant until three years ago when it was used as a church for a while. Because of taxes and the cost of putting it into shape, Dipson Theatres of Batavia decided to raze the building for a parking area.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 27, 1958: “Herv Keator, Lee Hiway Drive-In manager, reports Bernz-O-Matic in-car heaters have been installed.”
Boxoffice, Nov. 3, 1958: “Meadowbrook, W. Va. - After a series of explorations, water has been found on the Sunset Drive-In property, according to owner John Ellis. Former owners Alex Silay and Steve Medve jr. gave up in their search for water at the ozoner and sold out several years ago.”
This 1977 photo by John Margolies is part of the Library of Congress’s John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive (1972-2008), and is effectively in the public domain.