Comments from 50sSNIPES

Showing 1,176 - 1,200 of 4,001 comments

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Westport Drive-In on Mar 27, 2024 at 5:03 pm

Closed in the mid-1980s.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Memorial Drive-In on Mar 27, 2024 at 4:59 pm

I’m very sure that this started life as the West Springfield Drive-In.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Vaudette Theatre Woodstock, IL - 1908 on Mar 27, 2024 at 4:51 pm

Actually, that’s the Vaudette Theatre in Salem, Oregon.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Vaudette Theatre on Mar 27, 2024 at 4:50 pm

The actual opening date is March 4, 1908.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Norway Drive-In on Mar 27, 2024 at 4:24 pm

Some of its original installations include a 50x46ft screen, a 40x30ft concession/projection building, and a capacity of 300 cars. it was first owned by Lester Soule, and was later operated by Daytz Theatre Enterprises Corporation.

  • Throughout its history, the theater area has a long history of vehicle accidents, even during the theater’s construction.

The Norway Drive-In closed after the 1985 season, and was last owned by Kenneth Kilgore of Paris, Maine.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Pioneer Drive-In on Mar 27, 2024 at 4:20 pm

Correction: It opened with “The Petty Girl” and “Branded”, not “Pretty Girl”.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Sturbridge Drive-In on Mar 27, 2024 at 4:18 pm

It was once operated by Peter J. Marrone, who joined Affiliated Theatres by 1952. A few years later, it was operated by the Daytz Theatre Enterprises Corporation.

The Sturbridge Drive-In closed in 1968, and was demolished a few years later to make way for another racetrack but the screen was still standing. The racetrack was demolished several years later.

The Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center now occupies the former theater site.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Pioneer Drive-In on Mar 27, 2024 at 3:01 pm

Edited from my July 19, 2020 (11:51 am) comment:

The Pioneer Valley Drive-In opened its gates on September 9, 1951 with “Petty Girl” and “Branded” (unknown if any short subjects added). It was first operated by John Whitney, and his brother Oakley who was the projectionist.

It was renamed simply the “Pioneer Drive-In” at the start of the 1972 season. When the 1980s rolled along, the Pioneer Drive-In received a number of incidents.

  • On May 17, 1980, both the Orange Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police dispersed an unruly crowd inside the theater. A 19-year-old Athol man was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct and released on personal recognizance at the Athol police station. A similar incident happened on April 7, 1984 but not much info.

  • On May 15, 1981, a Class A brush fire was extinguished near the Pioneer Drive-In, which the theater itself received no damage.

  • On June 12, 1982, the snack bar was closed for one evening following the manager reported to police that a number of kids were throwing objects and cursing near the snack bar. The kids vanished by the time police arrived. The theater also received trouble in May 1984 following concerns over several suspicious kids.

  • On August 5, 1982, police investigated a report of two men coming out of the woods near the theater carrying backpacks and sleeping bags. They were spotted heading for the railroad tracks, but the suspects fled after an officer spotted him, and both were never found.

  • On August 18, 1983, the operator of the theater was picking blueberries when he turned around and finds several police officers notifying him that he parked his car illegally.

  • On October 17, 1983, three speaker posts were knocked over during a vandalism report.

  • On September 3, 1984, police were called after reports of a person riding his bike inside the concession stand. Police immediately took the bike to the station. This came one week after a break-in at the theater.

The Pioneer Drive-In closed after the 1985 season and was demolished in mid-1986.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Showtown USA Drive-In on Mar 27, 2024 at 1:49 pm

Closed after the 1980 season.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Joy Theatre on Mar 27, 2024 at 1:44 pm

The Joy Theatre closed for the final time on October 1, 1980 with “Revenge Of The Bushido Blade” and “Dolemite”. It originally closed due to repairs, but later confirmed as its final closing.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Regal Round Lake Beach Stadium 18 on Mar 26, 2024 at 7:54 pm

On March 24, 2024, Round Lake Beach Police and Fire officials responded to a break-in after reports of someone breaking inside the abandoned theater.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Starlite Drive-In on Mar 26, 2024 at 12:14 pm

Found it. The theater was located on 53 NH-10, Orford, NH 03777, and judging by articles and showtimes, it was primarily named the Starlite Drive-In.

The Starlite Drive-In opened its gates on June 1, 1952 with Red Skelton in “Texas Carnival” and Fred Astaire in “You Were Never Lovelier” with no extra short subjects.

The Starlite closed for the final time on August 3, 1987 with “Adventures In Babysitting” and “Outrageous Fortune”. Both the screen and concession/projection booths were demolished a few years later.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Glenwood Arts Theatre on Mar 25, 2024 at 2:15 pm

On November 26, 1986, the Ranch Mart Theatre officially became the first movie house in Kansas (and the Kansas City market) to have installations of THX sound. It costed Commonwealth a total of $60,000 in equipment as well as remodeling.

  • Missouri received its first two THX theaters on the same day, June 5, 1987, when AMC opened the Metro North Plaza 6 in Kansas City and a sound system upgrade at the Wehrenberg Kenrick 8 Cine in Shrewsbury near St. Louis.
50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about 19 Drive-In on Mar 25, 2024 at 11:41 am

I looked up 19 Drive-In’s website archives and it appears that the 19 Drive-In closed in August 2020, meaning that the theater closed in the middle of the 2020 season. It did plan to reopen for the 2021 season but it never happened due to updates, repairs, and improvements. And as of 2024, the theater was still closed and abandoned.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Art City Drive-In on Mar 25, 2024 at 10:55 am

Judging by aerials, it appears that the drive-in lasted into as late as the 1990s, but was demolished completely by 2004.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Electric Theater on Mar 23, 2024 at 8:27 am

The Electric Theatre opened as early as 1907. In the early-1910s while under the management of C.H. Barkalow, the theater suffered destruction from a massive fire which destroyed four buildings on First Street (north of Maple). It was rebuilt and reopened a short time later.

The Electric Theatre closed as a movie house in 1931 but retained as a special events house until 1932.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Ozark Theater on Mar 23, 2024 at 8:23 am

The Ozark Theatre opened its doors on September 23, 1930 with “The Eyes Of The World” (unknown if extras added) and was first operated by J.R. Ghosen. Tom Edwards purchased the building in 1933 and was remodeled in 1940.

The Ozark Theatre fire of February 1949 happened in the morning hours of February 24, 1949 caused by faulty wiring, causing an estimate loss of $50,000 in damages. Ms. Phillipean Spaulding was underneath the marquee after spending time at the business section upstairs when she turned around and saw the explosion. She said several doors and windows were blown open. Afterward, she ran across the street and back toward town to report the fire when she met two of the city’s firefighters, who immediately went Code 3. They fought the fire and climbed on top of the Masonic Temple. Bill Smith was the manager of the theater at the time and said that the janitor had left the building a short time before the fire started. Despite nobody being injured, Smith notified Tom Edwards (or Tommy Edwards by his real name). Edwards said that the total loss of the theater was the amount above, but most of which were covered by insurance, and immediately planned for a new theater at the site. The original schedule for the Ozark Theatre immediately hopped on over to the other nearby movie theater in Eldon at the time, Tom’s Theatre.

  • NOTE: It was also the second theater being destroyed in a fire in Eldon, with the first one dating back to the early 1900s when four frame buildings on First Street, just north of Maple, were completely destroyed. One of which was the Electric Theater, operated by C.H. Barkalow at the time.

The Ozark Theatre was rebuilt by Edwards and Smith themselves and reopened on September 8, 1949 with Doris Day in “My Dream Is Yours” with no extra short subjects.

The Ozark Theater closed on May 14, 1969 with Steve McQueen in “Bullitt” and was demolished in December of that same year.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Corral Drive-In on Mar 23, 2024 at 8:01 am

It appears that both the Corral Drive-In and the older Drive-In are actually two separate drive-ins in different locations.

I cannot find any info about the older drive-In that lasted for only a short period of time, but Tom Edwards opened the Corral Drive-In’s gates on May 20, 1952 with James Craig in “Drums Of The Deep South” (unknown if extras added). Some original information about the Corral Drive-In including a 60ft screen, RCA individual speakers, 900ft white cedar fence surrounding the drive-in, a playground featuring slides and swings, and the entirety of concessions, projection, and restrooms are in one single 30x45ft building. It was located on a 40 acre plot atop a hill and the viewing area surfaced with chat covers 10 acres in total.

Unfortunately the Eldon Advertiser stopped showing ads for the Corral Drive-In right after the 1980 season, but it appears that the theater closed before the 1983 season after the screen went down during high winds that May.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Delco Theatre on Mar 22, 2024 at 3:32 pm

The Delco Theatre opened on September 13, 1919 with Pat O'Malley in “The Red Glove”, and closed in August 1937 when Harry Blount opened the Plaza Theatre nearby (which would later unfortunately suffer damage from a nearby hotel fire exactly less than 24 hours after grand opening).

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Plaza Theatre on Mar 22, 2024 at 3:29 pm

Harry Blount opened the Plaza Theatre on August 5, 1937 as the replacement of the Delco Theatre.

  • Unfortunately on the very next day after grand opening, the Plaza Theatre suffered damage from a nearby hotel fire. Its newly-installed plate glass windows were destroyed, as well as some of its sun-tan structural glass in the front of the wall and the marquee glass were cracked. This led to a very short closure until reopening a short time later.
50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Cinema 12 on Mar 22, 2024 at 1:48 pm

General Cinema operated the theater until Classic Cinemas took it over on March 25, 1990.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Ritz Theatre on Mar 22, 2024 at 11:31 am

Correction: It was the Crown Cinema Corporation that took over the Ritz after United Artists, not Crown Theatres.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about County Fair Cinema on Mar 21, 2024 at 7:34 pm

This started life as the Garrison Cinema, and opened its doors on June 27, 1974 with Julie Andrews in “The Sound Of Music”. The Garrison Cinema had a capacity of 268 seats and was locally-owned by Garrison Cinemas Ltd. led by R.G. McEwan.

  • Unfortunately, the Garrison Cinema did host an opening as a special events house with a special pageant contest three days before it officially opened as a movie theater.
50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Gem Theatre on Mar 21, 2024 at 4:36 pm

Once operated by the Dubinsky Brothers.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Brick District Playhouse on Mar 21, 2024 at 4:36 pm

First operated by the Dubinsky Brothers.