The original Hillcrest Drive-In opened its doors on May 4, 1951 with “Blue Grass Of Kentucky” and “Blonde Dynamite” along with an unnamed cartoon and a newsreel, and closed on May 22, 1966 with “The Sandpiper” and “Bunny Lake Is Missing”. At the time, the original Hillcrest had a capacity of 575 cars and a 70x30ft CinemaScope screen.
The “new” Hillcrest Drive-In opened its gates down the street on May 27, 1966 with “The Great Spy Mission” and “36 Hours”, featuring an original car capacity of 775 cars (which later downgraded to 500 throughout time) and a 100x40ft screen.
The Hillcrest closed for the final time on September 3, 2000 with “Dinosaur”, “Gone In 60 Seconds” and “Shanghai Noon” as a triple feature.
What’s really unique is that the marquee sign still operates as advertisements for the Arcadia Theatre right after closure despite the drive-in itself closed after the 1986 season.
The Malco Theatre opened its doors on April 24, 1951 with Rod Cameron in “Oh Susuanna” with no extra short subjects.
Original information about the Malco goes as follows: Some of its original installations as of 1951 include a 15x20ft highly reflective screen, Simplex projection and Super-Sound equipment, and wine upholstery green trimmed International seats, which had an original capacity of 864 seats (with 628 on the main floor and 236 in the balcony). Its original draperies are mist-o-morn green and stage curtains are wine and gold colored. The main floor color scheme is a dusty rose with wine berry trim. The light-green colored lobby featured powder rooms and restrooms for both genders constructed of white tile as well as drinking fountains. A 50-ton Govern-Air system was also installed for the summer months, as well as a Pinnco steam boiler for the winter months. Lastly, there are five emergency exits and as an added safety factor. All exists and aisle lights are wired ahead of a master switch box to provide lights in case of an emergency. The Malco was first operated by Roy Hale who also operated the Paramount Theatre there, also operated by Malco Theatres. The grand opening of the Malco Theatre on April 24, 1951 also cause the closure of the Pastime Theatre and major schedule changes at the Paramount Theatre.
While operated by Gene Boggs after a December 2, 1968 closure, the Malco Theatre reopened as the Crest Theatre on January 8, 1969 with Doris Day in “With Six You Get Eggroll” as a special preview. The film began running the following day.
Throughout most of mid-1975, the Crest Theatre closed due to problems with their cooling system, reopening on October 3, 1975. However, exactly one year later on November 28, 1976, the Crest Theatre closed for the final time as a movie theater.
On February 1, 1994, the theater reopened its doors with its original Malco Theatre name as a live theater.
The Jewel Theatre opened in 1915 and closed in 1927. The building for the Jewel Theatre was located next door to the Saenger Theatre which opened in 1923 with a 900-seat capacity (600 in main auditorium and 300 in balcony) by Mr. B.W. Bickert who also operated the Jewel.
After the neighboring Saenger Theatre closed in 1930, Mrs. B.J. Bruen leased the building to the Publix Theatre Corporation on July 17, 1930 said earlier that morning that nothing had been done toward letting the contract. She said however that representatives of the Publix Theater Corporation would be in Helena within the following days. The bulletin came in question was the building formerly occupied by the Jewel Theater. After the Saenger interests were taken over by the Publix Theater Corporation, the building was condemned by artchitects of the new owners and plans of extensive remodeling were announced featuring new equipment, both to cost in the neighborhood of $75,000. This will eventually call the theater the Paramount Theatre.
The theater reopened its doors as the Paramount Theatre on February 26, 1931 with Nancy Carroll in “Stolen Heaven” along with an educational comedy reel, a musical novelty, and Paramount News.
Information about the Paramount Theatre goes as follows: The lobby and entrance vestibule featured multiple colors on tiles. From the lobby which runs into the entrance to the inner foyer, there were stairways with plenty of room for people, and numerous exits were installed which allow the audience to leave within three minutes after showing. The interior was decorative as “Art Moderne”, with magnificent plastic decorations with deep carpets and tapestries which were hung in all parts of the theater. On the main floor featured smoking and waiting rooms as well. The main auditorium as of 1931 has an original capacity of 800 seats (which were later eventually downgrade to 743 by the end of its operation).
In May 1965, the Paramount Theatre closed for a time following a problem with their air conditioner. And on October 21, 1965, the Paramount Theatre made a major schedule change to only operate on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. At the time, it was operated by Gene Boggs.
The Paramount Theatre closed for the final time in 1969.
The Dixie Drive-In opened its gates on May 13, 1966 with “The Rounders” and “Mr. Moses”. The Dixie Drive-In is a replacement of the nearby 200-car Airvue Drive-In on U.S. 49 (then-known as Highway 20) which closed three days later.
What’s also unique about both theaters is that just like the Dixie Drive-In, the old Airvue Drive-In which operated from May 15, 1951 until May 16, 1966 also replaced another drive-in called the 4th Street Drive-In (or Drive-In Theatre as advertised) which operated from August 11, 1949 until April 23, 1951 (both the Airvue and the 4th Street will have their own Cinema Treasures pages soon).
The Gene Boggs Corporation was organized in June 1971 by Dr. John Miller and Mr. Gene Boggs, and operates a total of seven theaters and two drive-ins across Arkansas, with two in West Helena, two in Osceola, and one each in Benton, Forrest City, Little Rock, Hot Springs, and Stuttgart.
West Helena’s 400-seat (200 in each auditorium) Gene Boggs Twin Cinema opened its doors on October 4, 1973 with “Oklahoma Crude” at Screen 1 and “Living Free” at Screen 2.
The twin closed for the final time in October 1996.
Do you know anything about the possible other drive-in in Newport? According to a source, there is possibly another drive-in called the Razorback although I cannot find it anywhere.
Actually, it appears that it ran a mixture, but cannot tell because it didn’t show up by advertisements or showings. I recently read a couple of articles about the Tower from the 1980s and it appears that it was running selections of both normal English and Spanish films. However, it did have an adult bookstore next door.
The State Theatre opened on March 16, 1938 with Dick Powell in “Hollywood Hotel” (unclear if any short subjects were added), and closed on May 25, 1955. It was last operated by Mrs. Vera Greene.
Edited from both January 22 and October 12, 2022 comments:
The Waco Drive-In opened its gates on May 1, 1953 with Edmond O'Brien in “Silver City” along with an unnamed Tom & Jerry cartoon and an unnamed Popeye cartoon, featuring an original capacity of 425 cars.
It was first operated by E.S. (Tommy) Tompkin who also operated the State and Fox Theatres nearby. Charles Doyle, Earl Hickford, and Jack Schneider are the original projectionists for the theater.
Tompkin operated the theater until he suffered a heart attack on September 16, 1964. Sadly he later died at a nearby hospital that same day.
The Waco Drive-In closed at the end of the 1978 season, and was demolished in the early-1980s.
Solved! The Ridge Drive-In opened its gates on May 17, 1953 with Jean Peters in “Anne Of The Indies” and Walter Brennan in “Along The Great Divine” with no extra short subjects. It was first operated by M.L. Dickson. The Ridge Drive-In closed at the end of the 1978 season.
The Humota Theatre opened its doors on October 2, 1928. This replaced the Strand Theatre after it was destroyed by a fire on January 28, 1928 (yes the town of Humboldt has a former movie house named the Strand Theatre, which has nothing to be confused with the Strand in nearby Fort Dodge).
Correction: The Winfield Theatre started as a 301-seat theater but the capacity downgraded to 173 by the end of its operation according to the Winfield Beacon.
The Winfield Theatre was later taken over by E.S. Tompkins who operated the theater after the retirement of the Pratt Brothers in late-August 1951. At the time, Mr. and Mrs. Dayle Allen owned the theater.
This didn’t last long, and the Winfield Theatre closed for the final time on July 5, 1952 with Joel McCrea in “Cattle Drive” along with a short entitled “Danger Under The Sea” and an unnamed cartoon.
The Cavalier judging by aerial is a very unique looking drive-in. The screen is located next to the exit ramps rather than the front-center of the traces like other drive-ins.
Its still open in 1963 but was already demolished by 1984.
The original Hillcrest Drive-In opened its doors on May 4, 1951 with “Blue Grass Of Kentucky” and “Blonde Dynamite” along with an unnamed cartoon and a newsreel, and closed on May 22, 1966 with “The Sandpiper” and “Bunny Lake Is Missing”. At the time, the original Hillcrest had a capacity of 575 cars and a 70x30ft CinemaScope screen.
The “new” Hillcrest Drive-In opened its gates down the street on May 27, 1966 with “The Great Spy Mission” and “36 Hours”, featuring an original car capacity of 775 cars (which later downgraded to 500 throughout time) and a 100x40ft screen.
The Hillcrest closed for the final time on September 3, 2000 with “Dinosaur”, “Gone In 60 Seconds” and “Shanghai Noon” as a triple feature.
What’s really unique is that the marquee sign still operates as advertisements for the Arcadia Theatre right after closure despite the drive-in itself closed after the 1986 season.
Opened on October 8, 1938, first managed by George Miller. Closed in late-1961.
The Malco Theatre opened its doors on April 24, 1951 with Rod Cameron in “Oh Susuanna” with no extra short subjects.
Original information about the Malco goes as follows: Some of its original installations as of 1951 include a 15x20ft highly reflective screen, Simplex projection and Super-Sound equipment, and wine upholstery green trimmed International seats, which had an original capacity of 864 seats (with 628 on the main floor and 236 in the balcony). Its original draperies are mist-o-morn green and stage curtains are wine and gold colored. The main floor color scheme is a dusty rose with wine berry trim. The light-green colored lobby featured powder rooms and restrooms for both genders constructed of white tile as well as drinking fountains. A 50-ton Govern-Air system was also installed for the summer months, as well as a Pinnco steam boiler for the winter months. Lastly, there are five emergency exits and as an added safety factor. All exists and aisle lights are wired ahead of a master switch box to provide lights in case of an emergency. The Malco was first operated by Roy Hale who also operated the Paramount Theatre there, also operated by Malco Theatres. The grand opening of the Malco Theatre on April 24, 1951 also cause the closure of the Pastime Theatre and major schedule changes at the Paramount Theatre.
While operated by Gene Boggs after a December 2, 1968 closure, the Malco Theatre reopened as the Crest Theatre on January 8, 1969 with Doris Day in “With Six You Get Eggroll” as a special preview. The film began running the following day.
Throughout most of mid-1975, the Crest Theatre closed due to problems with their cooling system, reopening on October 3, 1975. However, exactly one year later on November 28, 1976, the Crest Theatre closed for the final time as a movie theater.
On February 1, 1994, the theater reopened its doors with its original Malco Theatre name as a live theater.
The Jewel Theatre opened in 1915 and closed in 1927. The building for the Jewel Theatre was located next door to the Saenger Theatre which opened in 1923 with a 900-seat capacity (600 in main auditorium and 300 in balcony) by Mr. B.W. Bickert who also operated the Jewel.
After the neighboring Saenger Theatre closed in 1930, Mrs. B.J. Bruen leased the building to the Publix Theatre Corporation on July 17, 1930 said earlier that morning that nothing had been done toward letting the contract. She said however that representatives of the Publix Theater Corporation would be in Helena within the following days. The bulletin came in question was the building formerly occupied by the Jewel Theater. After the Saenger interests were taken over by the Publix Theater Corporation, the building was condemned by artchitects of the new owners and plans of extensive remodeling were announced featuring new equipment, both to cost in the neighborhood of $75,000. This will eventually call the theater the Paramount Theatre.
The theater reopened its doors as the Paramount Theatre on February 26, 1931 with Nancy Carroll in “Stolen Heaven” along with an educational comedy reel, a musical novelty, and Paramount News.
Information about the Paramount Theatre goes as follows: The lobby and entrance vestibule featured multiple colors on tiles. From the lobby which runs into the entrance to the inner foyer, there were stairways with plenty of room for people, and numerous exits were installed which allow the audience to leave within three minutes after showing. The interior was decorative as “Art Moderne”, with magnificent plastic decorations with deep carpets and tapestries which were hung in all parts of the theater. On the main floor featured smoking and waiting rooms as well. The main auditorium as of 1931 has an original capacity of 800 seats (which were later eventually downgrade to 743 by the end of its operation).
In May 1965, the Paramount Theatre closed for a time following a problem with their air conditioner. And on October 21, 1965, the Paramount Theatre made a major schedule change to only operate on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. At the time, it was operated by Gene Boggs.
The Paramount Theatre closed for the final time in 1969.
The Dixie Drive-In opened its gates on May 13, 1966 with “The Rounders” and “Mr. Moses”. The Dixie Drive-In is a replacement of the nearby 200-car Airvue Drive-In on U.S. 49 (then-known as Highway 20) which closed three days later.
What’s also unique about both theaters is that just like the Dixie Drive-In, the old Airvue Drive-In which operated from May 15, 1951 until May 16, 1966 also replaced another drive-in called the 4th Street Drive-In (or Drive-In Theatre as advertised) which operated from August 11, 1949 until April 23, 1951 (both the Airvue and the 4th Street will have their own Cinema Treasures pages soon).
The Dixie Drive-In closed in late-1981.
The Gene Boggs Corporation was organized in June 1971 by Dr. John Miller and Mr. Gene Boggs, and operates a total of seven theaters and two drive-ins across Arkansas, with two in West Helena, two in Osceola, and one each in Benton, Forrest City, Little Rock, Hot Springs, and Stuttgart.
West Helena’s 400-seat (200 in each auditorium) Gene Boggs Twin Cinema opened its doors on October 4, 1973 with “Oklahoma Crude” at Screen 1 and “Living Free” at Screen 2.
The twin closed for the final time in October 1996.
The Mann Fox Fallbrook Twin Theatre closed for the final time on November 8, 1987 with “Fatal Beauty” and “No Way Out”.
The current Chuck E. Cheese’s opened at the former theater site on June 23, 1992.
You might be correct Kennerado.
Closed on September 17, 1998.
Do you know anything about the possible other drive-in in Newport? According to a source, there is possibly another drive-in called the Razorback although I cannot find it anywhere.
Still opened in the 1980s.
Looks like a Mr. Magoo short playing on the screen.
Actually, it appears that it ran a mixture, but cannot tell because it didn’t show up by advertisements or showings. I recently read a couple of articles about the Tower from the 1980s and it appears that it was running selections of both normal English and Spanish films. However, it did have an adult bookstore next door.
Opened on September 6, 1913, first operated by J.H. Ward.
The State Theatre opened on March 16, 1938 with Dick Powell in “Hollywood Hotel” (unclear if any short subjects were added), and closed on May 25, 1955. It was last operated by Mrs. Vera Greene.
Twinned on September 7, 1979.
It was renamed the Elroy Theatre in 1934.
Edited from both January 22 and October 12, 2022 comments:
The Waco Drive-In opened its gates on May 1, 1953 with Edmond O'Brien in “Silver City” along with an unnamed Tom & Jerry cartoon and an unnamed Popeye cartoon, featuring an original capacity of 425 cars.
It was first operated by E.S. (Tommy) Tompkin who also operated the State and Fox Theatres nearby. Charles Doyle, Earl Hickford, and Jack Schneider are the original projectionists for the theater.
Tompkin operated the theater until he suffered a heart attack on September 16, 1964. Sadly he later died at a nearby hospital that same day.
The Waco Drive-In closed at the end of the 1978 season, and was demolished in the early-1980s.
Solved! The Ridge Drive-In opened its gates on May 17, 1953 with Jean Peters in “Anne Of The Indies” and Walter Brennan in “Along The Great Divine” with no extra short subjects. It was first operated by M.L. Dickson. The Ridge Drive-In closed at the end of the 1978 season.
Opened with “Submarine D-I” (unknown if any short subjects were included). It was first operated by Gerald G. Waller.
This replaced an older Elroy Theatre (formerly the Majestic Theatre) which closed three days prior (which will have its own page soon).
The Humota Theatre opened its doors on October 2, 1928. This replaced the Strand Theatre after it was destroyed by a fire on January 28, 1928 (yes the town of Humboldt has a former movie house named the Strand Theatre, which has nothing to be confused with the Strand in nearby Fort Dodge).
Another correction: It did not close on September 18, 1951. The theater continued operating until its July 5, 1952 closure.
Correction: The Winfield Theatre started as a 301-seat theater but the capacity downgraded to 173 by the end of its operation according to the Winfield Beacon.
The Winfield Theatre was later taken over by E.S. Tompkins who operated the theater after the retirement of the Pratt Brothers in late-August 1951. At the time, Mr. and Mrs. Dayle Allen owned the theater.
This didn’t last long, and the Winfield Theatre closed for the final time on July 5, 1952 with Joel McCrea in “Cattle Drive” along with a short entitled “Danger Under The Sea” and an unnamed cartoon.
Note: I accidentally added a duplicate page.
The Cavalier judging by aerial is a very unique looking drive-in. The screen is located next to the exit ramps rather than the front-center of the traces like other drive-ins.
Its still open in 1963 but was already demolished by 1984.