The 66 Park-In’s final night was Sunday, Oct. 17, 1993. Its final double feature was James Caan starring in “The Program” followed by Macaulay Culkin in “The Good Son.”
The Oct. 6, 1951 issue of Boxoffice had a three-page story about how Richard Sprague and Harold Van Winkle built their Mound City drive-in despite NPA restrictions on materials. Their makeshift drive-in, which opened July 3, 1951, held about 200 cars, used loudspeakers, and had a 36x24-foot screen. They built it on a flat “six-acre tract on a main highway some three miles outside of town.” A much later note in the St. Joseph News-Press said the Holt was east of Mound City, so it must have been on US 59. A 1982 aerial photo showed what might be its remains just east of Neptune Road.
That Boxoffice article never called it the Holt, but the 1952 Theatre Catalog listed the Holt in Mound City, capacity 200, owners Sprauge (sic) and Van Winkle. I presume it was named for Holt County.
A 1952 Kansas City Times article mentioned that Sprague was manager of Mound City Hardware. His 1969 obituary in the News-Press said that “Sprague resided in Mound City, where he and his wife, Darlene, operated a drive-in theater.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, June 14, 1961: “DOWEGIAC (sic), MICH.—Three individuals who have never had anything to do with show business take the plunge June 29 when they open the Five Mile North Drive-In Theatre, complete with fireworks. The title of the new project is Sisters Lake Enterprise. President is Donald G. White of Sisters Lake, who operates bowling alleys. Vice-president is Professor James Dincolo, who instructs at Notre Dame at South Bend, Ind., and who lives there. Secretary-treasurer is George S. Keller, who is an attorney and dwells in Niles, Mich. West Engineering Co. of Flint, Mich., built the 432-car site. All equipment is being furnished by the Detroit branch of National Theatre Supply.”
Motion Picture Herald, June 9, 1956: “The concession building and projection booth of Alliance’s North drive-in near Anderson were destroyed by fire May 24.”
Motion Picture Herald, June 16, 1956: “Alliance has reopened the North drive-in, Anderson, which closed for repairs after fire destroyed the concession stand and projection booth.”
Boxoffice, May 7, 1949: “Feature of the Western Hills Auto-In Theatre, Aurora, Ind. (sic), is a show garden planted with 1,500 tulips and Paul’s scarlet climbing roses arranged to grow over the front fence. The drive-in has been equipped with a children’s playground and new neon lighting on the screen tower. It is located on Anderson Ferry road, between Sidney road and Crookshank.”
Thanks so much for posting that photo with a CC license! It was taken in mid-April 1960, when the Broadway was advertising “Solomon and Sheba,” “Subway in the Sky,” and “War Drums”.
Independent Film Journal, April 17, 1954: “Manchester Drive-In is adding three more ramps to accommodate 200 cars, increasing its capacity to about 900. It will also have a new 50x102 screen.”
Although the Motion Picture Almanac listed Jack Fruchtman as the owner throughout the 1960s, the 1962 Boxoffice photo accompanied an article about the showmanship of “Don Stott, who owns the drive-in (the Waldorf 301) and two other theaters in the Prince Frederick area”. One of those was the Calvert Drive-In, which even the MPA noticed was owned by Stott.
And again I point out that the drive-in’s full name was the “Waldorf 301,” as evidenced by its sign and most references to it.
According to a researcher at the Navajo County Historical Society in Holbrook, the 66’s last ad in the Holbrook Tribune News was on Aug. 16, 1957. Also, Nace’s ad in the Arizona Republic, which included Holbrook’s indoor Roxy plus ozoners Mt. Elden and Tonto, stopped including the 66 on May 17, 1957. For now, my guess is that 1957 was the 66’s final season.
Boxoffice, Dec. 18, 1978: “William B. Boren, son of Bill Boren, will take over the operation of the newly purchased Blackwell’s Video Theatre and the Pioneer Drive-In. Both situations were bought from Video Independent Theatres.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 15, 1973: “Athel Boyter, Boyter Booking Agency, took over operation of the Waldron Theatre and Hillcrest Drive-In at Lindsay Monday (1). Boyter’s partner and manager is Dan Wolfenbarger”
Boxoffice, June 17, 1974: “Dan Wolfenbarger … recently purchased (the Waldron Theatre and Hillcrest Drive-In at Lindsay) from Athel Boyter of Oklahoma City”
Dickinson ran the Webb City for 34 seasons, 1964-1997.
Boxoffice, Dec. 16, 1963: “Dickinson, Inc., has acquired the Webb City Drive-In, Webb City; the 66 Drive-In and the Roxy, Carthage, from William D. Bradfield, effective April 1964, according to Glen W. Dickinson jr., head of the circuit.”
Hollywood Theatres took over Dickinson’s Joplin-area indoor theaters on Oct. 3, 1997. The Webb City was the last movie house to stay under the Dickinson banner for one more weekend. Its final show was on Sunday, Oct. 12, the double feature of “Conspiracy Theory” & “Fire Down Below.” Dickinson announced the sale of the drive-in to Wal-Mart the following spring.
Motion Picture Herald, Aug. 21, 1954: “The Orpheum Theatre. Joplin, Mo., will be reopened September 2 under new ownership and management. P. D. Crockett, of Webb City, is the new owner. He said negotiations for the purchase of the theatre were completed a short time after the theatre was closed last May by former owner, Fox Ozark Theaters, Inc., of Kansas City.”
Boxoffice, April 29, 1974: “BUFFALO, MO. - The Autoscope Drive-In on U.S. 65 north of here, recently acquired by Mr. and Mrs. Robert DeJarnette from Mr. and Mrs. Bert Croley, opened Friday (5) on a weekends-only policy. The Croleys had been associated with the airer since it started operation approximately 20 years ago. The DeJarnettes have moved to Buffalo from Minneapolis, where Bob was a distributor for United Artists for more than 17 years. The Autoscope Drive-In will be open to moviegoers ever night during summer.”
Boxoffice, April 5, 1965: “Wendell Peck has purchased the Fiesta Drive-In and the Beloit Theatre at Beloit, Kas., from the Mid-Central Realty Co. Until the change the theatres were operated by the Commonwealth circuit.”
via Christine Larson, administrator for the Buckeye Public Library:
According to the Buckeye Valley News, the theatre opened on Friday, August 26, 1955 showing, “Rear Window,” starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly and “Arrowhead,” with Charlton Heston and Kathy Jurado. Robert Young, who formerly operated drive-in theatres in Colorado was the proprietor of the enterprise which was located on South 5th Street at Irwin. The theatre included speakers to accommodate 200 cars with room to grow. There was a building which housed the projection equipment, snack bar and washrooms. The 85’x40’ screen accommodated the wide cinemascope pictures.
The Tonto’s final ad in the twice-a-week Winslow Mail was on Sept. 11, 1985, showing “European Vacation” and “Summer Rental.” It included a note “Rialto opens Friday”, so the switchover to the indoor theater happened after the Tonto’s last night on Sept. 12, 1985.
A reminiscent note in the Jan. 3, 1986 Mail included, “We took the boys to the Tonto Drive-In Theater. The best speakers were still up front. “The movie never starts on time,” Phyllis predicted to the boys. “Twenty minutes after it is supposed to start, everyone will honk their horns and then it will start.” Her memories of 1963 (Troy Donahue & Sandra Dee in A Summer Place) prove absolutely reliable predictors for 1985 (Richard Pryor in The Toy). She also predicted that at least one train would pass by in the middle of the movie. There were two. Progress, I suppose.”
(Flagstaff) Arizona Daily Sun, Dec. 3, 1954: “The Rodeo Drive-in movie was shaken but undamaged by an explosion yesterday. Similar explosions have damaged other Tucson theaters owned by Hugh Downe and Wes Becker, owners of the Rodeo.”
(Flagstaff) Arizona Daily Sun, June 20, 1980: “BISBEE - a Cochise County grand jury has returned indictments in connection with the showing of sexually-oriented films by a Douglas drive-in theater. The indictments named Spring-Wick Corp. of Phoenix, owners Tom Springer and Bruce Wicks, and Hector Delgadillo of Douglas, manager of the Fort Apache Drive-In. They were charged with public display of explicit sexual materials. The indictments Thursday stemmed from the showing of two X-rated films, "Screwpies” and “The Coming of Angels.”
“Low and medium resolution images of photographs and textual material from Cline Library’s Colorado Plateau Digital Collections are always freely available by using the download or print icon in the upper right hand corner of the item record. The only requirement is that you properly credit the item, as described below and in our image use policy.”
Kingman, 1968. NAU.PH.85.3.210.114. Fronske Studio. Special Collections and Archives, Cline Library, Northern Arizona University.
The 66 Park-In’s final night was Sunday, Oct. 17, 1993. Its final double feature was James Caan starring in “The Program” followed by Macaulay Culkin in “The Good Son.”
The Oct. 6, 1951 issue of Boxoffice had a three-page story about how Richard Sprague and Harold Van Winkle built their Mound City drive-in despite NPA restrictions on materials. Their makeshift drive-in, which opened July 3, 1951, held about 200 cars, used loudspeakers, and had a 36x24-foot screen. They built it on a flat “six-acre tract on a main highway some three miles outside of town.” A much later note in the St. Joseph News-Press said the Holt was east of Mound City, so it must have been on US 59. A 1982 aerial photo showed what might be its remains just east of Neptune Road.
That Boxoffice article never called it the Holt, but the 1952 Theatre Catalog listed the Holt in Mound City, capacity 200, owners Sprauge (sic) and Van Winkle. I presume it was named for Holt County.
A 1952 Kansas City Times article mentioned that Sprague was manager of Mound City Hardware. His 1969 obituary in the News-Press said that “Sprague resided in Mound City, where he and his wife, Darlene, operated a drive-in theater.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, June 14, 1961: “DOWEGIAC (sic), MICH.—Three individuals who have never had anything to do with show business take the plunge June 29 when they open the Five Mile North Drive-In Theatre, complete with fireworks. The title of the new project is Sisters Lake Enterprise. President is Donald G. White of Sisters Lake, who operates bowling alleys. Vice-president is Professor James Dincolo, who instructs at Notre Dame at South Bend, Ind., and who lives there. Secretary-treasurer is George S. Keller, who is an attorney and dwells in Niles, Mich. West Engineering Co. of Flint, Mich., built the 432-car site. All equipment is being furnished by the Detroit branch of National Theatre Supply.”
Now part of the Vintage St. Louis & Route 66 group on Facebook. No idea where they got it.
Now part of the Vintage St. Louis & Route 66 group on Facebook. No idea where they got it.
Motion Picture Herald, June 9, 1956: “The concession building and projection booth of Alliance’s North drive-in near Anderson were destroyed by fire May 24.”
Motion Picture Herald, June 16, 1956: “Alliance has reopened the North drive-in, Anderson, which closed for repairs after fire destroyed the concession stand and projection booth.”
Boxoffice, May 7, 1949: “Feature of the Western Hills Auto-In Theatre, Aurora, Ind. (sic), is a show garden planted with 1,500 tulips and Paul’s scarlet climbing roses arranged to grow over the front fence. The drive-in has been equipped with a children’s playground and new neon lighting on the screen tower. It is located on Anderson Ferry road, between Sidney road and Crookshank.”
Thanks so much for posting that photo with a CC license! It was taken in mid-April 1960, when the Broadway was advertising “Solomon and Sheba,” “Subway in the Sky,” and “War Drums”.
Independent Film Journal, April 17, 1954: “Manchester Drive-In is adding three more ramps to accommodate 200 cars, increasing its capacity to about 900. It will also have a new 50x102 screen.”
Although the Motion Picture Almanac listed Jack Fruchtman as the owner throughout the 1960s, the 1962 Boxoffice photo accompanied an article about the showmanship of “Don Stott, who owns the drive-in (the Waldorf 301) and two other theaters in the Prince Frederick area”. One of those was the Calvert Drive-In, which even the MPA noticed was owned by Stott.
And again I point out that the drive-in’s full name was the “Waldorf 301,” as evidenced by its sign and most references to it.
According to a researcher at the Navajo County Historical Society in Holbrook, the 66’s last ad in the Holbrook Tribune News was on Aug. 16, 1957. Also, Nace’s ad in the Arizona Republic, which included Holbrook’s indoor Roxy plus ozoners Mt. Elden and Tonto, stopped including the 66 on May 17, 1957. For now, my guess is that 1957 was the 66’s final season.
Boxoffice, Aug. 10, 1964: “Fred Munson, Arkansas City … has sold his 166 Drive-In to Clara Bullard, who operates the Airview (sic) there.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 18, 1978: “William B. Boren, son of Bill Boren, will take over the operation of the newly purchased Blackwell’s Video Theatre and the Pioneer Drive-In. Both situations were bought from Video Independent Theatres.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 15, 1973: “Athel Boyter, Boyter Booking Agency, took over operation of the Waldron Theatre and Hillcrest Drive-In at Lindsay Monday (1). Boyter’s partner and manager is Dan Wolfenbarger”
Boxoffice, June 17, 1974: “Dan Wolfenbarger … recently purchased (the Waldron Theatre and Hillcrest Drive-In at Lindsay) from Athel Boyter of Oklahoma City”
Boxoffice, March 18, 1974: “Ike Carroll is the new owner of the Shamrock Drive-In at Laverne and Athel Boyter will do the booking and buying”
Dickinson ran the Webb City for 34 seasons, 1964-1997.
Boxoffice, Dec. 16, 1963: “Dickinson, Inc., has acquired the Webb City Drive-In, Webb City; the 66 Drive-In and the Roxy, Carthage, from William D. Bradfield, effective April 1964, according to Glen W. Dickinson jr., head of the circuit.”
Hollywood Theatres took over Dickinson’s Joplin-area indoor theaters on Oct. 3, 1997. The Webb City was the last movie house to stay under the Dickinson banner for one more weekend. Its final show was on Sunday, Oct. 12, the double feature of “Conspiracy Theory” & “Fire Down Below.” Dickinson announced the sale of the drive-in to Wal-Mart the following spring.
Motion Picture Herald, Aug. 21, 1954: “The Orpheum Theatre. Joplin, Mo., will be reopened September 2 under new ownership and management. P. D. Crockett, of Webb City, is the new owner. He said negotiations for the purchase of the theatre were completed a short time after the theatre was closed last May by former owner, Fox Ozark Theaters, Inc., of Kansas City.”
Boxoffice, April 29, 1974: “BUFFALO, MO. - The Autoscope Drive-In on U.S. 65 north of here, recently acquired by Mr. and Mrs. Robert DeJarnette from Mr. and Mrs. Bert Croley, opened Friday (5) on a weekends-only policy. The Croleys had been associated with the airer since it started operation approximately 20 years ago. The DeJarnettes have moved to Buffalo from Minneapolis, where Bob was a distributor for United Artists for more than 17 years. The Autoscope Drive-In will be open to moviegoers ever night during summer.”
Boxoffice, April 5, 1965: “Wendell Peck has purchased the Fiesta Drive-In and the Beloit Theatre at Beloit, Kas., from the Mid-Central Realty Co. Until the change the theatres were operated by the Commonwealth circuit.”
via Christine Larson, administrator for the Buckeye Public Library:
According to the Buckeye Valley News, the theatre opened on Friday, August 26, 1955 showing, “Rear Window,” starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly and “Arrowhead,” with Charlton Heston and Kathy Jurado. Robert Young, who formerly operated drive-in theatres in Colorado was the proprietor of the enterprise which was located on South 5th Street at Irwin. The theatre included speakers to accommodate 200 cars with room to grow. There was a building which housed the projection equipment, snack bar and washrooms. The 85’x40’ screen accommodated the wide cinemascope pictures.
The Tonto’s final ad in the twice-a-week Winslow Mail was on Sept. 11, 1985, showing “European Vacation” and “Summer Rental.” It included a note “Rialto opens Friday”, so the switchover to the indoor theater happened after the Tonto’s last night on Sept. 12, 1985.
A reminiscent note in the Jan. 3, 1986 Mail included, “We took the boys to the Tonto Drive-In Theater. The best speakers were still up front. “The movie never starts on time,” Phyllis predicted to the boys. “Twenty minutes after it is supposed to start, everyone will honk their horns and then it will start.” Her memories of 1963 (Troy Donahue & Sandra Dee in A Summer Place) prove absolutely reliable predictors for 1985 (Richard Pryor in The Toy). She also predicted that at least one train would pass by in the middle of the movie. There were two. Progress, I suppose.”
(Flagstaff) Arizona Daily Sun, Dec. 3, 1954: “The Rodeo Drive-in movie was shaken but undamaged by an explosion yesterday. Similar explosions have damaged other Tucson theaters owned by Hugh Downe and Wes Becker, owners of the Rodeo.”
(Flagstaff) Arizona Daily Sun, June 20, 1980: “BISBEE - a Cochise County grand jury has returned indictments in connection with the showing of sexually-oriented films by a Douglas drive-in theater. The indictments named Spring-Wick Corp. of Phoenix, owners Tom Springer and Bruce Wicks, and Hector Delgadillo of Douglas, manager of the Fort Apache Drive-In. They were charged with public display of explicit sexual materials. The indictments Thursday stemmed from the showing of two X-rated films, "Screwpies” and “The Coming of Angels.”
The Mt. Elden’s last show was Sunday, Oct. 9, 1977, when it showed “Eat My Dust” and “Thunder and Lightning.”
“Low and medium resolution images of photographs and textual material from Cline Library’s Colorado Plateau Digital Collections are always freely available by using the download or print icon in the upper right hand corner of the item record. The only requirement is that you properly credit the item, as described below and in our image use policy.”
Kingman, 1968. NAU.PH.85.3.210.114. Fronske Studio. Special Collections and Archives, Cline Library, Northern Arizona University.