Thanks to various angles, Google Street View images show that all four screens were still there in May 2015, the screens were gone but a swap meet was active in August 2017, but the entire site had been razed by February 2020.
Google Maps says that the Edwards site is adjacent to Irwindale but technically in a census-designated place called Mayflower Village, which is east of Arcadia. No, I take that back - the Edwards would have been adjacent to Irwindale except for a 100-foot-wide thread (along the old alignment of Peck Road) of Monrovia to a chunk of land south of Live Oak Ave.
The Theatre Catalog listed the Edwards under Arcadia. (The Motion Picture Almanac put it under Los Angeles, which might have been its shorthand for LA County.) Although the site is closer to Irwindale, I’d say that Arcadia is probably the best place to list it.
Hey kencmcintyre, thanks for the Torrance Library link!
But the Harbor site was apparently never in Torrance, though that is the Zip Code for the post office that would deliver its mail today. First there’s a half-mile wide tendril of Los Angeles sits between the old drive-in and Torrance. According to Google Maps, the Harbor is east of that part of LA and west of Carson, so it sits in a small census-designated place (CDP), appropriately called West Carson.
The Theatre Catalog and Motion Picture Almanac both listed the Harbor under Los Angeles. Topo maps from 1953 & 1959 put the Harbor in unincorporated space, again across the LA tendril from Torrance. The 1966 & 1975 topos show Carson extending north of the drive-in site, which is still untouched. The 1982 maps shows the area in a small blob of territory - part of Ironsides? Is that a neighborhood or another CDP or something?
If I had to choose, I’d list the Harbor under Los Angeles. In the drive-in’s heyday, it was closer to Torrance than Carson, but it was closer still to the Los Angeles tendril.
Same drive-in? Boxoffice, July 6, 1959: “Art Drielsma, architect, was in Lompoc supervising the early opening of the Lompoc Drive-In for Metropolitan Theatres.”
Yes, that was the Valley. “The Valley Drive-In Theatre was completed and opened in August 1959. The new drive-in theatre was built to accommodate 850 cars, with a 50 x 100 ft. CinemaScope Screen, an up-to-date lounge and snack bar and a playground for the children at a cost of $350,000. Wm. J. McDougall managed both the Drive-in theatre and the Lompoc theatre.” That’s from the Summer 1985 issue of the Lompoc Legacy (pdf), published by the Lompoc Valley Historical Society.
Here’s what I know so far about Indio’s drive-in(s).
Boxoffice wrote on Jan. 14, 1950 that a construction permit “for erection of a drive-in on Route 111 four miles west of here has been issued by the county planning commission to R. C. and Anita H. Jones, and construction has been started.” Two months later, Boxoffice reported that Frank Millan had been “appointed manager of the new Indio Drive-In, operated by Reg Jones and associates”. I’ve been unable to find any trace of a drive-in on Route 111 west of Indio.
As noted above, Boxoffice said that the Coachella Drive-In opened (for the season?) in April 1952. The LA Times reported on Dec. 30, 1952 that Desert Valley Theaters and F. & E. Theaters had bought the “Coachella Valley Drive-in Theater” in Indio. The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog included the “Coachello (sic) Valley”, owner by F and E Th. Co.
On Oct. 13, 1956, Boxoffice wrote, “Charles Maestri, film buyer, and Dan Pavich, booker, both of Lippert Theatres in San Francisco … conferred with E. Van Grotel, manager of the Indio Drive-In”. But the Motion Picture Almanac continued to label Indio’s drive-in as the Coachella into the late 1960s.
In March 1976, manager E. Van Gortel announced that the Indio would be twinned, with viewing fields holding 450 and 375 cars.
In June 1981, the Indio drive-in included in movie round-up ads was the “Kay Donna Drive-In”. In November 1982, the Carlsbad-based College Theatre Corp. announced that it had closed the Kay-Donna, effective Nov. 3. The drive-in was part of a bankruptcy sale the next year.
As noted above, Sterling Recreation Organization purchased and renamed the drive-in; the Indio Twin’s grand opening ad came in the March 24, 1984 issue of the Desert Sun. And two more glimpses from that newspaper:
Desert Sun, Sept. 22, 1987: “A proposed change in ownership in the Indio Drive-In Theater will come before the Planning Commission … Columbia Theater Co. of Bellevue, Wash., wants to transfer ownership to Sang Suk You, Kun Nyo You and Kyung Choon Lee of Los Angeles.”
Desert Sun, Feb. 19, 1990: “Fire Sunday (18) caused nearly $220,000 damage to an abandoned building at the Indio Drive-In Theater at 83-791 Date Ave., officials said. The two-story building was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived in response to a 11:55 a.m. call … The cause of the fire has been labeled suspicious … Homeless people frequently used the building as shelter … The theater is not in use.” Maybe this was the source of Calderon_123’s paranormal tinglings?
There were very few references to the Coachella / Coachella Valley Drive-In, mostly from annual lists. Did Reg Jones give up on the western site and open the Indio where it existed into the 1980s? Was it renamed the Coachella, or was the original Indio stillborn? If anyone ever gets access to old Indio newspapers, I’d bet they’d find the answers to those questions.
Boxoffice, June 18, 1965: “INDIO, CALIF. - Robert L. Lippert, E. Van Gortel and the Indio Co., owners of the Aladdin and Desert theatres and the Indio Drive-In here, have purchased three additional theatres in Blythe … Van Gortel, spokesman for the local company, said two indoor houses and a drive-in were acquired from Bob Dunnigan, owner of the Blythe properties since 1933.”
Boxoffice, June 18, 1965: “INDIO, CALIF. - Robert L. Lippert, E. Van Gortel and the Indio Co., owners of the Aladdin and Desert theatres and the Indio Drive-In here, have purchased … two (theaters) in Parker, Ariz. … The Parker properties, purchased from C. Corneal, consist of a theatre and a drive-in.”
Boxoffice, June 28, 1965: “ALBUQUERQUE - Strong winds in central New Mexico damaged the screen of the Route 25 Drive-In here. Owner Carl Halberg reported the screen was pushed backward and ripped badly. Patrons were given refunds. No other outdoor theatre in Albuquerque reported damage.”
Google Maps doesn’t like CT’s current address for the Hemacinto site, which still has the faint outline of ramps visible from the air. 1940 S San Jacinto Ave puts the arrow in the middle of the viewing field. Or you can point at the Sonic immediately north of it (1810) or the Wendy’s directly across the street (1841).
This site has a Gardena post office address, so the 90248 plant handles any mail there. But it’s not in Gardena, or even all that close.
A 1939 topo map shows the future Twin-Vue completely within the half-mile wide arm of Los Angeles that reaches south to San Pedro. It’s on the eastern edge of the arm, making it about a half-mile away from Gardena. Ditto for the 1952 & 1957 topo maps. The 1965 map (the first to indicate the drive-in) carves out the Twin-Vue to Los Angeles County, albeit surrounded on three sides by the city of LA’s peninsula. Ditto 1975 & 1982.
The current City of Gardena’s presumably official City Boundaries Map concurs for the most part. It shows the old drive-in site completely within the LA peninsula at its eastern edge.
Either the Twin-Vue was in Los Angeles, or it was on county land bordering Los Angeles. When I write about the drive-in, LA is the city I’ll be using for its location.
Motion Picture Herald, Oct. 18, 1952: “Gale Santocono has been commissioned to design a 500-car drive-in about a mile north of Garberville for A. E. Vann and B. B. Byard.” (At the time, the two also owned the indoor Garberville in Garberville.)
Independent Film Journal, May 2, 1953: “Shearer installed 3-D equipment for May openings at the following drive-ins: … A. E. Van & B. B. Byard’s 101 at Garberville”
Motion Picture Herald, July 25, 1953: “B. B. Baird opened his new drive-in at Garberville, July 17.”
Like Kenmore, I can’t find any good candidates in Historic Aerials' grainy 1968 aerial photos. But the drive-in was north of town on Highway 101, which in 1952 followed today’s Redwood Drive toward Redway. How about today’s Caltrans Garberville Maintenance Station on the west side of the road? That location, roughly 1330 Redwood Dr, Garberville, CA 95542, is a large enough cleared area in 1968 to have been a 450-car drive-in. Maybe.
Boxoffice, March 11, 1950: “DELANO, CALIF. – Frank and August Panero, owners of the new drive-in slated to open here March 15, plan to erect other ozoners in Selma and Shafter, Calif. The Paneros head the Valley Drive-In Theatre Co., Delano. Capacity of the local drive-in is 520 cars, while the Selma and Shafter open-airers will have capacities of 320. Total building cost is estimated at $160,000. Shafter and Delano are in Kern county, while Selma is in Fresno county.”
Boxoffice, June 17, 1950: (scheduled to open in June) “Delano – Del Mac, 520 cars, Valley Drive-In Theatre Co.”
Boxoffice, July 15, 1950: (opened 1950 list) “Del-Mac, 520, Valley Drive-In Co.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 5, 1950: “DELANO, CALIF. – The new Del-Mac Drive-In about one mile south of here on Route 99, has been opened by Frank Panero and his two sons August and Ernest. Located on a 20-acre tract between Delano and McFarland, the Del-Mac has accommodations for 440 cars. The screen tower is 78 feet high, and it supports 44x60-feet scree. The Paneros will open another new drive-in near Shafter before the end of August. Jim Stephenson of Delano is manager of the Del-Mac ozoner.”
Boxoffice, March 10, 1951: “Kirby H. Bezzo has been appointed manager of the McFarland Theatre, to succeed Cal Boggus who has taken over the management of the Del-Ma Drive-In, between (McFarland) and Delano.”
Theatre Catalog, 1952: “Del-Mac D. I., Box 905. Exec: Panero Th. Co., Room 700-A, 25 Taylor St., San Francisco. (400)”
According to Google Maps' city limits drawings, the Harbor site is actually in Chula Vista. Between 4th Avenue and San Diego Bay on the north side of the Sweetwater River, the Harbor’s outline is uniquely carved away from National City and retained by its neighbor to the south. Somebody did that on purpose.
Google Maps also uses National City as the site’s current mailing address, which means only that the 91950 post office services the site.
As william lewis pointed out, the South Chester was at the other intersection of South Chester Blvd/Ave and US 99, the one on “the opposite side of town”, as Boxoffice put it. And mostly confirming jwmovies' note, I’d place the drive-in at the current feed and pet supply store there, at 3909 S Chester Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93307.
The Dispatch (Moline IL), March 28, 1970: “Davenport’s Bel Air Drive-in movie theater, first in the Quad-City region when it was built, was sold yesterday. National Amusements, Inc., owner of the Memri, Semri and Oasis drive-in theaters in the Quad-Cities, bought the Bel Air from Allen-Franklin Theater Corp. The Bel-Air opened in 1945 at the location in the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds complex.”
Photo by Werner Weiss, from the Werner Weiss Collection, available on Flickr. There are no known copyright restrictions on this image. All future uses of this photo should include the courtesy line, ‘Photo courtesy Orange County Archives.’"
From the Werner Weiss Collection, available on Flickr. “There are no known copyright restrictions on this image. All future uses of this photo should include the courtesy line, ‘Photo courtesy Orange County Archives.’”
Available on Flickr. “There are no known copyright restrictions on this image. All future uses of this photo should include the courtesy line, ‘Photo courtesy Orange County Archives.’”
Photo from the Werner Weiss Collection, available on Flickr. “There are no known copyright restrictions on this image. All future uses of this photo should include the courtesy line, ‘Photo courtesy Orange County Archives.’”
The Exhibitor, Dec. 3, 1952: “The new Lariat Drive-In has been opened at Kermit, Tex., by Kermit Theatres, owned by Video Theatres, Inc. The drive-in has a 466-car capacity, and will be managed by Jack Peercy. Frank Love, manager, Kermit Theatres, handled the opening ceremonies.”
Aerial photos show the 1823 Mission Avenue drive-in by 1953, then redeveloped between 1978 and 1980.
And this ad from 1948 shows that back then, it was advertising as the Mission Drive-In.
Looks like this drive-in was first proposed as the Midway. Note that the artist’s drawing is an exact match for the eventual Big Sky aerial photo.
Thanks to various angles, Google Street View images show that all four screens were still there in May 2015, the screens were gone but a swap meet was active in August 2017, but the entire site had been razed by February 2020.
Theatre Catalog, 1952 & 1955-56: “Midway D. I., Fall Brook Rd. Exec: Midway Entr. Inc., 4025 Lankershim Blvd., N. Hollywood. (508)”
Google Maps says that the Edwards site is adjacent to Irwindale but technically in a census-designated place called Mayflower Village, which is east of Arcadia. No, I take that back - the Edwards would have been adjacent to Irwindale except for a 100-foot-wide thread (along the old alignment of Peck Road) of Monrovia to a chunk of land south of Live Oak Ave.
The Theatre Catalog listed the Edwards under Arcadia. (The Motion Picture Almanac put it under Los Angeles, which might have been its shorthand for LA County.) Although the site is closer to Irwindale, I’d say that Arcadia is probably the best place to list it.
Hey kencmcintyre, thanks for the Torrance Library link!
But the Harbor site was apparently never in Torrance, though that is the Zip Code for the post office that would deliver its mail today. First there’s a half-mile wide tendril of Los Angeles sits between the old drive-in and Torrance. According to Google Maps, the Harbor is east of that part of LA and west of Carson, so it sits in a small census-designated place (CDP), appropriately called West Carson.
The Theatre Catalog and Motion Picture Almanac both listed the Harbor under Los Angeles. Topo maps from 1953 & 1959 put the Harbor in unincorporated space, again across the LA tendril from Torrance. The 1966 & 1975 topos show Carson extending north of the drive-in site, which is still untouched. The 1982 maps shows the area in a small blob of territory - part of Ironsides? Is that a neighborhood or another CDP or something?
If I had to choose, I’d list the Harbor under Los Angeles. In the drive-in’s heyday, it was closer to Torrance than Carson, but it was closer still to the Los Angeles tendril.
Same drive-in? Boxoffice, July 6, 1959: “Art Drielsma, architect, was in Lompoc supervising the early opening of the Lompoc Drive-In for Metropolitan Theatres.”
Yes, that was the Valley. “The Valley Drive-In Theatre was completed and opened in August 1959. The new drive-in theatre was built to accommodate 850 cars, with a 50 x 100 ft. CinemaScope Screen, an up-to-date lounge and snack bar and a playground for the children at a cost of $350,000. Wm. J. McDougall managed both the Drive-in theatre and the Lompoc theatre.” That’s from the Summer 1985 issue of the Lompoc Legacy (pdf), published by the Lompoc Valley Historical Society.
Here’s what I know so far about Indio’s drive-in(s).
Boxoffice wrote on Jan. 14, 1950 that a construction permit “for erection of a drive-in on Route 111 four miles west of here has been issued by the county planning commission to R. C. and Anita H. Jones, and construction has been started.” Two months later, Boxoffice reported that Frank Millan had been “appointed manager of the new Indio Drive-In, operated by Reg Jones and associates”. I’ve been unable to find any trace of a drive-in on Route 111 west of Indio.
As noted above, Boxoffice said that the Coachella Drive-In opened (for the season?) in April 1952. The LA Times reported on Dec. 30, 1952 that Desert Valley Theaters and F. & E. Theaters had bought the “Coachella Valley Drive-in Theater” in Indio. The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog included the “Coachello (sic) Valley”, owner by F and E Th. Co.
On Oct. 13, 1956, Boxoffice wrote, “Charles Maestri, film buyer, and Dan Pavich, booker, both of Lippert Theatres in San Francisco … conferred with E. Van Grotel, manager of the Indio Drive-In”. But the Motion Picture Almanac continued to label Indio’s drive-in as the Coachella into the late 1960s.
In March 1976, manager E. Van Gortel announced that the Indio would be twinned, with viewing fields holding 450 and 375 cars.
In June 1981, the Indio drive-in included in movie round-up ads was the “Kay Donna Drive-In”. In November 1982, the Carlsbad-based College Theatre Corp. announced that it had closed the Kay-Donna, effective Nov. 3. The drive-in was part of a bankruptcy sale the next year.
As noted above, Sterling Recreation Organization purchased and renamed the drive-in; the Indio Twin’s grand opening ad came in the March 24, 1984 issue of the Desert Sun. And two more glimpses from that newspaper:
Desert Sun, Sept. 22, 1987: “A proposed change in ownership in the Indio Drive-In Theater will come before the Planning Commission … Columbia Theater Co. of Bellevue, Wash., wants to transfer ownership to Sang Suk You, Kun Nyo You and Kyung Choon Lee of Los Angeles.”
Desert Sun, Feb. 19, 1990: “Fire Sunday (18) caused nearly $220,000 damage to an abandoned building at the Indio Drive-In Theater at 83-791 Date Ave., officials said. The two-story building was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived in response to a 11:55 a.m. call … The cause of the fire has been labeled suspicious … Homeless people frequently used the building as shelter … The theater is not in use.” Maybe this was the source of Calderon_123’s paranormal tinglings?
There were very few references to the Coachella / Coachella Valley Drive-In, mostly from annual lists. Did Reg Jones give up on the western site and open the Indio where it existed into the 1980s? Was it renamed the Coachella, or was the original Indio stillborn? If anyone ever gets access to old Indio newspapers, I’d bet they’d find the answers to those questions.
Boxoffice, June 18, 1965: “INDIO, CALIF. - Robert L. Lippert, E. Van Gortel and the Indio Co., owners of the Aladdin and Desert theatres and the Indio Drive-In here, have purchased three additional theatres in Blythe … Van Gortel, spokesman for the local company, said two indoor houses and a drive-in were acquired from Bob Dunnigan, owner of the Blythe properties since 1933.”
Boxoffice, June 18, 1965: “INDIO, CALIF. - Robert L. Lippert, E. Van Gortel and the Indio Co., owners of the Aladdin and Desert theatres and the Indio Drive-In here, have purchased … two (theaters) in Parker, Ariz. … The Parker properties, purchased from C. Corneal, consist of a theatre and a drive-in.”
Boxoffice, June 28, 1965: “ALBUQUERQUE - Strong winds in central New Mexico damaged the screen of the Route 25 Drive-In here. Owner Carl Halberg reported the screen was pushed backward and ripped badly. Patrons were given refunds. No other outdoor theatre in Albuquerque reported damage.”
Google Maps doesn’t like CT’s current address for the Hemacinto site, which still has the faint outline of ramps visible from the air. 1940 S San Jacinto Ave puts the arrow in the middle of the viewing field. Or you can point at the Sonic immediately north of it (1810) or the Wendy’s directly across the street (1841).
This site has a Gardena post office address, so the 90248 plant handles any mail there. But it’s not in Gardena, or even all that close.
A 1939 topo map shows the future Twin-Vue completely within the half-mile wide arm of Los Angeles that reaches south to San Pedro. It’s on the eastern edge of the arm, making it about a half-mile away from Gardena. Ditto for the 1952 & 1957 topo maps. The 1965 map (the first to indicate the drive-in) carves out the Twin-Vue to Los Angeles County, albeit surrounded on three sides by the city of LA’s peninsula. Ditto 1975 & 1982.
The current City of Gardena’s presumably official City Boundaries Map concurs for the most part. It shows the old drive-in site completely within the LA peninsula at its eastern edge.
Either the Twin-Vue was in Los Angeles, or it was on county land bordering Los Angeles. When I write about the drive-in, LA is the city I’ll be using for its location.
Motion Picture Herald, Oct. 18, 1952: “Gale Santocono has been commissioned to design a 500-car drive-in about a mile north of Garberville for A. E. Vann and B. B. Byard.” (At the time, the two also owned the indoor Garberville in Garberville.)
Independent Film Journal, May 2, 1953: “Shearer installed 3-D equipment for May openings at the following drive-ins: … A. E. Van & B. B. Byard’s 101 at Garberville”
Motion Picture Herald, July 25, 1953: “B. B. Baird opened his new drive-in at Garberville, July 17.”
Like Kenmore, I can’t find any good candidates in Historic Aerials' grainy 1968 aerial photos. But the drive-in was north of town on Highway 101, which in 1952 followed today’s Redwood Drive toward Redway. How about today’s Caltrans Garberville Maintenance Station on the west side of the road? That location, roughly 1330 Redwood Dr, Garberville, CA 95542, is a large enough cleared area in 1968 to have been a 450-car drive-in. Maybe.
Boxoffice, March 11, 1950: “DELANO, CALIF. – Frank and August Panero, owners of the new drive-in slated to open here March 15, plan to erect other ozoners in Selma and Shafter, Calif. The Paneros head the Valley Drive-In Theatre Co., Delano. Capacity of the local drive-in is 520 cars, while the Selma and Shafter open-airers will have capacities of 320. Total building cost is estimated at $160,000. Shafter and Delano are in Kern county, while Selma is in Fresno county.”
Boxoffice, June 17, 1950: (scheduled to open in June) “Delano – Del Mac, 520 cars, Valley Drive-In Theatre Co.”
Boxoffice, July 15, 1950: (opened 1950 list) “Del-Mac, 520, Valley Drive-In Co.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 5, 1950: “DELANO, CALIF. – The new Del-Mac Drive-In about one mile south of here on Route 99, has been opened by Frank Panero and his two sons August and Ernest. Located on a 20-acre tract between Delano and McFarland, the Del-Mac has accommodations for 440 cars. The screen tower is 78 feet high, and it supports 44x60-feet scree. The Paneros will open another new drive-in near Shafter before the end of August. Jim Stephenson of Delano is manager of the Del-Mac ozoner.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 17, 1951: (opened 1950 list) “Del-Mac, Valley Drive-In Co., 520”
Boxoffice, March 10, 1951: “Kirby H. Bezzo has been appointed manager of the McFarland Theatre, to succeed Cal Boggus who has taken over the management of the Del-Ma Drive-In, between (McFarland) and Delano.”
Theatre Catalog, 1952: “Del-Mac D. I., Box 905. Exec: Panero Th. Co., Room 700-A, 25 Taylor St., San Francisco. (400)”
According to Google Maps' city limits drawings, the Harbor site is actually in Chula Vista. Between 4th Avenue and San Diego Bay on the north side of the Sweetwater River, the Harbor’s outline is uniquely carved away from National City and retained by its neighbor to the south. Somebody did that on purpose.
Google Maps also uses National City as the site’s current mailing address, which means only that the 91950 post office services the site.
1952 Theatre Catalog: (under Bostonia) “Aero D. I. Exec: Theatre Service Corp. (570)”
1955-56 Theatre Catalog: (under Bostonia) “Aero D. I. Exec: D. L. Johnson, and Roy Dickson, Theatre Serv. Corp. (570)”
As william lewis pointed out, the South Chester was at the other intersection of South Chester Blvd/Ave and US 99, the one on “the opposite side of town”, as Boxoffice put it. And mostly confirming jwmovies' note, I’d place the drive-in at the current feed and pet supply store there, at 3909 S Chester Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93307.
The Dispatch (Moline IL), March 28, 1970: “Davenport’s Bel Air Drive-in movie theater, first in the Quad-City region when it was built, was sold yesterday. National Amusements, Inc., owner of the Memri, Semri and Oasis drive-in theaters in the Quad-Cities, bought the Bel Air from Allen-Franklin Theater Corp. The Bel-Air opened in 1945 at the location in the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds complex.”
Photo by Werner Weiss, from the Werner Weiss Collection, available on Flickr. There are no known copyright restrictions on this image. All future uses of this photo should include the courtesy line, ‘Photo courtesy Orange County Archives.’"
From the Werner Weiss Collection, available on Flickr. “There are no known copyright restrictions on this image. All future uses of this photo should include the courtesy line, ‘Photo courtesy Orange County Archives.’”
Also available for download on Flickr.
Available on Flickr. “There are no known copyright restrictions on this image. All future uses of this photo should include the courtesy line, ‘Photo courtesy Orange County Archives.’”
Photo from the Werner Weiss Collection, available on Flickr. “There are no known copyright restrictions on this image. All future uses of this photo should include the courtesy line, ‘Photo courtesy Orange County Archives.’”
The Exhibitor, Dec. 3, 1952: “The new Lariat Drive-In has been opened at Kermit, Tex., by Kermit Theatres, owned by Video Theatres, Inc. The drive-in has a 466-car capacity, and will be managed by Jack Peercy. Frank Love, manager, Kermit Theatres, handled the opening ceremonies.”