Motion Picture Exhibitor, June 20, 1962: “Esther Ruenes has announced that construction has started at San Benito, Tex., on a new drive-in which will be named the Juarez.”
Please add a “96 Drive-In” to the previous names here.
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Oct. 15, 1969: “Highland Theatres, headed by Carlin Smith and Russ Berry, has acquired the 96 Drive-In, Pueblo, Colo., formerly operated by Homer Hibbits. Highland has closed the operation for extensive remodeling and will reopen it in the spring under a new policy under the management of Joe Davis, who also operates two other drive-ins in that city for Highland.”
Huh! I’m pretty sure of that Motion Picture Daily date, matching when Fox Intermountain had to divest a bunch of theaters. So did Piazza lose the Fox for a while, or is the following magazine note screwy?
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Oct. 15, 1969: “Upon reopening the Fox, Walsenburg, Colo., which he recently acquired, Frank Piazza will close the Trails Drive-In for the winter.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, July 20, 1966: “(J. S. Worley’s) remodeling of the Texas has been completed and the reopening held on July 1, followed by an open house on July 3 and the formal opening on Independence Day.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, July 20, 1966: “I. B. Adelman reopened the Casa View D-I. The theatre has been closed for some time and was remodeled for the reopening. The reopening of the Casa View raises to three the number of movie houses operated (in Dallas) by Adelman. The other two are the Delman and the South Loop D-I.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, July 20, 1966: “The mountain-midwest division of Fox West Coast Theatres Corporation has assumed management of the Rocket Drive-In, Salina, Kans. … Fred Souttar, midwest district manager, has named Richard Gier to manage the newly-acquired drive-in.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Jan. 13, 1965: “The Peerless, Holyoke, Colo., recently acquired by Chad and Kay De Castro, was opened in time for the holidays.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Jan. 18, 1967: “The Frels circuit … purchased the Cuero D-I from Video (Independent Theatres) and will make a number of improvements prior to its reopening next summer.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 15, 1965: “O. L. Smith is back in the harness after being out of the theatre business for some 17 months. He took over the Alamo Theatre and the Long Horn Drive-In in Marlow January 1. Both were badly run down so Smith closed the Alamo Monday (8) for four days to renovate it.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 15, 1965: “O. L. Smith is back in the harness after being out of the theatre business for some 17 months. He took over the Alamo Theatre and the Long Horn Drive-In in Marlow January 1. Both were badly run down so Smith closed the Alamo Monday (8) for four days to renovate it. He said that if he opens the Long Horn, it probably will be late in the spring.”
Perhaps “A. W. Cook” passed away soon after he helped purchase the Sunrise and rename it the Thunderbird. From the Theatres For Sale column in the classifieds in the April 17, 1964 issue of Boxoffice: “Large Florida Drive-Ins: Ft. Lauderdale, 700 cars; … Death of partner forces sale. … Call Henn Thunderbird Drive-In, (phone number), Ft. Lauderdale, nights.”
Looks like this drive-in may have started its life even earlier as the Sunrise. I ran across this note in Motion Picture Exhibitor, Dec. 18, 1963: “A. W. Cook and Preston Henn have taken over the Sunrise Drive-In, Fort Lauderdale, and have renamed it the Thunderbird.”
There’s a Sunrise listed for Fort Lauderdale in the 1957-76(!) editions of Motion Picture Almanac. It had a capacity of 500 and was owned by Bailey Theatre. When the MPA finally rebooted its drive-in list in 1977, the Sunrise was gone, replaced by the Thunderbird Twin, owned by P.B. Henn.
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Feb. 1, 1967: “Mid-America Theatres has just purchased the Waring Drive-In, Carbondale, Ill., and is changing the name to Campus Drive-In.”
All my old reference books had the Starlite under Potosi, which is also how the St. Louis Post-Dispatch described it in 2002. Anyway…
The 1953-54 Theatre Catalog included the Starlite, capacity 300, owner Harry Blount.
The Starlet (sic) Drive-In first appeared in the Motion Picture Almanac in the 1953-54 edition, capacity 228, owned by H. F. Blount, and that’s the way it stayed through the MPA’s autopilot period. When the MPA list rebooted in 1977, it showed the Starlite, capacity 200, owned by Mercille. In 1983 it changed to a twin, still owned by Mercille, and that’s how the MPA had it through its final annual list in 1988.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on Feb. 22, 2002 that Wehrenberg Inc. had sold the North Twin to a real estate developer that week. It also mentioned that it was in Jennings, and (as Kyle Muldrow noted above) was the last active drive-in theater in St. Louis County.
Based on its ads in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Airway’s final night was Sunday, Nov. 2, 1986. The movies were Trick or Treat, Maximum Overdrive, Sky Bandits, and Teen Wolf. It “closed for the season” but never reopened. Several redevelopment plans came and went before the site was demolished in 1992.
To be precise, this was in the Better Theatres Section of the Sept. 3, 1955 issue of Motion Picture Herald, credited to Arteaga Photos, St. Louis. Since MPH apparently didn’t renew its copyright, that version of the photo might be in the public domain.
This photo ran in the Better Theatres section of both the Sept. 3, 1955 and the March 24, 1956 issues of Motion Picture Herald. The former credited the photography to Arteaga Photos, St. Louis. The caption: “The cafeteria of the Holiday drive-in, St. Louis, placed adjacent to the entrance of the theatre so that it may be operated during the daytime, has chairs and tables for 50 persons in the front section facing the screen, which is glassed-in.”
TinEye.com found this photo at ChicagosExtinctBusinesses.com (Internet Archive saved version) a little while before you posted this, DavidZornig. Its caption said it was of “4 Screen Drive-In Theatre in Riverdale, IL. Opened in June 16, 1950.” The grand opening ad next to it called it the world’s only 4 Screen Drive-In, and since the St. Ann was mention as the second, it probably looked a lot like this.
Boxoffice, Feb. 28, 1977: “Staffers of the Cass County Drive-In dressed in formal attire and drove around town in a borrowed airport limousine handing out passes good during "Employees' Week.” Balloons were give to the youngsters by the Commonwealth airer personnel."
Boxoffice, Sept. 23, 1950: “One of the most unusual drive-ins we had seen was Baker’s Air Park near Burlington, operated by D. S. Baker. The outdoor house has a complete park with swimming, a picnic area, cabins, and even an airport located across the road. Baker sends a plane up with banners to advertise the shows. The drive-in also has a restaurant, which opens at 9 a. m. and remains open until midnight. It is located at the back of the theatre and the owners plan an enclosed patio on top of the concessions building from which patronage can see the show while dining. The screen tower of the drive-in is mounted on two live Sycamore trees. A moonglow lighting system has been added and Baker said it increased business. The drive-in charges $1 per car plus federal tax at all times, making the total $1.20 per car, regardless of the number of passengers.”
The June 9, 1951 issue of Boxoffice had a lengthy article stating that the St. Ann had opened on June 2. It cost $300,000 and had been under construction for nine months. Lewis Eugene Wilson of Los Angeles was the architect. Two sets of projectors with mirrored lenses served the four screens. The playgrounds included a coal-burning steam train that ran over 1600 feet of track.
Bosco’s story wasn’t unique. The June 9, 1951 issue of Boxoffice had a six-paragraph story about the escape and recapture of Gorgeous George, a three-foot, 60-pound monkey. George, who “may be a baboon,” was finally cornered in a barn about a mile from the drive-in.
Motion Picture Exhibitor, June 20, 1962: “Esther Ruenes has announced that construction has started at San Benito, Tex., on a new drive-in which will be named the Juarez.”
Please add a “96 Drive-In” to the previous names here.
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Oct. 15, 1969: “Highland Theatres, headed by Carlin Smith and Russ Berry, has acquired the 96 Drive-In, Pueblo, Colo., formerly operated by Homer Hibbits. Highland has closed the operation for extensive remodeling and will reopen it in the spring under a new policy under the management of Joe Davis, who also operates two other drive-ins in that city for Highland.”
Huh! I’m pretty sure of that Motion Picture Daily date, matching when Fox Intermountain had to divest a bunch of theaters. So did Piazza lose the Fox for a while, or is the following magazine note screwy?
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Oct. 15, 1969: “Upon reopening the Fox, Walsenburg, Colo., which he recently acquired, Frank Piazza will close the Trails Drive-In for the winter.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, July 20, 1966: “(J. S. Worley’s) remodeling of the Texas has been completed and the reopening held on July 1, followed by an open house on July 3 and the formal opening on Independence Day.”
I’m guessing this was the same drive-in, since the 1977 Motion Picture Almanac listed only the “Rebel Twin” for Carrollton.
Motion Picture Exhibitor, July 20, 1966: “The employes of the Rebel D-I which recently opened at Carrollton wear rebel uniforms while on duty.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, July 20, 1966: “I. B. Adelman reopened the Casa View D-I. The theatre has been closed for some time and was remodeled for the reopening. The reopening of the Casa View raises to three the number of movie houses operated (in Dallas) by Adelman. The other two are the Delman and the South Loop D-I.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, July 20, 1966: “The mountain-midwest division of Fox West Coast Theatres Corporation has assumed management of the Rocket Drive-In, Salina, Kans. … Fred Souttar, midwest district manager, has named Richard Gier to manage the newly-acquired drive-in.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Jan. 13, 1965: “The Peerless, Holyoke, Colo., recently acquired by Chad and Kay De Castro, was opened in time for the holidays.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Jan. 18, 1967: “The Frels circuit … purchased the Cuero D-I from Video (Independent Theatres) and will make a number of improvements prior to its reopening next summer.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 15, 1965: “O. L. Smith is back in the harness after being out of the theatre business for some 17 months. He took over the Alamo Theatre and the Long Horn Drive-In in Marlow January 1. Both were badly run down so Smith closed the Alamo Monday (8) for four days to renovate it.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 15, 1965: “O. L. Smith is back in the harness after being out of the theatre business for some 17 months. He took over the Alamo Theatre and the Long Horn Drive-In in Marlow January 1. Both were badly run down so Smith closed the Alamo Monday (8) for four days to renovate it. He said that if he opens the Long Horn, it probably will be late in the spring.”
Perhaps “A. W. Cook” passed away soon after he helped purchase the Sunrise and rename it the Thunderbird. From the Theatres For Sale column in the classifieds in the April 17, 1964 issue of Boxoffice: “Large Florida Drive-Ins: Ft. Lauderdale, 700 cars; … Death of partner forces sale. … Call Henn Thunderbird Drive-In, (phone number), Ft. Lauderdale, nights.”
Looks like this drive-in may have started its life even earlier as the Sunrise. I ran across this note in Motion Picture Exhibitor, Dec. 18, 1963: “A. W. Cook and Preston Henn have taken over the Sunrise Drive-In, Fort Lauderdale, and have renamed it the Thunderbird.”
There’s a Sunrise listed for Fort Lauderdale in the 1957-76(!) editions of Motion Picture Almanac. It had a capacity of 500 and was owned by Bailey Theatre. When the MPA finally rebooted its drive-in list in 1977, the Sunrise was gone, replaced by the Thunderbird Twin, owned by P.B. Henn.
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Feb. 1, 1967: “Mid-America Theatres has just purchased the Waring Drive-In, Carbondale, Ill., and is changing the name to Campus Drive-In.”
All my old reference books had the Starlite under Potosi, which is also how the St. Louis Post-Dispatch described it in 2002. Anyway…
The 1953-54 Theatre Catalog included the Starlite, capacity 300, owner Harry Blount.
The Starlet (sic) Drive-In first appeared in the Motion Picture Almanac in the 1953-54 edition, capacity 228, owned by H. F. Blount, and that’s the way it stayed through the MPA’s autopilot period. When the MPA list rebooted in 1977, it showed the Starlite, capacity 200, owned by Mercille. In 1983 it changed to a twin, still owned by Mercille, and that’s how the MPA had it through its final annual list in 1988.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on Feb. 22, 2002 that Wehrenberg Inc. had sold the North Twin to a real estate developer that week. It also mentioned that it was in Jennings, and (as Kyle Muldrow noted above) was the last active drive-in theater in St. Louis County.
Based on its ads in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Airway’s final night was Sunday, Nov. 2, 1986. The movies were Trick or Treat, Maximum Overdrive, Sky Bandits, and Teen Wolf. It “closed for the season” but never reopened. Several redevelopment plans came and went before the site was demolished in 1992.
To be precise, this was in the Better Theatres Section of the Sept. 3, 1955 issue of Motion Picture Herald, credited to Arteaga Photos, St. Louis. Since MPH apparently didn’t renew its copyright, that version of the photo might be in the public domain.
This photo ran in the Better Theatres section of both the Sept. 3, 1955 and the March 24, 1956 issues of Motion Picture Herald. The former credited the photography to Arteaga Photos, St. Louis. The caption: “The cafeteria of the Holiday drive-in, St. Louis, placed adjacent to the entrance of the theatre so that it may be operated during the daytime, has chairs and tables for 50 persons in the front section facing the screen, which is glassed-in.”
TinEye.com found this photo at ChicagosExtinctBusinesses.com (Internet Archive saved version) a little while before you posted this, DavidZornig. Its caption said it was of “4 Screen Drive-In Theatre in Riverdale, IL. Opened in June 16, 1950.” The grand opening ad next to it called it the world’s only 4 Screen Drive-In, and since the St. Ann was mention as the second, it probably looked a lot like this.
The ad the next day looked the same except “OPENS TONIGHT” at the top. Note that it was promoting its miniature train from the start.
Boxoffice, Feb. 28, 1977: “Staffers of the Cass County Drive-In dressed in formal attire and drove around town in a borrowed airport limousine handing out passes good during "Employees' Week.” Balloons were give to the youngsters by the Commonwealth airer personnel."
Boxoffice, Sept. 23, 1950: “One of the most unusual drive-ins we had seen was Baker’s Air Park near Burlington, operated by D. S. Baker. The outdoor house has a complete park with swimming, a picnic area, cabins, and even an airport located across the road. Baker sends a plane up with banners to advertise the shows. The drive-in also has a restaurant, which opens at 9 a. m. and remains open until midnight. It is located at the back of the theatre and the owners plan an enclosed patio on top of the concessions building from which patronage can see the show while dining. The screen tower of the drive-in is mounted on two live Sycamore trees. A moonglow lighting system has been added and Baker said it increased business. The drive-in charges $1 per car plus federal tax at all times, making the total $1.20 per car, regardless of the number of passengers.”
The June 9, 1951 issue of Boxoffice had a lengthy article stating that the St. Ann had opened on June 2. It cost $300,000 and had been under construction for nine months. Lewis Eugene Wilson of Los Angeles was the architect. Two sets of projectors with mirrored lenses served the four screens. The playgrounds included a coal-burning steam train that ran over 1600 feet of track.
Bosco’s story wasn’t unique. The June 9, 1951 issue of Boxoffice had a six-paragraph story about the escape and recapture of Gorgeous George, a three-foot, 60-pound monkey. George, who “may be a baboon,” was finally cornered in a barn about a mile from the drive-in.