I saw Billy Jack here with my family. Then went on to shoot a super 8mm student film (Billy Jack) with my 8th grade friends from St. Mary’s Mentor. Sang Oh Moon my Karate instructor from Moon’s Institute of Karate was my
Sensi (7th Degree Black Belt). Great memories. Later on became an usher here working for the Carr Family.
Dave-Bronx I am going to try to find out the answer to your question.(900 -1000 seats?). I saw “Grease” there the summer it came out. At that time it already was twinned.(1977?)
K-Mart was open near by before the Drive in closed that is correct. The super K-Mart was built on the drive in’s property. I have still film photographs and 16mm movies of the drive in.
Dave nice images in your photobucket page of the huge movie houses in the early days of Cinema in Cleveland. I will find the prints and get them scanned and uploaded to you.
Thanks
Remodeling of the 5 plex upgrade. I was an usher at the time in the fall of 1984. Late that fall and early that Winter in 1985 I worked over time on the demolishion crew for the remodeling of the 5 plex. At that time National Theater Corporation upgraded screen #5 to play both 35mm and 70mm releases. “2010” was the our 1st 70mm print played on the new upgraded screen in the #5 auditorium. I know that for sure because Chuck our Manager asked me to assist the projectionist in the booth because the film continued to rip during the 1st few showings. I had to sit on the floor for the remainder of that opening show and hold a plastic roller in my fingers on a pencil to allow the film to twist at another angle to help releave the tension that was causing the film to tear. I have several frames from that print to this day. “Beverly Hills Cop” played for several weeks short of 6 months while I was an usher there. “Witness” that late fall played for over 4 months. “Ghost Busters” played for at least 5 months there. Unpresidented even for that time period. I have several of the original speakers from the single screen’s 1968 opening. Those dated 8ohm speakers play the sound tracks of todays trailers on my Super Simplex
35mm Projector in my basement. I was in Mentor several weeks ago to visit my parents and I drove past the cinema and couldn’t believe the place was closed. I have a number of photos from that time period. I would be happy to upload some of them when the web site allows us to. I hope it does open again. I would love to bring my kids there to see a movie. Thanks for the memories.
I saw my first PG movie on July 4th of 1975 or 1976 whatever summer “JAWS” was released there at the Mentor Mall. I road my orange banana bike up to this new Cinema across the way from the Great Lakes Mall Cinema. I was 13 at the time. I saw the enlarged parking lot from the demolishion just several weeks ago. It brought back many memories of my childhood in the 70’s in Mentor.
Sorry for the many spelling errors. I wish I new how to go back and correct my first two comments made directly above. Spell check would be a great plus for a guest like myself to this site for the 1st time. I tried to upload an image that I own of the Mentor Drive-in but the site’s system is down. Good night.
The address was always call Mentor Avenue throught the 60’s 70’s and 80’s when I live in Mentor. I never heard any one from Mentor High School or Lake Catholic High School call Mentor Avenue Mentor Road. Matter of fact a family member of mine build a fine food establishment called the Avenue on Mentor avenue in the 1990’s. On the opening of the Drive-in in 1950 I would like to see some paper work with with the chamber of commerce. The screen was orginally a flat screen. When the cinemascope picture became popular to compete with the small screens in folks living room the original screen was upgraded. One may be able to research the advent of the cinenarama craze and get an educated guess on what year the huge wide screen was added to the single flat screen Marque with all the neon light display on the front side.
Chuck, I worked as an usher at my home town drive in 1981. Bob Carr and his wife Maureen Carr hired me to both usher and work the consession stand. I was a KSU Photo Illustration student at the time and was able to photograph the drive in. I also had the opportunity to shoot a scene in one of my college student films at Kent in 16mm back in the Spring Semester of 1986. At the time opf the shoot the drive in did not appear to be operating. I also had the chance to work as an usher, ticket booth seller and renovation construction worker at the Great Lakes Cinema in 1984 and 1985. Nation theater Corporation owned the Mentor Drive in at the time. We would make runs and share popcorn with Select theater’s Mentor Drive-in when ever the Drive in was in need. I will try to upload one of my images this week when I get a chance. The Carr’s were the nices people to me. I was quite sad to see the TERRIBLE condition the Mentor was in when I shot my student film there. i HAVE NOTHING BUT GRAT MEMORIES about working there in 1981.
I saw Billy Jack here with my family. Then went on to shoot a super 8mm student film (Billy Jack) with my 8th grade friends from St. Mary’s Mentor. Sang Oh Moon my Karate instructor from Moon’s Institute of Karate was my Sensi (7th Degree Black Belt). Great memories. Later on became an usher here working for the Carr Family.
I saw “Gum Ball Rally” and “Outlaw Josie Whales” there. Yes, I road my orange banana bike there with my friends from St. Mary’s Mentor.
Dave-Bronx I am going to try to find out the answer to your question.(900 -1000 seats?). I saw “Grease” there the summer it came out. At that time it already was twinned.(1977?)
The drive-in closed in 1986.
K-Mart was open near by before the Drive in closed that is correct. The super K-Mart was built on the drive in’s property. I have still film photographs and 16mm movies of the drive in.
I was an usher at the GLM Cinema back in 1985. I look forward to returning to my home town and visiting the 16 screen plex with my kids. Thanks Tim
Dave nice images in your photobucket page of the huge movie houses in the early days of Cinema in Cleveland. I will find the prints and get them scanned and uploaded to you.
Thanks
Remodeling of the 5 plex upgrade. I was an usher at the time in the fall of 1984. Late that fall and early that Winter in 1985 I worked over time on the demolishion crew for the remodeling of the 5 plex. At that time National Theater Corporation upgraded screen #5 to play both 35mm and 70mm releases. “2010” was the our 1st 70mm print played on the new upgraded screen in the #5 auditorium. I know that for sure because Chuck our Manager asked me to assist the projectionist in the booth because the film continued to rip during the 1st few showings. I had to sit on the floor for the remainder of that opening show and hold a plastic roller in my fingers on a pencil to allow the film to twist at another angle to help releave the tension that was causing the film to tear. I have several frames from that print to this day. “Beverly Hills Cop” played for several weeks short of 6 months while I was an usher there. “Witness” that late fall played for over 4 months. “Ghost Busters” played for at least 5 months there. Unpresidented even for that time period. I have several of the original speakers from the single screen’s 1968 opening. Those dated 8ohm speakers play the sound tracks of todays trailers on my Super Simplex
35mm Projector in my basement. I was in Mentor several weeks ago to visit my parents and I drove past the cinema and couldn’t believe the place was closed. I have a number of photos from that time period. I would be happy to upload some of them when the web site allows us to. I hope it does open again. I would love to bring my kids there to see a movie. Thanks for the memories.
I saw my first PG movie on July 4th of 1975 or 1976 whatever summer “JAWS” was released there at the Mentor Mall. I road my orange banana bike up to this new Cinema across the way from the Great Lakes Mall Cinema. I was 13 at the time. I saw the enlarged parking lot from the demolishion just several weeks ago. It brought back many memories of my childhood in the 70’s in Mentor.
Sorry for the many spelling errors. I wish I new how to go back and correct my first two comments made directly above. Spell check would be a great plus for a guest like myself to this site for the 1st time. I tried to upload an image that I own of the Mentor Drive-in but the site’s system is down. Good night.
The address was always call Mentor Avenue throught the 60’s 70’s and 80’s when I live in Mentor. I never heard any one from Mentor High School or Lake Catholic High School call Mentor Avenue Mentor Road. Matter of fact a family member of mine build a fine food establishment called the Avenue on Mentor avenue in the 1990’s. On the opening of the Drive-in in 1950 I would like to see some paper work with with the chamber of commerce. The screen was orginally a flat screen. When the cinemascope picture became popular to compete with the small screens in folks living room the original screen was upgraded. One may be able to research the advent of the cinenarama craze and get an educated guess on what year the huge wide screen was added to the single flat screen Marque with all the neon light display on the front side.
Chuck, I worked as an usher at my home town drive in 1981. Bob Carr and his wife Maureen Carr hired me to both usher and work the consession stand. I was a KSU Photo Illustration student at the time and was able to photograph the drive in. I also had the opportunity to shoot a scene in one of my college student films at Kent in 16mm back in the Spring Semester of 1986. At the time opf the shoot the drive in did not appear to be operating. I also had the chance to work as an usher, ticket booth seller and renovation construction worker at the Great Lakes Cinema in 1984 and 1985. Nation theater Corporation owned the Mentor Drive in at the time. We would make runs and share popcorn with Select theater’s Mentor Drive-in when ever the Drive in was in need. I will try to upload one of my images this week when I get a chance. The Carr’s were the nices people to me. I was quite sad to see the TERRIBLE condition the Mentor was in when I shot my student film there. i HAVE NOTHING BUT GRAT MEMORIES about working there in 1981.