The location of this theater was on Broad St. which ran north/south thru the present Jillson Square Park. This is now a grassy area directly east of the Willimantic Movieplex theater. I remember this when it was the Cameo and had been shut down around 1965. Demolished for urban renewal in 1974.
When did the drive-in close? The last time I was there, when I lived in CT, was September of 1981. They were showing “Student Bodies” and “Saturday the 14th”. Both lousy movies, but we all had fun! This was also the best drive-in to sneak into. They NEVER checked the trunk!!!
One of the darker features to the Mansfield Drive-In was in the early ‘80’s. They did show X-Rated fare. This was in the late fall and early winter months. There were several wrecks on Rt. 32 caused by people seeing the screen from the road. At that time there was only one screen and was clearly (yet dimly) seen at all times of the year! I left Willimantic in 1983 for Florida, but remember seeing dozens of great movies in the 70’s and early 80’s. The playground was always nicely maintained. The only gripe I had was that back then, the speakers were frequently non-operational. Cars were always jockeying for a speaker that worked!
I may be crazy, and correct me if I’m wrong, but in 1984 when I attended a showing of Psycho II, I thought there were 2 screens at the Mustang. The main screen and another opposite on the other side of the concession building. I do remember they mixed up the reels. Made for an interesting showing!
Sorry. Address correction is 3690 East Bay. There is an Outback Steakhouse there now and the apartment is called the Columns in back. The Thunderbird occupied the entire parcel.
The precise location of the Sunshine Mall Cinemas was 27.956221 N, -82.788905 W (can be googled) There is a retention pond there now. I liked it in the 80’s as it was never crowded and close to home!
The old College Theater building still exists, though heavily modified. I used to go there in the 60’s and 70’s before it was divided onto two theaters. There was a very fancy lobby which has been removed from the front of the building. The lobby was angled and had floor to ceiling windows and a large snack counter. Beautiful rock garden landscaping too. Very high-end! The remaining building is the theater itself. Unfortunately, it has been turned into part of a retail shopping center. The address is 1244 Storrs Rd. in Storrs, CT on Google Maps. Don’t use Bing maps, it will give you the wrong location.
The location of this theater was on Broad St. which ran north/south thru the present Jillson Square Park. This is now a grassy area directly east of the Willimantic Movieplex theater. I remember this when it was the Cameo and had been shut down around 1965. Demolished for urban renewal in 1974.
When did the drive-in close? The last time I was there, when I lived in CT, was September of 1981. They were showing “Student Bodies” and “Saturday the 14th”. Both lousy movies, but we all had fun! This was also the best drive-in to sneak into. They NEVER checked the trunk!!!
One of the darker features to the Mansfield Drive-In was in the early ‘80’s. They did show X-Rated fare. This was in the late fall and early winter months. There were several wrecks on Rt. 32 caused by people seeing the screen from the road. At that time there was only one screen and was clearly (yet dimly) seen at all times of the year! I left Willimantic in 1983 for Florida, but remember seeing dozens of great movies in the 70’s and early 80’s. The playground was always nicely maintained. The only gripe I had was that back then, the speakers were frequently non-operational. Cars were always jockeying for a speaker that worked!
I may be crazy, and correct me if I’m wrong, but in 1984 when I attended a showing of Psycho II, I thought there were 2 screens at the Mustang. The main screen and another opposite on the other side of the concession building. I do remember they mixed up the reels. Made for an interesting showing!
Sorry. Address correction is 3690 East Bay. There is an Outback Steakhouse there now and the apartment is called the Columns in back. The Thunderbird occupied the entire parcel.
The precise location of the Sunshine Mall Cinemas was 27.956221 N, -82.788905 W (can be googled) There is a retention pond there now. I liked it in the 80’s as it was never crowded and close to home!
Saw “Tommy” there in 1975 for $5.50 (outrageous for the time) when it was UA Theaters East!
The old College Theater building still exists, though heavily modified. I used to go there in the 60’s and 70’s before it was divided onto two theaters. There was a very fancy lobby which has been removed from the front of the building. The lobby was angled and had floor to ceiling windows and a large snack counter. Beautiful rock garden landscaping too. Very high-end! The remaining building is the theater itself. Unfortunately, it has been turned into part of a retail shopping center. The address is 1244 Storrs Rd. in Storrs, CT on Google Maps. Don’t use Bing maps, it will give you the wrong location.