I would only add to what 50sSNIPES states in that: The theatre had been purchased by small town drive-in owner Danny Wolfenbarger & Paul Townsend. Wolfenbarger & Townsend had intended to make a killing by selling the 28 acres the 14 Flags Drive-in was built on to developers. However, they soon were unable to pay the mortgage on the property to the estate of Roy Stanton. (Roy Stanton had developed and owned Springlake Amusement park and had sold the theatre to them)
A legal battle was had, Wolfenbarger & Townsend lost any interest they had in the property. The property returned to Stanton enterprises and was developed as housing. (See Article in photo section)
RIP: George Onyschzak, former projectionist and the man who taught me the art of motion pictre projection at the 14 flags Drive-in.
This is a photograph of the entrance as it appeared AFTER I-240 was built. The original entrance was off of SW 59th street, Just about where the bend in 59th starts West of would have been.
The Hillcrest mets it’s untimely end on Aug 31,1992 with its final showing of the movies Single White Female and Diggstown.
The theatre had been operated by George Grube for many years, and had engaged in legal battles with the City of Oklahoma city over it’s forced closing, but ultimatly, the property was leased from the City Airport Trust. Today the old drive in site remains empty, just north of where I-240 makes the turn from North/South turning to the East.
I would add that I was one of the last union projectionists at the Apollo twin from ‘85 to '88.
After the Former Commonwealth theatre corporation was sold in 1986 to the Cannon group. The former Commonwealth theatres went non union after the dissolution of Commonwealth. The Apollo, French Market Mall Twin, Quail Twin, Shepard Twin and the Heritage park 3 were all shuttered in 1989 for good. Soon after the Reding 4 and Northpark 4 screen theatres were closed, and lastly the remaining larger theatres such as the Almonte 6, and Heritage park 5 were closed.
Thus forever ending the legacy of Commonwealth Theatres in Oklahoma city and these theatres:
-Apollo Twin
-Almonte 6 Theatre
-French Market Mall Twin Theatre
-Heritage Park 3 Cinema
-Heritage Park 5 Cinema
-Northpark 4 Theatre (which was operated by another chain for a while.)
From the thread about the NE 66 drive in theatres…
This is WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BARTON DRIVE-IN THEATRES:
“MichealKilgore asks about the relationship of the Thomases and R.L. Barton. . they were related, but the Thomas family BUILT and sold the 66 to the Barton’s in the period where R.L. Barton was acquiring all the drive-in theatres in the greater OKC area.
And save for Charlie Shadid’s efforts at the Hillcrest and Cinema 70, as well as Roy Stanton (owner of Springlake park) / George Grube’s efforts with the 14 flags in the late 60’s he would have.
But then, R.L. Barton sold/leased all of his theatre interests in 1966 to Greater Oklahoma City Amusement (headed by Lewis Ingram). After R.L. Bartons death in 75 the properties went to his eldest son, Gerald (who had recently bought into the United Founders life insurance company).
All the drive-in properties were mortagaged to the hilt, and sold to United Founders Life company. Gerald Barton was investigated by the state, and moved to California.
So ENDED all of the Barton Drive in theatres:
-The Airline
-The Bomber/Soldier Creek (Midwest City)
-The Circle (Bethany)
-The Del (Del city)
-The Lakeside DI (OKC)
-The North Penn Twin
-The NW Hiway DI (OKC)
-The Sooner Twin (Midwest City)
-The 66 Drive-in (The old N.E. 66 THIS THEATRE)
-The 77 Drive-in
-The old Tinker DI property (Midwest City)
The only theatre to survive into the 70’s was the Sooner Twin and 77. The Sooner Twin survived into the early 80’s while the 77 showed porn until about ‘74 and closed for good. All the others were closed."
From the thread about the NE 66 drive in theatres…
This is WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BARTON DRIVE-IN THEATRES:
“MichealKilgore asks about the relationship of the Thomases and R.L. Barton. . they were related, but the Thomas family BUILT and sold the 66 to the Barton’s in the period where R.L. Barton was acquiring all the drive-in theatres in the greater OKC area.
And save for Charlie Shadid’s efforts at the Hillcrest and Cinema 70, as well as Roy Stanton (owner of Springlake park) / George Grube’s efforts with the 14 flags in the late 60’s he would have.
But then, R.L. Barton sold/leased all of his theatre interests in 1966 to Greater Oklahoma City Amusement (headed by Lewis Ingram). After R.L. Bartons death in 75 the properties went to his eldest son, Gerald (who had recently bought into the United Founders life insurance company).
All the drive-in properties were mortagaged to the hilt, and sold to United Founders Life company. Gerald Barton was investigated by the state, and moved to California.
So ENDED all of the Barton Drive in theatres:
-The Airline
-The Bomber/Soldier Creek (Midwest City)
-The Circle (Bethany)
-The Del (Del city)
-The Lakeside DI (OKC)
-The North Penn Twin
-The NW Hiway DI (OKC)
-The Sooner Twin (Midwest City)
-The 66 Drive-in (The old N.E. 66 THIS THEATRE)
-The 77 Drive-in
-The old Tinker DI property (Midwest City)
The only theatre to survive into the 70’s was the Sooner Twin and 77. The Sooner Twin survived into the early 80’s while the 77 showed porn until about ‘74 and closed for good. All the others were closed."
From the thread about the NE 66 drive in theatres…
This is WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BARTON DRIVE-IN THEATRES:
“MichealKilgore asks about the relationship of the Thomases and R.L. Barton. . they were related, but the Thomas family BUILT and sold the 66 to the Barton’s in the period where R.L. Barton was acquiring all the drive-in theatres in the greater OKC area.
And save for Charlie Shadid’s efforts at the Hillcrest and Cinema 70, as well as Roy Stanton (owner of Springlake park) / George Grube’s efforts with the 14 flags in the late 60’s he would have.
But then, R.L. Barton sold/leased all of his theatre interests in 1966 to Greater Oklahoma City Amusement (headed by Lewis Ingram). After R.L. Bartons death in 75 the properties went to his eldest son, Gerald (who had recently bought into the United Founders life insurance company).
All the drive-in properties were mortagaged to the hilt, and sold to United Founders Life company. Gerald Barton was investigated by the state, and moved to California.
So ENDED all of the Barton Drive in theatres:
-The Airline
-The Bomber/Soldier Creek (Midwest City)
-The Circle (Bethany)
-The Del (Del city)
-The Lakeside DI (OKC)
-The North Penn Twin
-The NW Hiway DI (OKC)
-The Sooner Twin (Midwest City)
-The 66 Drive-in (The old N.E. 66 THIS THEATRE)
-The 77 Drive-in
-The old Tinker DI property (Midwest City)
The only theatre to survive into the 70’s was the Sooner Twin and 77. The Sooner Twin survived into the early 80’s while the 77 showed porn until about ‘74 and closed for good. All the others were closed."
From the thread about the NE 66 drive in theatres…
This is WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BARTON DRIVE-IN THEATRES:
“MichealKilgore asks about the relationship of the Thomases and R.L. Barton. . they were related, but the Thomas family BUILT and sold the 66 to the Barton’s in the period where R.L. Barton was acquiring all the drive-in theatres in the greater OKC area.
And save for Charlie Shadid’s efforts at the Hillcrest and Cinema 70, as well as Roy Stanton (owner of Springlake park) / George Grube’s efforts with the 14 flags in the late 60’s he would have.
But then, R.L. Barton sold/leased all of his theatre interests in 1966 to Greater Oklahoma City Amusement (headed by Lewis Ingram). After R.L. Bartons death in 75 the properties went to his eldest son, Gerald (who had recently bought into the United Founders life insurance company).
All the drive-in properties were mortagaged to the hilt, and sold to United Founders Life company. Gerald Barton was investigated by the state, and moved to California.
So ENDED all of the Barton Drive in theatres:
-The Airline
-The Bomber/Soldier Creek (Midwest City)
-The Circle (Bethany)
-The Del (Del city)
-The Lakeside DI (OKC)
-The North Penn Twin
-The NW Hiway DI (OKC)
-The Sooner Twin (Midwest City)
-The 66 Drive-in (The old N.E. 66 THIS THEATRE)
-The 77 Drive-in
-The old Tinker DI property (Midwest City)
The only theatre to survive into the 70’s was the Sooner Twin and 77. The Sooner Twin survived into the early 80’s while the 77 showed porn until about ‘74 and closed for good. All the others were closed."
From the thread about the NE 66 drive in theatres…
This is WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BARTON DRIVE-IN THEATRES:
“MichealKilgore asks about the relationship of the Thomases and R.L. Barton. . they were related, but the Thomas family BUILT and sold the 66 to the Barton’s in the period where R.L. Barton was acquiring all the drive-in theatres in the greater OKC area.
And save for Charlie Shadid’s efforts at the Hillcrest and Cinema 70, as well as Roy Stanton (owner of Springlake park) / George Grube’s efforts with the 14 flags in the late 60’s he would have.
But then, R.L. Barton sold/leased all of his theatre interests in 1966 to Greater Oklahoma City Amusement (headed by Lewis Ingram). After R.L. Bartons death in 75 the properties went to his eldest son, Gerald (who had recently bought into the United Founders life insurance company).
All the drive-in properties were mortagaged to the hilt, and sold to United Founders Life company. Gerald Barton was investigated by the state, and moved to California.
So ENDED all of the Barton Drive in theatres:
-The Airline
-The Bomber/Soldier Creek (Midwest City)
-The Circle (Bethany)
-The Del (Del city)
-The Lakeside DI (OKC)
-The North Penn Twin
-The NW Hiway DI (OKC)
-The Sooner Twin (Midwest City)
-The 66 Drive-in (The old N.E. 66 THIS THEATRE)
-The 77 Drive-in
-The old Tinker DI property (Midwest City)
The only theatre to survive into the 70’s was the Sooner Twin and 77. The Sooner Twin survived into the early 80’s while the 77 showed porn until about ‘74 and closed for good. All the others were closed."
MichealKilgore asks about the relationship of the Thomases and R.L. Barton. . they were related, but the Thomas family BUILT and sold the 66 to the Barton’s in the period where R.L. Barton was acquiring all the drive-in theatres in the greater OKC area.
And save for Charlie Shadid’s efforts at the Hillcrest and Cinema 70, as well as Roy Stanton (owner of Springlake park) / George Grube’s efforts with the 14 flags in the late 60’s he would have.
But then, R.L. Barton sold/leased all of his theatre interests in 1966 to Greater Oklahoma City Amusement (headed by Lewis Ingram). After R.L. Bartons death in 75 the properties went to his eldest son, Gerald (who had recently bought into the United Founders life insurance company).
All the drive-in properties were mortagaged to the hilt, and sold to United Founders Life company. Gerald Barton was investigated by the state, and moved to California.
So ENDED all of the Barton Drive in theatres:
-The Airline
-The Bomber/Soldier Creek (Midwest City)
-The Circle (Bethany)
-The Del (Del city)
-The Lakeside DI (OKC)
-The North Penn Twin
-The NW Hiway DI (OKC)
-The Sooner Twin (Midwest City)
-The 66 Drive-in (The old N.E. 66 THIS THEATRE)
-The 77 Drive-in
-The old Tinker DI property (Midwest City)
The only theatre to survive into the 70’s was the Sooner Twin and 77. The Sooner Twin survived into the early 80’s while the 77 showed porn until about ‘74 and closed for good. All the others were closed.
The Drive in mentioned to be built by R. Lewis Barton was not the same as the Hillcrest listed here…They were totally different.
Barton had originally intended to build on a tract that became Resthaven cemetary. (The city did not allow him to build there) Barton’s plan was to build a duplicate of the North Penn Twin there, but as noted, it didn’t happen. Barton ended up building a luxary home on what would have been the South end of that property.
This drive-in was South of 59th on Portland. . and had it’s entrance moved from 59th street to off of Portland when I-240 was built and part of the land used for the access ramp to the new highway.
Funny story too is that there was a short lived game for “Largest Drive-in” and it was always figured on the number of cars for a single lot. The Hillcrest opened in June of ‘64 at 1400 cars, but the 14 Flags came along in July of '68 at 1600 cars. Of course it didn’t have that many speaker poles, and counted space past the last ramp as car capacity. The game had pretty well played itself out as the last drive-in was built in Oklahoma.
Additionally, this theatre was a frequent target of OKC vice detectives under the direction of then District Attorney Curtis Harris in the late 60’s and early 70’s. The guy was obsessed with eliminating porn.
And in the end, it was all for naught, as by the mid 1980’s a person could drive down across the Texas border and purchase bona fide HARD CORE porn VHS tapes. .
Of import was the fact that there were several specific acts which were verboten in Oklahoma:
Insertions
Fluid emissions
Explicit oral
Explicit other exit stuff
Open crotch shots
Erections
If there was even a hint of these items, you could expect to get busted, especially in the early days. The D.A. was puritan and expected the movies to be as well.
So mostly, the things people “wanted to see” in porn were prohibited in the state. Essentially what passed for porn was no different than an “R” rated movie today.
Incidentally, I know this as I worked as the last projectionist at the Mayflower theatre. It stopped showing 35 mm film in ‘87 which was several years AFTER the industry had shifted to VHS tapes and totally away from 35 mm.
The theatre tried to segue to VHS tapes with the ticket seller controlling the VHS, but given it was “soft core” and better stuff was available over the border. .the theatre closed for good less than a year later. Today, you would not even recognize the building as it sold and was converted to a Chinese restaurant. It still sits on the NE corner of N 23rd and Classen.
There is a whole story that could be told of Oklahoma county porn theatres…and the uphill battle they faced over the years due to a district attorney that had a certain predelection to “protect” the good citizens of Oklahoma city from the evils of Porn. A man named Curtis Harris, who was the DA from 1964 to roughly ‘74 when he passed.
He made several headlines and newspaper articles over the years for busting operators of the theatres. For a while, he was busting both managers and projectionists, making the number of legitimate people interested in operating such a business rare. Many of these theatres still persisted into the 70’s with the Mayflower staying open until the mid 1980’s.
The big problem however was the fact that by then, the proverbial cat was out of the bag, and what limited fare could be offered in OKC was slim, and quite sterile. There were several specific acts that were prohibited from being shown, and they all had to be clipped out of the film.
But by the 80s' when the Mayflower went under, even they had switched to video tape, and with the popularity of VHS machines, and a trip across the Texas border, one could procure their own HARD CORE porn on VHS. . The Last of the theatres was soon history.
The Bee-Gee drive in was called that for the guys who built it. Brewer and . . I’ll let you supply the other name.
It was bought out by Robert Lewis Barton and eventually closed, which roughly coincided with the opening of the Sooner Twin which was East of Sooner Road. (The Bee-Gee was one the West side of Sooner Rd.) They were NOT the same theatre.
Also, I would offer to supply the opening advert for the Bee-Gee, but you have to do a bit more research to find out which paper it was published in…and it was not the Daily Oklahoman.
But hey, I will publish part of the articles of incorporation of the theatre under the name Del Drive in. . With R.L. Barton’s signature in the photo section.
The thing is that Adair blvd did not exist when the Tinker Drive-in was open. The drive-in opened in 1948, and what would become Adair Blvd, was just a dirt road back to the isolated Sewerage treatement plant. It would not become a road until the Sewage plant had been moved and Rose State College opened, with the road being paved and offering access to the college.
Even the last newspaper ad for the Tinker on 16 Sept 61 lists the address as 2301 N. Air Depot.
Just wanted to acknowledge your use of my quote about this short lived Drive-in and the North Penn Twin. Thanks.
This drive-in was probably one of the shortest lived drive-in theatres known to exist. It was not even mentioned or acknowledged in the Daily Oklahoman at the time, and the only mention of the theatre was in the Black Dispatch newspaper.
Being essentially across the street of the sewage treatment plant forclosed any chance that Oklahoma cities “black drive-in” had no chance to even get started.
In researching the drive-in, I spent some time trying to track down anyone associated with the theatre, but by that time (1985) All of the principal people had passed on. It was truly a lost drive-in.
The Southpark theatre sadly died a horrible death. As the months passed in 1988, the Southpark went from showing regular feature movies to a dollar house. People were bypassing the theatre for newer theatres. The theatre was operated by George Grube, the former first manager of the 14 flags drive-in and long time OKC theatre man. He was a true gentleman.
However, the theatre in 1988 had a union contract, and as I was working at the Southpark in its final days, I was given an ultimatum from Tim the manager. I could “work for free” to “help out” or hit the door. As I was making union wage for a 4 screen, that was an easy decision. The theatre labored on for roughly another 30 days and then closed for good.
Stunning admission, when the theatre opened in June of 1975, a couple of friends and I came over to the new 4 screen theatre to see Doc Savage, the man of Bronze. We had all just started to drive and long story short, when the movie was over, we just went into “Lennie” a hard R film about comedian Lennie Bruce. No one noticed and no one said anything…We were amazed. (at the time)
Only years later did I learn that George Grube (the manager) really did not care. Oh brother!
As a former projectinist at the Apollo Twin, the Almonte was always a favorite to see the latest films. The theatre was certainly nice in its day, and Commonwealth (the owner) took very good care of this theatre in particular.
I just want to add to something OKCdoorman said above regarding the projectionists. As a union projectionist (I.A.T.S.E. Local 380) it was alway frustrating as jobs were awarded based on seniority. The older guys had it, and the younger ones (such as me) wanted it. Typically when a new theatre would open there would be a predictable change of projectionists with older more seniority guys having first choice. They would leave an opening at their old theatre and someone else would get that position, usually someone with less seniority. Sadly the union went bust in June of 2001. With it went quality of projection.
Things like: Starting the picture in frame, in focus, and with the masking properly set (Standard or Scope) That seems to be a problem for some other theatre chains who use ushers to thread up the projectors and run the movies.
Although I did get to fill in a time or two at the Almonte, it was largely the theatre of Henry Finch, who was for a time the Business Agent for IATSE Local 380. He was a great fellow who could keep you in stitches for hours with his stories. He also installed the equipment at the Almonte.
To this day, if given a choice of any theatre in town (mostly 20 to 24 screens predominate as of Jun 2025 in OKC) I would choose the Almonte. The staff was always friendly, the management top rate (Bob Ostercamp) and they kept the place running like a top. It was not too big with a modest 6 screens, so you did not get ran over between shows. Sorry AMC, anything over 8 to 10 screens is JUST TOO BIG!
Thanks Lauren Durbin for capturing the old Almonte 6 Theatre.
It was certainly a destination to see movie for many years. I certainly miss this one, and Henry Finch, projectionist extraodrinare. As it was a Commonwealth theatre in the mid 1980’s anyone who worked for them could see movies free at any other Commonwealth theatre. (I was working at the Apollo Twin in MWC at the time). But when there was a new movie worth seeing, this was the place to go. Sure seemed the 1980’s were a classic age for movies, as I suspect many such as Kentucky fried Movie, Groove Tube, Mel Brooks History of the world, The Hollywood Knights…could not be made today.
Just a few comments about Commonwealth in Oklahoma city… It died a horrible and prolonged death, after the chain was sold, the first thing that happened was the closure of the twins. . The Apollo Twin in MWC, the Shephard Twin, The French Market Mall twin, The Quail Twin. Today, the Apollo twin is a discount mattress mart, hooray.
Then they closed the three and 4 screens in short order, The Heisman 4 (Norman) the Heritage park 3 (in the Heritage Park mall). . Then they waited again, as if hoping for a buyer and then closed the remaining four screen theatres The Reding 4, The North park 4, and lastly the Almonte 6. The last ad I was able to find was for the Heritage Plaza 5, and it did not even list movies or times, it just advised, “Call Theatre for Times” They were all gone by 1990 IIRC. All had been viable theatres up until the end, even with competition from General Cinema, and Hollywood theatres. The day of 16 screens under one roof and showing all available movies at one place had arrived. (Personally, I don’t care for the concept at all, it just seems to impersonal.)
It was a sad end for what was once the nicest chain in town.
I am thankful that I had an opportunity to work as a union projecitonist in most all of their theatres at one point or another, and held down the Apollo twin from ‘85 to '88.
It pains me to wonder what became of the Cinemeccanica V8’s that were in the Apollo Twin and Quail Twin…They were in great shape.
Just to correct some incorrect information. The old GENERAL CINEMA 8 SCREEN THEATRE at Crossroads mall was never torn. It was converted into a pharmacutical Warehouse (Pharmorr) and remains it’s distinctive shape as seen by aerial photographs to this day (17 Oct 2024.)
Likewise, Crossroads mall itself was never torn down, two of its former anchor stores are still open as Sante Fe Hills Charter school and elementry.
Oct 23, 1982, A sad legacy for this drive in theatre, occured when the body of Theresa Metcalf was discovered on the remains of the old drive in theatre.
Ken, You rascal. . I recognize that top photo!
Did you know however, that was NOT The original Marquee?
I would only add to what 50sSNIPES states in that: The theatre had been purchased by small town drive-in owner Danny Wolfenbarger & Paul Townsend. Wolfenbarger & Townsend had intended to make a killing by selling the 28 acres the 14 Flags Drive-in was built on to developers. However, they soon were unable to pay the mortgage on the property to the estate of Roy Stanton. (Roy Stanton had developed and owned Springlake Amusement park and had sold the theatre to them)
A legal battle was had, Wolfenbarger & Townsend lost any interest they had in the property. The property returned to Stanton enterprises and was developed as housing. (See Article in photo section)
RIP: George Onyschzak, former projectionist and the man who taught me the art of motion pictre projection at the 14 flags Drive-in.
This is a photograph of the entrance as it appeared AFTER I-240 was built. The original entrance was off of SW 59th street, Just about where the bend in 59th starts West of would have been.
The Hillcrest mets it’s untimely end on Aug 31,1992 with its final showing of the movies Single White Female and Diggstown.
The theatre had been operated by George Grube for many years, and had engaged in legal battles with the City of Oklahoma city over it’s forced closing, but ultimatly, the property was leased from the City Airport Trust. Today the old drive in site remains empty, just north of where I-240 makes the turn from North/South turning to the East.
I would add that I was one of the last union projectionists at the Apollo twin from ‘85 to '88.
After the Former Commonwealth theatre corporation was sold in 1986 to the Cannon group. The former Commonwealth theatres went non union after the dissolution of Commonwealth. The Apollo, French Market Mall Twin, Quail Twin, Shepard Twin and the Heritage park 3 were all shuttered in 1989 for good. Soon after the Reding 4 and Northpark 4 screen theatres were closed, and lastly the remaining larger theatres such as the Almonte 6, and Heritage park 5 were closed.
Thus forever ending the legacy of Commonwealth Theatres in Oklahoma city and these theatres:
-Apollo Twin
-Almonte 6 Theatre
-French Market Mall Twin Theatre
-Heritage Park 3 Cinema
-Heritage Park 5 Cinema
-Northpark 4 Theatre (which was operated by another chain for a while.)
-Quail Twin Theatre
-Reding 4 Theatre
-Shephard Twin Theatre.
From the thread about the NE 66 drive in theatres…
This is WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BARTON DRIVE-IN THEATRES:
“MichealKilgore asks about the relationship of the Thomases and R.L. Barton. . they were related, but the Thomas family BUILT and sold the 66 to the Barton’s in the period where R.L. Barton was acquiring all the drive-in theatres in the greater OKC area.
And save for Charlie Shadid’s efforts at the Hillcrest and Cinema 70, as well as Roy Stanton (owner of Springlake park) / George Grube’s efforts with the 14 flags in the late 60’s he would have.
But then, R.L. Barton sold/leased all of his theatre interests in 1966 to Greater Oklahoma City Amusement (headed by Lewis Ingram). After R.L. Bartons death in 75 the properties went to his eldest son, Gerald (who had recently bought into the United Founders life insurance company).
All the drive-in properties were mortagaged to the hilt, and sold to United Founders Life company. Gerald Barton was investigated by the state, and moved to California.
So ENDED all of the Barton Drive in theatres:
-The Airline
-The Bomber/Soldier Creek (Midwest City)
-The Circle (Bethany)
-The Del (Del city)
-The Lakeside DI (OKC)
-The North Penn Twin
-The NW Hiway DI (OKC)
-The Sooner Twin (Midwest City)
-The 66 Drive-in (The old N.E. 66 THIS THEATRE)
-The 77 Drive-in
-The old Tinker DI property (Midwest City)
The only theatre to survive into the 70’s was the Sooner Twin and 77. The Sooner Twin survived into the early 80’s while the 77 showed porn until about ‘74 and closed for good. All the others were closed."
-Wesely Horton
From the thread about the NE 66 drive in theatres…
This is WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BARTON DRIVE-IN THEATRES:
“MichealKilgore asks about the relationship of the Thomases and R.L. Barton. . they were related, but the Thomas family BUILT and sold the 66 to the Barton’s in the period where R.L. Barton was acquiring all the drive-in theatres in the greater OKC area.
And save for Charlie Shadid’s efforts at the Hillcrest and Cinema 70, as well as Roy Stanton (owner of Springlake park) / George Grube’s efforts with the 14 flags in the late 60’s he would have.
But then, R.L. Barton sold/leased all of his theatre interests in 1966 to Greater Oklahoma City Amusement (headed by Lewis Ingram). After R.L. Bartons death in 75 the properties went to his eldest son, Gerald (who had recently bought into the United Founders life insurance company).
All the drive-in properties were mortagaged to the hilt, and sold to United Founders Life company. Gerald Barton was investigated by the state, and moved to California.
So ENDED all of the Barton Drive in theatres:
-The Airline
-The Bomber/Soldier Creek (Midwest City)
-The Circle (Bethany)
-The Del (Del city)
-The Lakeside DI (OKC)
-The North Penn Twin
-The NW Hiway DI (OKC)
-The Sooner Twin (Midwest City)
-The 66 Drive-in (The old N.E. 66 THIS THEATRE)
-The 77 Drive-in
-The old Tinker DI property (Midwest City)
The only theatre to survive into the 70’s was the Sooner Twin and 77. The Sooner Twin survived into the early 80’s while the 77 showed porn until about ‘74 and closed for good. All the others were closed."
-Wesely Horton
From the thread about the NE 66 drive in theatres…
This is WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BARTON DRIVE-IN THEATRES:
“MichealKilgore asks about the relationship of the Thomases and R.L. Barton. . they were related, but the Thomas family BUILT and sold the 66 to the Barton’s in the period where R.L. Barton was acquiring all the drive-in theatres in the greater OKC area.
And save for Charlie Shadid’s efforts at the Hillcrest and Cinema 70, as well as Roy Stanton (owner of Springlake park) / George Grube’s efforts with the 14 flags in the late 60’s he would have.
But then, R.L. Barton sold/leased all of his theatre interests in 1966 to Greater Oklahoma City Amusement (headed by Lewis Ingram). After R.L. Bartons death in 75 the properties went to his eldest son, Gerald (who had recently bought into the United Founders life insurance company).
All the drive-in properties were mortagaged to the hilt, and sold to United Founders Life company. Gerald Barton was investigated by the state, and moved to California.
So ENDED all of the Barton Drive in theatres:
-The Airline
-The Bomber/Soldier Creek (Midwest City)
-The Circle (Bethany)
-The Del (Del city)
-The Lakeside DI (OKC)
-The North Penn Twin
-The NW Hiway DI (OKC)
-The Sooner Twin (Midwest City)
-The 66 Drive-in (The old N.E. 66 THIS THEATRE)
-The 77 Drive-in
-The old Tinker DI property (Midwest City)
The only theatre to survive into the 70’s was the Sooner Twin and 77. The Sooner Twin survived into the early 80’s while the 77 showed porn until about ‘74 and closed for good. All the others were closed."
-Wesely Horton
From the thread about the NE 66 drive in theatres…
This is WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BARTON DRIVE-IN THEATRES:
“MichealKilgore asks about the relationship of the Thomases and R.L. Barton. . they were related, but the Thomas family BUILT and sold the 66 to the Barton’s in the period where R.L. Barton was acquiring all the drive-in theatres in the greater OKC area.
And save for Charlie Shadid’s efforts at the Hillcrest and Cinema 70, as well as Roy Stanton (owner of Springlake park) / George Grube’s efforts with the 14 flags in the late 60’s he would have.
But then, R.L. Barton sold/leased all of his theatre interests in 1966 to Greater Oklahoma City Amusement (headed by Lewis Ingram). After R.L. Bartons death in 75 the properties went to his eldest son, Gerald (who had recently bought into the United Founders life insurance company).
All the drive-in properties were mortagaged to the hilt, and sold to United Founders Life company. Gerald Barton was investigated by the state, and moved to California.
So ENDED all of the Barton Drive in theatres:
-The Airline
-The Bomber/Soldier Creek (Midwest City)
-The Circle (Bethany)
-The Del (Del city)
-The Lakeside DI (OKC)
-The North Penn Twin
-The NW Hiway DI (OKC)
-The Sooner Twin (Midwest City)
-The 66 Drive-in (The old N.E. 66 THIS THEATRE)
-The 77 Drive-in
-The old Tinker DI property (Midwest City)
The only theatre to survive into the 70’s was the Sooner Twin and 77. The Sooner Twin survived into the early 80’s while the 77 showed porn until about ‘74 and closed for good. All the others were closed."
-Wesely Horton
From the thread about the NE 66 drive in theatres…
This is WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BARTON DRIVE-IN THEATRES:
“MichealKilgore asks about the relationship of the Thomases and R.L. Barton. . they were related, but the Thomas family BUILT and sold the 66 to the Barton’s in the period where R.L. Barton was acquiring all the drive-in theatres in the greater OKC area.
And save for Charlie Shadid’s efforts at the Hillcrest and Cinema 70, as well as Roy Stanton (owner of Springlake park) / George Grube’s efforts with the 14 flags in the late 60’s he would have.
But then, R.L. Barton sold/leased all of his theatre interests in 1966 to Greater Oklahoma City Amusement (headed by Lewis Ingram). After R.L. Bartons death in 75 the properties went to his eldest son, Gerald (who had recently bought into the United Founders life insurance company).
All the drive-in properties were mortagaged to the hilt, and sold to United Founders Life company. Gerald Barton was investigated by the state, and moved to California.
So ENDED all of the Barton Drive in theatres:
-The Airline -The Bomber/Soldier Creek (Midwest City) -The Circle (Bethany) -The Del (Del city) -The Lakeside DI (OKC) -The North Penn Twin -The NW Hiway DI (OKC) -The Sooner Twin (Midwest City) -The 66 Drive-in (The old N.E. 66 THIS THEATRE) -The 77 Drive-in -The old Tinker DI property (Midwest City)
The only theatre to survive into the 70’s was the Sooner Twin and 77. The Sooner Twin survived into the early 80’s while the 77 showed porn until about ‘74 and closed for good. All the others were closed."
MichealKilgore asks about the relationship of the Thomases and R.L. Barton. . they were related, but the Thomas family BUILT and sold the 66 to the Barton’s in the period where R.L. Barton was acquiring all the drive-in theatres in the greater OKC area.
And save for Charlie Shadid’s efforts at the Hillcrest and Cinema 70, as well as Roy Stanton (owner of Springlake park) / George Grube’s efforts with the 14 flags in the late 60’s he would have.
But then, R.L. Barton sold/leased all of his theatre interests in 1966 to Greater Oklahoma City Amusement (headed by Lewis Ingram). After R.L. Bartons death in 75 the properties went to his eldest son, Gerald (who had recently bought into the United Founders life insurance company).
All the drive-in properties were mortagaged to the hilt, and sold to United Founders Life company. Gerald Barton was investigated by the state, and moved to California.
So ENDED all of the Barton Drive in theatres:
-The Airline -The Bomber/Soldier Creek (Midwest City) -The Circle (Bethany) -The Del (Del city) -The Lakeside DI (OKC) -The North Penn Twin -The NW Hiway DI (OKC) -The Sooner Twin (Midwest City) -The 66 Drive-in (The old N.E. 66 THIS THEATRE) -The 77 Drive-in -The old Tinker DI property (Midwest City)
The only theatre to survive into the 70’s was the Sooner Twin and 77. The Sooner Twin survived into the early 80’s while the 77 showed porn until about ‘74 and closed for good. All the others were closed.
MichaelKilgore,
The Drive in mentioned to be built by R. Lewis Barton was not the same as the Hillcrest listed here…They were totally different.
Barton had originally intended to build on a tract that became Resthaven cemetary. (The city did not allow him to build there) Barton’s plan was to build a duplicate of the North Penn Twin there, but as noted, it didn’t happen. Barton ended up building a luxary home on what would have been the South end of that property.
This drive-in was South of 59th on Portland. . and had it’s entrance moved from 59th street to off of Portland when I-240 was built and part of the land used for the access ramp to the new highway.
Funny story too is that there was a short lived game for “Largest Drive-in” and it was always figured on the number of cars for a single lot. The Hillcrest opened in June of ‘64 at 1400 cars, but the 14 Flags came along in July of '68 at 1600 cars. Of course it didn’t have that many speaker poles, and counted space past the last ramp as car capacity. The game had pretty well played itself out as the last drive-in was built in Oklahoma.
Additionally, this theatre was a frequent target of OKC vice detectives under the direction of then District Attorney Curtis Harris in the late 60’s and early 70’s. The guy was obsessed with eliminating porn.
And in the end, it was all for naught, as by the mid 1980’s a person could drive down across the Texas border and purchase bona fide HARD CORE porn VHS tapes. .
Of import was the fact that there were several specific acts which were verboten in Oklahoma:
If there was even a hint of these items, you could expect to get busted, especially in the early days. The D.A. was puritan and expected the movies to be as well.
So mostly, the things people “wanted to see” in porn were prohibited in the state. Essentially what passed for porn was no different than an “R” rated movie today.
Incidentally, I know this as I worked as the last projectionist at the Mayflower theatre. It stopped showing 35 mm film in ‘87 which was several years AFTER the industry had shifted to VHS tapes and totally away from 35 mm.
The theatre tried to segue to VHS tapes with the ticket seller controlling the VHS, but given it was “soft core” and better stuff was available over the border. .the theatre closed for good less than a year later. Today, you would not even recognize the building as it sold and was converted to a Chinese restaurant. It still sits on the NE corner of N 23rd and Classen.
Well an attempt to go legit…It didn’t last long however.
There is a whole story that could be told of Oklahoma county porn theatres…and the uphill battle they faced over the years due to a district attorney that had a certain predelection to “protect” the good citizens of Oklahoma city from the evils of Porn. A man named Curtis Harris, who was the DA from 1964 to roughly ‘74 when he passed.
He made several headlines and newspaper articles over the years for busting operators of the theatres. For a while, he was busting both managers and projectionists, making the number of legitimate people interested in operating such a business rare. Many of these theatres still persisted into the 70’s with the Mayflower staying open until the mid 1980’s.
The big problem however was the fact that by then, the proverbial cat was out of the bag, and what limited fare could be offered in OKC was slim, and quite sterile. There were several specific acts that were prohibited from being shown, and they all had to be clipped out of the film.
But by the 80s' when the Mayflower went under, even they had switched to video tape, and with the popularity of VHS machines, and a trip across the Texas border, one could procure their own HARD CORE porn on VHS. . The Last of the theatres was soon history.
MichealKilgore,
The Bee-Gee drive in was called that for the guys who built it. Brewer and . . I’ll let you supply the other name.
It was bought out by Robert Lewis Barton and eventually closed, which roughly coincided with the opening of the Sooner Twin which was East of Sooner Road. (The Bee-Gee was one the West side of Sooner Rd.) They were NOT the same theatre.
Also, I would offer to supply the opening advert for the Bee-Gee, but you have to do a bit more research to find out which paper it was published in…and it was not the Daily Oklahoman.
But hey, I will publish part of the articles of incorporation of the theatre under the name Del Drive in. . With R.L. Barton’s signature in the photo section.
Note to Drive-in 54,
The thing is that Adair blvd did not exist when the Tinker Drive-in was open. The drive-in opened in 1948, and what would become Adair Blvd, was just a dirt road back to the isolated Sewerage treatement plant. It would not become a road until the Sewage plant had been moved and Rose State College opened, with the road being paved and offering access to the college.
Even the last newspaper ad for the Tinker on 16 Sept 61 lists the address as 2301 N. Air Depot.
MichaelKilgore:
Just wanted to acknowledge your use of my quote about this short lived Drive-in and the North Penn Twin. Thanks.
This drive-in was probably one of the shortest lived drive-in theatres known to exist. It was not even mentioned or acknowledged in the Daily Oklahoman at the time, and the only mention of the theatre was in the Black Dispatch newspaper.
Being essentially across the street of the sewage treatment plant forclosed any chance that Oklahoma cities “black drive-in” had no chance to even get started.
In researching the drive-in, I spent some time trying to track down anyone associated with the theatre, but by that time (1985) All of the principal people had passed on. It was truly a lost drive-in.
The Southpark theatre sadly died a horrible death. As the months passed in 1988, the Southpark went from showing regular feature movies to a dollar house. People were bypassing the theatre for newer theatres. The theatre was operated by George Grube, the former first manager of the 14 flags drive-in and long time OKC theatre man. He was a true gentleman.
However, the theatre in 1988 had a union contract, and as I was working at the Southpark in its final days, I was given an ultimatum from Tim the manager. I could “work for free” to “help out” or hit the door. As I was making union wage for a 4 screen, that was an easy decision. The theatre labored on for roughly another 30 days and then closed for good.
Stunning admission, when the theatre opened in June of 1975, a couple of friends and I came over to the new 4 screen theatre to see Doc Savage, the man of Bronze. We had all just started to drive and long story short, when the movie was over, we just went into “Lennie” a hard R film about comedian Lennie Bruce. No one noticed and no one said anything…We were amazed. (at the time)
Only years later did I learn that George Grube (the manager) really did not care. Oh brother!
As a former projectinist at the Apollo Twin, the Almonte was always a favorite to see the latest films. The theatre was certainly nice in its day, and Commonwealth (the owner) took very good care of this theatre in particular.
I just want to add to something OKCdoorman said above regarding the projectionists. As a union projectionist (I.A.T.S.E. Local 380) it was alway frustrating as jobs were awarded based on seniority. The older guys had it, and the younger ones (such as me) wanted it. Typically when a new theatre would open there would be a predictable change of projectionists with older more seniority guys having first choice. They would leave an opening at their old theatre and someone else would get that position, usually someone with less seniority. Sadly the union went bust in June of 2001. With it went quality of projection.
Things like: Starting the picture in frame, in focus, and with the masking properly set (Standard or Scope) That seems to be a problem for some other theatre chains who use ushers to thread up the projectors and run the movies.
Although I did get to fill in a time or two at the Almonte, it was largely the theatre of Henry Finch, who was for a time the Business Agent for IATSE Local 380. He was a great fellow who could keep you in stitches for hours with his stories. He also installed the equipment at the Almonte.
To this day, if given a choice of any theatre in town (mostly 20 to 24 screens predominate as of Jun 2025 in OKC) I would choose the Almonte. The staff was always friendly, the management top rate (Bob Ostercamp) and they kept the place running like a top. It was not too big with a modest 6 screens, so you did not get ran over between shows. Sorry AMC, anything over 8 to 10 screens is JUST TOO BIG!
GREAT TIMES, SIMPLIER DAYS.
Thanks Lauren Durbin for capturing the old Almonte 6 Theatre.
It was certainly a destination to see movie for many years. I certainly miss this one, and Henry Finch, projectionist extraodrinare. As it was a Commonwealth theatre in the mid 1980’s anyone who worked for them could see movies free at any other Commonwealth theatre. (I was working at the Apollo Twin in MWC at the time). But when there was a new movie worth seeing, this was the place to go. Sure seemed the 1980’s were a classic age for movies, as I suspect many such as Kentucky fried Movie, Groove Tube, Mel Brooks History of the world, The Hollywood Knights…could not be made today.
David Coppock asks about the 14 flags moniquer. . It is because the State of Oklahoma has had 14 flags over the terratory. They are:
14 flags that have flown over Oklahoma
1.The Royal standard of Spain 1541
2.The Great Union flag of Great Briain 1663
3.Royal Standard of France 1701
4.The Standard of the Spanish Empire 1763
5.The Standard of the French Republic 1800
6.The Louisiana Purchase from France 1803
7.The United States flag 4 Apr 1818
8.The flag of Mexico from 1821to 1836
9.The flag of the Republic of Texas 1836
10.The Lone Star flag of Texas over the Panhandle to 1850
11.The Choctaw flag (Confederate) 1861-1865
12.The Confederate Battle Flag over Oklahoma 1861-1865
13.The First Oklahoma State Flag adopted 1911
14.The Present Oklahoma State Flag adopted by the Legislature in 1925
Wesley Horton Proud Oklahoman by Birth.
Drive-in researcher since 1975 (when I was in High School!)
Just a few comments about Commonwealth in Oklahoma city… It died a horrible and prolonged death, after the chain was sold, the first thing that happened was the closure of the twins. . The Apollo Twin in MWC, the Shephard Twin, The French Market Mall twin, The Quail Twin. Today, the Apollo twin is a discount mattress mart, hooray.
Then they closed the three and 4 screens in short order, The Heisman 4 (Norman) the Heritage park 3 (in the Heritage Park mall). . Then they waited again, as if hoping for a buyer and then closed the remaining four screen theatres The Reding 4, The North park 4, and lastly the Almonte 6. The last ad I was able to find was for the Heritage Plaza 5, and it did not even list movies or times, it just advised, “Call Theatre for Times” They were all gone by 1990 IIRC. All had been viable theatres up until the end, even with competition from General Cinema, and Hollywood theatres. The day of 16 screens under one roof and showing all available movies at one place had arrived. (Personally, I don’t care for the concept at all, it just seems to impersonal.)
It was a sad end for what was once the nicest chain in town.
I am thankful that I had an opportunity to work as a union projecitonist in most all of their theatres at one point or another, and held down the Apollo twin from ‘85 to '88.
It pains me to wonder what became of the Cinemeccanica V8’s that were in the Apollo Twin and Quail Twin…They were in great shape.
Just to correct some incorrect information. The old GENERAL CINEMA 8 SCREEN THEATRE at Crossroads mall was never torn. It was converted into a pharmacutical Warehouse (Pharmorr) and remains it’s distinctive shape as seen by aerial photographs to this day (17 Oct 2024.)
Likewise, Crossroads mall itself was never torn down, two of its former anchor stores are still open as Sante Fe Hills Charter school and elementry.
Oct 23, 1982, A sad legacy for this drive in theatre, occured when the body of Theresa Metcalf was discovered on the remains of the old drive in theatre.