Mooney Twin Drive-In
26672 S. Mooney Boulevard,
Visalia,
CA
93277
26672 S. Mooney Boulevard,
Visalia,
CA
93277
4 people
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Harvey Entertainment, Robert L. Lippert Theatres Inc., Westland Theatres
Previous Names: Mooney Drive-In
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News About This Theater
- Aug 3, 2006 — Mooney Drive-In to be demolished
The Mooney Drive-In opened in 1948. A 2nd screen was added in 1972. It was renamed Mooney Twin Drive-In in 1984. It closed on September 9, 2006. It had a listed capacity for 700 cars.
Contributed by
Lost Memory
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Recent comments (view all 13 comments)
Thanks for the marquee photos.
You could tell it was ready to close.marquee in bad shape.
The screens were facing each other. We constructed a new snack bar and projection booth when we added the east screen in 1972. Rotus Harvey (my father) was the construction super on the East addition. I worked on the project as my first full time summer job. The marquee design is the same as the Westlane and Hammer Drive In theaters in Stockton. The marquee center mast has a man tipping his top hat, this was the logo for Westland Theaters Company.
Thanks for all the great pictures!!
It is to bad that it could not remain open and screening movies!!
The Mooney closed because the owner, Larry Rodkey, did not own the dirt. And the landlord was probably looking for a better deal with a new tenant. Larry also runs 2 other theaters further south in San Luis Obispo & Arroyo Grande. He had troubles finding the right staff to run the Mooney in his abcense.
I think I made about 3 or 4 stops here before it closed.
The twin screens were named, George and Gracie. The East Screen was named for Gracie Burns and the West Screen was named for George Burns. Closed with a “Grand Closing” featuring “Grease” and “Viva Las Vegas” on September 9, 2006.
Reopened as Mooney twin Drive-in,in 1984 with on screen 1 with “The final terror” and “Alphabet City” and on screen 2 with “Making the grade” and “Hot dog”.
In 1955, the Tulane Advance-Register was advertising the “Motor-In on Mooney Blvd. between Tulare and Visalia,” so I think this is the right drive-in for this note.
Boxoffice, Oct. 8, 1955: “The Harvey Amusement Co., San Francisco, has bought the 576-car Tulare Motor-In from the Robert L. Lippert theatre chain, also of San Francisco.”
This drive-in definitely opened as the Motor-In. The 1950 photo I just uploaded included an ad for it “next to Mooney Park,” which pretty much proves that we’re talking about the same place.
Oh, and the latest Google Maps address for the Tulare County Office of Education, current occupants of the former Motor-In site, is 6200 S Mooney Blvd, Visalia, CA 93277.