5th Avenue Drive-In
1660 5th Avenue,
Bay Shore,
NY
11706
1660 5th Avenue,
Bay Shore,
NY
11706
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Not in the ads or on the pylon. “5th”.
Also known as Fifth Avenue Bay shore Drive-in.
Formally Prudential, now a UA Theatre, the 5th Ave Drive-In closed November 26, 1968 with the double feature “Shalako!” starring Sean Connery & Brigitte Bardot and 1967’s “Born Losers”. In later years, the 5th Ave was relocated to mostly sub run bookings while The Bayshore-Sunrise Drive-In only four miles away was first run.
Opened on 5/6/1952 with 5 cartoons(not named), “Red Mountain” and “Atomic City”. Closed in 1964.
Opening ads from several newspapers uploaded.
The actual address for this drive-in was 1660 5th Ave. further north.
Please update.
According to a map on the website that lostmemory linked to above, the drive-in was located to the north of the sand pits that are now operated Hubbard Sand & Gravel. Looks like the drive-in was situated on the west side of 5th Avenue between Connecticut and Massachusettes Avenues. The Suffolk County Police Department’s Third Precinct, an auto salvage yard, recycling yard and various other related businesses (tire shop, auto glass repair, etc) are located on the site.
Google mapping on this is not accurate. It was further north on 5th Ave where Hubbard Sand & Gravel now is. North of Southern State and nowhere near Sunrise Highway (the current Google street view).
The theater may have been north of Southern State Pky. on the West side of 5th Ave near the Sand Pits- Not by the auto salvage yards as I stated. When I was a child in the 50s Most of that area was still scrub pine.
I remember going to both the 5 ave and Bayshore Drive ins quite a lot in the 50s- early 60s. The 5th Ave. was located on the west side of 5th ave near where the auto salvage yards are or used to be, (I lived in Brooklyn but visited relatives in Bayshore who always took me there frequently.I reside in North Carolina now. The 5th ave was older than the Sunrise I remember the snack bar was really old looking and painted brown. There was a playground in front of the screen. This theater did stay open for awhile and didn’t close right away when the Bay shore Sunrise opened because we visited both. The Bayshore Sunrise did have a neat little amusement park which I and my older brother prefered over the 5th ave. I was very young in the 50s, but I remember playing at the mini golf course which was added around 59 or 60 i believe. roughly around 1959 or 60 Iremember sunrise Hwy was a two lane road with the farmer’s market next to the theater(it always had christmas lights strung up even in summer and was a long quonset hut like structure like the barracks on Gomer pyle) There was an amusement park with a ferris wheel like ride that had old biplanes attached about a half mile west on Sunrise and the Peter Pan Diner, which is still there today. I was supprised to stumble across their website! Our favorite drive in had to be the 110 in Melville which had the best amusment rides -even a full scale monorail. Please forgive me if i’ve spelled that wrong.) Oh what wonderful childhood memories. Who thought back then we would be emailing others with our thoughts in 2006! Charlie S.
5th Avenue would have been earlier than the Sunrise Drive in. I know that in the mid tro late 1960’s we went to the Sunrise Drive in. 5th Avenue is located closer to the South Shore Mall and the old Bay Shore High School.
Yes Prudential became UA, just like Randforce and Skorous Theatres. You mentioned above the 5th Ave closed after Bayshore opened but when did Bayshore open? I always assumed late 50’s early 60’s.
The main feature was Chamber of Horrors which was first run on Showcase, Baby Jane was the second feature.
Was this also a UA?