Plainville Drive-In
308 New Britain Avenue,
Plainville,
CT
06062
308 New Britain Avenue,
Plainville,
CT
06062
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This opened on April 21th, 1954 with the “World’s largest curved screen!”. Its grand opening ad can be found in the photo section.
I remember using the company pick-up truck, International Harvester, with a couple of my friends. We decided to see how fast we could drive over the ramps, maybe even get air borne. I bent the frame of the truck and the Perakos boys were not happy with me that day.
What a terrific photo! Thanks hispeed54!
Added Goggle Earth view 1991
That would have been Tinty’s race track next door. I worked for the Perakos family at the Palace in New Britain, the Elm, and both the Plainville and Southington Drive-Ins. So sad to see it all gone. Old man Perakos promised me a job as I was leaving for the Viet Nam war in 1964. I just never went home again.
Cinema Tour lists the Plainville’s construction year as 1954. Can anyone confirm?
March 24,1970 and “CACTUS FLOWER” is playing along with “SOUTHERN STAR” In-CAR HEATERS!
They had two screens.
View link
Steve
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ao0mYE565Y
Steve
The former KMart store is where the drive-in stood. The Loews cinema is where an auto racetrack was.
This great drive-in closed after the 1987 season for a development project that flopped. It was finally torn down around 1997 for a strip mall. The Loews multiplex actually was built on land adjacent to where the drive-in stood. This drive-in held 1100 cars and was one of the most popular in Central CT.
The Loews Plainville 20 now sits on the Drive-In property. The Drive-In was owned and operated by the Perakos family, who also owned the Southington Drive-In and the Elm Theatre in Elmwood, among others.