Groton Drive-In
220 Connecticut 12,
Groton,
CT
06340
220 Connecticut 12,
Groton,
CT
06340
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Motion Picture Daily, Oct. 13, 1954: “Hartford, Oct. 12 - Groton Open Air Theatre, Inc., has opened Connecticut’s newest drive-in, the 600-car capacity Groton Drive-In, on Route 12. Principals include J. Lawrence Peters, Anthony Albino, Harry F. Picazzio, Jr., and Isadore Fishbone.”
The shopping centre is Groton Square Shopping Centre.
Opened on 29/9/1954 with a cartoon(not named?), “Rose Marie(i love you)” and “Gun belt”.
Not sure whether this is the right drive-in, the one that opened was listed as the “Open Air” in the Motion Picture Almanacs of the day.
From Billboard, April 24, 1954: “Groton Open Air Theater, Inc., headed by J. Lawrence Peters, New London, Conn., has started construction of a 850-car capacity drive-in at Groton, Conn., with completion slated for late May. The corporation has applied to the Connecticut State Police Commissioner, Hartford, for certificate of approval to operate the theater. Other officers are: Vice-president, Isadore Fishbone: secretary, Harry Picazio Jr. and treasurer, Anthony Albino. The land is held by Fapp Realty, Inc., and will be leased to the theater corporation.”
220 Connecticut 12, Groton, CT 06340
The above address will map accurately to the location of the drive-in.
Here is a 1957 aerial photo of the drive-in, courtesy of Earth Explorer and USGS.
A pity a Decent Drive-in at one time had to go the smut route to make a profit.AS mush as love Drive-ins I think i would have closed her down.
I worked here briefly in 1983, when it was showing X-rated films. Though operators planted a lot of trees and hedges around the lot, there were still kids climbing the trees each night to watch the movies, and it was a constant effort chasing them down and off the property. The FM radio sound also caused a ruckus, as anyone pulling into the nearby Railroad Salvage with their radio stations tuned on WDRC would have their sound hijacked by the grunts and groans of the porn movie onscreen.