Eagle Drive-In
300 N. Burk Street,
Hobbs,
NM
88240
300 N. Burk Street,
Hobbs,
NM
88240
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Opened on August 8, 1950 with Audie Murphy in “A Kid from Texas”. The Eagle Drive-In was the second drive in to open in Hobbs. A storm blew the screen down on February 9, 1960.
Contributed by
Don Lewis
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Recent comments (view all 11 comments)
That ad says 300 N Burk but the Google Map capture above clearly puts it at 300 N Denson St.
When that theatre ad can out in 1955, Denson St was not there yet. Over the years, streets are added or renamed. My thinking is Cecil, Coleman, Cain St. was not there ether in 1955.
A more accurate address is:
W Cain St at N Denson Dr
Hobbs, NM 88240
1967 Aerial Photo courtesy of USGS and Earth Explorer.
From the Feb. 22, 1960 BoxOffice: “A terrific wind and sandstorm Tuesday (9) damaged several Video circuit drive-ins. The Eagle at Hobbs, N. M. reported the screen tower and other buildings blown down”.
Boxoffice, Aug. 26, 1950: “HOBBS, N. M. – The new Eagle Drive-In has been opened here by owner E. L. Williamson. Mrs. Lucile Nunnally is manager. The drive-in has a 500-car capacity and features a concrete-surfaced patio near the concessions stand.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 23, 1950: “HOBBS, N. M. – The newly opened Eagle Drive-In here, built and owned by E. L. Williamson, was named for the local high school football team and features a large mural on the screen tower, picturing a huge eagle. The mural was painted by H. R. McBride of Dallas. … The airer has a capacity of 450 cars”.
The Eagle opened on Aug. 8, 1950. Its first program was “The Kid from Texas” starrting Audie Murphy, plus two color cartoons.
Found on Newspaperarchive.com
I don’t think the Eagle recovered from the Feb. 9, 1960 storm that knocked down its tower. I couldn’t find any ads in the Hobbs Daily News that summer or the summer of 1961 next to the Sky-Vu and the Flamingo. In May 1960, manager Kenneth Powell reported that someone stole three projector lenses from the Eagle. A 1976 note reported the theft of carpet from a storage building “at the old Eagle Drive-In”.
A 1967 aerial photo shows the screen tower gone. And, it looks to have been gone for some time.
The 1957 aerial indicates that the projector booth/concession stand was originally close to the screen, then moved to the back. You can see what appears to be the foundation of the original structure in that aerial.
The ad listed above states “Turn North at 1100 W. Broadway” which is where N. Cecil Street meets West Broadway. It appears that the traffic was directed from West Broadway and not off North Grimes Street.
Hobbs Daily News-Sun, Sept. 30, 1951: “Hobbs second drive-in, the Eagle, opened last year on a 10-acre tract at 300 North Burk. It is owned by E. L. Williamson of Abilene, Tex., and managed by Mrs. Lucille Nunnally."