Hastings Drive-In
310 N. Halstead Street,
Pasadena,
CA
91050
310 N. Halstead Street,
Pasadena,
CA
91050
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Sorry JW!
The actual entrance road was 310 N Halstead St, Pasadena, CA 91107.
Rosemead was the exit per Historical Aeriels…
Please update.
Opening features on May 11, 1950 were Roy Rogers who appeared in person with “Bells of Coronado” supported by a newsreel, a Tom & Jerry cartoon in “Love That Pup,” the Tex Avery MGM cartoon classic, “Little Rural Riding Hood,” another Tom & Jerry, “The Lonesome Mouse,” the comedy short, “Grips, Grunts and Groans,” a travelogue, “From Liverpool to Stratford,” and the short, “This is America: State Trooper.”
Looks like it opened on May 11, 1950. The note from the May 20, 1950 issue of BoxOffice:
ALTADENA, CALIF. – Featuring the latest in modern equipment, the new Hastings Drive-In, a 1,000-car operation, opened here Thursday (11). It is the first ozoner to be constructed by Comet Theatre Enterprises, headed by R. H. Hoese, president; Earl Whitaker, vice-president, and Ernie LeSueur, secretary-treasurer.
The opening night’s attraction included personal appearances by Roy Rogers, Republic cowboy star, his actress-wife Dale Evans and Trigger. The outdoor showcase is being operated on a single-bill policy and an 80-cent admission scale.
The hardtop that replaced the drive-in was also called the Hastings. The four buildings along Halstead Street adjacent to the drive-in were for light industrial use.
Whats the 4 buildings seen along the left hand side of the drive-in(looking at the screen)? Whats the name of the indoor theatre that replaced the drive-in?
Architected by the drive-in specialists, the Utah firm of Cartright & Wilson, its color-changing sign was both an attraction and distraction. Some cities banned the use of similar color changing signs for traffic safety reasons. Comet Theatre Enterprises Circuit launched the Hastings in 1950 operating it for just five years before moving on.
looks huge!
That was one gigantic drive-in!
I remember going to this theater with my parents when it first opened. The last time I went was March 1967. It was a wonderful place. They had a playground with swings, etc. for the kids, many of the real little ones were already in their jammies. Good family fun.
Replacing an earlier comment that suffered linkrot:
A photo of the marquee of the Hastings Drive-In during construction, featured as the frontispiece of the Modern Theatre section of Boxoffice, October 7, 1950. An additional photo of the completed marquee by night appears on another page of the same issue.
The entrance is now Ethan Allen. Approx. address for this drive-in was 445 North Rosemead Boulevard.
Anybody got photos of this drive in? I’ve lived in the area all my life and never saw it or can recall it.