Dive Inn Theater

jessiearcher on December 1, 2006 at 3:02 pm

This sleazy eastside joint was still in business at least till 1993 because that was my senior year at U.S. Grant High School. That was also the same year when my best friend and I took a couple of girls from Northwest High to this motel.
The run down motel had a Spanish flavor with a roof that from afar looked like green terra cotta tile. A closer look revealed what was actually stamped enamelled metal.
Perhaps the exterior had originally been covered with stucco, but all wood lats were fully exposed with gray cement inbetween. This gave the naked complex an ugly striped shell.
One end of the motor court was a closed down gas station. At the other end was the Dive Inn Theater. Connecting these anchoring haciendas was an arched veranda that sheltered a dozen room units.
For the moment the name of this old hacienda escapes me, but since the tall sign was shaped like a green neon suguarro, the name had to be something along the line of El Pinga Grande. Anyway, it had a Spanish moniker.
My buddy and his girl got the room first, so to kill time my date and I shared the small cinema with nine others. It was pretty much as described above. Blue indirect light filtered through thick jungle plants. Wall sconces were shaped like Tiki masks with orange jewel eyes that sparkled. Glow in the dark stars were glued to a dark blue ceiling, and a porn film played on the giant screen TV.

Rodney on July 4, 2007 at 2:54 pm

This theatre was before my time, but whomsoever owned this raunchy cinema must have raked in millions of dollars, because every guy over forty claims to have patronized (at least once) this tiny screening room.

Mike Rogers on March 19, 2010 at 5:24 pm

This sounds like a theatre in L.A. or New York,if you can really call it a theatre. I guess it has to be on CT.

Mike Rogers on March 26, 2010 at 1:58 pm

Hey,maybe ATLANTA,but not here.

whorton on April 7, 2017 at 3:20 am

All right everyone, not to be rude on this but I am going to call bull on this. .

We have several differing locations listed. .Lauren Grubb posts 3900 block of SE 29, which would have been in Del City on the north side of the street (the south side was all Sunnylane cemetery.) She states it was open from 77 to 92. I graduated Del City High school in 77. The only theatre in town was the old Del City on Epperly drive. It showed R rated moves and was bought out by First southern Baptist to prevent the movies. I would have known if there was a porn theatre in Del city!

Seymorecox mentions the ROSEGLO Ballroom, “It was a part of a shabby motel unit” yet the ROSEGLOW ballroom was at 636 SE 29, Just East of Shields. (Between Lindsey and Durland) There was no motel there…

He then goes on to state, “I do know the next night we went Southwest way to the Chieftain Cinema, and am sure I didn’t see the Dive Inn in that area of town”

I could believe the Chieftan, as it did show porno in 75-79 era. There was the cheap low end Airline motel East of it, but I have a friend that ran the restaurant in the early 80’s. . They have no memory, nor do I. .

Missmelbatoast states, “The Dive Inn Theater was definetly located on SE 29th St, near Trosper Park” Well, closer to del city, But there was no motel between Eastern and Bryant where Trosper park is. Between Eastern and Shields was oilfield business, and I do not recall a theatre there or a motel. Checks of telephone directories at the historical society do not support the idea either…

She states, “The only way to get inside the theater was to go through the motel office…Facing the TV were three rows of theater seats, seven chairs to a row. Behind these rows was the elevated hot tub that sat eight people. Off to one corner was a cedar sauna that was also surrounded by thick foilage.”

Most of the motels that did exist, (there was one on SE 29th East of Sunnylane, but it was torn down in the very early 70’s) and utilized the old style strip architecture which was prevalent in the post war mom and pop motels.

Jessiearcher goes on: “This sleazy eastside joint was still in business at least till 1993 because that was my senior year at U.S. Grant High School…That was also the same year when my best friend and I took a couple of girls from Northwest High to this motel. The run down motel had a Spanish flavor with a roof that from afar looked like green terra cotta tile…

For the moment the name of this old hacienda escapes me, but since the tall sign was shaped like a green neon suguarro, the name had to be something along the line of El Pinga Grande. Anyway, it had a Spanish moniker."

Ok, there were three spanish styled motels near 44th and Robinson, Alamo Plaza, Odom Annex courts, and on the south side of the street MELROSE courts. But none required entry through an office. .

UNLESS someone can provide something other than hearsay, I am calling BS on this.