Great Bend Drive-In
5688 10th Street,
Great Bend,
KS
67530
5688 10th Street,
Great Bend,
KS
67530
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This drive-in was part of the Commonwealth Amusement chain from April 4, 1953 and operated until at least 1976.
The empty site was listed as ‘for sale’ in 2005.
Contributed by
Ken McIntyre
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Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
Here is a June 1960 ad from the Great Bend Daily Tribune:
http://tinyurl.com/2u5my2
The address for this drive in was 5688 10th St, Great Bend, KS 67530.
The entrance road is still there. One ramp is visible in the back. Two businesses are taking up the northwestern and southwestern parts of where the theater stood.
Please update.
On March 30th, 1953 Until April 2nd, 1953, The “COMING SOON ATTRACTIONS” To The Great Bend Drive-In Were First Shown To The Great Bend Tribune.
2 Days Later On April 4th, 1953, The Great Bend Drive-In Opened Its Gates With A Confusion Note. The Grand Opening Article Reads “REOPENING APRIL 4TH”. Its Opening Attractions Were A Double Feature “Woman Of The North Country” And “The Rose Of Cimarron” (Which is Named A Free Owl Show, And Between These 2 Movies Comes Along With 4 Unknown Color Cartoons).
One Of The ORIGINAL Owners Of The Great Bend Drive-In Is Also An Incorporated Worker From A Great Bend Area Radio Station KCKT-AM (Not To Be Confused With A Station In Texas We Know From The APR Network) According To An Article From July 1975.
The Theater Ran First-Run Films From 1953 Until The Fall Of 1970; In Which On October 2nd, 1970, The Great Bend Drive-In Made The Wrong Direction, Ended Up Showing X-Rated Films, And Showed A Double X Feature On That Day.
The Good News Is That The X-Films Became Unsuccessful And Unpopular At The Great Bend. As I Wrote With This Quote While I Was Typing The History About The Great Bend Drive-In: “I Thought Running First-Run And More Family Films Will Bring More Enjoyment To The Great Bend Drive-In Instead Of Turning It Upside Down”, But The Good News Is That THEY DID Turned It Around In February 1972, And Went Back Showing First-Run Again For The Second Time, And Yes Its Wishes Immediately Came True After Bringing Back The Enjoyment Of Family And First-Runs (But The Bad News Is The Showings For The Great Bend Drive-In As Of 1968 Were Hard To Find From It, But I Continue On).
In The Middle Of The 1973 Season, New Management Is Required For The Great Bend Drive-In. As Of 1976, The Theater Continued To Suffer A Projectionist Warning, As It Was Written All Over Most Pages Of The Great Bend Tribune. Its Closing Date Is Unknown, But Still In Operational Since 1976.