Corral Drive-In

1930 S. 7th Street,
Raymondville, TX 78580

500 cars

Unfavorite 1 person favorited this theater

Additional Info

Architects: Jack M. Corgan

Functions: Storage

Styles: Rustic

Nearby Theaters

Corral Drive-In

The Corral Drive-In was opened in 1951 and was owned by R.N. Smith and managed by Kelly Ross. The rear of the screen tower had a cowboy on a horse mural, which could be seen five miles away. There was a ‘Colt Corral’ for the kiddies in front of the screen.

Contributed by Don Lewis

Recent comments (view all 7 comments)

Silicon Sam
Silicon Sam on October 6, 2010 at 6:52 am

Old imagery puts the drive precisely South of town in this lot. The rectangular building behind the 3 houses is in the exact same spot as the old snack bar or offices. There was a much smaller building between this large building and the screen, which would likely house the projection booth.

View link

Silicon Sam
Silicon Sam on October 6, 2010 at 10:18 am

1930 S. 7th Street, Raymondville, TX 78580 United States

Will take you right to the old entrance.

kennerado
kennerado on November 12, 2019 at 8:13 am

I think the rectangular building IS the concession building, the size is about the same and position is the same. It however has been turned into a garage or storage shed.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on November 12, 2019 at 9:59 am

HistoricAerials.com has a useful Compare feature for superimposing new aerial photos over old ones. Kennerado is on target – that rectangular building is the same shape and in the same location on the site as the original projection / concession building.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on January 1, 2020 at 3:02 pm

The March 7, 1953 issue of Boxoffice ran a full-page article about the Corral, mostly focused on its neon-lit mural. “Motorists are said to be able to see the screen tower from a distance of five miles, due to the face that it is 56 feet high and is located on top of a four-foot dirt hill, making the top of the tower 60 feet above ground.”

Kenmore
Kenmore on June 1, 2022 at 3:28 pm

The drive-in first appears in a 1953 aerial. It is still intact and perhaps operational in 1983. By 1995 it has been demolished.

Apart from the projection booth/concession stand, the only remaining evidence of the drive-in is the entrance/exit road and an imprint of the ramp outline on the north side.

You must login before making a comment.

New Comment

Subscribe Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.