Valley Drive-In
10477 Central Avenue,
Montclair,
CA
91763
10477 Central Avenue,
Montclair,
CA
91763
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Architects Bryant and Balch
The Los Angeles Times' final listing for the Valley was on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 1977, when the drive-in showed a couple of Italian films, “Autopsy” and “Sacrifice.”
Chet Wilkins of the Ontario Neon Co. called the Valley’s screen tower “the largest neon mural in the world”. It was assembled over weeks at the First Baptist Church of Ontario because its basement floor was large enough to accommodate it.
And here’s the Internet Archive link to the Charles Phoenix photo that sameegrl posted about 13 years ago.
Here’s a fun AP wire story, dateline Ontario, Calif., so it probably refers to the Valley. (It ran in the Dec. 17, 1963 Joplin (MO) News Herald.)
“A drive-in theater is short two essential items today - cash and popcorn. Detectives said burglars covered floors and concrete walks with popcorn kernels to make things easier when they wheeled out a 350-poiunts safe containing $6,000 from the theater office. The kernels acted like ball bearings.”
They want more money.
Valley Drive-In in Montclair wants more money. 06 May 1948, Thu The Pomona Progress Bulletin (Pomona, California) Newspapers.com
The Valley Drive-In opened on April 14th, 1948 with “Panhandle” and “Climbing the Matterhorn”
Approx. address for this drive-in was 10477 Central Ave. While the entrance was the car dealership, most of the drive-in is now Saratoga Park behind this.
Wow, thanks! You’d never even know driving through there that there was ever a grand drive-in like this there…how sad.
Here is a 1952 photo. I think the placard says Holt Boulevard and Central Avenue.
http://tinyurl.com/6rt8fl
My mom thinks this place might have been on Holt, does anyone know exactly where? I went there as a kid, but can’t really remember it.
There is a pic of it here.
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