Belmont Automovie

300 Harbor Boulevard,
Belmont, CA 94002

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MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on March 18, 2026 at 3:22 pm

Buckle up, because I’ve got this drive-in’s name changes, all based on listings and ads in the Times of San Mateo.

At first it was consistent, “Starlite Drive-In” through March 1964. On April 1, 1964, the drive-in’s ad was for “Starlite Auto Movie” while the listings cited the “Belmont (Starlite) Automovie”.

On April 4, 1964, the first ad for “Belmont Automovie” appeared. It stayed that way until the summer of 1967, which is missing some editions. By August 1967, the listings had changed to “Starlight Automovie”.

From that point forward, the advertised name was usually Starlite, sometimes Starlight. Drive-In and Automovie appeared about equally often. The Redwood City Tribune of Nov. 27, 1970 referred to it as the “Starlite, a United Artist Automovie,” suggesting what drove the change away from drive-in.

Despite its midlife fling as the Belmont, this drive-in closed the same way it opened, as the Starlite. Whether you want to add an Automovie is up to you.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on February 11, 2021 at 9:09 am

Same drive-in? Boxoffice, Aug. 23, 1947: “BURLINGAME, CALIF. – Robert L. Lippert added another house to his 36-theatre chain August 6 when he acquired the new Belmont Drive-In near this city. Lippert will take over operation immediately and plans a big opening August 25. The Belmont parks 700 cars.”

rivest266
rivest266 on August 9, 2018 at 2:05 pm

This became the Belmont Automovie on April 3rd, 1964.

stevenj
stevenj on August 2, 2013 at 5:04 pm

The correct address of this long gone drive in at the Cinematour link provided by Element1604 is 300 Harbor Blvd. It was near the intersection of Harbor and Industrial Rd.

jwmovies
jwmovies on December 8, 2012 at 7:32 pm

PLEASE UPDATE TO 150 Harbor Boulevard.

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on May 26, 2010 at 3:26 pm

I have this Drive-in 1956 parking 650 cars and was owned by STARLITE THEATRE COMPANY.

Element1604
Element1604 on May 26, 2010 at 1:38 pm

There are 2 pictures at http://www.cinematour.com/tour/us/28503.html
based off of those, the Drive-In was located at approximately 150 Harbor Boulevard, Belmont, CA 94002-4016. Chris’s New Harbor Bar‎ is at this address. The area, now filled with warehouses and storage units, is no longer recognizable as a former Drive-In.

larrygoldsmith
larrygoldsmith on April 3, 2009 at 7:59 pm

The Starlite Drive-in was operated by United Artists Theatres. There was also a sister drive-in located in Palo Alto known as the Palo Alto Drive-in Theatre, which was located near Bayshore Freeway (101).