Bangor Drive-In
1674 Hammond Street,
Bangor,
ME
04401
1674 Hammond Street,
Bangor,
ME
04401
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Not reopening for 2022, closed for good per: https://www.facebook.com/BangorDriveIn/
Closed July 23rd, 1985
Bangor Drive-In closed Fri, Jul 26, 1985 – 1 · The Bangor Daily News (Bangor, Maine) · Newspapers.com
Grand opening ad posted.
Bangor Drive-In opening Wed, Jun 7, 1950 – 8 · The Bangor Daily News (Bangor, Maine) · Newspapers.com
NeonMichael, thank you for the plug for the video. I’m sorry if you interpreted the video to mean that the Bangor Drive In was an adult theater. In the late 50’s, they did show an “adult” (very mild in todays terms) double feature at midnight on Memorial Day weekend, 4th of July and Labor Day weekend. The rest of the time it was family fare, and lots of first run. From 1974 to 1978, the drive in would run XXX features in the spring and fall and revert back to family fare in the summer. When it was twinned in ‘78, it wasn’t uncommon to have one screen run G – R movies and the other screen to run XXX. By the close of the decade they went back to running mainstream movies on both screens.
Also a correction, the neon sign at Nicky’s Cruise In Diner in Bangor comes from the Brewer Drive In not the Bangor Drive In.
Steve Ginn’s YouTube video has the full history of the Bangor. It opened on June 7, 1950.
The video claims that “(b)y the late 50’s it was an ‘adult’” theater, but more burlesque than porn. From the ads shown, this was just an occasional thing. A 1955 newspaper ad showed a nudist colony movie; a 1960 ad showed a stripper movie at midnight, and plenty of others had titles that sounded more lascivious than the movies really were.
Okay, there’s one 1970 newspaper ad with softcore porn. And one from 1974 with an X-rated second feature. But in between, there are plenty of multiplex-worthy movies. Based on the newspapers I checked separately, there were several full-time X-rated drive-ins in the area, but the Bangor wasn’t one of them.
A storm blew down the original screen on Jan. 8, 1978. It was replaced that year by the two screens that survive today.
AM Radio sound was added before the 1985 season, which is odd because the Bangor’s final night was July 23, 1985. By noon on the 25th, every speaker had been removed. The eight-screen Bangor Mall Cinemas, owned by the same company as the drive-in, opened on the 26th.
With the 2015 revival, capacity is about 250 for Screen One, about 160 for Screen Two.
BTW, the IMPA continued listing the Bangor Twin through its 1988 edition. Those guys sure were slow on the uptake sometimes!
Please update status to open.
Bangor Drive In reopened in 2015 and again for the 2016 season. The original Marquee as pictured here has long since gone, with the exception of the neon “Drive In” part which is on display at Nicky’s Restaurant on Union Street in Bangor. The Drive In is actually located in Hermon on the Bangor city line. The twin screens are original, retained because of their excellent condition, but the original projection booth, concessions stand and bathrooms had been demolished when the Drive In originally closed in the 80’s. They have been rebuilt and now equipped with Digital projectors and FM based sound system.
nice article!
The Bangor Daily News and WABI TV5 are reporting that the Bangor Drive-In will be re-opening in July 2015:
http://www.bigscreen.com/journal.php?id=3638
Approx. location of this drive-in is Hammond Street in West Bangor around the 1600 block. From Google Maps it looks like the screen is still up.
Nice picture!