Amite Drive-In
Duncan Avenue,
Amite,
LA
70422
Duncan Avenue,
Amite,
LA
70422
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Additional Info
Previous Names: Mixon Drive-In, Skaggs Drive-In
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The Mixon Drive-In was to the north of the town of Amite, Louisiana. It was opened by Neil Mixon on June 22, 1946 and parked 250-cars. It was still owned by Neil Mixon in 1955.
Contributed by
MikeRogers
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Recent comments (view all 12 comments)
In 1965 the Amite Drive-in is listed only. The only good way you can figure it out. Is go the location/area and start asking/researching them. Unless you know somebody that went to them from back in the day!! The theatre books are good “guides” but…
Neal Mixon was the owner in 1951. By 1962, the ownership had changed hands to Joe Baiamontet. By 1965,the car capacity was increased from 100 to 210, and Donald J. Dieterich is listed as the owner.
Since the car capacity (100 cars) for the Mixon’s Drive-In was the exact same number in theatre catalogs for the Amite Drive-In from 1951 to 1964, it is probably a safe assumption that the Amite Drive-In was the same as the Mixon’s Drive-In, and that the name changed under new ownership sometime between 1955 and 1960. It would not be unusual for theatre catalogs to list the same drive-ins under both names, when a name change occurs.
My suggestion is to list this drive-in under “AMITE DRIVE-IN” with a notation for Previous Names as Mixon’s Drive-In. It spent most of it’s life operating as the Amite Drive-In.
The owner’s name was Neil Mixon, it was misspelled as “Nixon” in the 1951 theatre catalog, but spelled Mixon in the 1952 catalog.
Found it, the approximate address was 1700 N Duncan Ave, Amite City. Newspaper ads date back to June 1945 so it was open as early as then. The drive-in is present in a 1959 aerial photo but completely demolished by 1974. Today a private residence occupies the property. Also of note is that it was advetised as “Mixon Drive-In Theatre” in that 1945 ad.
kennerado, is this the ad you found? Because it’s from June 1946.
That 1946 date better matches the notes I’ve found of a drive-in under construction a mile north of Amite in early 1946.
Motion Picture Daily, March 25, 1946: “April has been scheduled … for the opening of a new drive-in on the outskirts of Amite, La.”
Showmen’s Trade Review, March 30, 1946: “A new drive-in theatre, scheduled to open early in August, is under construction one mile north of Amite, La.”
Boxoffice, May 10, 1947: “Mr. and Mrs. Neal Mixon of Mixon’s Drive-In Theatre at Amite, La., spent several hours on the (New Orleans Film) Row.”
Independent Film Journal, March 6, 1954: “Recently reopened and due to reopen soon are the Mission D-I, Amite, La., …” (Someone probably misheard Mixon’s as Mission.)
Motion Picture Herald, Dec. 17, 1955: “Neil Mixon closed the Mixon drive-in, Amite, La., with reopening scheduled in early spring.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, March 4, 1959: “Hiram S. Skaggs has taken over the operation of the Mixon Drive-In, Amite, La., and it has reopened.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Jan. 20, 1960: “The Skaggs Drive-In, Amite, La., is now open Saturdays only”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Feb. 16, 1961: “Joseph Baiamonte is the new owner of the drive-in at Amite, La., renamed the Amite, and formerly known as Skaggs, while Hiram Skaggs held the reins.”
Boxoffice, April 8, 1963: “Donald Dietrich resumed a full-week schedule at the Amite Drive-In”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Oct. 28, 1964: “Don Dieterich is keeping the Amite, La., Drive-In, damaged by Hurricane Hilda, closed for the season”
This drive-in advertised in the local Tangi Talk weekly newspaper as the Skaggs Drive-In in 1959-60, so that’s another alias (plus the no-possessive Mixon Drive-In) to add to this CT page.
The last ad for the Amite Drive-In that I could find in the Tangi Talk was in July 1969, though the newspaper may have dropped all movie ads later that year.
Michael, the Kentwood Commercial newspaper had an ad dated 1945 however this is probably a mistake from newspapers.com
Yes, Newspapers.com (among others) has bit me like that before. Always check the date on the image itself.
A 1973 aerial shows the screen and projection booth/concession stand intact. But as noted before, the following year it was demolished.
I can’t say if the drive-in was open in 1973, but everything is there and appeared in decent shape.