Chief Drive-In

5600 N. Lamar Boulevard,
Austin, TX 78751

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exspook
exspook on December 22, 2020 at 11:03 pm

I raced there in 1958 dodging the speaker poles going over the humps.

Seems like yesterday…vivid memories of winning a race passing a yellow Kool Kart.

Still racing 62 years later. Some things do not change

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on August 15, 2019 at 2:23 pm

“The Chief Drive-In now has a giant chief on horseback on the front of its motion picture screen tower – the side facing the highway. The figure was painted by H. R. McBride, artist whose work appeared on the covers of the old Liberty and Colliers magazines. The Indian and horse are approximately 50x30 feet.” — Boxoffice, July 18, 1960

davidcoppock
davidcoppock on May 11, 2019 at 2:53 am

Opened as the Chief Drive-in with a colour cartoon(not named), and “The Virginian”.

RSM3853
RSM3853 on June 16, 2018 at 4:22 pm

The Chief Drive-In closed after the night’s showings on Tuesday, July 24, 1973. The last films to play there were a double bill of Soylent Green and Skyjacked.

driveinfan
driveinfan on May 11, 2018 at 8:15 am

Little Toot was the kiddie train at the drive in.

davidcoppock
davidcoppock on March 10, 2018 at 11:37 pm

Whats “Little Toot”?

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on March 10, 2018 at 4:08 pm

This weblog post from Preservation Austin credits architect Jack Corgan with the design of the Chief Drive-In. There’s a nice black and white photo of the screen tower, featuring a Texas longhorn painted by Dallas muralist H. R. McBride.

rivest266
rivest266 on March 10, 2018 at 3:29 pm

The Montopolis and Chief drive-in theatres both opened on September 19th, 1947. Grand opening ads below and the photo section.

Chief and Montopolis drive-in theatres openingsChief and Montopolis drive-in theatres openings · Fri, Sep 19, 1947 – 16 · Austin American-Statesman (Austin, Texas) · Newspapers.com

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on July 30, 2016 at 4:47 pm

A brief article with two photos depicting the recently-opened family dining room and television lounge at the Chief Drive-In appeared in the May 9, 1960, issue of Boxoffice.

chica
chica on October 22, 2013 at 11:06 pm

I remember this place well. I grew up in the trailer under the movie screen. Lil Toot was always fun to ride. I guess what I remember the most was learning how to ride my bike up and down the rows, and watching the movies from the front of my yard.

Pawnshop
Pawnshop on June 27, 2013 at 1:07 pm

The Commerce Park office/retail center is on the site of the former drive in. border streets are: North Lamar, Koenig, Guadalupe and Nelray.

wmarty127
wmarty127 on November 24, 2012 at 1:59 pm

Do not know what paper this was published in, but here is an ad of the opening of Chief Drive-In….

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zip_up_hoodie/3932133504/

wmarty127
wmarty127 on November 24, 2012 at 1:56 pm

This theater was originally named “Joseph’s Drive-In Theater”. The name was changed in 1947 to “North Austin Drive-In Theater” prior to the opening of the “South Austin Drive-In Theater”.

STATISTICS Opened: 18 November 1940Screens: 1Capacity: 450 cars

wmarty127
wmarty127 on November 24, 2012 at 1:49 pm

Well it seems that another Austin Drive-In was already in operation when the Chief Drive-In opened. http://www.captainchicken.org/austindrivein/north_austin/north_austin.html

cheaplafs
cheaplafs on March 27, 2012 at 7:23 pm

It was on Southeast corner of Koenig and N.Lamar. I went there many times. If I was a good boy I got to ride “ Little Toot”.