Robstown Drive-In

The Starlite Drive-In opened on January 7, 1951. It was owned by Robstown Theatres Incorporated (Lawrence Miller of Robstown and Rowley United Theatres Inc. of Dallas). The opening program featured “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby” with Donald O'Connor and Gloria De Haven. The screen measured 40 by 45 feet. There were in-car speakers, an asphalt driveway, a basic kiddies playground and 50 patio seats. The theater frequently showed double features with one film in English and one in Spanish.

The screen was destroyed by fire on April 5, 1961. It was quickly rebuilt and re-opened on May 10, 1961. All facilities were improved during the rebuild. The drive-in was renamed the Robstown Drive-In at this time. The new tilted screen measured 40 by 90 feet.

The Robstown Drive-In closed in June of 1978 without fanfare.

Source: Robstown Record

Recent comments (view all 4 comments)

jwmovies on November 15, 2012 at 5:34 pm

Approx. address for this drive-in was 1309 Ruben Chavez Road.

dansdriveintheater on February 26, 2019 at 7:00 pm

found a second drive-in in robstown!

Kenmore on February 26, 2019 at 8:06 pm

The “second drive-in” that dansdriveintheater mentions appears to be the Robstown Drive-In

The location is an auto salvage yard just to the west of Acme Ready Mix, which is at 3291 TX-44, Robstown, TX 78380. I could not find an exact address on Google Maps.

This second drive-in is along the old TX-44. It appears virtually brand new in a 1951 aerial and a 1956 topo map while the drive-in at 1309 Ruben Chavez Road does not. So that one appears to have been built considerably later.

If the historic information listed is correct, then the 3291 TX-44, Robstown, TX location is the correct one.

http://tinyurl.com/y3jevb9a

So, please change the address to 3291 TX-44, Robstown, TX.

Thanks

Kenmore on January 21, 2024 at 3:05 pm

A closer address is 3313 TX-44, Robstown, TX.

Google Maps has updated their addresses, so this puts it on the exact location of the drive-in.

This property is now owned by Churchwell Environmental. With no trace of the old drive-in remaining.

http://tinyurl.com/4j5rw2yv