Eugene Drive-In
1400 Henderson Avenue,
Eugene,
OR
97403
1400 Henderson Avenue,
Eugene,
OR
97403
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The actual address for this drive-in was 1400 Henderson Ave, Eugene, OR 97403. That part of E. 14th Ave did not exist until after the theatre was closed.
Please update.
For the record, there were two ‘Moyer’ theater chains in Oregon. Tom and his brother, Larry, ran competing companies, with much animosity between the two. The Eugene Drive-In was built by the Moyer family, but the company split in 1966, with Larry retaining the Eugene theater. He later built the West 11th Drive-in (on the site of the current Fred Meyer store), West 11th 6 screen indoor, and Valley River Twin cinemas. The Eugene Drive-in was split into 3 screens in 1978.
Boxoffice, Feb. 4, 1963: “The new Moyer Drive-In Theatre in Eugene, Ore., employs a host of modern drive-in features to offer patrons unexcelled convenience, service and safety.”
That was the start of a two-page story, with photos, of the “Moyer Drive-In,” where the manager used a citizen’s band walkie-talkie to relay directions to ramp workers.
FWIW, the Motion Picture Almanac’s drive-in lists continued to call it the Eugene Drive-In.
Eugune Drive-in Opened with “The noose hangs high” and “Where the north begins”. New Eugene Drive-in opened with “My geisha” and “Batchlor in paradise”. 2 screens. 650 cars.
1948 and 1962 grand opening ads in photo section.
Goggle Earth 1975
After many years, I was finally able to put 2 & 2 together to confirm the location of the New Eugene drive-in. I had been told the drive-in field was now the LTD bus yard, but always assumed the entrance was off Glenwood Blvd. After another look at the Google Earth link for the original site on Willamette. It appears the marquee at the corner of Henderson & Franklin is is the last remaining drive-in fixture in the Eugene/Springfield area.