Memorial Drive-In
555 Memorial Avenue,
West Springfield,
MA
01089
555 Memorial Avenue,
West Springfield,
MA
01089
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In 1976, when the Memorial showed Walt Disney’s Gus, a comedy about a football-playing donkey, he yanked it after two days because it played to a nearly empty lot. He also had to recoup numerous vandalism costs, including trashed picnic tables and the yearly replacement of 300 speakers that were stolen or absent-mindedly torn out when cars pulled away.
Getting closer to the opening date…
Boxoffice, July 10, 1948: “The West Springfield Drive-In on Memorial avenue will open the later part of July. Accomodating 500 cars the ozoner is owned and operated by Weymouth Drive-Ins Corp. The manager has not as yet been named”
Film Daily, Sept. 24, 1948: (under New Film Theatres Opened) “West Springfield Drive-In, West Springfield, Mass., by Weymouth Drive-In Theaters Corp.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 14, 1950: “Bill Black of Wellesley visited (Boston) Filmrow. He is the designer, builder and architect of the new Nepsonset Drive-In for Michael Redstone, the West Springfield Drive-In for E. M. Loew and the Quintree Drive-In for the Rifki circuit”
I’m very sure that this started life as the West Springfield Drive-In.
There was a WEST SPRINGFIELD DRIVE-IN there in 1956 parking 900 cars.Same Drive-in? They Change names so often.
Here is a 1957 aerial photo of the drive-in, courtesy of Earth Explorer and USGS.