Elinda Ann Drive-In
1505 Jenkins Road,
Whitesburg,
KY
41858
1505 Jenkins Road,
Whitesburg,
KY
41858
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The Elinda Ann Drive-In was opened on June 15, 1949 with Anthony Quinn in “Black Gold”. It was operated by Art V. Phillips. The original screen was demolished by high winds in December of 1953. It was replaced by a new CinemaScope screen. By 1955 it was operated by William W. Wright. It had a capacity for 332 cars and there was a covered seating area for walk-in patrons which had 360 seats. It was closed in 1965. Now Letcher County Recreational Center and Diary Queen.
Contributed by
James Monroe
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Recent comments (view all 9 comments)
Why the name Elinda-ann?
Probably the owner. It opened as early as 1952 and closed in the 1960s it looks like.
Local historian told me closure was in the 1990s. No matter. Closed.
He might be wrong. Because if you look at the 1983 aerial, the Dairy Queen and the Letcher County Recreational Center was at the theater’s site already.
Boxoffice, July 9, 1949: (under Theatre Openings) Whitesburg, Ky. - Elinda Ann Drive-In, 300 cars, 360 walk-in seats, opened by Dr. B. F. Wright June 15.
Boxoffice, July 23, 1949: “Our (The Exhibitor Has His Say) contributor, Art V. Phillips, … is very proud of his employer’s new Elinda Ann Theatre (Drive-In) on State Highway 15 within the city limits of Whitesburg, Ky. This opened June 15, to quote Phillips, "with a bang!” He proudly details its capacity of 332 cars, with RCA in-car speakers, but mentions that the most unique thing is the special enclosed, roofed and well ventilated “seat-in section.” This seats 360 patrons and has newly installed International leather-cushioned seats."
So now I don’t know who came up with the “Elinda Ann” name. I know it’s name after someone long before opening on June 15, 1949, but I don’t know who Elinda Ann is.
Within roughly 15 seconds doing an internet search, I was able to determine the reasoning behind the name.
it’s really not a difficult task and it baffles me to no end why it’s not done.
https://www.cinematour.com/tour/us/33902.html
So the theater was named after their family’s sister, and his father made a model out of his wife’s different types of salad bowls? That’s very unique!
The Elinda Ann Drive-In opened June 15, 1949 with “Black Gold.” The original screen was destroyed by high winds in December of 1953. It was rebuilt as a CinemaScope screen when it relaunched in 1954. It closed for the season in 1965. Billy Wayne Wright converted the main building to a laundromat the following spring in 1966.