Mt. Vernon Twin Drive-In

632 S. Mount Vernon Avenue,
San Bernardino, CA 92410

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Rainbow Angels Ensemble
Rainbow Angels Ensemble on May 13, 2024 at 6:38 am

Final film as a one screener: “The Bombs: There’s a triple bill of motorcycle flicks – “The Hellcats,” “The Sidehackers,” and “Hell’s Belles” – at the Mt. Vernon Motor-In.”

Final film as two screener: “Turner and Hooch” and “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” on one screen, and “Lock Up” and “Cage” on the other.

Jamey_monroe45
Jamey_monroe45 on September 3, 2023 at 9:05 am

Thanks to Corona (!), the Pro Swap is permanently closed too! 🥺🥺🥺

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on February 7, 2022 at 8:40 am

JimRoss66 is correct to point out that the Mt. Vernon was never on Route 66. (One more reason to replace the misleading novelty matchbook cover as its front image, BTW.) According to the official 1948 California Division of Highways map, it was 1.3 miles south of US 66.

Then again, in my book “Drive-Ins of Route 66,” I include every drive-in within three miles of the Mother Road, (2.5 miles in the 1st edition), partly to avoid omitting ozoners that happened to be on the other side of small towns. So the Mt. Vernon is there, close enough. :)

JimRoss66
JimRoss66 on February 4, 2022 at 6:08 pm

Clarification on location. US 66 initially turned west from Mt. Vernon at 4th St. to Foothill and was later moved to 5th St. to Foothill. If the theater was at 632 S. Mt. Vernon (south of the rail yard) it was not a Route 66 drive-in.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on July 10, 2021 at 3:23 pm

This drive-in opened as the Mt. Vernon Motor-In, the name it showed on its sign probably at least until it was twinned in 1973. The San Bernardino County Sun wrote on Nov. 10, 1972: “The Bombs: There’s a triple bill of motorcycle flicks – “The Hellcats,” “The Sidehackers,” and “Hell’s Belles” – at the Mt. Vernon Motor-In.” That was its final set of movies as a single-screen on Nov. 14 that year.

Pacific Theatres' final listing for the Mt. Vernon in the Los Angeles Times on Sept. 10, 1989, was “Turner and Hooch” and “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” on one screen, and “Lock Up” and “Cage” on the other.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on February 3, 2021 at 2:36 pm

At its grand opening on Sept. 25, 1948, the Mt. Vernon showed “Deep Waters” starring Dana Andrews, “On the Old Spanish Trail” starring Roy Rogers, “plus cartoon and news”.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on April 24, 2020 at 8:38 am

Boxoffice, Oct. 23, 1948: “SAN BERNARDINO, CALIF. – A. G. and George E. Mitzel recently opened the 700-car Mount Vernon Motor-In here. The Mitzels also own drive-in in Portland, Ore., and in Los Angeles. The Mount Vernon airer, the owners said, boasted a natural stage, an innovation in drive-in construction.”

davidcoppock
davidcoppock on April 21, 2020 at 10:46 pm

Does Mt Vernon look purple?

kennerado
kennerado on April 21, 2020 at 6:03 pm

The sign is still being used for the swap meet by the looks of it.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on April 21, 2020 at 10:40 am

Yes, the Mt. Vernon was on US 66, which ran along Baseline Road when it was built, though it’s more like 55-60 miles east of downtown L.A. A much closer match would be the Foothill Drive-In in Rialto, just west of the San Bernardino city limits. Maybe CT should move the fake matchbook cover to that page? ;)

Boxoffice, Aug. 21, 1948: “SAN BERNARDINO, CALIF. – A new drive-in theatre is being erected at Baseline and Cunningham avenue here for the Highland Theatre Co. Projection and screen buildings will be of frame and stucco construction. Designed by theatre architect C. A. and W. G. Balch of Los Angeles the new plant will cost $40,000.”

davidcoppock
davidcoppock on February 26, 2020 at 3:17 am

Is this drive-in actually on Route 66, as it says on the matchbox cover shown above?

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on December 5, 2019 at 12:22 pm

Boxoffice, Feb. 18, 1950: “Construction will be launched shortly on the new Starlite Drive-In, an 800-car operation in Rosemead, by B. E. Congdon and Ford and Carl Bratcher. They also operate the Mount Vernon Drive-In in San Bernardino and the Del Rio in Riverside.”

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on July 17, 2019 at 8:10 am

Although the Mt. Vernon was included in an LA Times ad for the 1991 movie Double Impact, in a laundry list of theaters showing the film, that was probably a mistake. I couldn’t find any other Times mentions of the Mt. Vernon in 1990 or 1991.

The Mt. Vernon’s final ad in the San Bernardino Sun was Sept. 10, 1989.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on April 11, 2019 at 7:33 pm

By the way, the drive-in was never actually named Purple Passion. That matchbook was clearly a novelty gag, though possibly based on the Mt. Vernon’s location. Spot checks on ads in The San Bernardino County Sun from 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958 (clipping uploaded), 1959, 1962, and 1970 all call it the Mt. Vernon Motor-In Theatre.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on February 12, 2019 at 9:01 am

“Pacific’s Mt. Vernon Drive-In, 714/884-0403” was included in Los Angeles Times advertisements as late as September 1991.

davidcoppock
davidcoppock on February 20, 2018 at 3:19 am

Is the swap meet only for professionals(lol!)?

jwmovies
jwmovies on January 7, 2017 at 1:33 am

Opened 1948, closed 1989. Known as Mt. Vernon Twin Drive-in Theaters from 1973 to closing.

This Drive-in was two screens at closing not one. Please update.