McHenry Outdoor Theatre

Before Its CinemaScope Installation In 1954, The Original Screen That Was Used Since 1951 Is 52x70 Ft.

Unfortunate news that it will not be able to reopen May 1st as planned, as the State reversed course after giving them the go-ahead.

https://patch.com/illinois/crystallake/course-reversed-theater-opening-im-literally-beside-myself?fbclid=IwAR0ek7kgWLowNkSBO_ZbyZrQh2EQNYGUkfFj8o2xqP5s-GYMN7EX5u14t6o

Is there a flea market there too?

The cover photo marquee stood near IL-120 and Chapel Hill Road, between the Shell and abandoned copy shop. The wind eventually took the rest of the McHenry Outdoor signage off to reveal the rusted original Skyline marquee. Unfortunately it’s since been removed.

On a Saturday morning in 2014, Scott Dehn received the long-awaited news that the McHenry Outdoor Theatre will get the digital projector it so desperately needed. It probably wasn’t quite the way he’d envisioned the moment going. Dehn, the theater’s owner, was in the middle of an on-camera interview with a crew he’d been told was from a film-related website. Turns out, the crew was from Honda, and they were there to reveal that McHenry Outdoor has won one of five digital projectors the company is giving away through “Project Drive-In.” “The interviewer, the last question he asked me was, ‘How does it feel to win a digital projector?’” Dehn said. Dehn told the guy he’d misunderstood the situation, and that the theater hadn’t won anything yet. That’s when the crew revealed they were from Honda and that McHenry Outdoor had won, Dehn said. “I just fell down to my knees and broke down for a little bit,” he said. “It was pretty emotional.” Dehn has been trying to find a way to update the theater’s equipment since he took it over in early 2012. Because of the movie industry’s ongoing switch from 35 mm film to digital – a format cheaper for studios and distributors – theaters across the country are having to move fast to install digital projectors. Otherwise, their owners are left choosing from a dwindling selection of movies produced on the old format. The change has hit smaller, independent theaters hardest, and threatens many home-grown drive-ins like McHenry Outdoor. Dehn’s campaign on the fundraising website Kickstarter to raise $130,000 for the projector and accompanying maintenance fell short. Kickstarter projects that don’t reach their goals don’t receive any of the funds that donors pledge, so Dehn had to go back to the drawing board. Through online efforts and other donations, the theater had raised $5,000 toward the switch. But under Project Drive-In, Honda’s attempt to help preserve what they call an “iconic part of American car culture,” Dehn turned his attention to asking for votes rather than money. It worked. Voters willed McHenry Outdoor to a spot among the contest’s five winners. “They came together to support something they love,” Dehn said. “I couldn’t be more proud to say I’m from McHenry.” He said it was like getting “the weight of the world” lifted off his shoulders when he found out his theater would survive the switch to digital. The extra $5,000 raised will go toward other repairs. Dehn plans to have the theater revamped and running with the digital projector by next season. “There’s a lot of beautification and a lot of repair work that will be done,” he said. For now, it’s time to celebrate. Dehn was with family and friends Saturday night at the drive-in for a showing of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” “I think we’re just going to take a deep breath and enjoy the moment, enjoy these last few days of 35 mm film we’ve got left,” he said. Dehn wasn’t the only one soaking in the evening Saturday. Cars flooded the theater parking lot as the sun disappeared. Families sat out lawn chairs and tables or piled in the back of pickup trucks. Many curled into blankets as the air cooled. “It’s awesome,” said Cheryl Burke, of Cary, who was playing Scrabble with her husband, Jim, and 15-year-old son, Adam, before the movie started. They’d been planning to come out anyway but when they heard about the projector, a movie became a must. “We own ‘Ferris Buehler,’” Cheryl Burke said, laughing. “But we came here to watch.” Ed and Tammie Majkrzak and their kids Gracee, 11, and Alayna, 8, who live so close to the theater they can tune into its radio station from home, were similarly familiar with the classic flick. But it didn’t matter. The theater is about the experience, they said. We’ve never seen it on the big screen,“ Tammie Majkrzak said. Before the movie started, Dehn spoke through the radio to the crowd, thanking them for their support. Theater-goers responded with car horns that played like applause. "Wow,” Dehn said. “What a night.”

When did this drive-in open? Little Lake County says the Skyline opened in 1943, but it didn’t show up in the 1948-50 Theatre Catalogs. As I type, Bryan’s summary says it opened in 1955, but it’s in the 1952 Theatre Catalog. (Capacity 750, Exec: R. J. Miller.)

The answer comes from a post earlier this year in the McHenry Public Library District blog. Working from McHenry Plaindealer archives, it says Roy Miller opened the Skyline in July 1951, matching the Catalog listing. (It says “the screen was listed as facing northwest,” which must have been a typo considering the well-drawn parking area that points northwest to a screen facing southeast.) “It also had illuminated speaker posts and a refreshment stand.” The screen was widened in 1956, and the Skyline was sold to Stan Kohlberg of Chicago in 1963.

When did it change names? The 1976 IMPA still has the Skyline (capacity 600) but the 1982 IMPA has the McHenry (owned by “Rhyan”).

They are open, though their website seems to be having some issues with scrolling in the last couple days.

http://www.goldenagecinemas.com/McHenry_Outdoor_Theater.html

They’re doing “Throwback Weekends” through September. They also have a Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/mchenryoutdoor

If they make enough money, the new owners plan on upgrading the screen, projector and speakers, so support your local drive-in!

Good screen photo lost memory.

This Theatre is almost a weekly event for me. I go with my brothers and friends and girlfriend. here’s a typical night; we pull in at 7:00 to buy our tickets. i park my big Grand Marquis next to a silver pole just left of the concessions and turn off the engine. a pimply faced kid promptly asks me if i could park a few inches closer to the pole (big car). i start her up and repark a little closer. i dial my radio to 88.5 (the theatre’s dedicated station) and we sing along to all these great old doo wop and soul songs from the 50s and 60s. and guess who the DJ is? it’s the WOLFMAN!! it’s not the original wolfman but it doesn’t matter because it feels the same. my brother cullin and i take a walk up to the concessions for a few rounds of rock em sock em. it’s this big 2 player game with these cast iron dummies inside and you use a series of levers to manipulate them into punching each other in the face. i think it must be a precursor to video games and it’s probably like 50 years old. it’s purely mechanical with no sound effects or display screens but its sooo fun! everyone in the popcorn line watches us duke it out. you get 3 rounds for a quarter. Cullin always beats me but it’s still the best $1.50 i could think to spend. after that we head for the screen. there’s this great stretch of grass right in front of the screen that’s perfect for throwing the frisby. we play right thru the first previews. when feature 1 starts, we’re back in the car. we bring our own snacks like twizzlers and things but at some point in the night, we have to get a popcorn from the concessions. it’s really the best! at intermission, we take a slow stroll around the place and have a talk or goof off. sometimes we’ll go back to the screen for more frisby or just to wrestle in the grass. when we get tired, we lay out under the dancing hotdogs and icecreams and we laugh and talk. we lay there looking up at this enormous screen filled with enormous dancing snacks under an even bigger sky. later in the year, toward september, you can see the old classics like American Grafitti and Rebel Without a Cause and Jailhouse Rock. All these old guys and gals show up in their poodle skirts and leather jackets and 50s model cruisers with flaming paintjobs and chrome galore. I don’t go just for what’s on the screen; i go for what’s under it. i go for the love of friends and family, for a piece of a golden past and for all the memories we’re making now. Bring your kids. when they’re older they’ll always remeber when daddy took them to the drive in. bring your friends and throw the frisby with us or just lay under the stars and sing along with the wolfman. it doesn’t matter much what’s playing. the real feature of the night is who’s there with you. admission is $7.00 for adults and $3.00 for children 11 and under and for seniors. a better time can’t be had for 5 times the admission!

My Dad was a projectionist at the Crystal Lake Drive in the 60’s and I can remember the great times I had there as a kid. We had pony rides up near the screen in a fenced in area and all kinds of things to do before the movies started at dusk. The great concession stand in the mid-area of the Drive-in. I can remember going out to the Drive In during the day to fix the broken speakers, clean up the grounds and change the sign out on Hwy 14 to show the movies showing. It was the place to go when I reached High School. I would always bring my friends there. We lived in Elgin so it was a long drive for my Dad each night. I live in St.Louis now and it did not surprise me to see that the Drive In property fell to progress and more homes and condos. Like we need more of that. Thanks for the information about its fate.

its sad that drive ins are closing. The only to get them to stay is for the owner to own the land its on then no one can touch it. cause if you lease you have no say if the owner wants to sell the land

I too wish to know the times and the movies. I have 2 different phone numbers and when i call one I constantly get a busy signal. What is the phone number to get info? anyone know anything that could help? thanks

email-

Jimmyfats – you are right. Townhomes are going up as we speak. Not sure when the Crystal Lake theatre closed but we moved into the area around 1975 – I keep thinking I might have watch a movie or two at that theatre.

McHenry is still open for the 2006 season. Hope it lasts.