Grand Bay Drive-In
3636 Westfield Road,
Saint John,
NB
E2M 7P3
3636 Westfield Road,
Saint John,
NB
E2M 7P3
1 person
favorited this theater
Showing 7 comments
The Grand Bay Drive-In opened its gates on July 18, 1952 with Susan Hayward in “Tulsa” and the Bowery Boys in “Ghost Chasers” along with a short entitled “Spooks Ahoy”.
The Grand Bay Drive-In closed on September 5, 1982 with “Chariots Of Fire” and “Blaze Runner”.
Unless the topography has changed radically in the years since the drive-in closed, it is safe to say that those who docked on the shore of the river were transported to the drive-in by other means.
Franklin & Hershorn theatres opened the Grand Bay Drive-In on June 18th, 1952 and was taken over by Famous Players in 1970.
Boxoffice ran a two-page story (with photos) about the Grand Bay on Nov. 1, 1952. It said the drive-in had in-car speakers for 650 vehicles, and had drinking fountains and telephine booths “spotted throughout the grounds”. Some patrons arrived on “all kinds of craft using the St. John river on which the property is located.”
The entire Franklin and Herschorn circuit, including the Grand Bay, was sold to Famous Players Canadian Corp., according to a note in the March 23, 1970 Boxoffice.
I’d be interested to know how the boat traffic was going to reach the drive-in. The drive-in is a good half-mile from the shoreline. There is a creek that runs from the lake near the drive-in, but it is quite small and doesn’t appear deep or wide enough to handle even small boats.
Perhaps there was a hotel next to the drive-in that was close enough for foot traffic from boaters who didn’t want to detach their trailers and could walk instead?
Motion Picture Almanac, 1966, under New Brunswick: “Martinon, Grand Bay Drive-In, (capacity) 600 & 300, Franklin-Herschorn Theas. Ltd.”
The Grand Bay Drive-In opened in the early-1950s. What’s unique about the Grand Bay Drive-In is that according to a May 30, 1953 article of the National Post, the Grand Bay Drive-In installed 300 seats to attract small boat traffic.