4th Street Drive-In
AR-242,
West Helena,
AR
72390
AR-242,
West Helena,
AR
72390
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At 1103 N 4th, Lexa, AR, the 1957 aerial shows an open field behind two small commercial buildings. The field has parch marks that are sorta fanned-shaped. But more importantly there is a small structure in the middle that is about the right size and shape for a projection booth.
It’s still not good enough for me to say that this was where the drive-in was located. Mostly because I see no evidence of a screen or the support structure for one (assuming it wasn’t temporary).
So, this is just a guess.
It’s unusual for a drive-in to be completely demolished with all traces removed unless something large is built on the property. Mostly because it’s not worth the effort. Ramps, entrance/exit roads, and the outline normally remain especially when only a few years have passed since its closing.
There is no large structure anywhere close to the area where the drive-in was located. So, that leaves a temporary drive in with no permanent structures. That’s my guess as to what this was unless an earlier aerial showing the drive-in can be produced.
Here’s the ad that 50sSnipes probably found, the first I saw in the Daily World. The only previous mention I found in that newspaper was a front-page note on July 25, 1949, saying that the Fourth Street Drive-in Movie, Inc., could open August 1, weather permitting. It had incorporated by Sam Anderson, Ed Blair, Mrs. Irene Blair, and Mrs. Juanita Anderson.
In a roundup of theater openings, the Sept. 17, 1949 issue of Boxoffice reported, under Memphis, Tenn., that the Fourth Street Drive-In, with a capacity of 300 cars, had been “opened by Ed Blair.” That was the same name that the magazine mentioned on Oct. 7, 1950 in a list of visitors to Memphis' Film Row.
A 1957 aerial shows no trace of any drive-in along the highway to the north of the town. So, it not only lasted a short time, it was demolished and unrecognizable just 6 years later. This may have been a temporary drive-in which would explain why it left no trace.
One mile north of West Helena puts it roughly where North 4th Street intersects with AR-185, the road that leads to the airport. There is a property on the north side that looks roughed up as if cars had been parked on it. But that is not enough evidence to say that was it.