Varsity Drive-In

2202 Culebra Road,
San Antonio, TX 78228

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Showing 10 comments

Ripshin
Ripshin on September 11, 2024 at 4:38 pm

I wish whoever is posting the historical aerials, would put a photo date and/or description.

mikefernandez
mikefernandez on June 19, 2011 at 3:23 pm

Trongo, the screen tower was demolished months before HEB started construction of the store and there are no speaker posts at all in the rear of the property. The old fence that separated the last row of speakers and the old baseball field behind the drive-in, that is still there.

trongod05
trongod05 on January 8, 2011 at 2:30 pm

I saw my first movie at the Varsity Drive-In when I was a few years old between 1977 and 1980 before they tore it down. That movie was Star Wars. Star Wars at the Drive-In is amazing.

When they erected the first HEB in its place, the screen was still there for a number of years. I think the posts are still back there somewhere.

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on November 27, 2009 at 6:53 pm

In 1956 it was owned by Lone Star Theatres.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on November 24, 2009 at 8:03 pm

Here is a 1973 aerial photo:
http://tinyurl.com/yd44ja9

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on June 16, 2009 at 10:42 pm

Here is a December 1972 ad from the San Antonio Express:
http://tinyurl.com/lubfwt

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on February 9, 2008 at 2:41 pm

The Varsity was torn down in 1980. Here is a photo. The poor quality is due to the original photo, not to me:
http://tinyurl.com/ysdhmq

maxusxII40
maxusxII40 on September 26, 2006 at 7:36 pm

outafocus,

How can I get photos of this drive in- (Varsity, San Antonio)?

Also I’m looking for a link to a website that described san antonio movie theaters both old and new. Can you help?

Marcus

Jim Miller
Jim Miller on July 4, 2006 at 4:35 am

The cheerleader tossed a megaphone.
The Varsity was built by the same people that built the Josephine indoor theatre. They were projectionists in the local union, and it showed, because the Josephine and the Varsity were outfitted with the very best projection equipment of their time! The Varsity’s screen was enlarged to full CinemaScope width with the advent of wide screen projection, and was one of the largest drive in screens in San Antonio. The Varsity always did brisk business, and I find it to be one of the drive ins that have some of the most fond memories from people I talk to.

lyssa751
lyssa751 on March 16, 2005 at 12:34 pm

Back in the Day, the Varsity had a screen mural of a majorette in the front that said “Varsity” across the top in Neon. I believe she may have been tossing either a baton or a cheerleading horn (forgot the name of it) in the air with the neon flashing. That would have been a great sight to see.