Big Sky Drive-In
1060 E. Huntington Drive,
Duarte,
CA
91010
1060 E. Huntington Drive,
Duarte,
CA
91010
4 people
favorited this theater
Showing 18 comments
Entrance now The Burger Den next to Sonic.
Theatre itself is now Target!
Correct address was 1060 Huntington Dr, Duarte, CA 91010.
Plesse update.
Boxofice, Dec. 1, 1951: “After 13 years as a United Artists salesman, Jack Drumm has resigned to take over the operation and management of the Big Sky Drive-In near Monrovia, in which he is a partner with Lou Berman. The latter is heading for Ventura to manage the 101 Drive-In, which he and Drumm have acquired from Reeves Espy.”
Boxofice, Dec. 22, 1951: “Lou Berman has disposed of his interests in the Big Sky Drive-In near Monrovia to Jack Drumm and a group of associates, and has purchased Reeves Espy’s interest in the 101 Drive-In in Ventura. Berman will have J. Arthur Drielsma, theatrical architect, and Job Sanderson as partners in the latter venture.”
Opened with “Rope of Sand” and “Roughshod”
The final listing for the Big Sky was in the Sept. 9, 1984 issue of the Monrovia News-Post. The drive-in was showing “Hollywood Hot Tubs” and “Surf II”.
Monrovia News-Post, Nov. 15, 1984: “The landmark orange and yellow Big Sky Drive-In screen rising from the sidelines of the 210 Freeway in Duarte will be torn down in a $4.5 million land sale to make way for the Mountain Vista Shopping Center. Under a deal unveiled Tuesday (13) between the Duarte Redevelopment Agency and developers … The city plans to buy the majority of the Big Sky property from the owners for $3.2 million. A portion of the land fronting Huntington Drive is already owned by the city’s redevelopment agency.”
Looks like this drive-in was first proposed as the Midway. Note that the artist’s drawing is an exact match for the eventual Big Sky aerial photo.
Boxoffice, Oct. 10, 1953: “MONROVIA, CALIF. – The Pacific Drive-In circuit has taken over operation of the Big Sky Drive-In here from Tom Charack and associates. Charack has joined the Pacific organization in a supervisory capacity.”
Is Chuck Burger or the mini golf still there accross the street.
“Pacific’s Big Sky Drive-In, 818/358-2565” was included in Los Angeles Times advertisements as late as September 1984.
A couple of notes for the comments above. The burger place across the street next to the Mini Golf (remember the giant golfer?) was called Chuck Burger. When BigSky was demolished it was a Gemco (Not Fedco) and a shopping center that replaced it. Target is there now and so is the shopping center. One of the last movies to play there was Superman III. I remember because after it closed down for more than a year the signage was still there for that movie. I lived across the street adjacent to Northview Middle School (also demolished and moved for car dealerships and now where CarMax resides). Cool note. In our porch there was a phone on the outside with no way to call out. You could only receive calls. At night when the movie played you could see about 80% of the screen from my porch (Darn eucalyptus trees covered the lower 20%) and you could hear the movie playing on the receiver that was in the porch. Not sure if that is how it was set up from the prior owners or if it was just luck. I miss those simpler days as well. More fun to go there then actually watching the movie. I mean as a kid of course. They also had a little playground near the screen where I spent much of the time playing rather than watching the movie.
I’d rather have an aerial vs no photo at all.
Whats wrong with the aerials they a pictures of the theatres or drive-ins.
Gives a good view of what the drive-in looked like at one time. I fail to see the problem with that.
Here is a 1980 aerial photo:
http://tinyurl.com/ykpw2dv
The October 8, 1949, issue of Boxoffice Magazine noted that the Big Sky Drive-In had opened recently. It was designed by architect J. Arthur Drielsma. The May 7 issue of the same magazine had said that theater was being built by, and would be operated by, a partnership called Big Sky Corporation.
A brief item in the December 21, 1951, issue of Boxoffice said that Lou Berman had disposed of his interests in the Big Sky Drive-In to Jack Drumm and a group of associates.
Though the Edwards Theatre Circuit did once operate several drive-ins in the San Gabriel Valley (usually in partnership with Pacific Drive-Ins), I don’t recall the Big Sky being among them. My memory of the listings so long ago is pretty dim, though. I do know that the Big Sky was listed in the Times with the Pacific Drive-Ins by 1971.
Here is an October 1960 ad from the Pasadena Independent:
http://tinyurl.com/62r2xu
From socaldriveins.com:
View link
Robert1954,
I remember it being the best of times, when my friends and I would stop at the little Hamburger joint across the street, grab a bite to eat, go to the Minature Gulf coures next door to it, then finishing off the day by going to the Big Sky Drive-In and catching one or two
Flicks.I surely miss those days, it seems like a long time ago.
Sincerely;
Big Screen Fan
Dave,
I remember going there as a kid with my parents…..
and seeing it as it was in transition being torn down…
it made me sad..
Steveorini