Campus Drive-In
7994 Old Highway 13,
Murphysboro,
IL
62901
7994 Old Highway 13,
Murphysboro,
IL
62901
2 people
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Additional Info
Previous Names: Waring Auto Drive-In
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Often listed as being in Carbondale, IL, it was located on the Southwest corner of the intersection of Old Highway 13 and Country Club Road. The Waring Auto Drive-In opened on July 3, 1948 with Brian Donlevy in “A Gentleman After Dark”. It had spaces for 500 cars. It was operated by W.E. Waring Jr. of the Ritz Theatre, Cobden, IL.
In January 1967 it was taken over by Mid-America Theatres and renamed the Campus Drive-In, after its proximity to Southern Illinois University. During the 1970’s, it played mostly horror and adult movies, before closing on September 18, 1977 with Richard Harris in “Orca” & Bradford Dillman in “Bug”. The drive-in has since been demolished and a hog farm is on the site today.
Contributed by
Bryan
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Recent comments (view all 11 comments)
The address was RFD 2 Murphysboro and the phone number was 684-8104. And come on now, am I the only person who cares about this theater?
I REMEMBER YOU, CAMPUS DRIVE-IN, even if no one else does! I actually ENJOYED living in Carbondale and I relish every memory of it!
Poor little forgotten theater.
Maybe some folks at SIU would have pictures and/or more history of this theatre in their archives. It’s worth a try.
I just listened to Funky Fanfare by Keith Mansfield in honor of you, CAMPUS DRIVE-IN!
Renamed Campus in 1966 and closed in 1977.
Correction: Address is now 7994 Old Hwy 13, Murphysboro, IL 62966. No longer part of Carbondale.
The original capacity might’ve been around 200-250 cars, a 1963 aerial photo shows the back half of the ramps being created.
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Feb. 1, 1967: “Mid-America Theatres has just purchased the Waring Drive-In, Carbondale, Ill., and is changing the name to Campus Drive-In.”
The property is an empty field. You can just make out the ramps, entrance/exit roads, outline, and foundations of the screen and projection booth/concession stand.