61 South Drive-In

8775 Commercial Boulevard,
Pevely, MO 63070

600 cars

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Additional Info

Functions: Storage

Previous Names: Sixty One Drive-In

Nearby Theaters

61 South Drive-In

This 600 car ozoner opened April 12, 1951 with John Payne in “Tripoli”. It was owned by John Kohler. It had a long run serving the people of Jefferson County. Towards the end it would hold flea markets on the week ends and show the movies at night. It finally went to a week-end only operation and soon closed as a drive-in giving way to being a flea market only. The drive in still stands and was used for the flea market. It still had the big 61 South road side marquee announcing events at the flea market. The flea market has now closed.

Contributed by Chuck Van Bibber

Recent comments (view all 12 comments)

jwmovies
jwmovies on August 30, 2012 at 6:57 am

Approx. address is 8828 Commercial Boulevard.

Chris1982
Chris1982 on September 16, 2014 at 1:25 am

Commercial Boulevard and Highway 61-67 are one in the same.

Gab
Gab on January 28, 2017 at 9:59 pm

The owners name was Jim Kohler.. His wife’s name was Robbie. My dad Tom Gabbert was the projectionist there for many years in the 70’s. I spent a big part of my childhood spent there. Great memories. Helping my dad with speaker checks.. Going my friendsmany weekends.. I even remember a big bbq the Kohlers had for employees the day all the new playground equipment was installed. Loved that place!! (Not sure who stated a protectionist shot someone.. Sure wasn’t my dad.. Never heard anything about that happening.)

bbrown1
bbrown1 on August 16, 2018 at 10:43 am

Just recently, the city of Pevely sponsored the showing of a movie at this drive-in, and there is now a Facebook group dedicated to “Restoring the Peveley Drive In”.

dansdriveintheater
dansdriveintheater on November 15, 2018 at 11:30 am

all the ramps are still there and the screen. the projectors booth and the snack bar. there are three portable trailers on the site of the drive-in that don’t belong their though

kennerado
kennerado on November 30, 2019 at 10:21 pm

The site is now advertised as a storage space with a mix of warehouses, covered storage (which is probably what the above person thinks are trailers) and open area. The ramps, snackbar, screen and roadside marquee still exist as of June 2019. The screen looks like it could display a film tomorrow, it’s in great condition.

dansdriveintheater
dansdriveintheater on April 1, 2021 at 9:14 am

@ kennerado great! wish someone would reopen this theatre!

Norman Plant
Norman Plant on April 1, 2021 at 2:10 pm

I go past this one every week, and as of today this one is still intact. Some buildings are on the property and the snack bar will probably need attention to open, but otherwise it’s ready.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on May 10, 2021 at 10:06 am

Joplin News Herald, Aug. 31, 1964: “A brief thunderstorm, accompanied by heavy winds, whipped through Arnold (MO) Sunday afternoon, injuring five persons and damaging property … Most of a 1,000-foot-long fence was blown down at the 61 South Drive-In Theater north of Herculaneum and the Marquee was damaged.”

Kenmore
Kenmore on February 12, 2023 at 3:45 am

A closer address is 8775 Commercial Blvd, Pevely, MO.

This puts it right on the projection booth/concession stand. For whatever reason, Google Maps has difficulty with the HWY 61/67 address.

https://tinyurl.com/2u34bb4r

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