Century Drive-In

3560 W. Century Boulevard,
Inglewood, CA 90303

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Cinerama
Cinerama on November 30, 2023 at 7:22 pm

Click on link to see ads, articles and pictures of the Century Drive-In

vindanpar
vindanpar on January 12, 2021 at 3:42 pm

Well now I’ve seen everything. A Cinerama drive in. Did you have to reserve your parking space in advance? Did they give you seven speakers for your car? How did they afford the three projectionists? And the putting up and dismantling of the screen for flat film must have been expensive and a pain.

davidcoppock
davidcoppock on October 8, 2019 at 2:42 am

Opened with “Champion” and “The big cat”.

rivest266
rivest266 on October 7, 2019 at 10:58 pm

Correction: Opened on June 30th, 1949

DavidZornig
DavidZornig on April 2, 2015 at 4:38 am

Aerial view of the Century Drive-In added. There is a curved Cinerama screen in front of the regular screen. May, 1964. Photo and copy courtesy of Robert Juzefski.

CSWalczak
CSWalczak on August 24, 2012 at 8:18 am

On Roland Lataille’s page, there is this note: “Special B prints used with 2X magnetic strips for sound.” This implies that there was some stereo effect possible, but apparently the special Cinerama sound processor was not used.

I think I remember reading somewhere that the three mobile-home like booths were each mounted on a lift mechanism that would elevate them to the appropriate height for head-on projection.

dickneeds111
dickneeds111 on August 24, 2012 at 12:58 am

Coate. I have just done some research and the twin drive in ine Cinn played Windjammer after a cinemiracle run downtown, The drive in ran it in Cinerama from July-Aug in 1960. I am still trying to find out more info on the Albany Drie in. I still can’t see how Cinerama was any good at any drive in without 7 track stereo.. The picture might be big and great but lousy mono sound.

Drive-In 54
Drive-In 54 on May 12, 2012 at 12:51 am

Uploaded aerials 1952 and 1980. Other links are broken.

Coate
Coate on May 11, 2012 at 10:43 pm

dick… Those drive-ins in Cincinnati and Albany ran WINDJAMMER, so, technically, they showed CineMiracle rather than Cinerama.

dickneeds111
dickneeds111 on May 11, 2012 at 9:13 pm

The Century Drive-in WAS NOT the 1st Drive-In to install 3 strip Cinerama. It had been done 2 years earlier in Drive-Ins in Cinncinnatti, Ohio and Albany, N.Y.

moviebear1
moviebear1 on April 27, 2011 at 1:02 am

Thanks for the high quality repros

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on June 26, 2009 at 4:04 am

Here is an undated photo of the Century:
http://tinyurl.com/ltaxxa

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on May 14, 2009 at 7:01 am

Here is an August 1974 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/rd29p4

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on April 2, 2009 at 4:50 am

Enter the address on this site for some aerial views in the 50s, 70s and 80s:
View link

bobboren
bobboren on November 24, 2008 at 5:19 am

Hmmmm, interesting. I grew up in a housing tract in Gardena called Hollypark, which is close to where Century Drive-in was. Hollypark is between Crenshaw and Van Ness, and El Segundo and Rosecrans. My parents bought their house there new in 1955. We lived there until 1965, at which time we moved to Torrance. We used to go to three or four different Drive-ins when we lived in Hollypark – Century, Vermont, Roadium, and sometimes Centinela. We didn’t go to Century as often as the others because of the airplane noise. I saw “101 Dalmations” there – I was pretty young, but I remember it pretty well. It started to rain during the opening credits – we thought we were going to have to leave. It died down and we were able to watch the whole movie. I do remember the airplane noise, but I was so thrilled to be there that I didn’t care.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on November 24, 2008 at 3:56 am

In September 1954, the LA Times reported on the construction of a new drive-in theater to be called the Hollypark, east of Crenshaw near Imperial Highway. This was to be in conjunction with a 300 million dollar city, also called Hollypark. The drive-in was to be operated by Pacific Theaters. Perhaps because of the proximity of the Century, the Holypark was never built, nor was the city.

Clarkus
Clarkus on April 19, 2008 at 11:41 am

My family moved to Inglewood in 1953 and I remember a small Army anti-aircraft installation just south of the Century Drive-in at the corner of 104th street and Yukon ave. There were several gun emplacements and bunkers. Being 7 years old at the time I was impressed by all the hardware. This facility was de-activated soon after and the land remained vacant for some time. I believe Morningside High School had already been built across 104th street. Needless to say the family took advantage of this great drive-in on many occasions.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on April 12, 2008 at 3:33 am

The entire stretch of Century between Prairie and Crenshaw has been built out for retail. I remember only about ten years ago most of this land was vacant. Hollywood Park itself will be gone in five years, for a mixed retail/residential project.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on September 14, 2007 at 3:21 pm

Here is a June 1953 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/2eas35

DECCO
DECCO on June 9, 2007 at 5:05 pm

IN 1963-64 I WORKED AT THE CENTURY AS A LOT ATTENDANT WHILE ATTENDING EL CAMINO COLLEGE. WE WORE LONG WHITE ‘LAB’ STYLE COATS, TRIMMED IN RED WITH MATCHING CAPS. BETWEEN FEATURES MOST OF US HELPED OUT IN THE CONCESSION STAND. THE PIZZAS AND FROZEN MALTS WERE OK. I AVOIDED THE CHILI DOGS.

WHILE STILL EMPLOYED THERE THE CORPORATION INSTALLED CINERAMA. A FEATURE NARRATED BY LOWELL THOMAS LAUNCHED THE NEW SENSATION. YEARS LATER AT A DENVER HOSPITAL, LOWELL THOMAS STEPPED INTO AN ELEVATOR AS I STEPPED OUT. SMALL WORLD.

“JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS” PREMIERED AT THE CENTURY. CO-STAR NANCY KOVAK MADE AN APPEARANCE. WOULDN’T YOU KNOW I HAD THE NIGHT OFF!

moviebear1
moviebear1 on April 30, 2006 at 7:27 pm

The Century DI with its Cinerama screen can be seen in The Brady Bunch Episode #100 titled “Peter and the Wolf” when Peter and Greg take two girls to the drive in.
posted by theaterdude on Feb 21, 2005 at 2:59pm

sorry to disapoint you… but I rented this episode of the Brady Bunch and it is NOT the Century… . . however it is a so cal drive in… . the Gilmore.

I worked there as a projectionist at one time and they were one of a handfull of Drive Ins that had Stereophonic speakers for the car.

Matt Spero