Bar-Len Drive-In
Lenwood Road and Main Street,
Lenwood,
CA
92311
Lenwood Road and Main Street,
Lenwood,
CA
92311
1 person
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I think the Bar-Len was owned by the same people who owned the Barstow Theatre as they shared ads in the 1965 & 1966 Barstow High School yearbooks.
To amplify that excellent catch, the Bar-Len’s final performance was on Sunday, Sept. 15, 1968, when it showed “The One and Only Genuine Original Family Band” and “Bambi”. Subsequent ads were “Closed for the winter”.
Newspaper listings for this drive-in stopped in 1968 in the Desert Dispatch.
(Barstow) Desert Dispatch, Dec. 30, 1948: “Barstow’s new $90,000 Bar-Len drive in theater opened December 29. Visitors will see a screen stories high and an auditorium capable of holding 500 cars.” No grand opening ad the week before, unfortunately. The front-page article mentioned a snack bar, in-car speakers, and regular double features.
clove this theater
Boxoffice, Feb. 21, 1953: “Dave Peterman succeeds Joseph James as manager of the Bar-Len Drive-In in Barstow.”
The Bar-Len first appeared in the Film Daily Year Book in the 1950 edition. It was also in the first Motion Picture Almanac drive-in list, the 1950-51 edition, and the second Theatre Catalog list, 1949-50.
Motion Picture Almanac drive-in list mentions:
But the “Barlen” was still included in Western Amusement’s holdings in the MPA’s Theatre Circuit section through 1984.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Barstow+Transfer+%26+Storage/Crest Theatre.8710937,-117.1188704,515m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x80c47ed38970b30b:0x44c2c98e50998007!8m2!3d34.8712906!4d-117.1202499
what is left.
Odd name!!
The “Bar-Len” was listed in Lenwood in the 1964 Film Daily Year Book. It was also listed, with a capacity 460 cars and in Barstow in the 1972 International Motion Picture Almanac, so it survived until at least 1971. By the 1984 edition, it was gone.
A 1963 Barstow High School yearbook photo calls it the “Bar Len,” though the poster uses a hyphen.
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/mojavegirl1216/4300343906/
For the clincher, this Flickr user posted “A single frame from the policy trailer shown at the Bar-Len Drive In.” It clearly shows a hyphen in the name.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/23731559@N07/4357654129/
I can’t tell which city it belonged in, but I think the name really ought to be hyphenated.
Update: The drive-in is now the intersection of Lenwood Rd. and Main St. literally! The reconfigured Lenwood Rd. runs through where the drive-in stood. Most ramps are still visible.
This drive-in was located a block south of what is now Barstow Lenwood Transmission. Approx. location is 24879 Main St. in Barstow.
This drive-in was located in Lenwood, not Barstow.
I will check out Nicks photo,and no Robin has not posted them.I have the same photos on VHS that I taped last week on Nasville Public T.V.Now back to the Barlen Drive-in.
Nick has a super cool picture on National Hills Theatre.
Did Robin get those Drive-ins on CT I don’t think I saw them.Nick sent me a GCC Feature Presentation trailer on Dvd.It was like Christmas morning.
Do not take me wrong Mike,I just do not have the affection for drive-ins as I do for hard tops.But the more I read about them I can see why people like them so much,in fact the photos I sent to Robin are Nashville Drive-ins.I did not say that drive-ins should not be on C.T.,that is not up to me anyway.To each his own.A lot of the theatres on C.T. are not “Cinema Treasures” to a lot of people,this site was set up to save theatres I believe,but most of them are already gone, how can you save something that is already gone.Keep the stories coming I have some Nashville Theatres on VHS video,I need to find out how to transfer them to disk and post them on C.T.
you said something on one theatre that you didn’t think Drive-ins Should be on CT. what was your reason?Can’t remember the Drive-in you left that statement on,hope you read this.Just wondering.
Yes,I think i did.I remember going to the Skyview Drive-in.
Did you ever ride the train Mike?
Most Drive-ins did ;the Skyview Drive-in here in Augusta had Train that ran for the kids.Below the screen.
Apparently the BarLen had a playground beneath the screen.