Moonlite Drive-In

2726 El Camino Real,
Santa Clara, CA 95050

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Golden State Theater & Realty Corp., United Artists Theater Circuit Inc.

Previous Names: Moonlight Movies

Nearby Theaters

Moonlite Movies ... Santa Clara California

The Moonlight Movies was opened on October 28, 1949 with James Cagney in “White Heat” & Bill Elliott in “The Last Bandit”. It was operated by Golden State Theatres. Later it was renamed Moonlight Drive-In. It was closed around 1980.

Contributed by Billy Holcomb / Don Lewis / Billy Smith

Recent comments (view all 9 comments)

Don Lewis
Don Lewis on October 9, 2009 at 6:53 pm

From the late 1940s, a newsprint photo of the Moonlite Movies Drive In marquee.

rivest266
rivest266 on April 26, 2011 at 4:30 pm

Aerial at View link
in other years, you can also see the UA 150 in front of the shopping centre.

kumitedad
kumitedad on December 14, 2011 at 10:52 pm

I may be remembering things badly, but wasnt there a walk-in theater nestled up against the Drive in screen here?

Scott Neff
Scott Neff on December 17, 2011 at 12:56 pm

In looking at the 1980 aerial view it appears you may be correct. Have never seen ads for it in any old newspapers though. Quite curious.

jwmovies
jwmovies on October 26, 2012 at 6:24 pm

I remember this. The entrance was actually on Kiely. I still remember going to the Cinema 150 and seeing the giant screen behind the shopping center.

ajtarantex
ajtarantex on May 19, 2013 at 7:16 am

there was also Moon Light bowling lanes

lennyjw
lennyjw on May 14, 2016 at 12:02 am

The Moonlite Drive-In, built in the 1940s was part of the United Artists Theater Circuit. It was on a large piece of land owned by UATC at El Camino Real and Kiely Blvd. in Santa Clara. Also on the site was Moonlite Shopping center, a strip mall which still remains, and two indoor theaters, the UA Regency and the UA Cinema 150, both built in the 1960s. The Regency was built partially on land that had previously been part of the Moonlite Drive-in. The drive-in closed around 1980 and condos were built on the site.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on July 27, 2019 at 4:30 pm

From the Oct. 8, 1949 issue of Showmen’s Trade Review: “Moonlite Movies, a new drive-in located near Santa Clara, Calif., owned by Golden State Theatres, is slated to open Oct. 21. The open-airer will be equipped with individual car-heaters for winter operation. Ben Stevenson has been named manager. He was formerly at the Parkside Theatre where Bud Sears is now in charge. Roy Young, assistant manager of the Noe Theatre, was made manager when Sears left for the Parkside.”

rivest266
rivest266 on April 17, 2024 at 9:04 am

Opened on October 28th, 1949, as the world’s finest drive-in. Grand opening ad posted.

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