Mt. Vernon Twin Drive-In
632 S. Mount Vernon Avenue,
San Bernardino,
CA
92410
632 S. Mount Vernon Avenue,
San Bernardino,
CA
92410
1 person
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Pacific Theatres
Previous Names: Mt. Vernon Drive-In, Mt Vernon Motor-In Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The Mt. Vernon Drive-In was opened on September 25, 1948 with Dana Andrews in “Deep Waters” & Roy Rogers in “On the Old Spanish Trail”. From 1954 it was operated by B.E. Gongden, Mt. Vernon Motor-In Theatres and Judy Poynter and renamed Mt. Vernon Motor-In Theatre. In 1973 a second screen was added and it was renamed Mt. Vernon Twin Drive-In. Operated by Pacific Theatres it was closed on September 10, 1989. It became the San Bernardino Pro-Swap Meet which closed in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Contributed by
James Monroe
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Recent comments (view all 16 comments)
Is this drive-in actually on Route 66, as it says on the matchbox cover shown above?
Yes, the Mt. Vernon was on US 66, which ran along Baseline Road when it was built, though it’s more like 55-60 miles east of downtown L.A. A much closer match would be the Foothill Drive-In in Rialto, just west of the San Bernardino city limits. Maybe CT should move the fake matchbook cover to that page? ;)
Boxoffice, Aug. 21, 1948: “SAN BERNARDINO, CALIF. – A new drive-in theatre is being erected at Baseline and Cunningham avenue here for the Highland Theatre Co. Projection and screen buildings will be of frame and stucco construction. Designed by theatre architect C. A. and W. G. Balch of Los Angeles the new plant will cost $40,000.”
The sign is still being used for the swap meet by the looks of it.
Does Mt Vernon look purple?
Boxoffice, Oct. 23, 1948: “SAN BERNARDINO, CALIF. – A. G. and George E. Mitzel recently opened the 700-car Mount Vernon Motor-In here. The Mitzels also own drive-in in Portland, Ore., and in Los Angeles. The Mount Vernon airer, the owners said, boasted a natural stage, an innovation in drive-in construction.”
At its grand opening on Sept. 25, 1948, the Mt. Vernon showed “Deep Waters” starring Dana Andrews, “On the Old Spanish Trail” starring Roy Rogers, “plus cartoon and news”.
This drive-in opened as the Mt. Vernon Motor-In, the name it showed on its sign probably at least until it was twinned in 1973. The San Bernardino County Sun wrote on Nov. 10, 1972: “The Bombs: There’s a triple bill of motorcycle flicks – “The Hellcats,” “The Sidehackers,” and “Hell’s Belles” – at the Mt. Vernon Motor-In.” That was its final set of movies as a single-screen on Nov. 14 that year.
Pacific Theatres' final listing for the Mt. Vernon in the Los Angeles Times on Sept. 10, 1989, was “Turner and Hooch” and “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” on one screen, and “Lock Up” and “Cage” on the other.
Clarification on location. US 66 initially turned west from Mt. Vernon at 4th St. to Foothill and was later moved to 5th St. to Foothill. If the theater was at 632 S. Mt. Vernon (south of the rail yard) it was not a Route 66 drive-in.
JimRoss66 is correct to point out that the Mt. Vernon was never on Route 66. (One more reason to replace the misleading novelty matchbook cover as its front image, BTW.) According to the official 1948 California Division of Highways map, it was 1.3 miles south of US 66.
Then again, in my book “Drive-Ins of Route 66,” I include every drive-in within three miles of the Mother Road, (2.5 miles in the 1st edition), partly to avoid omitting ozoners that happened to be on the other side of small towns. So the Mt. Vernon is there, close enough. :)
Thanks to Corona (!), the Pro Swap is permanently closed too! 🥺🥺🥺