Matador Drive-In & Matador Theatre
Matador,
TX
79244
1 person
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The Matador Drive-In & Matador Theatre was an entertainment venue that was an outdoor theatre in the warm months and an indoor theatre during the cooler months. The Matador launched in 1953 and was still in operation in 1963. It said that it had 200 spaces for outdoor presentations and 500 seats in its indoor auditorium.
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dallaasmovietheaters
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
I did find the remnants of a drive-in south of Matador on TX-70. It was fully intact and appears to be open in a 1966 aerial. However, by 1996 it was totally demolished. I could not establish an address anywhere close on Google Maps.
It certainly has the size to hold 200 cars. However, there was no structure on the site large enough to hold 500 people.
So, either this is a different drive-in or the indoor and outdoor theaters were separate.
Boxoffice, Nov. 27, 1961: “Frank Pierce has bought the Bogue Theatre and Matador Drive-In at Matador, Tex.”
Billboard, March 28, 1953: “A new 200-car capacity drive-in is to be built by Bobby Hamm at Matador, Tex.”
Boxoffice, Nov. 11, 1963: “Wade Berryman and wife Nan have a one-story indoor theatre at their Matador (Tex.) Drive-In. It seats 104 and has been in use since last spring, when it was formally opened with valuable prizes, free coffee and candy.”
In comparing the 1957 aerial to the 1966 aerial, it’s apparent that the projection booth doubled in size. Whether this was extending the roof to cover the area in front of the projector or it was a structure with walls I cannot say.
But when you consider that it would take five rows of twenty seats to hold 100 people. And then add the room needed to hold the projectors, other equipment, and apparently a snack bar if they gave away coffee and candy, this structure just isn’t close to being big enough.
When given the choice to believe the press reports or my eyes, I’m going to go with my eyes every time. So, either the 104-seat theater was torn down before 1966, it was not located on the drive-in property, or (most likely) the 104 seating capacity was exaggerated by at least half.