Joy Drive-In
616 N. Nugent Avenue,
Johnson City,
TX
78636
616 N. Nugent Avenue,
Johnson City,
TX
78636
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The Joy Drive-In opened in 1950, per a note in the July 22, 1950 issue of BoxOffice: “Mr. and Mrs. M. B. Barrow … have opened the new Joy Drive-In on Highway 281 outside the city limits. The new drive-in has a capacity for only 42 cars”.
The Billboard of September 26, 1953 gave us the owner’s first name. “Martin Barrow has taken over operation of the Jaycee Theater, Johnson City, TX. … Barlow owns and operates the Joy Drive-In, Johnson City”.
The 1952 Theatre Catalog listed the Joy Drive-In, owner H. B. Barrow, with a capacity of 460. By the 1955-56 edition, the Catalog corrected that number to 44.
The first appearance of the Joy Drive-In in the Motion Picture Almanac wasn’t until the 1960 edition, where it said the Joy Drive-In held 30 cars. That changed to 300 in the 1963 edition, and the MPA continued to list the Joy Drive-In with a capacity of 300 though its final appearance in the 1976 edition.
My guess of 521 US-281 for the address is based on the BoxOffice description and a 1966 aerial photo, but it’s not easy to spot a drive-in that held fewer than 50 cars. A 7-Eleven occupies that site now.
Contributed by
Michael Kilgore
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Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
After looking at the 1966 aerial, there is no trace of anything at the location you cited.
I might believe that a drive-in would be totally demolished without a building being put up, but the trees at the location indicate that nothing was built there at the time.
Plus, I cannot find anything resembling a drive-in along HWY281, be it 30 or 300 cars anywhere near Johnson City. Now, it may be hiding in plain sight, so I’m not discounting anything, but I’ve seen nothing close so far.
Whatever the case, more information is needed about it’s location.
I think this may have been a portable job, which would also explain the change in capacity, moving to a bigger space.
A closer address is 616 N Nugent Ave, Johnson City, TX.
That is the location of the screen which is now being used as a residence. You can see the foundation of the projection booth/concession stand behind the house.
A 1966 aerial does not reveal much as it appears the drive-in was long closed by this time. You can see the screen and another house nearby.
There is no way the drive-in held 300 vehicles. Even if you take out the trees, there is a creek that runs not far behind where the projection booth/concession stand was at. Plus, the trees were present in 1966 anyway.
30 cars appears to be its capacity which never changed. The 300 was probably a typo and given that it was probably closed by 1963 anyway, it’s not an entry that can be trusted.
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