Starlite Drive-In
8011 N. Highway 145,
Menomonee Falls,
WI
53051
8011 N. Highway 145,
Menomonee Falls,
WI
53051
5 people
favorited this theater
Showing 14 comments
Opened on 1/9/1955.
1100 cars.
Uploaded film scans from 1992(closed) and 1995(demolition). Last film I saw there was Escape From Alcatraz in 1979. The biggest problem with seeing movies at the Starlite was the light pollution from US 45, which I’m sure wasn’t an issue when it was built. It tended to wash out the screen, especially the back one. As AJD did I was able to salvage the neon “W” from the “Welcome” sign, but it was so thin and brittle that it eventually cracked. I still have the “S” from “CLOSED” on the entrance sign.
Lots of memories here as a child! I remember I had my 1st Cherry Coke in a plastic bottle when it first came out! Seen Terminator and ET here and many other movies! I always remembered driving by at night when it was all lit up! Well it was opened when me and my family moved away to Tn back in 93" and here in the Tri Cities we have 4 drive in movie theaters all with in a 30 min drive or closer! But now I get the joy of providing my own family memories with my children & they love the drive in as I do to! I just hope the drive in theater never dies because its a memory that’s a lot stronger then a regular movie theater! I’m 34 now and last weekened watched The Avengers and MIB 3 and our local drive ins stay pretty packed here in East Tn! But it still is not the Starlight and never will be!
Huge two page ad from September 1st, 1955 at View link
In January, 2010 ground was broken to construct a big box store on these hallowed grounds. I would have liked to walked the old movie-moguls before the ground was leveled, but I showed up too late last week. The Starlite’s main lot will become the parking lot, as the new building is standing on the northwest corner of the property.
My greatest memory is seeing “It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World” summer of 1964 with my dad, sister and her girlfriend. I got the front seat of our white and red Dodge wagon, which I’ll never forget!
I just happen to have salvaged one of the entrance neon signs, it takes up 26 feet of wall space in my rec-room. I was also able to snag a couple of speaker poles out of the woods. I grew up in the shadow of this outdoor theater, and spent many nights parked in those gravel rows. This was opened by Marcus Corporation, their grand gala opening was September 2nd. 1955. I sure do miss the old girl, but I was lucky to obtain some memorabilia. The favorite thing of most vistors that come over to view my Mini Museum of Wisconsin memories seems to be that old Drive In Theater sign.
Any comments or questions regarding any drive-in theater in Wisconsin, please check out my website at
www.drive-inthruwisconsin.com There you will find photos, original newspaper ads and a whole lot more. Or contact me at I will give you complete and accurate information about Wisconsin drive-in theaters, just ask. Thanks, Charles Bruss
Didn’t the sign say “The cleanest bathrooms in the world” and the bathrooms were so disgusting I held in my urines all night. Luckily I didn’t have to do a #2.
The only time I was there was in 1992 and we saw a league of there own and honey I blew up the kid. I remember boomerang with eddie murphy was playing on the back corner screen at the time. I remember as a kid driving home from my grandmas house and seeing the big starlight screen off the freeway and trying to catch a glimpse of what was playing on it. In 14 years they have done nothing with the land. Its almost completely over grown and the only way to see there used to be a drive-in there is the cement rows with the torn out metal poles that used to be there.
I’m 29 years old and grew up in Milwaukee and I have two meomories of the starlite drive-in when I was seven years old I went there with my friend and our moms and saw Gremlins for my frien’s birthday and for my birthday we went to see Desperately Seeking Susan
The Starlite opened in 1955 and was BUILT by Marcus Theaters who owned and operated the drive-in the entire time of it’s existance.
The last movie shown…the forgettable “Milk Money”.
Anyone visiting this site will be able to see the remainder of light posts that lighted the area. When it was in operation, the sign facing the HWY 41, was on the back of the original screen. The sign was all in neon and flashed the symbol of a star, very large taking up half the streen height, surrounded by several smaller stars, then the words “Starlite Drive-in.”
Neighbors used to complain in the paper when an R rated flick was shown.