Admiral Twin Drive-In
7355 E. Easton Street,
Tulsa,
OK
74115
7355 E. Easton Street,
Tulsa,
OK
74115
8 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 34 comments
The old marquee stood on Admiral for years before being torn down sometime in the 1970s, long after I-244 cut off the drive-in from the street.
However, you can still see the base of the marquee and part of the original entrance road located on the west side of Crown Liquor Store on Admiral.
A 1955 topo map shows the drive-in as a single screen occupying the west half of the property.
The new screen was added and the eastern half of the property was then developed. So, the western area is the original drive-in with the eastern half added in 1955.
There’s an excellent article, with plenty of photos, in today’s Tulsa World marking the 10th anniversary of the Admiral Twin’s screen-destroying fire.
The next ownership change came in 1966, per this May 30 note in BoxOffice: “Recently General Cinema Corp. of Boston, Mass., purchased the Admiral Twin Drive-In in Tulsa from Alex Blue and Hank Robb”.
Also opened with news.
Opened on 24/5/1951 with a Donald Duck cartoon(not named) and “Oh Susanna”. Name changed to Admiral Drive-in on 19/6/1952, opening with 2 cartoons and “The battle at Apache Pass”. The drive-in was used as a location for the movie “The outsiders”.
If Blue bought this in 1953, then it was a couple of years before he twinned it. From the May 7, 1955 Motion Picture Herald:
The Admiral drive-in, Tulsa, will become the first drive-in in the state to operate a “double screen” effective early this month, Alex Blue, co-owner and operator announced. Blue said the theatre had duplicated its present accommodations to the rear of the existing outdoor movie screen and that the new facilities will open within the next few weeks. Capacity of the theater will be 1,350 automobiles, making it one of the largest in the southwest.
Was it only the screen that caught fire?
The screen was an uninsurable, wooden tinderbox. The cause of the fire was accidental as the fire marshall ruled out arson, lightning, or electricity.
Is it known how the fire started?
This is where one scene of The Outsiders is filmed!
Its supposed to be installed by the end of May. Interesting note that for the opening weekend of Iron Man 3, they are showing it on both screens.
Did they convert to digital this year?
They really need to put up a more representative picture. The one they have, of the fire, is disgusting and a misguided way to show the drive-in off.
Looks like its opening back up June 15th 2012 according to this facebook page, with some cool photos of the rebuilt screens and snack bar.
https://www.facebook.com/SavetheAdmiralTwinDrivein
Construction has begun on the replacement theater: http://www.kjrh.com/dpp/news/local_news/groundbreaking-for-admiral-twin-drive-in-draws-many-fans
There are plans to rebuild:
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The time the fire started is stated in the article roadsideok posted.
roadsideok,How do you know what time the FIRE started?
Last movies shown: The Last Exorcism and Predators.
The Admiral Twin Drive-In has just burned down (fire started at 2 p.m. on 9/2/10).
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A web site devoted to the Admiral Drive-In …
http://tulsatvmemories.com/admiral.html
I concur with the name change. An additional function should be swap meets:
http://www.bikerplaza.com/event-6256.html
Two vintage views c1960 -
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Here is an undated photo from the Tulsa library:
http://tinyurl.com/35pwwr