Looks like this drive-in may have started its life even earlier as the Sunrise. I ran across this note in Motion Picture Exhibitor, Dec. 18, 1963: “A. W. Cook and Preston Henn have taken over the Sunrise Drive-In, Fort Lauderdale, and have renamed it the Thunderbird.”
There’s a Sunrise listed for Fort Lauderdale in the 1957-76(!) editions of Motion Picture Almanac. It had a capacity of 500 and was owned by Bailey Theatre. When the MPA finally rebooted its drive-in list in 1977, the Sunrise was gone, replaced by the Thunderbird Twin, owned by P.B. Henn.
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Feb. 1, 1967: “Mid-America Theatres has just purchased the Waring Drive-In, Carbondale, Ill., and is changing the name to Campus Drive-In.”
All my old reference books had the Starlite under Potosi, which is also how the St. Louis Post-Dispatch described it in 2002. Anyway…
The 1953-54 Theatre Catalog included the Starlite, capacity 300, owner Harry Blount.
The Starlet (sic) Drive-In first appeared in the Motion Picture Almanac in the 1953-54 edition, capacity 228, owned by H. F. Blount, and that’s the way it stayed through the MPA’s autopilot period. When the MPA list rebooted in 1977, it showed the Starlite, capacity 200, owned by Mercille. In 1983 it changed to a twin, still owned by Mercille, and that’s how the MPA had it through its final annual list in 1988.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on Feb. 22, 2002 that Wehrenberg Inc. had sold the North Twin to a real estate developer that week. It also mentioned that it was in Jennings, and (as Kyle Muldrow noted above) was the last active drive-in theater in St. Louis County.
Based on its ads in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Airway’s final night was Sunday, Nov. 2, 1986. The movies were Trick or Treat, Maximum Overdrive, Sky Bandits, and Teen Wolf. It “closed for the season” but never reopened. Several redevelopment plans came and went before the site was demolished in 1992.
To be precise, this was in the Better Theatres Section of the Sept. 3, 1955 issue of Motion Picture Herald, credited to Arteaga Photos, St. Louis. Since MPH apparently didn’t renew its copyright, that version of the photo might be in the public domain.
This photo ran in the Better Theatres section of both the Sept. 3, 1955 and the March 24, 1956 issues of Motion Picture Herald. The former credited the photography to Arteaga Photos, St. Louis. The caption: “The cafeteria of the Holiday drive-in, St. Louis, placed adjacent to the entrance of the theatre so that it may be operated during the daytime, has chairs and tables for 50 persons in the front section facing the screen, which is glassed-in.”
TinEye.com found this photo at ChicagosExtinctBusinesses.com (Internet Archive saved version) a little while before you posted this, DavidZornig. Its caption said it was of “4 Screen Drive-In Theatre in Riverdale, IL. Opened in June 16, 1950.” The grand opening ad next to it called it the world’s only 4 Screen Drive-In, and since the St. Ann was mention as the second, it probably looked a lot like this.
Boxoffice, Feb. 28, 1977: “Staffers of the Cass County Drive-In dressed in formal attire and drove around town in a borrowed airport limousine handing out passes good during "Employees' Week.” Balloons were give to the youngsters by the Commonwealth airer personnel."
Boxoffice, Sept. 23, 1950: “One of the most unusual drive-ins we had seen was Baker’s Air Park near Burlington, operated by D. S. Baker. The outdoor house has a complete park with swimming, a picnic area, cabins, and even an airport located across the road. Baker sends a plane up with banners to advertise the shows. The drive-in also has a restaurant, which opens at 9 a. m. and remains open until midnight. It is located at the back of the theatre and the owners plan an enclosed patio on top of the concessions building from which patronage can see the show while dining. The screen tower of the drive-in is mounted on two live Sycamore trees. A moonglow lighting system has been added and Baker said it increased business. The drive-in charges $1 per car plus federal tax at all times, making the total $1.20 per car, regardless of the number of passengers.”
The June 9, 1951 issue of Boxoffice had a lengthy article stating that the St. Ann had opened on June 2. It cost $300,000 and had been under construction for nine months. Lewis Eugene Wilson of Los Angeles was the architect. Two sets of projectors with mirrored lenses served the four screens. The playgrounds included a coal-burning steam train that ran over 1600 feet of track.
Bosco’s story wasn’t unique. The June 9, 1951 issue of Boxoffice had a six-paragraph story about the escape and recapture of Gorgeous George, a three-foot, 60-pound monkey. George, who “may be a baboon,” was finally cornered in a barn about a mile from the drive-in.
The end of one Palace era, in the letters section of Boxoffice, April 6, 1957: “I won’t need Boxoffice any longer. I’m closing up the theatre, throwing in the sponge. The small-town theatre is finished. The practice of letting the big theatres squeeze all of the advertising and attendance out of new pictures and of selling the old ones to TV has finished the little boys. (signed) O. B. Hancock, Palace Theatre, Plano, Tex.”
The Missouri got a new marquee in 1967, according to a Nov. 26, 1967 story in the Columbia Missourian. That article also said that the Missouri opened on May 18, 1936 with “The Traveling Saleslady.”
The Sky-Hi opened on June 30, 1965, based on an article in the Columbia Missourian on Feb. 18, 1966. It cost more than $175,000 to build and held 750 cars. “Each spearpost is lighted to make parking easier,” and electric in-car heaters let it extend its season. Manager Richard Ytell said the biggest problem in its opening months was that “many people still do not know the Sky-Hi’s location on Old 63.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, May 12, 1954: “ST. LOUIS – It will soon be free motion pictures nightly at the St. Louis City Workhouse for Warden Clarence Weismantel through the courtesy of Mayor Roy A. Parker, Brentwood, Mo., one of the owners of the new Skyline (sic) Drive-In, immediately south of the workhouse. The 700-car drive-in is to open soon. A big picture window in a bedroom on the second floor of the warden’s residence at the southeast corner of Broadway and Meramec Street has an unobstructed view of the drive-in screen. The bedroom is being converted into a den, and to help the warden enjoy the free shows, Mayor Parker has arranged to have an electric line and a drive-in speaker installed.”
Boxoffice, July 17, 1948: “Another outdoor theatre, the Skyline Drive-In at Richfield, which failed to click last year, was understood to be about ready to change hands again. This and a small drive-in near Salt Lake were the only ozoners in the (Salt Lake City) area failing to attract big business”
The Exhibitor, June 27, 1951: “In Blytheville, Ark., Bloomer brothers, Belleville, Ill., owners, have taken a lease on the former Skyline Drive-In, a 400-car project, owned by the United Drive-In, Inc., controlled by W. B. Robertson, Houston, Tex., and reopened the theatre as the North Drive-In.”
The March 16, 1958 St. Louis Post-Dispatch carried a large ad about the auction of the Lakeside Recreation Center “on the retirement of George Bennett, the present owner, from this highly successful business for reasons of age and health.” It described the drive-in screen as 65 x 110 feet and the capacity as 1087 cars. “Adjoining Kiddy Land includes miniature golf course, pony ring, merry-go-round, ferris wheel, miniature train and station, boat ride, refreshment facilities, many other features.”
On Dec. 24, 1961, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran an article quoting Pacific Islands Monthly’s story about the Skyline Drive-In in Port Moresby. The asphalted drive-in had room for 300 cars.
Looks like this drive-in may have started its life even earlier as the Sunrise. I ran across this note in Motion Picture Exhibitor, Dec. 18, 1963: “A. W. Cook and Preston Henn have taken over the Sunrise Drive-In, Fort Lauderdale, and have renamed it the Thunderbird.”
There’s a Sunrise listed for Fort Lauderdale in the 1957-76(!) editions of Motion Picture Almanac. It had a capacity of 500 and was owned by Bailey Theatre. When the MPA finally rebooted its drive-in list in 1977, the Sunrise was gone, replaced by the Thunderbird Twin, owned by P.B. Henn.
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Feb. 1, 1967: “Mid-America Theatres has just purchased the Waring Drive-In, Carbondale, Ill., and is changing the name to Campus Drive-In.”
All my old reference books had the Starlite under Potosi, which is also how the St. Louis Post-Dispatch described it in 2002. Anyway…
The 1953-54 Theatre Catalog included the Starlite, capacity 300, owner Harry Blount.
The Starlet (sic) Drive-In first appeared in the Motion Picture Almanac in the 1953-54 edition, capacity 228, owned by H. F. Blount, and that’s the way it stayed through the MPA’s autopilot period. When the MPA list rebooted in 1977, it showed the Starlite, capacity 200, owned by Mercille. In 1983 it changed to a twin, still owned by Mercille, and that’s how the MPA had it through its final annual list in 1988.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on Feb. 22, 2002 that Wehrenberg Inc. had sold the North Twin to a real estate developer that week. It also mentioned that it was in Jennings, and (as Kyle Muldrow noted above) was the last active drive-in theater in St. Louis County.
Based on its ads in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Airway’s final night was Sunday, Nov. 2, 1986. The movies were Trick or Treat, Maximum Overdrive, Sky Bandits, and Teen Wolf. It “closed for the season” but never reopened. Several redevelopment plans came and went before the site was demolished in 1992.
To be precise, this was in the Better Theatres Section of the Sept. 3, 1955 issue of Motion Picture Herald, credited to Arteaga Photos, St. Louis. Since MPH apparently didn’t renew its copyright, that version of the photo might be in the public domain.
This photo ran in the Better Theatres section of both the Sept. 3, 1955 and the March 24, 1956 issues of Motion Picture Herald. The former credited the photography to Arteaga Photos, St. Louis. The caption: “The cafeteria of the Holiday drive-in, St. Louis, placed adjacent to the entrance of the theatre so that it may be operated during the daytime, has chairs and tables for 50 persons in the front section facing the screen, which is glassed-in.”
TinEye.com found this photo at ChicagosExtinctBusinesses.com (Internet Archive saved version) a little while before you posted this, DavidZornig. Its caption said it was of “4 Screen Drive-In Theatre in Riverdale, IL. Opened in June 16, 1950.” The grand opening ad next to it called it the world’s only 4 Screen Drive-In, and since the St. Ann was mention as the second, it probably looked a lot like this.
The ad the next day looked the same except “OPENS TONIGHT” at the top. Note that it was promoting its miniature train from the start.
Boxoffice, Feb. 28, 1977: “Staffers of the Cass County Drive-In dressed in formal attire and drove around town in a borrowed airport limousine handing out passes good during "Employees' Week.” Balloons were give to the youngsters by the Commonwealth airer personnel."
Boxoffice, Sept. 23, 1950: “One of the most unusual drive-ins we had seen was Baker’s Air Park near Burlington, operated by D. S. Baker. The outdoor house has a complete park with swimming, a picnic area, cabins, and even an airport located across the road. Baker sends a plane up with banners to advertise the shows. The drive-in also has a restaurant, which opens at 9 a. m. and remains open until midnight. It is located at the back of the theatre and the owners plan an enclosed patio on top of the concessions building from which patronage can see the show while dining. The screen tower of the drive-in is mounted on two live Sycamore trees. A moonglow lighting system has been added and Baker said it increased business. The drive-in charges $1 per car plus federal tax at all times, making the total $1.20 per car, regardless of the number of passengers.”
The June 9, 1951 issue of Boxoffice had a lengthy article stating that the St. Ann had opened on June 2. It cost $300,000 and had been under construction for nine months. Lewis Eugene Wilson of Los Angeles was the architect. Two sets of projectors with mirrored lenses served the four screens. The playgrounds included a coal-burning steam train that ran over 1600 feet of track.
Bosco’s story wasn’t unique. The June 9, 1951 issue of Boxoffice had a six-paragraph story about the escape and recapture of Gorgeous George, a three-foot, 60-pound monkey. George, who “may be a baboon,” was finally cornered in a barn about a mile from the drive-in.
The end of one Palace era, in the letters section of Boxoffice, April 6, 1957: “I won’t need Boxoffice any longer. I’m closing up the theatre, throwing in the sponge. The small-town theatre is finished. The practice of letting the big theatres squeeze all of the advertising and attendance out of new pictures and of selling the old ones to TV has finished the little boys. (signed) O. B. Hancock, Palace Theatre, Plano, Tex.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 26, 1950: “Waynesboro, Va. – Skyline Drive-in opened by Newbold-Kessling circuit.”
According to the Missouri Historical Society, Dorrill Studio took this photo in 1937 and still owns its copyright.
According to the Missouri Historical Society, Sievers Studio took this photo on Nov. 27, 1931, and the studio still owns its copyright.
The Missouri got a new marquee in 1967, according to a Nov. 26, 1967 story in the Columbia Missourian. That article also said that the Missouri opened on May 18, 1936 with “The Traveling Saleslady.”
The Sky-Hi opened on June 30, 1965, based on an article in the Columbia Missourian on Feb. 18, 1966. It cost more than $175,000 to build and held 750 cars. “Each spearpost is lighted to make parking easier,” and electric in-car heaters let it extend its season. Manager Richard Ytell said the biggest problem in its opening months was that “many people still do not know the Sky-Hi’s location on Old 63.”
This 1955 photo is part of the Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, Missouri.
Motion Picture Exhibitor, May 12, 1954: “ST. LOUIS – It will soon be free motion pictures nightly at the St. Louis City Workhouse for Warden Clarence Weismantel through the courtesy of Mayor Roy A. Parker, Brentwood, Mo., one of the owners of the new Skyline (sic) Drive-In, immediately south of the workhouse. The 700-car drive-in is to open soon. A big picture window in a bedroom on the second floor of the warden’s residence at the southeast corner of Broadway and Meramec Street has an unobstructed view of the drive-in screen. The bedroom is being converted into a den, and to help the warden enjoy the free shows, Mayor Parker has arranged to have an electric line and a drive-in speaker installed.”
Boxoffice, July 17, 1948: “Another outdoor theatre, the Skyline Drive-In at Richfield, which failed to click last year, was understood to be about ready to change hands again. This and a small drive-in near Salt Lake were the only ozoners in the (Salt Lake City) area failing to attract big business”
The Exhibitor, June 27, 1951: “In Blytheville, Ark., Bloomer brothers, Belleville, Ill., owners, have taken a lease on the former Skyline Drive-In, a 400-car project, owned by the United Drive-In, Inc., controlled by W. B. Robertson, Houston, Tex., and reopened the theatre as the North Drive-In.”
The March 16, 1958 St. Louis Post-Dispatch carried a large ad about the auction of the Lakeside Recreation Center “on the retirement of George Bennett, the present owner, from this highly successful business for reasons of age and health.” It described the drive-in screen as 65 x 110 feet and the capacity as 1087 cars. “Adjoining Kiddy Land includes miniature golf course, pony ring, merry-go-round, ferris wheel, miniature train and station, boat ride, refreshment facilities, many other features.”
On Dec. 24, 1961, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran an article quoting Pacific Islands Monthly’s story about the Skyline Drive-In in Port Moresby. The asphalted drive-in had room for 300 cars.