The Jan. 3, 1948 issue of Showmen’s Trade Review had a photo roundup of 1947 theater construction. It mentioned “Louis Arru’s Skyway, Buechel, Kentucky, … has in-car speakers, Motiograph projectors and sound, Strong Mogul high intensity lamps and Strong rectifiers.” Buechel is the name of a census-designated place that was incorporated into Louisville in 2003, so it seems to be the same drive-in.
Boxoffice, Sept. 22, 1956: “Goodyear, Ariz. - The Oasis Drive-In here, managed by Donald Gordon, has repaired major storm damages inflicted by recent heavy winds. Winds bent over loudspeaker supports and wrecked the screen tower. Gordon said that numerous eight-inch I-beam columns were twisted like licorice sticks. When the screen went over, he said, it barely dented the ground and only one electric light bulb on the tower was broken. Gordon said the structure was a total loss and estimated damage at $8,000 to $10,000. The theatre is owned and operated by Nace, Kline & Murphy.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 8, 1956: “The Fox Theatre on East Main got a facelifting when a new marquee was added to the front of the building recently. Of streamlined, contemporary design, the marquee has been described by the management as "a real eye-catcher.” "
The Modern Theatre Section of the Aug. 6, 1955 issue of Boxoffice had a half-page article about the North Loup, including a couple of small photos. “So, in December 1954, having marked off a 670x270-foot corner of a farm he operates, (Ed) Burrows contacted theatre equipment companies … North Loup’s drive-in theatre opened as a Burrows family operation. Burrows is general service man for the theatre, his wife runs the concession stand, and another member of the family sells tickets … The layout includes a children’s playground in front of the 70-foot wide screen tower, a concession stand-projection booth combination, and boxoffice. April 28 was the official opening of the drive-in”
I’ve uploaded the Motor Movies' grand opening ad and a USGS aerial to the photos section.
The drive-in’s final entry in the San Francisco Examiner’s movie listings was on Sunday, Nov. 25, 1956. On June 11, 1957, the Oakland Tribune reported that construction work had begun on a $6 million Capwell’s department store “primarily on the section of land formerly occupied by the El Cerrito Motor Movies.”
This is a 1987 photo by John Margolies, part of the John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive (1972-2008), Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. It’s effectively in the public domain, and you can download it here.
The Sunset was on the northeast corner of what was then the intersection of US highways 10 and 12. Considering that there were sewage ponds on the other side of 10, I’m surprised that the drive-in survived for such a long time.
As its name suggested, the North Star was north of town on the west side of US 91, now Business I-15, where the Lewis & Clark RV Park is today at 1535 Oilfield Ave.
No drive-in was there in a 1953 USGS photo of the area, but it was there in a 1975 photo I uploaded. A 1984 aerial photo showed the screen down and much of the viewing field torn up, so once again, the Motion Picture Almanac was slow to recognize the demise of a drive-in.
In the 1955-56 Theatre Catalog, the only drive-in listed under Shelby was the Prairie, Exec: Tom Grady, capacity 210. The 1956 Motion Picture Almanac’s only Shelby entry was also the Prairie, 250 cars, owners Orpheum Thea. Corp.; Theo Kluth.
The 1958 MPA added the North Star next to the Prairie. The newer drive-in had a 300-car capacity and was owned by Orpheum Theatre Co. However, the circuit listing for Orpheum showed only the North Star in Shelby, plus the indoor Roxy, so it’s possible that Orpheum renamed the Prairie the North Star.
In 1977, when the MPA rebooted its drive-in list, there was only the North Star, capacity 250, owned by R. Roper. The owner changed to Interstate Amu. in the 1980 MPA, and that’s how it stayed through the final drive-in list in 1988.
If you’re talking about the pattern on the west side of the highway as shown here
https://www.historicaerials.com/location/32.916332237247055/-103.33364680608221/1983/17
if you zoom out, you’ll see the pattern matches other farming-related(?) parallel lines evident in multiple places in that tract of land. Although I’m not as good at it as some other CT posters, I don’t see any evidence of another drive-in near the Wildcat.
The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog also listed the Varsity’s address as “Elinda (sic?) Highway”. The consistent misspelling would concern me, but NE 70 would have been the Clovis Highway and SE 70 was very probably the Elida Highway, named for the next significant town down the road. Anyway, assuming the Varsity was southwest of Portales, its address should be 1805 W 2nd St, where a Super 8 motel is today. I’ve uploaded a photo with a south-facing screen; photos of the northwest-facing screen from the northeast side of town should be moved to the Crawley’s Drive-In page.
Given that the Varsity was the drive-in on the southwest side of Portales, the remaining drive-in on the northeast side must have been Crawley’s. Its address should be 42497 US-70, Portales, NM.
Underwood Drive runs through the old drive-in site across the highway from a Wal-Mart and a Wendys with the address 13419 US-27. The site was on the same side of the highway and north of a building with the address 13234 US-27.
Boxoffice, March 14, 1953: “Gainesville, Mo. - A new drive-in is being constructed near here by local businessmen. Harry Irvine made a trip to St. Louis last week to arrange bookings.”
Boxoffice, March 14, 1953: “Kerasotes Theatres has purchased equipment from St. Louis Theatre Supply and is prepared to start erection of a screen tower for the Havana (Ill.) Drive-In soon. Kerasotes operates the Lawford and Kaye theatres in Havana.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 4, 1950: “E. J. Stutz and Robert Snyder have received phenomenal attendance figures for the premiere engagement of their Grand Opera week at Warners' 900-seat subsequent run Columbia in Erie, Pa. … the smallest of the downtown theatres.”
The Berkshire had that name for all of its life. Its final ads in the Berkshire Eagle were on Labor Day weekend, 1978.
Berkshire Eagle, Aug. 3, 1981: “The Berkshire Drive-In opened in 1948 on 15 acres in West Pittsfield next to what is now the Coach Lite restaurant. It closed in September 1978, and by November of that year its giant outdoor screen had been removed. The property on outer West Housatonic Street was sold then to Paul Bock, co-owner of the restaurant.”
The Jan. 3, 1948 issue of Showmen’s Trade Review had a photo roundup of 1947 theater construction. It mentioned “Louis Arru’s Skyway, Buechel, Kentucky, … has in-car speakers, Motiograph projectors and sound, Strong Mogul high intensity lamps and Strong rectifiers.” Buechel is the name of a census-designated place that was incorporated into Louisville in 2003, so it seems to be the same drive-in.
Boxoffice, Sept. 22, 1956: “Goodyear, Ariz. - The Oasis Drive-In here, managed by Donald Gordon, has repaired major storm damages inflicted by recent heavy winds. Winds bent over loudspeaker supports and wrecked the screen tower. Gordon said that numerous eight-inch I-beam columns were twisted like licorice sticks. When the screen went over, he said, it barely dented the ground and only one electric light bulb on the tower was broken. Gordon said the structure was a total loss and estimated damage at $8,000 to $10,000. The theatre is owned and operated by Nace, Kline & Murphy.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 8, 1956: “The Fox Theatre on East Main got a facelifting when a new marquee was added to the front of the building recently. Of streamlined, contemporary design, the marquee has been described by the management as "a real eye-catcher.” "
The Modern Theatre Section of the Aug. 6, 1955 issue of Boxoffice had a half-page article about the North Loup, including a couple of small photos. “So, in December 1954, having marked off a 670x270-foot corner of a farm he operates, (Ed) Burrows contacted theatre equipment companies … North Loup’s drive-in theatre opened as a Burrows family operation. Burrows is general service man for the theatre, his wife runs the concession stand, and another member of the family sells tickets … The layout includes a children’s playground in front of the 70-foot wide screen tower, a concession stand-projection booth combination, and boxoffice. April 28 was the official opening of the drive-in”
I’ve uploaded the Motor Movies' grand opening ad and a USGS aerial to the photos section.
The drive-in’s final entry in the San Francisco Examiner’s movie listings was on Sunday, Nov. 25, 1956. On June 11, 1957, the Oakland Tribune reported that construction work had begun on a $6 million Capwell’s department store “primarily on the section of land formerly occupied by the El Cerrito Motor Movies.”
This is a 1987 photo by John Margolies, part of the John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive (1972-2008), Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. It’s effectively in the public domain, and you can download it here.
The Sunset was on the northeast corner of what was then the intersection of US highways 10 and 12. Considering that there were sewage ponds on the other side of 10, I’m surprised that the drive-in survived for such a long time.
As its name suggested, the North Star was north of town on the west side of US 91, now Business I-15, where the Lewis & Clark RV Park is today at 1535 Oilfield Ave.
No drive-in was there in a 1953 USGS photo of the area, but it was there in a 1975 photo I uploaded. A 1984 aerial photo showed the screen down and much of the viewing field torn up, so once again, the Motion Picture Almanac was slow to recognize the demise of a drive-in.
In the 1955-56 Theatre Catalog, the only drive-in listed under Shelby was the Prairie, Exec: Tom Grady, capacity 210. The 1956 Motion Picture Almanac’s only Shelby entry was also the Prairie, 250 cars, owners Orpheum Thea. Corp.; Theo Kluth.
The 1958 MPA added the North Star next to the Prairie. The newer drive-in had a 300-car capacity and was owned by Orpheum Theatre Co. However, the circuit listing for Orpheum showed only the North Star in Shelby, plus the indoor Roxy, so it’s possible that Orpheum renamed the Prairie the North Star.
In 1977, when the MPA rebooted its drive-in list, there was only the North Star, capacity 250, owned by R. Roper. The owner changed to Interstate Amu. in the 1980 MPA, and that’s how it stayed through the final drive-in list in 1988.
If you’re talking about the pattern on the west side of the highway as shown here https://www.historicaerials.com/location/32.916332237247055/-103.33364680608221/1983/17
if you zoom out, you’ll see the pattern matches other farming-related(?) parallel lines evident in multiple places in that tract of land. Although I’m not as good at it as some other CT posters, I don’t see any evidence of another drive-in near the Wildcat.
The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog also listed the Varsity’s address as “Elinda (sic?) Highway”. The consistent misspelling would concern me, but NE 70 would have been the Clovis Highway and SE 70 was very probably the Elida Highway, named for the next significant town down the road. Anyway, assuming the Varsity was southwest of Portales, its address should be 1805 W 2nd St, where a Super 8 motel is today. I’ve uploaded a photo with a south-facing screen; photos of the northwest-facing screen from the northeast side of town should be moved to the Crawley’s Drive-In page.
Given that the Varsity was the drive-in on the southwest side of Portales, the remaining drive-in on the northeast side must have been Crawley’s. Its address should be 42497 US-70, Portales, NM.
Underwood Drive runs through the old drive-in site across the highway from a Wal-Mart and a Wendys with the address 13419 US-27. The site was on the same side of the highway and north of a building with the address 13234 US-27.
Boxoffice, Feb. 4, 1956: “J. S. Tankersley has sold his Penn Drive-In, Summerville, Ga., to L. Smith and D. L. McWhorter”
This was on the cover of the July 29, 1963 issue of Boxoffice, which is in the public domain.
Boxoffice, March 14, 1953: “Gainesville, Mo. - A new drive-in is being constructed near here by local businessmen. Harry Irvine made a trip to St. Louis last week to arrange bookings.”
Boxoffice, March 14, 1953: “Kerasotes Theatres has purchased equipment from St. Louis Theatre Supply and is prepared to start erection of a screen tower for the Havana (Ill.) Drive-In soon. Kerasotes operates the Lawford and Kaye theatres in Havana.”
This photo appeared in the Feb. 4, 1956 issue of Boxoffice, which is in the public domain.
A black and white version of this photo, dated Aug. 31, 1954, by Andy Cummings Studio, is available in the Whittier Public Library Historical Photograph Collection, which says that its copyright status is unknown.
This appeared in the Wagner Sign Service ad in the Feb. 4, 1956 issue of Boxoffice (and probably elsewhere), which is in the public domain.
This appeared in the Modern Theatre Section of the Feb. 4, 1956 issue of Boxoffice.
The Columbia’s seating number kept shrinking.
Boxoffice, Feb. 4, 1950: “E. J. Stutz and Robert Snyder have received phenomenal attendance figures for the premiere engagement of their Grand Opera week at Warners' 900-seat subsequent run Columbia in Erie, Pa. … the smallest of the downtown theatres.”
Another project that apparently never finished, I’ll leave this note here.
Boxoffice, Feb. 4, 1950: “A new drive-in is to be built on Highway 25 one mile south of Dexter. The ozoner will be named Weeks' Modern Drive-In.”
The Berkshire had that name for all of its life. Its final ads in the Berkshire Eagle were on Labor Day weekend, 1978.
Berkshire Eagle, Aug. 3, 1981: “The Berkshire Drive-In opened in 1948 on 15 acres in West Pittsfield next to what is now the Coach Lite restaurant. It closed in September 1978, and by November of that year its giant outdoor screen had been removed. The property on outer West Housatonic Street was sold then to Paul Bock, co-owner of the restaurant.”
Boxoffice, May 12, 1958: “The 1,400-car South City Drive-In has been purchased by Redstone Drive-In Theatres of Boston.”