Ark Vue Drive-In

2701 N. Summit Street,
Arkansas City, KS 67005

Unfavorite 2 people favorited this theater

Additional Info

Nearby Theaters

Ark Vue Drive-In

The Ark Vue Drive-In opened June 1, 1954 with Kathryn Grayson in “Showboat” & Janet Leigh in “Fearless Fagan”. This single screen drive-in had a capacity for 350 cars. The Ark Vue Drive-In closed in the 1970’s.

Contributed by Lost Memory

Recent comments (view all 10 comments)

wmu81
wmu81 on April 20, 2011 at 8:16 am

Now the WalMart on N Summit/US-77

jwmovies
jwmovies on September 4, 2012 at 5:12 am

Address # should be 2701. Address given above is south of the Walmart.

Drive-In 54
Drive-In 54 on September 21, 2013 at 5:50 am

Great pictures dallas!!

GaryL
GaryL on May 22, 2016 at 5:31 pm

The 1949 opening listed above is incorrect. The Ark Vue drive-in theater opened in July of 1954; the movie was “Showboat” with Ava Gardner and Howard Keel. I was there for the event, my brother-in-law was the manager of the theater. Also, the Ark Vue was definitely still operating in the 80’s. Finally, in the city directories of the day, you’ll find the address was listed as 2511 N Summit.

Drive-In 54
Drive-In 54 on May 22, 2016 at 6:07 pm

Just posted the opening day movie ad. It opened June 1,1954

GaryL
GaryL on May 22, 2016 at 6:22 pm

Okay, I was off by a month… memory ain’t what it used to be. At least I got the feature right. :)

Drive-In 54
Drive-In 54 on May 22, 2016 at 6:46 pm

Hey Gary….have any pictures of it to share??

GaryL
GaryL on May 23, 2016 at 5:52 am

Sorry – no photos. In fact, the pics of the Ark Vue on this site are new to me. FWIW, they are exactly as I remember it. :)

Kenmore
Kenmore on February 12, 2024 at 9:33 am

The drive-in was still intact in 1981, but was demolished by 1985. Although the screen foundation and general outline was still present.

There appears to be a go-kart track in the 1981 aerial, between the entrance and exit roads. Something that was not present in the 1956 aerial.

Another slightly interesting feature was that the screen in 1956 appears to be a widescreen, something that was just being constructed in drive-ins at the time. Plus, the screen sits a considerable distance from the first row.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on May 28, 2024 at 7:21 pm

Boxoffice, March 9, 1970: “The Ark Vue Drive-In was built and designed by Gene and Clara Bullard … The 350 speakers are repaired every year to give patrons the best in sound … The Ark Vue Drive-In, according to its operators, has the largest curved CinemaScope screen in the state of Kansas.”

You must login before making a comment.

New Comment

Subscribe Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.