Buckskin Drive-In
3502 Oklahoma 48,
Holdenville,
OK
74848
3502 Oklahoma 48,
Holdenville,
OK
74848
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Video Independent Theaters Inc.
Styles: Rustic
Nearby Theaters
Opened on July 25, 1950 with Rod Cemeron in “Brimstone”. It was operated by Video Independent Theaters Inc. All that is known about the Buckskin Drive-In is that it held 409 cars and was styled in a rustic Western theme. It was closed on September 22, 1957 with Marla English in “Runaway Daughters” & Mike Connors in “Shake, Rattle and Rock!”.
Contributed by
Cactus Jack
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
3502 Oklahoma 48, Holdenville, OK 74848
The above address will map accurately to the location of the drive-in, which was situated on the east side of OK-48 south of the intersection.
Here is a 1971 aerial photo which shows the remains of the drive-in, which closed in the late 1950s:
http://flic.kr/p/9bzV3c
Catcus Jack,I have it owned in 1956 by VIDEO,they had quite a few Drive-ins in Oklahoma.
The June 10, 1950 issue of BoxOffice reported that Video Independent Theatres was about to begin building “an unnamed drive-in, accommodating 300 cars, in Holdenville.”
The Buckskin Drive-In opened its gates on July 25, 1950 with Rod Cameron in “Brimstone” along with two unnamed cartoons, featuring a total capacity of 409 cars and was managed by Pete Kempf who also operated other theaters in Holdenville. The Buckskin closed in 1957.
A 1955 aerial shows the drive-in operational. Simple and clean.
I do not know why its run was relatively short, only seven years. But a guess might be location. There is not much south of Holdenville until you reach Ada which is some distance away.
There’s no mention on its closing whatsoever especially on the Holdenville Daily News. It was unknown why the theater closed after its September 22, 1957 showing of “Runaway Daughters” and “Shake, Rattle And Rock” with no extra short subjects, but it could be either its location, not enough attendance, or probably the manager’s departure. I don’t know.
The location would tie into the lack of attendance. It’s on the wrong side of Holdenville and not close enough to Ada, which is a college town.
But if it were the manager’s departure, that would also indicate a lack of attendance. A successful drive-in would have little issue finding someone to run it unless there was some extraordinary circumstance.