Memorial Drive-In

555 Memorial Avenue,
West Springfield, MA 01089

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Rainbow Angels Ensemble
Rainbow Angels Ensemble on July 6, 2024 at 7:01 am

In 1976, when the Memorial showed Walt Disney’s Gus, a comedy about a football-playing donkey, he yanked it after two days because it played to a nearly empty lot. He also had to recoup numerous vandalism costs, including trashed picnic tables and the yearly replacement of 300 speakers that were stolen or absent-mindedly torn out when cars pulled away.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on March 28, 2024 at 1:37 pm

Getting closer to the opening date…

Boxoffice, July 10, 1948: “The West Springfield Drive-In on Memorial avenue will open the later part of July. Accomodating 500 cars the ozoner is owned and operated by Weymouth Drive-Ins Corp. The manager has not as yet been named”

Film Daily, Sept. 24, 1948: (under New Film Theatres Opened) “West Springfield Drive-In, West Springfield, Mass., by Weymouth Drive-In Theaters Corp.”

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on March 28, 2024 at 1:29 pm

Boxoffice, Oct. 14, 1950: “Bill Black of Wellesley visited (Boston) Filmrow. He is the designer, builder and architect of the new Nepsonset Drive-In for Michael Redstone, the West Springfield Drive-In for E. M. Loew and the Quintree Drive-In for the Rifki circuit”

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES on March 27, 2024 at 4:59 pm

I’m very sure that this started life as the West Springfield Drive-In.

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on February 15, 2011 at 5:17 pm

There was a WEST SPRINGFIELD DRIVE-IN there in 1956 parking 900 cars.Same Drive-in? They Change names so often.

NYozoner
NYozoner on February 15, 2011 at 2:20 pm

Here is a 1957 aerial photo of the drive-in, courtesy of Earth Explorer and USGS.