Boxoffice, Oct. 4, 1952: “Mrs. Theo Kluth has purchased the Ranch Auto Theatre between Shelby and Cut Bank, Mont., from J. E. Kelly and W. G. Hawkins. The Kluth interests took over operation early last month, with Hawkins continuing as manager.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 4, 1952, referring to the Bessemer neighborhood of Pueblo: “BESSEMER, COLO. – The Center Theatre here has been reopened under new management and a new name. Alex Provas, who has been in theatre business for nearly 40 years, has leased the house. He came to Pueblo from Albuquerque. He will operate the house under the name Teatro Cortez as a strictly Spanish-film house. Provas plans to remodel the theatre.”
The Independent Film Journal, July 9, 1955: “Dwight Cantrell of Niangua, Mo. took over operation of the 250-car Skyline Drive-In, Marshfield, which he bought from Mr. & Mrs. Lloyd B. Schmidt.”
Boxoffice, Jan. 26, 1952: “FARMINGTON, N. M. – Russell Allen and Kelly Crawford will be the owners and operators of a drive-in which will open at Eastertime. The partners said the theatre will be located adjacent to the city limits. … The ozoner’s name will be chosen in a countywide contest.”
Boxoffice, May 31, 1952: Russell Allen and Kenneth Crawford have opened their new Apache 325-car drive-in at Farmington, N. M."
Boxoffice, May 10, 1952: “DOUGLAS, ARIZ. – This city’s first drive-in, the Fort Cochise, opened here last week as a Tri-Delta Amusement Co. operation. Tony Bustamonte, who manages the corporation’s other theater in Douglas, is also in charge here.”
Boxoffice, May 3, 1952: “NOGALES, ARIZ. – A 100-car motorcade from the city hall to the El Rancho Drive-In five miles from town highlighted the opening of the border city’s first ozoner. Constructed by the Lyric Amusement Co., which operates the Nogales and Roxy theaters in Nogales, the El Rancho can accommodate 500 cars and is managed by Frank M. Campillo.”
This Jan. 12, 1952 Boxoffice note, a few months before the previously posted May 3 note, gives the impression that the Sierra was not related to the Star-Lite. “George Frantz, theater engineer and appraiser, has gone to New Mexico … and also will look after the building of a 250-car airer, with room for expansion, at Socorro.”
Another Boxoffice note on May 3, 1952, agreed that this was a new drive-in: “Gibralter Theatres has opened its new 200-car Sierra Drive-In, Socorro, N. M.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 11, 1950: “TORRINGTON, WYO. – Charles D. Stewart of the U.S. air corps, originally of Riverton, Wyo., has purchased the Kar-Vu Drive-In here from Frank Sheffield of Denver and Bob C. Otwell and Bill Chopping of Riverton. The theatre first was opened last August 19, and has been operated as the KenMor Kar-Vu. It is located one mile north of Torrington and will be reopened in April as the Hilltop Kar-Vu”
Boxoffice, April 26, 1952: “Delbert Stewart has bought the Hill Top Drive-In, Torrington, Wyo., from James B. Nolan”
Boxoffice, Sept. 15, 1975: “Delbert and Pat Stewart have sold their Hilltop Drive-In, Torrington, Wyo., to Lester and Michael Maxfield of that city.”
Boxoffice, April 19, 1952: “Jack Zamsky and associates opened their 500-car Coachella Drive-In near Indio Saturday (12) with Jack Anderson as manager.”
Boxoffice, April 19, 1952: “CALDWELL, IDA. – Virgil Odell, former manager of the two Fox theatres in Nampa, has purchased the Chief Drive-In two miles east of here from Rex and Marjorie Moyle of Star. He will continue to operate the drive-in at Emmett which he bought two years ago. The Chief will be renamed the Terrace.”
Same drive-in? Boxoffice, March 29, 1952: “GLASGOW, MONT. – Burglars made away with equipment valued at more than $1,000 in break-ins at the Glasgow Drive-In Theatre west of here.”
Boxoffice, March 29, 1952: “COOLIDGE, ARIZ. – Roy Tharrington has been appointed manager of the new 440-car Prince Drive-In, just opened here by the Louis Long circuit. Constructed at the cost of $65,000, the ozoner is equipped with Altec sound and Century projection equipment.”
Boxoffice, March 22, 1952: “An improvement project has been completed at the Mesa Drive-In in Yuma, increasing the car capacity by more than 100. The ozoner is managed by Bob Klauer.”
A note in the Feb. 23, 1952 issue of Boxoffice said that the Brush opened on July 1, 1951. The occasion of the note was the sale of the drive-in by Jake Bauer to John H. Roberts, who owned all the other theaters in Morgan County.
Boxoffice, Feb. 23, 1952: “The Santa Paula Drive-In at Santa Paula has been purchased from Hickey Associates by Milt Smith … (who) will take up residence in Santa Paula to devote full time to operating the ozoner.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 16, 1952:
Arizona’s first 1952 theatre casualty is the Twin Screen Drive-In, which closed recently after a year of operation. The outdoorer, a McCormack-Nace enterprise, was the largest in this area."
Boxoffice, Feb. 9, 1952: “Joe English sold his three theatres and a drive-in at Bozeman, Mont., to Ed Pegrum, veteran showman of the Intermountain area.”
I liked this unused, proposed name better. Boxoffice, Feb. 9, 1952: “Ralph Trathen of Associated Amusements … made plans for opening this summer in Twin Falls of the Movie Car-Ral, a 400-car ozoner, which will be the second drive-in in the town”.
The Feb. 9, 1952 issue of Boxoffice described manager T. I. Wagner’s suggestion for making a little money in the offseason. The Winston Chevrolet Co. advertised on the marquee, lit from dusk to 9:30 p.m. “According to Wagner, the sign has created comment from sources more than 60 miles away and more important, has kept the theatre name alive.” (With photo, uploaded here.)
From the Feb. 2, 1952 issue of Boxoffice: “W. Lee, motion picture engineer, is operating what is probably one of the smallest drive-in theatres in the country with space for 52 cars. Before Labor day Lee operated one of the few Fly-In Drive-Ins in the country, located at Keystone Heights ranch but with the end of the summer season he built one in Keystone Heights, Fla., on Main St., one block from the postoffice. Lee built this drive-in from the ground up, with no help of any kind, even to installing the speakers and projectors. Lee has been in the motion picture business since 1910, he and his wife having owned a large number of indoor theatres.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 4, 1952: “Mrs. Theo Kluth has purchased the Ranch Auto Theatre between Shelby and Cut Bank, Mont., from J. E. Kelly and W. G. Hawkins. The Kluth interests took over operation early last month, with Hawkins continuing as manager.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 4, 1952, referring to the Bessemer neighborhood of Pueblo: “BESSEMER, COLO. – The Center Theatre here has been reopened under new management and a new name. Alex Provas, who has been in theatre business for nearly 40 years, has leased the house. He came to Pueblo from Albuquerque. He will operate the house under the name Teatro Cortez as a strictly Spanish-film house. Provas plans to remodel the theatre.”
The Independent Film Journal, July 9, 1955: “Dwight Cantrell of Niangua, Mo. took over operation of the 250-car Skyline Drive-In, Marshfield, which he bought from Mr. & Mrs. Lloyd B. Schmidt.”
Boxoffice, June 21, 1952: “J. W. Barton has sold his Senator Drive-In in Prescott to W. L. Weir”
Same drive-in? Boxoffice, June 14, 1952: “CUSTER, S. D. – Jack Richtman and Don Clifford have opened their 275-car, $40,000 drive-in here”
Boxoffice, Jan. 26, 1952: “FARMINGTON, N. M. – Russell Allen and Kelly Crawford will be the owners and operators of a drive-in which will open at Eastertime. The partners said the theatre will be located adjacent to the city limits. … The ozoner’s name will be chosen in a countywide contest.”
Boxoffice, May 31, 1952: Russell Allen and Kenneth Crawford have opened their new Apache 325-car drive-in at Farmington, N. M."
Boxoffice, May 17, 1952: “Kewanee’s first drive-in, the 400-car Wanee, was to open Thursday (8). The manager is Rud Lohrenz.”
Boxoffice, May 10, 1952: “DOUGLAS, ARIZ. – This city’s first drive-in, the Fort Cochise, opened here last week as a Tri-Delta Amusement Co. operation. Tony Bustamonte, who manages the corporation’s other theater in Douglas, is also in charge here.”
Boxoffice, May 3, 1952: “NOGALES, ARIZ. – A 100-car motorcade from the city hall to the El Rancho Drive-In five miles from town highlighted the opening of the border city’s first ozoner. Constructed by the Lyric Amusement Co., which operates the Nogales and Roxy theaters in Nogales, the El Rancho can accommodate 500 cars and is managed by Frank M. Campillo.”
This Jan. 12, 1952 Boxoffice note, a few months before the previously posted May 3 note, gives the impression that the Sierra was not related to the Star-Lite. “George Frantz, theater engineer and appraiser, has gone to New Mexico … and also will look after the building of a 250-car airer, with room for expansion, at Socorro.”
Another Boxoffice note on May 3, 1952, agreed that this was a new drive-in: “Gibralter Theatres has opened its new 200-car Sierra Drive-In, Socorro, N. M.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 11, 1950: “TORRINGTON, WYO. – Charles D. Stewart of the U.S. air corps, originally of Riverton, Wyo., has purchased the Kar-Vu Drive-In here from Frank Sheffield of Denver and Bob C. Otwell and Bill Chopping of Riverton. The theatre first was opened last August 19, and has been operated as the KenMor Kar-Vu. It is located one mile north of Torrington and will be reopened in April as the Hilltop Kar-Vu”
Boxoffice, April 26, 1952: “Delbert Stewart has bought the Hill Top Drive-In, Torrington, Wyo., from James B. Nolan”
Boxoffice, Sept. 15, 1975: “Delbert and Pat Stewart have sold their Hilltop Drive-In, Torrington, Wyo., to Lester and Michael Maxfield of that city.”
Boxoffice, April 26, 1952: “Bus Jay has bought the Pine, Buena Vista.”
Boxoffice, April 19, 1952: “Jack Zamsky and associates opened their 500-car Coachella Drive-In near Indio Saturday (12) with Jack Anderson as manager.”
Boxoffice, April 19, 1952: “CALDWELL, IDA. – Virgil Odell, former manager of the two Fox theatres in Nampa, has purchased the Chief Drive-In two miles east of here from Rex and Marjorie Moyle of Star. He will continue to operate the drive-in at Emmett which he bought two years ago. The Chief will be renamed the Terrace.”
Same drive-in? Boxoffice, March 29, 1952: “GLASGOW, MONT. – Burglars made away with equipment valued at more than $1,000 in break-ins at the Glasgow Drive-In Theatre west of here.”
Boxoffice, March 29, 1952: “COOLIDGE, ARIZ. – Roy Tharrington has been appointed manager of the new 440-car Prince Drive-In, just opened here by the Louis Long circuit. Constructed at the cost of $65,000, the ozoner is equipped with Altec sound and Century projection equipment.”
Boxoffice, March 22, 1952: “An improvement project has been completed at the Mesa Drive-In in Yuma, increasing the car capacity by more than 100. The ozoner is managed by Bob Klauer.”
A note in the Feb. 23, 1952 issue of Boxoffice said that the Brush opened on July 1, 1951. The occasion of the note was the sale of the drive-in by Jake Bauer to John H. Roberts, who owned all the other theaters in Morgan County.
Boxoffice, Feb. 23, 1952: “The Santa Paula Drive-In at Santa Paula has been purchased from Hickey Associates by Milt Smith … (who) will take up residence in Santa Paula to devote full time to operating the ozoner.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 16, 1952: Arizona’s first 1952 theatre casualty is the Twin Screen Drive-In, which closed recently after a year of operation. The outdoorer, a McCormack-Nace enterprise, was the largest in this area."
Boxoffice, Feb. 9, 1952: “Joe English sold his three theatres and a drive-in at Bozeman, Mont., to Ed Pegrum, veteran showman of the Intermountain area.”
I liked this unused, proposed name better. Boxoffice, Feb. 9, 1952: “Ralph Trathen of Associated Amusements … made plans for opening this summer in Twin Falls of the Movie Car-Ral, a 400-car ozoner, which will be the second drive-in in the town”.
The Feb. 9, 1952 issue of Boxoffice described manager T. I. Wagner’s suggestion for making a little money in the offseason. The Winston Chevrolet Co. advertised on the marquee, lit from dusk to 9:30 p.m. “According to Wagner, the sign has created comment from sources more than 60 miles away and more important, has kept the theatre name alive.” (With photo, uploaded here.)
From the Feb. 2, 1952 issue of Boxoffice: “W. Lee, motion picture engineer, is operating what is probably one of the smallest drive-in theatres in the country with space for 52 cars. Before Labor day Lee operated one of the few Fly-In Drive-Ins in the country, located at Keystone Heights ranch but with the end of the summer season he built one in Keystone Heights, Fla., on Main St., one block from the postoffice. Lee built this drive-in from the ground up, with no help of any kind, even to installing the speakers and projectors. Lee has been in the motion picture business since 1910, he and his wife having owned a large number of indoor theatres.”
The Feb. 2, 1952 issue of Boxoffice included a two-page article about South Park’s Kiddyland, which opened in July 1951. It included plenty of photos.