The Exhibitor, April 8, 1953: “The Sundown Drive-In, Tampa, Fla., opened, owned by J. B. Shipley, W. T. Robinson, Jr., and B. N. Pooley, Jr.”
Also, as others have noted, many drive-ins throughout history lasted only one abbreviated season. Three that I’ve researched and written about are the Sands (July 31-Oct. 15, 1953) in Needles CA, the Independent (July 31-Oct. 2, 1949) in Cortez CO, and the Fair Park (July 17-Aug. 18, 1948) in Oklahoma City. That last one would be my nominee for shortest life of any drive-in with graded ramps - as opposed to temporary pop-up drive-ins.
The Exhibitor, Aug. 20, 1952: “Mr. and Mrs. A. Combs and Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred Racine, owners, Desert and Ideal, Burns, Ore., announced the purchase from Roe Davis of a drive-in site on the west side of the highway between Burns and Hines, Ore., upon which a 300-car open-airer will be constructed. The spot will be known as the Sundown Drive-In.”
The 1950 Film Daily Year Book listed three theaters for Newton: The Catawba, the State, and the Gem, which had 400 seats. Was that another name for the Newton?
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Nov. 3, 1954: “The former Gem, Newton, N. C., has been sold by G. Otto Hartsoe to Ed Haupt.”
Motion Picture Herald, Nov. 1, 1947: “The State theatre building, site and equipment, at Newton, N. C, has been sold to Everette Enterprises of Charlotte. Approximately $70,000 was paid for the property.”
The 1952 Theatre Catalog included the Pikeville Drive-In, capacity 300 cars, owned by “Childers and Powell and J. Bressler”. If this was the only drive-in near Pikeville that was active in 1952 (per the aerial photo), then perhaps it became the New.
Motion Picture Herald, Nov. 29, 1952: “ A new gas heating system and other extensive replacements and renovation have been completed at the Liberty theatre, in Pikeville, Ky.”
Motion Picture Herald, June 19, 1954: “The Liberty theatre at Pikeville, Ky., which has been shuttered for the past two years, again has been relighted, although the house will be open only one night per week during the summer months, it was announced by Robert Tarbeck, city manager for Elmart Theatres, which has this house and the Weddington theatre here. The town also has a drive-in theatre which recently opened for the season.”
Boxoffice, Nov. 20, 1961: “Pikeville, Ky. - The Liberty Theatre has been reopened under the new management of Salene Thomas, formerly of Charleston, W. Va., who previously had been in exhibition in Frankfort and Lexington, Ky.”
An ad in the Craig Empire Courier said that the Sunset Drive-In’s “last program of the season” ran through Labor Day, Sept. 7, 1964. Spot checks of later summers failed to find any Sunset ads. That last double feature was “Bikini Beach” and “Donovan’s Reef”.
Craig Empire Courier, June 26, 1974: “Stan Stanfill announced this week that because of the deaths of Fred Kn?II and Charles Gilmour, the West Theatre and the Sunset Drive-In will be ottered for sate as one unit.”
After the Sunset closed, (whenever it closed), it reopened as the Romantic Motor Vu on May 7, 1976. Its show that night was “The Return of the Pink Panther” and “Mr. Majestyk”.
To clarify, at the time of the Skytop’s existence, it was directly on State Highway 24 about a mile west of the edge of Roseboro. The version of 24 that loops around town was built less than 10 years ago.
I’m glad you’re here, LouRugani, but I’m very confused by that last post. Was that a message that you sent out somewhere in 2015? That would match the references to the Cascade, which closed after the 2018 season.
Motion Picture Herald, Jan. 31, 1948: “Blumenfeld Theatre circuit, which acquired the Guild theatre three weeks ago from Robert L. Lippert, has returned the Market Street house to Lippert. Theatre seats 300 and has pursued a policy of reissues of classics.”
I pulled up Google Maps and clicked the former concession building. The result was 21861 Hwy J46. jwmovies' address now points to a spot on the other side of J46.
Although the Hyde Park hasn’t reopened yet for the 2023 season, and its previous operators seem to be out of the picture, its owner says the drive-in is not closed for good. That’s the essence of a story that ran today (behind a paywall) at the Daily Freeman of Kingston NY.
The National Park Service, which bought the site in 2011, had a lease with the drive-in’s operators through last year. This year, the NPS requested proposals to operate the Hyde Park. They’ve received several such proposals, though none from the folks who used to run the drive-in.
“John Harlan Warren, a spokesman for the National Park
Service Region 1, … declined to say whether there was a timeline for making a decision” about who the NPS would choose to operate the Hyde Park.
Confirming gregsalo’s note with a few bonus names.
Boxoffice, July 6, 1964: “Shelton, Wash. - Mason County’s first drive-in theatre was opened recently five miles south of town on the Olympia highway. The 354-car airer, built on a 16-acre tract, is a project of Fred Thibodeau and Fred Henry, who are painters by day in the Bremerton Navy shipyard and exhibitors at night and on weekends, operating several theatres.”
Although details are maddeningly scarce, MyPrinceGeorgeNow.com reported in February that the Park had been sold. This week, the site added that the drive-in’s first weekend under the new ownership will start May 19.
Sad news. The owner of the Starlight, who was still posting movie information notes on its Facebook page May 8, died suddenly on May 10. According to his obituary, Dan Myers, 72, had operated the Starlight Drive-In since 1988.
Elaine Myers posted to Facebook the next day, “We are sorry to announce that the Starlight Drive-In Rt.127 119 will not be open this season.” It had been scheduled to open May 26.
As I type, the 19’s web site says that it’s “Closed for the 2022 season”. From what I’ve seen, the drive-in is ready to reopen any time someone wants to flip a switch, but if no one’s flipping, it might be time to call it closed, for now.
It’s alive! The Rock ‘N’ Roll Drive-In hosted its third annual Community Appreciation Night yesterday, per KFVS. I can’t quite tell whether it reopened in late 2020, but it was definitely open by the spring of 2021.
I am saddened by the lack of historical curiosity, or maybe it’s fact-checking, or maybe it’s just pedantry, in some of today’s newsrooms. It took me one minute at Newspapers.com to find that the Rose City was still active in September 1985. The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle wrote on Sept. 29 that the drive-in was showing “Volunteers” and “Heaven Help Us.” That would explain why a 1985 aerial photo showed the Rose City still intact.
That was the most recent note I could find. I’ll leave discovery of the exact final date to someone with more time to search for it. ;)
Amplifying and updating Drive-In 54’s note, WROC reported yesterday that Paul Cole is investing $500,000 to rebuild the Rose City. “Right now, Cole plans to have a soft launch in the fall, and have an official opening next April.”
Parsons Sun, June 5, 1965: “Mr. and Mrs. Ed Martin, owners of the Cherokee Drive-In Theater, leased the Columbus Drive-In Theater from Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Pugh. They will operate both theaters.”
Mitchell’s Daily Republic, via Yahoo News, said this week that the Starlite was closing again for “not meeting expenses.” The article said the announcement came on the Starlite’s “social media page” (Facebook?), which said that attendance had dropped the last two seasons.
The East County Magazine reported today that the Santee Drive-In is in escrow to a developer from Los Angeles. That developer has filed an application with the city to build a large industrial building on the site.
Michael Coyne, Santee’s principal planner, said the drive-in’s owners are laying low. “They don’t want to answer questions about the closing of the drive-in theater.” He also said that because of documentation and necessary reports, the project wouldn’t go to the city council for approval for at least six months.
Boxoffice, July 23, 1962: “Jim Travis of Milford had reason to be happy on his visit to (Omaha) Filmrow. He said severe winds, which swept the Lake Okoboji area, sank boats and rolled up docks, spared his Lakeland Drive-In four miles south of Spirit Lake. “I could see the screen tower waving from 10 to 15 inches but it weathered the storm,” Jim said”
Des Moines Register, June 5, 1949: “Spirit Lake, Ia. - Construction is well under way on the Spirit drive-in theater at the intersection of Highways 9 and 71. March Brothers, owners of the Royal theater here and the Uptown at Arnolds Park, are building the theater. It will accommodate 400 cars.”
Estherville (IA) Daily News, Oct. 11, 1949: “‘Gone With The Wind’ was more than the title of the feature attraction at the Spirit Lake drive-in yesterday. It was also the fate of a section of the fence which was taken up by the wind storm and dripped on the attendance grounds. No other damage was reported. ‘Gone With The Wind’ was scheduled there for today and tomorrow.”
March Theatres probably owned the Spirit for its whole life, definitely through 1976.
Boxoffice, Sept. 6, 1976: “Wayne, Neb. - Jay Kohl, associated with locally based March Theatres for the past five years, has been named manager of the circuit’s Royal Theatre and Spirit Drive-In at Spirit Lake, Iowa.”
The Exhibitor, April 8, 1953: “The Sundown Drive-In, Tampa, Fla., opened, owned by J. B. Shipley, W. T. Robinson, Jr., and B. N. Pooley, Jr.”
Also, as others have noted, many drive-ins throughout history lasted only one abbreviated season. Three that I’ve researched and written about are the Sands (July 31-Oct. 15, 1953) in Needles CA, the Independent (July 31-Oct. 2, 1949) in Cortez CO, and the Fair Park (July 17-Aug. 18, 1948) in Oklahoma City. That last one would be my nominee for shortest life of any drive-in with graded ramps - as opposed to temporary pop-up drive-ins.
The Exhibitor, Aug. 20, 1952: “Mr. and Mrs. A. Combs and Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred Racine, owners, Desert and Ideal, Burns, Ore., announced the purchase from Roe Davis of a drive-in site on the west side of the highway between Burns and Hines, Ore., upon which a 300-car open-airer will be constructed. The spot will be known as the Sundown Drive-In.”
The 1950 Film Daily Year Book listed three theaters for Newton: The Catawba, the State, and the Gem, which had 400 seats. Was that another name for the Newton?
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Nov. 3, 1954: “The former Gem, Newton, N. C., has been sold by G. Otto Hartsoe to Ed Haupt.”
Motion Picture Herald, Nov. 1, 1947: “The State theatre building, site and equipment, at Newton, N. C, has been sold to Everette Enterprises of Charlotte. Approximately $70,000 was paid for the property.”
The 1952 Theatre Catalog included the Pikeville Drive-In, capacity 300 cars, owned by “Childers and Powell and J. Bressler”. If this was the only drive-in near Pikeville that was active in 1952 (per the aerial photo), then perhaps it became the New.
Motion Picture Herald, Nov. 29, 1952: “ A new gas heating system and other extensive replacements and renovation have been completed at the Liberty theatre, in Pikeville, Ky.”
Motion Picture Herald, June 19, 1954: “The Liberty theatre at Pikeville, Ky., which has been shuttered for the past two years, again has been relighted, although the house will be open only one night per week during the summer months, it was announced by Robert Tarbeck, city manager for Elmart Theatres, which has this house and the Weddington theatre here. The town also has a drive-in theatre which recently opened for the season.”
Boxoffice, Nov. 20, 1961: “Pikeville, Ky. - The Liberty Theatre has been reopened under the new management of Salene Thomas, formerly of Charleston, W. Va., who previously had been in exhibition in Frankfort and Lexington, Ky.”
An ad in the Craig Empire Courier said that the Sunset Drive-In’s “last program of the season” ran through Labor Day, Sept. 7, 1964. Spot checks of later summers failed to find any Sunset ads. That last double feature was “Bikini Beach” and “Donovan’s Reef”.
Craig Empire Courier, June 26, 1974: “Stan Stanfill announced this week that because of the deaths of Fred Kn?II and Charles Gilmour, the West Theatre and the Sunset Drive-In will be ottered for sate as one unit.”
After the Sunset closed, (whenever it closed), it reopened as the Romantic Motor Vu on May 7, 1976. Its show that night was “The Return of the Pink Panther” and “Mr. Majestyk”.
To clarify, at the time of the Skytop’s existence, it was directly on State Highway 24 about a mile west of the edge of Roseboro. The version of 24 that loops around town was built less than 10 years ago.
I’m glad you’re here, LouRugani, but I’m very confused by that last post. Was that a message that you sent out somewhere in 2015? That would match the references to the Cascade, which closed after the 2018 season.
A note too odd for me to resist.
Motion Picture Herald, Jan. 31, 1948: “Blumenfeld Theatre circuit, which acquired the Guild theatre three weeks ago from Robert L. Lippert, has returned the Market Street house to Lippert. Theatre seats 300 and has pursued a policy of reissues of classics.”
I pulled up Google Maps and clicked the former concession building. The result was 21861 Hwy J46. jwmovies' address now points to a spot on the other side of J46.
Although the Hyde Park hasn’t reopened yet for the 2023 season, and its previous operators seem to be out of the picture, its owner says the drive-in is not closed for good. That’s the essence of a story that ran today (behind a paywall) at the Daily Freeman of Kingston NY.
The National Park Service, which bought the site in 2011, had a lease with the drive-in’s operators through last year. This year, the NPS requested proposals to operate the Hyde Park. They’ve received several such proposals, though none from the folks who used to run the drive-in.
“John Harlan Warren, a spokesman for the National Park Service Region 1, … declined to say whether there was a timeline for making a decision” about who the NPS would choose to operate the Hyde Park.
Confirming gregsalo’s note with a few bonus names.
Boxoffice, July 6, 1964: “Shelton, Wash. - Mason County’s first drive-in theatre was opened recently five miles south of town on the Olympia highway. The 354-car airer, built on a 16-acre tract, is a project of Fred Thibodeau and Fred Henry, who are painters by day in the Bremerton Navy shipyard and exhibitors at night and on weekends, operating several theatres.”
Although details are maddeningly scarce, MyPrinceGeorgeNow.com reported in February that the Park had been sold. This week, the site added that the drive-in’s first weekend under the new ownership will start May 19.
Sad news. The owner of the Starlight, who was still posting movie information notes on its Facebook page May 8, died suddenly on May 10. According to his obituary, Dan Myers, 72, had operated the Starlight Drive-In since 1988.
Elaine Myers posted to Facebook the next day, “We are sorry to announce that the Starlight Drive-In Rt.127 119 will not be open this season.” It had been scheduled to open May 26.
As I type, the 19’s web site says that it’s “Closed for the 2022 season”. From what I’ve seen, the drive-in is ready to reopen any time someone wants to flip a switch, but if no one’s flipping, it might be time to call it closed, for now.
It’s alive! The Rock ‘N’ Roll Drive-In hosted its third annual Community Appreciation Night yesterday, per KFVS. I can’t quite tell whether it reopened in late 2020, but it was definitely open by the spring of 2021.
I am saddened by the lack of historical curiosity, or maybe it’s fact-checking, or maybe it’s just pedantry, in some of today’s newsrooms. It took me one minute at Newspapers.com to find that the Rose City was still active in September 1985. The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle wrote on Sept. 29 that the drive-in was showing “Volunteers” and “Heaven Help Us.” That would explain why a 1985 aerial photo showed the Rose City still intact.
That was the most recent note I could find. I’ll leave discovery of the exact final date to someone with more time to search for it. ;)
Amplifying and updating Drive-In 54’s note, WROC reported yesterday that Paul Cole is investing $500,000 to rebuild the Rose City. “Right now, Cole plans to have a soft launch in the fall, and have an official opening next April.”
There’s also a YouTube video of the report.
(And BTW, that Drive-In 54 note is a verbatim account of an April 25 story in the Finger Lake Times.)
Parsons Sun, June 5, 1965: “Mr. and Mrs. Ed Martin, owners of the Cherokee Drive-In Theater, leased the Columbus Drive-In Theater from Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Pugh. They will operate both theaters.”
Boxoffice, May 31, 1976: “The Seven Drive-In, Eldorado (sic), Ark., and the Mini Theatre, Russellville, Ark., have closed.”
Mitchell’s Daily Republic, via Yahoo News, said this week that the Starlite was closing again for “not meeting expenses.” The article said the announcement came on the Starlite’s “social media page” (Facebook?), which said that attendance had dropped the last two seasons.
The East County Magazine reported today that the Santee Drive-In is in escrow to a developer from Los Angeles. That developer has filed an application with the city to build a large industrial building on the site.
Michael Coyne, Santee’s principal planner, said the drive-in’s owners are laying low. “They don’t want to answer questions about the closing of the drive-in theater.” He also said that because of documentation and necessary reports, the project wouldn’t go to the city council for approval for at least six months.
Boxoffice, July 23, 1962: “Jim Travis of Milford had reason to be happy on his visit to (Omaha) Filmrow. He said severe winds, which swept the Lake Okoboji area, sank boats and rolled up docks, spared his Lakeland Drive-In four miles south of Spirit Lake. “I could see the screen tower waving from 10 to 15 inches but it weathered the storm,” Jim said”
The Spirit opened in 1949.
Des Moines Register, June 5, 1949: “Spirit Lake, Ia. - Construction is well under way on the Spirit drive-in theater at the intersection of Highways 9 and 71. March Brothers, owners of the Royal theater here and the Uptown at Arnolds Park, are building the theater. It will accommodate 400 cars.”
Estherville (IA) Daily News, Oct. 11, 1949: “‘Gone With The Wind’ was more than the title of the feature attraction at the Spirit Lake drive-in yesterday. It was also the fate of a section of the fence which was taken up by the wind storm and dripped on the attendance grounds. No other damage was reported. ‘Gone With The Wind’ was scheduled there for today and tomorrow.”
March Theatres probably owned the Spirit for its whole life, definitely through 1976.
Boxoffice, Sept. 6, 1976: “Wayne, Neb. - Jay Kohl, associated with locally based March Theatres for the past five years, has been named manager of the circuit’s Royal Theatre and Spirit Drive-In at Spirit Lake, Iowa.”