The Livingston Drive-In ran an “Opening Soon” ad in the March 26, 1953 issue of the weekly Madison (NJ) Eagle. The following week, the drive-in’s ad said “Open Friday April 3”. Its first scheduled double feature was “Taxi” with Dan Dailey and “Prince of Pirates” with John Derek.
The Livingston Drive-In, then operated by General Cinema Theatres, held its last show on Monday, Sept. 8, 1980. The double feature was “Used Cars” with Kurt Russell and “The Hollywood Knights” with Robert Wuhl. The following day, its ad in the Daily Record of Northwest NJ said, “To our patrons - thanks for a / great summer. The Livingston Drive-In / in (typo) will be closed for the season.” The drive-in did not return to General Cinema’s 1981 ads.
As suggested by the ad uploaded last year by dallasmovietheaters, this place advertised as the Baxter Springs Drive-In for at least 1964-65 in Pitcher OK’s Tri-State Tribune.
A 1994 aerial photo showed a vacant lot, so the Halston did not grow out of either of Kamloops' previous drive-ins. It was built between then and 1999.
You’re right, Kenmore. A 2017 aerial showed the site intact, though a 2020 aerial showed a gutted building. So SearchN was wrong about the date, or the place got fixed, or something. Y'know, when I quote a source, it doesn’t mean I endorse it. ;)
Waymarking user SearchN posted a note in 2014 that said the Halston was open only briefly in the 1990s. “In April 2014, a pair of suspicious fires destroyed the ticket hut near the entrance and damaged the former concession building, which also housed the projection booth and washrooms.”
Per Boxoffice clippings, there were at least two drive-ins around Kamloops in the 1950s. Did one of them become the Halston?
Inland Industries, Ltd., headed by Ian Clark, built the Skyway in 1950. Stan Creech had acquired it by 1953, the year he built a walk-in section for the Skyway. Creech sold the drive-in to Odeon in early 1962.
George Lane and Sucha Singh were apparently the guys who built the Sundown in Kamloops in the early 1950s, “displacing an apple orchard which was well out in the country east of the main residential area.” Odeon took over the Sundown in 1966, then sold it just before the 1973 season.
After the Sunset was closed for all of 2022, on March 5, 2023, it posted to Facebook: “This is a bittersweet moment for our family. However it is time for dad to retire and enjoy life. If anyone is truly interested please email at ”
On one hand, someone updated the Sunset’s web page, now http://sunsetdrive-in.com/, to say that it’s “closed for the 2023 season.” On the other hand, it’s still closed.
After advertising regularly in the 1950 and 1951 seasons, the Beach was absent from the Glenns Falls Post-Star in 1952-1955.
The 9L Beach Drive-In (re)opened in 1956. In later years, it added a hyphen, advertising as the 9-L Beach. Its final ad in the Post-Star was Tuesday, Aug. 8, 1961, showing “Gone With the Wind.”
Thanks to HistoricAerials, I know that in 1953, there was only one drive-in near the intersection of current-day West Point Loma Boulevard and Midway Boulevard. By 1964, there were two.
Boxoffice mentioned San Diego’s Midway as early as 1948. The Theatre Catalog had it in its 1952 edition: “Midway D. I., 3901 Midway Dr. Exec: Midway Entr. Inc., 4025 Lankershim Blvd., N. Hollywood. (535)”
Therefore, the Midway was not the larger drive-in a block southeast of the intersection; it was the drive-in immediately northwest. The modern-day address of the Denny’s that sits where the screen had been is 3920 West Dr.
In the revised second edition of “Drive-Ins of Route 66,” I passed along a revelation suggested by tireless Needles historians: The Sands operated for less than one season. Its final ad in the Needles Desert Star listed movies through Oct. 15, 1953. Its manager transferred to Oregon the following February. The Sands wasn’t mentioned in the Desert Star for years, even as the indoor theater in town, owned by the same company, continued to advertise.
The historians pointed out to me that Needles gets hot in the summer. Very, very hot. Maybe it wasn’t the best place for a drive-in.
The Del Mar site is within the Solana Beach city limits, according to Google Maps, which also notes that both the 514 Via De La Valle address and the 92075 Zip Code are assigned to Solana Beach.
Solana Beach didn’t incorporate until 1983, but AFAIK, CT style is to list a closed theater’s site by its current-day city name. So the Del Mar really shouldn’t be under Del Mar.
The Del Mar at the northwest corner of Via De La Valle and Valley Avenue was under construction as early as 1967 and opened in 1970.
Boxoffice, June 22, 1970: “ENCINITAS, CALIF. - The new Del Mar Drive-In held its grand opening Friday night, May 22 … Manager of the Del Mar Drive-In is Herb Burton … (who) has served nine years with Sero Amusement Co., owner of the ozoner”
Boxoffice, Nov. 20, 1972: “Patrons now have better access to Sero Amusement Co.’s Del Mar Drive-In with the opening of the 805 Freeway. The ozoner, built in 1970 by Sero, is located just west of Highway 5 at Via de la Valle Turnoff … Manager of the theatre is Herbert R. Burton, who … helped open the drive-in in 1970.”
The 1977 Motion Picture Almanac listed the Del Mar under Solana Beach, owned by Sero Amusement.
Although its fate had been sealed in development deals announced months earlier, the Del Mar advertised through at least June 1983, which matched its still-intact status in a 1983 aerial photo.
On the other hand, here’s someone who sort of agrees with davidcoppock:
North County Times, April 14, 2002: “One of the area’s most-forgotten drive-in theaters in the long-closed Del Mar Drive-In, which was in Solana Beach on Via de la Valle, across the street from the Del Mar Fairgrounds. "It was built in the early 1950s, recalled Don Terwilliger, former president of the Del Mar Historical Society. "It ran for 15 or 20 years.” "
Was there a nearby drive-in that these historians are misremembering?
To amplify LebowskiT1000’s note, HistoricAerials' 1967 photo of the site showed a drive-in under construction. It was intact through 1983, then razed in a 1984 photo.
The Shawnee advertised in the Kansas City Star as late as Aug. 25, 1978. (I’ll leave pinpointing the final ad to someone else.)
The end probably came on Sept. 5, 1978. The Star wrote, “Fire caused damage estimated at $65,000 today to the kitchen and storage area of the Shawnee Drive-in Theatre’s concessions stand … firemen were notified at 4:05 a.m. … reported by a man, believed to be a passer-by.”
But the screen was still standing on May 7, 1980, when the Star noted, “The Shawnee Drive-in Theater … will be torn down, and the city (Shawnee) is considering new zoning for the area.”
Boxoffice, May 26, 1951: “Clarence Martin has sold the Gem, Hugo, Colo., to Sam Feinstein. Martin then went to Denver where he bought the Alpine from Larry Sandler.”
Boxoffice, May 19, 1951: “LA GRANDE, ORE. - The community’s first airer, the La Grande Drive-In, opened May 1 under the partnership of W. J. Shell and A. V. Parker. The 400-car outdoorer cost an estimated $50,000.”
Boxoffice, Jan. 9, 1954: “LA GRANDE, ORE. – Parker and W. J. Shell, owners of the drive-in theatre, have sold it to Francis Greulich of La Grande and Ted Jones of Santa Monica, Calif. Greulich and Jones own the two La Grande theatres, the Liberty and the Granada.”
Although there are other possibilities, my experienced guess is that Carol’s was either:
One of the drive-ins that advertised in the Miami Herald (see above) but weren’t included in the Film Daily Year Book drive-in list. The two candidates I see are the 27th Avenue and the Le Jeune. Informally, and on Film Row, one of these might have been also known as “Carol’s,” after an owner’s first or last name. Or…
A mistake. Someone added it in error to the 1950 Year Book, then it lingered through inertia to 1951 until one of the other theater owners complained.
Here’s the best hint I could find on the opening date.
Motion Picture Daily, Aug. 6, 1948: “Mrs. Rose Chilypian and her son-in-law, Sarkes Arakelian, have a new drive-in, the Riverview, on the Haverhill-Lawrence, Mass., Boulevard, with accommodations for 500 cars, on Route 110.”
I found this at the Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of David A. Lowrance, which dates it as 1955 and says that it’s in the public domain.
I found this at the Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of David A. Lowrance, which says that it’s in the public domain.
The Livingston Drive-In ran an “Opening Soon” ad in the March 26, 1953 issue of the weekly Madison (NJ) Eagle. The following week, the drive-in’s ad said “Open Friday April 3”. Its first scheduled double feature was “Taxi” with Dan Dailey and “Prince of Pirates” with John Derek.
The Livingston Drive-In, then operated by General Cinema Theatres, held its last show on Monday, Sept. 8, 1980. The double feature was “Used Cars” with Kurt Russell and “The Hollywood Knights” with Robert Wuhl. The following day, its ad in the Daily Record of Northwest NJ said, “To our patrons - thanks for a / great summer. The Livingston Drive-In / in (typo) will be closed for the season.” The drive-in did not return to General Cinema’s 1981 ads.
Belated thanks for that note, Kenmore. I understand much better now.
And hey! Newspapers.com finally digitized the 1953 News-Record. As I mentioned earlier, the cast in the ad doesn’t match the movie.
As suggested by the ad uploaded last year by dallasmovietheaters, this place advertised as the Baxter Springs Drive-In for at least 1964-65 in Pitcher OK’s Tri-State Tribune.
A 1994 aerial photo showed a vacant lot, so the Halston did not grow out of either of Kamloops' previous drive-ins. It was built between then and 1999.
You’re right, Kenmore. A 2017 aerial showed the site intact, though a 2020 aerial showed a gutted building. So SearchN was wrong about the date, or the place got fixed, or something. Y'know, when I quote a source, it doesn’t mean I endorse it. ;)
Waymarking user SearchN posted a note in 2014 that said the Halston was open only briefly in the 1990s. “In April 2014, a pair of suspicious fires destroyed the ticket hut near the entrance and damaged the former concession building, which also housed the projection booth and washrooms.”
Per Boxoffice clippings, there were at least two drive-ins around Kamloops in the 1950s. Did one of them become the Halston?
Inland Industries, Ltd., headed by Ian Clark, built the Skyway in 1950. Stan Creech had acquired it by 1953, the year he built a walk-in section for the Skyway. Creech sold the drive-in to Odeon in early 1962.
George Lane and Sucha Singh were apparently the guys who built the Sundown in Kamloops in the early 1950s, “displacing an apple orchard which was well out in the country east of the main residential area.” Odeon took over the Sundown in 1966, then sold it just before the 1973 season.
After the Sunset was closed for all of 2022, on March 5, 2023, it posted to Facebook: “This is a bittersweet moment for our family. However it is time for dad to retire and enjoy life. If anyone is truly interested please email at ”
On one hand, someone updated the Sunset’s web page, now http://sunsetdrive-in.com/, to say that it’s “closed for the 2023 season.” On the other hand, it’s still closed.
The Sandhills is still open. It has posted its movies for May 2023 at its web site: https://sandhillsdrivein.com/
This theater has been renamed as the Erda Drive-In. Its new URL is https://www.erdadrivein.com/
After advertising regularly in the 1950 and 1951 seasons, the Beach was absent from the Glenns Falls Post-Star in 1952-1955.
The 9L Beach Drive-In (re)opened in 1956. In later years, it added a hyphen, advertising as the 9-L Beach. Its final ad in the Post-Star was Tuesday, Aug. 8, 1961, showing “Gone With the Wind.”
That school is Lake George Elementary. Its address, 69 Sun Valley Dr, is an excellent choice for the Beach’s address.
Thanks to HistoricAerials, I know that in 1953, there was only one drive-in near the intersection of current-day West Point Loma Boulevard and Midway Boulevard. By 1964, there were two.
Boxoffice mentioned San Diego’s Midway as early as 1948. The Theatre Catalog had it in its 1952 edition: “Midway D. I., 3901 Midway Dr. Exec: Midway Entr. Inc., 4025 Lankershim Blvd., N. Hollywood. (535)”
Therefore, the Midway was not the larger drive-in a block southeast of the intersection; it was the drive-in immediately northwest. The modern-day address of the Denny’s that sits where the screen had been is 3920 West Dr.
In the revised second edition of “Drive-Ins of Route 66,” I passed along a revelation suggested by tireless Needles historians: The Sands operated for less than one season. Its final ad in the Needles Desert Star listed movies through Oct. 15, 1953. Its manager transferred to Oregon the following February. The Sands wasn’t mentioned in the Desert Star for years, even as the indoor theater in town, owned by the same company, continued to advertise.
The historians pointed out to me that Needles gets hot in the summer. Very, very hot. Maybe it wasn’t the best place for a drive-in.
The exact address of the interesting complex on the old Sunset site is 22474 Co Rd 100A, Woodland, CA 95776.
The Del Mar site is within the Solana Beach city limits, according to Google Maps, which also notes that both the 514 Via De La Valle address and the 92075 Zip Code are assigned to Solana Beach.
Solana Beach didn’t incorporate until 1983, but AFAIK, CT style is to list a closed theater’s site by its current-day city name. So the Del Mar really shouldn’t be under Del Mar.
The Del Mar at the northwest corner of Via De La Valle and Valley Avenue was under construction as early as 1967 and opened in 1970.
Boxoffice, June 22, 1970: “ENCINITAS, CALIF. - The new Del Mar Drive-In held its grand opening Friday night, May 22 … Manager of the Del Mar Drive-In is Herb Burton … (who) has served nine years with Sero Amusement Co., owner of the ozoner”
Boxoffice, Nov. 20, 1972: “Patrons now have better access to Sero Amusement Co.’s Del Mar Drive-In with the opening of the 805 Freeway. The ozoner, built in 1970 by Sero, is located just west of Highway 5 at Via de la Valle Turnoff … Manager of the theatre is Herbert R. Burton, who … helped open the drive-in in 1970.”
The 1977 Motion Picture Almanac listed the Del Mar under Solana Beach, owned by Sero Amusement.
Although its fate had been sealed in development deals announced months earlier, the Del Mar advertised through at least June 1983, which matched its still-intact status in a 1983 aerial photo.
On the other hand, here’s someone who sort of agrees with davidcoppock:
North County Times, April 14, 2002: “One of the area’s most-forgotten drive-in theaters in the long-closed Del Mar Drive-In, which was in Solana Beach on Via de la Valle, across the street from the Del Mar Fairgrounds. "It was built in the early 1950s, recalled Don Terwilliger, former president of the Del Mar Historical Society. "It ran for 15 or 20 years.” "
Was there a nearby drive-in that these historians are misremembering?
To amplify LebowskiT1000’s note, HistoricAerials' 1967 photo of the site showed a drive-in under construction. It was intact through 1983, then razed in a 1984 photo.
The Shawnee advertised in the Kansas City Star as late as Aug. 25, 1978. (I’ll leave pinpointing the final ad to someone else.)
The end probably came on Sept. 5, 1978. The Star wrote, “Fire caused damage estimated at $65,000 today to the kitchen and storage area of the Shawnee Drive-in Theatre’s concessions stand … firemen were notified at 4:05 a.m. … reported by a man, believed to be a passer-by.”
But the screen was still standing on May 7, 1980, when the Star noted, “The Shawnee Drive-in Theater … will be torn down, and the city (Shawnee) is considering new zoning for the area.”
Boxoffice, May 26, 1951: “Clarence Martin has sold the Gem, Hugo, Colo., to Sam Feinstein. Martin then went to Denver where he bought the Alpine from Larry Sandler.”
Boxoffice, May 19, 1951: “LA GRANDE, ORE. - The community’s first airer, the La Grande Drive-In, opened May 1 under the partnership of W. J. Shell and A. V. Parker. The 400-car outdoorer cost an estimated $50,000.”
Boxoffice, Jan. 9, 1954: “LA GRANDE, ORE. – Parker and W. J. Shell, owners of the drive-in theatre, have sold it to Francis Greulich of La Grande and Ted Jones of Santa Monica, Calif. Greulich and Jones own the two La Grande theatres, the Liberty and the Granada.”
Although there are other possibilities, my experienced guess is that Carol’s was either:
One of the drive-ins that advertised in the Miami Herald (see above) but weren’t included in the Film Daily Year Book drive-in list. The two candidates I see are the 27th Avenue and the Le Jeune. Informally, and on Film Row, one of these might have been also known as “Carol’s,” after an owner’s first or last name. Or…
A mistake. Someone added it in error to the 1950 Year Book, then it lingered through inertia to 1951 until one of the other theater owners complained.
Here’s the best hint I could find on the opening date.
Motion Picture Daily, Aug. 6, 1948: “Mrs. Rose Chilypian and her son-in-law, Sarkes Arakelian, have a new drive-in, the Riverview, on the Haverhill-Lawrence, Mass., Boulevard, with accommodations for 500 cars, on Route 110.”
I found this at the Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of David A. Lowrance, which dates it as 1955 and says that it’s in the public domain.
I found this at the Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of David A. Lowrance, which says that it’s in the public domain.