The Bee Gee Auto Theatre (sometimes Bee-Gee) advertised in the Daily Oklahoman through at least August 1948. The first Del Drive-In ad I could find was April 1949. The Del ads continued through 1959.
I could find no references to this drive-in ever being called the Sooner. After the Del closed, another drive-in opened east of it, and that drive-in was called the Twin, then the Sooner Twin.
“The Sunset Drive-In theatre at Houston, Mo., owned and operated by Mr. and Mrs. Hubert E. Lay since 1951, has been sold to Mr. and Mrs. Dick Fisher of Willow Springs, Mo.”
That lines up with the reference books. The 1952 Theatre Catalog listed the Sunset with capacity 350, Exec: H. E. Lay. The 1955-56 Catalog listed R. D. Fisher as the exec.
The 1951-52 MPA listed the Sunset without further details. The 1952-55 editions had the capacity of 150, “Owner or Booker” was H. E. Lay. The 1956-66 Almanacs listed R. D. Fischer as owner/booker. The MPAs stopped listing owners for a decade, then the 1977 edition listed the Sunset with a capacity of 200, owner Wyatt. That’s how it stayed through the final drive-in list, the 1988 Almanac.
“The Carver, first Negro-patronage drive-in and walk-in theatre, in Bessemer, Ala., has been opened. Dr. B. H. Johnson, owner, appointed James Benz manager. The combination theatre has space for 400 cars and 200 seats for walk-ins and is equipped for CinemaScope.”
That first renaming may not have occurred until 1954. From the Sept. 4, 1954 Motion Picture Herald: “Renamed the Lincoln and completely remodelled, the former Cine-Car drive-in in Anaheim was re-opened by John C. Feys.”
Two sources suggest that the theater was called the Uintah during at least part of the 1950s.
The Facebook page of Historical Photos of Fruita & Western Colorado posted this photo of East Aspen Avenue circa 1951, based on it showing Ma & Pa Kettle Back on the Farm. Its poster writes, in part, “The Unitah was the third and last theater in the building, which had been built for the Majestic Theater. … The original cornice fell down a few years before this photo was taken and damaged the theater marquee when the theater was called the Rialto and run by Fred and Carrie Fraser. The cornice was exactingly recreated in the 1990s for Gene Thomas, editor of the Fruita Times, when he owned the building. That’s the cornice visible on the building today.”
There was also a note in the Managers' Round Table Section of the Motion Picture Herald for Aug. 21, 1954 concerning a letter received from Bob and Melba Walker, the Uintah’s owners and managers. Television had recently arrived in town, giving them sleepless nights until Bob did something about it – he bought a TV set for his own lobby and let anybody in town watch it for free. “But, Bob says, at least he sold them popcorn. And the superior value of good movies was impressed on the lookers and buyers. Now, half the time, they don’t bother with TV.”
From the Aug. 21, 1954 Motion Picture Herald: “The new Evans drive-in opened here with 592-car and 130 walk-in capacity, and will be managed by R. L. Stanger, owner of the Windsor, Windsor, Colo.”
Here’s the scoop on the name change, from the Aug. 7, 1954 Motion Picture Herald: “Harold Cunyus, owner of the Roxy, has leased the Alpine, renamed it the Uptown, and is reopening it after he installs CinemaScope and does some other remodeling and renovating. The house has been closed for some time.”
Here’s the date of the first closing, from the July 24, 1954 Motion Picture Herald: “The Coed theatre at Topeka, Kan., has been closed permanently. Lack of business has been given as the cause.”
To pick up on Joe Vogel’s comment here from 2008, here’s a note from the Motion Picture Herald of June 19, 1954 about how and why the Halsted got renamed and reopened:
Four-Screen Drive-In, 138th and Halsted, $325,000 installation that ran into projectionists trouble and remained closed last season, reopened with a single huge screen measuring 50 by 90 feet. The outdoor theater has been renamed the Halsted drive-in.
There’s a large article, over two pages with photos, about the construction of the Centennial in the June 5, 1954 Better Theatres Section of the Motion Picture Herald.
“Adjacent to the drive-in (and this providing another source of entertainment in the immediate vicinity) is a horse track, property of Centennial Horse Racing Track, Inc., which also owns the drive-in. Operating the latter under a lease is Television Theatres, which also owns the Webber (indoor) theatre in Denver.”
There’s a large article, over two pages with photos, about the construction of the Wadsworth in the June 5, 1954 Better Theatres Section of the Motion Picture Herald. It concludes by noting that C. K. Lee, head of Lee Theatres, Inc., Denver, “owner of the theatre, also has two Colorado Springs drive-ins and the Monaca (sic), Denver.”
The June 5, 1954 Motion Picture Herald reported that Barton Theatres had acquired the Circle drive-in. “Mr. and Mrs. Harold Combs are managing the theatre temporarily. This is the 15th theatre in the Barton chain in Oklahoma City.”
As a veteran of Denver’s late, wet snows, I was amused to discover that the Centre opened during a snowstorm according to the Motion Picture Herald of May 8, 1954. The Wadsworth Drive-In, scheduled to open May 1, “was forced to postpone the opening a week because of the big snowstorm hitting Denver last week, right in the midst of the opening of the downtown deluxe 1,247-seat Centre.”
This one’s for you, WadeWilliams. From the April 17, 1954 Motion Picture Herald:
The Leawood drive-in had “Riders to the Stars,” Wednesday through Saturday, first run in Kansas City. The drive-in is near the southwest corner of Kansas City, Mo.
This might be the transaction that led to the renaming. From the April 17, 1954 Motion Picture Herald: T.E. Lally has sold the Pontiac drive-in, Pontiac, Ill., to L. Hewitt of Manito, Ill., because of illness.
A note in the Nov. 10, 1982 issue of The Winslow Mail said that the Harry Nace Company sold six theaters, including the Rialto and Tonto Drive-In, to Blair and Reid Properties of Phoenix, effective Nov. 5.
The Phoenix Drive-In Theatre is an example of how drive-in theaters evolved. Speakers were first located in the ground and later migrated onto poles. A concession stand was added. The size of the screen grew and the number of parking slots doubled over time to about 800.
Closure details from a much longer story by Earl Moseley writing in the Sept. 15, 1994 issue of The Tulia Herald:
My next chance to run a Mexican-made feature was during the summer of 1962 at the old Skyway Drive-In Theater on US 287 East at Amarillo. It was opened for six weeds (sic) because owners of the property felt that keeping it closed would result in the state paying a lesser price for the property. The highway department was scheduled to purchase it for the construction of Interstate 40.
…My wife …did not arrive until after Labor Day – the date the Skyway was closed for the season. However, the Skyway kept reopening each summer through 1964 because a deal hadn’t been closed yet with the highway department.
Fun note from the March 27, 1954 Motion Picture Herald:
When you build a drive-in, be certain it’s all in the same township! After spending $90,000 on the Morrisville Drive-In theatre, Falls Township, Pa., Robert Baronoff discovered the other day the last four rows are in Lower Makefield Township. And in Lower Makefield Township’s zoning laws, drive-ins are illegal.
Wallace Turner, Vinegar Bend, Ala., purchased the Citronelle drive-in, Cintronelle, Ala., from Mrs. J. R. Culpepper. J. G. Broggi will continue to buy and book.
From the April 30, 1955 Motion Picture Herald:
Glen Wittstruck has opened his new 300-seater (sic), the Buckskin drive-in, at Ignacio, Colo.
From the April 23, 1955 Motion Picture Herald:
Rialto Theatres Inc., Casper, Wyo., has bought the Knox drive-in, Wheatland, Wyo., from Ted Knox. Rialto also owns the Ramona in Wheatland.
The Bee Gee Auto Theatre (sometimes Bee-Gee) advertised in the Daily Oklahoman through at least August 1948. The first Del Drive-In ad I could find was April 1949. The Del ads continued through 1959.
I could find no references to this drive-in ever being called the Sooner. After the Del closed, another drive-in opened east of it, and that drive-in was called the Twin, then the Sooner Twin.
The Jan. 29, 1955 Motion Picture Herald reported: “Ann and Stanley Dixon have bought the Motor-Vu (sic) drive-in, Delta, Colo., from Max Storey.”
It must have meant the Tru-Vu, which is the closest name. The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog listed the Tru-Vu’s owner as S. H. Dixon.
The Jan. 1, 1955 Motion Picture Herald reported:
“The Sunset Drive-In theatre at Houston, Mo., owned and operated by Mr. and Mrs. Hubert E. Lay since 1951, has been sold to Mr. and Mrs. Dick Fisher of Willow Springs, Mo.”
That lines up with the reference books. The 1952 Theatre Catalog listed the Sunset with capacity 350, Exec: H. E. Lay. The 1955-56 Catalog listed R. D. Fisher as the exec.
The 1951-52 MPA listed the Sunset without further details. The 1952-55 editions had the capacity of 150, “Owner or Booker” was H. E. Lay. The 1956-66 Almanacs listed R. D. Fischer as owner/booker. The MPAs stopped listing owners for a decade, then the 1977 edition listed the Sunset with a capacity of 200, owner Wyatt. That’s how it stayed through the final drive-in list, the 1988 Almanac.
From the Jan. 1, 1955 Motion Picture Almanac:
“The Carver, first Negro-patronage drive-in and walk-in theatre, in Bessemer, Ala., has been opened. Dr. B. H. Johnson, owner, appointed James Benz manager. The combination theatre has space for 400 cars and 200 seats for walk-ins and is equipped for CinemaScope.”
That first renaming may not have occurred until 1954. From the Sept. 4, 1954 Motion Picture Herald: “Renamed the Lincoln and completely remodelled, the former Cine-Car drive-in in Anaheim was re-opened by John C. Feys.”
Two sources suggest that the theater was called the Uintah during at least part of the 1950s.
The Facebook page of Historical Photos of Fruita & Western Colorado posted this photo of East Aspen Avenue circa 1951, based on it showing Ma & Pa Kettle Back on the Farm. Its poster writes, in part, “The Unitah was the third and last theater in the building, which had been built for the Majestic Theater. … The original cornice fell down a few years before this photo was taken and damaged the theater marquee when the theater was called the Rialto and run by Fred and Carrie Fraser. The cornice was exactingly recreated in the 1990s for Gene Thomas, editor of the Fruita Times, when he owned the building. That’s the cornice visible on the building today.”
There was also a note in the Managers' Round Table Section of the Motion Picture Herald for Aug. 21, 1954 concerning a letter received from Bob and Melba Walker, the Uintah’s owners and managers. Television had recently arrived in town, giving them sleepless nights until Bob did something about it – he bought a TV set for his own lobby and let anybody in town watch it for free. “But, Bob says, at least he sold them popcorn. And the superior value of good movies was impressed on the lookers and buyers. Now, half the time, they don’t bother with TV.”
From the Aug. 21, 1954 Motion Picture Herald: “The new Evans drive-in opened here with 592-car and 130 walk-in capacity, and will be managed by R. L. Stanger, owner of the Windsor, Windsor, Colo.”
From the Aug. 7, 1954 Motion Picture Herald: “NE ‘66’ drive-in theatre, Oklahoma City, has installed a giant screen for CinemaScope pictures.”
Here’s the scoop on the name change, from the Aug. 7, 1954 Motion Picture Herald: “Harold Cunyus, owner of the Roxy, has leased the Alpine, renamed it the Uptown, and is reopening it after he installs CinemaScope and does some other remodeling and renovating. The house has been closed for some time.”
Here’s the date of the first closing, from the July 24, 1954 Motion Picture Herald: “The Coed theatre at Topeka, Kan., has been closed permanently. Lack of business has been given as the cause.”
To pick up on Joe Vogel’s comment here from 2008, here’s a note from the Motion Picture Herald of June 19, 1954 about how and why the Halsted got renamed and reopened:
Four-Screen Drive-In, 138th and Halsted, $325,000 installation that ran into projectionists trouble and remained closed last season, reopened with a single huge screen measuring 50 by 90 feet. The outdoor theater has been renamed the Halsted drive-in.
There’s a large article, over two pages with photos, about the construction of the Centennial in the June 5, 1954 Better Theatres Section of the Motion Picture Herald.
“Adjacent to the drive-in (and this providing another source of entertainment in the immediate vicinity) is a horse track, property of Centennial Horse Racing Track, Inc., which also owns the drive-in. Operating the latter under a lease is Television Theatres, which also owns the Webber (indoor) theatre in Denver.”
There’s a large article, over two pages with photos, about the construction of the Wadsworth in the June 5, 1954 Better Theatres Section of the Motion Picture Herald. It concludes by noting that C. K. Lee, head of Lee Theatres, Inc., Denver, “owner of the theatre, also has two Colorado Springs drive-ins and the Monaca (sic), Denver.”
The June 5, 1954 Motion Picture Herald reported that Barton Theatres had acquired the Circle drive-in. “Mr. and Mrs. Harold Combs are managing the theatre temporarily. This is the 15th theatre in the Barton chain in Oklahoma City.”
The April 10, 1954 Motion Picture Herald reported that the Cactus had widened its screen to 100 feet.
The June 5, 1954 issue added that the Cactus had installed CinemaScope and magnetic sound.
As a veteran of Denver’s late, wet snows, I was amused to discover that the Centre opened during a snowstorm according to the Motion Picture Herald of May 8, 1954. The Wadsworth Drive-In, scheduled to open May 1, “was forced to postpone the opening a week because of the big snowstorm hitting Denver last week, right in the midst of the opening of the downtown deluxe 1,247-seat Centre.”
This one’s for you, WadeWilliams. From the April 17, 1954 Motion Picture Herald:
The Leawood drive-in had “Riders to the Stars,” Wednesday through Saturday, first run in Kansas City. The drive-in is near the southwest corner of Kansas City, Mo.
This might be the transaction that led to the renaming. From the April 17, 1954 Motion Picture Herald: T.E. Lally has sold the Pontiac drive-in, Pontiac, Ill., to L. Hewitt of Manito, Ill., because of illness.
A note in the Nov. 10, 1982 issue of The Winslow Mail said that the Harry Nace Company sold six theaters, including the Rialto and Tonto Drive-In, to Blair and Reid Properties of Phoenix, effective Nov. 5.
From the June 12, 2015 Arizona Republic:
The Phoenix Drive-In Theatre is an example of how drive-in theaters evolved. Speakers were first located in the ground and later migrated onto poles. A concession stand was added. The size of the screen grew and the number of parking slots doubled over time to about 800.
Closure details from a much longer story by Earl Moseley writing in the Sept. 15, 1994 issue of The Tulia Herald:
My next chance to run a Mexican-made feature was during the summer of 1962 at the old Skyway Drive-In Theater on US 287 East at Amarillo. It was opened for six weeds (sic) because owners of the property felt that keeping it closed would result in the state paying a lesser price for the property. The highway department was scheduled to purchase it for the construction of Interstate 40.
…My wife …did not arrive until after Labor Day – the date the Skyway was closed for the season. However, the Skyway kept reopening each summer through 1964 because a deal hadn’t been closed yet with the highway department.
Fun note from the March 27, 1954 Motion Picture Herald:
When you build a drive-in, be certain it’s all in the same township! After spending $90,000 on the Morrisville Drive-In theatre, Falls Township, Pa., Robert Baronoff discovered the other day the last four rows are in Lower Makefield Township. And in Lower Makefield Township’s zoning laws, drive-ins are illegal.
From the March 6, 1954 Motion Picture Herald:
Wallace Turner, Vinegar Bend, Ala., purchased the Citronelle drive-in, Cintronelle, Ala., from Mrs. J. R. Culpepper. J. G. Broggi will continue to buy and book.