From TribLive.com, June 9, 2011, “Nearly three months after the plan was proposed, Unity supervisors on Wednesday gave developers the go-ahead to demolish the landmark Hi-Way Drive-In along Route 30 to make way for a CVS pharmacy. …
“Lee and Kathy Zimmerman, who operated the 730-car drive-in until its final showing last fall also operated a popular flea market at the location every Sunday, … The drive-in was owned by Latrobe-based Dill Construction Co. and leased on a year-to-year basis by the Zimmermans.
“In May, P. Richard Ridilla, owner of the drive-in and the property it has sat on since 1950, wrote a letter to township officials indicating … that the Zimmermans said the drive-in and flea market have not been profitable for some time.”
The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog listed the Bar-Ann, capacity 300, Exec: George Wasko, and Stearn-Hanna Co-Operative Th Serv.
Its first appearance in the International Motion Picture Almanac was the 1956 edition when it was listed as simply “Drive-In”. In 1957-66, it was the Bar An (sic), Geo. Wasko, Hanna Theatre Serv., capacity 276.
The IMPA didn’t fix the name until 1978 when the Bar Ann was still owned by G. Wasko. It stayed that way through the final list in 1988.
The drive-in was advertised in 1985-87 in the Altoona Mirror as Wasko’s Bar-Ann. A July 1985 article said that Wasko had owned the drive-in “since its construction in 1955.”
The June 30, 1991 Altoona Mirror, found at NewspaperArchive.com said that the Bar-Ann had recently reopened “after a three-year hiatus”. The article said that George Wasko named the drive-in after his two daughters, Barbara and Peggy Ann. The original idea came to him “in 1955 after a vacation trip”. He had installed radio sound “during the theater’s most recent season”.
The article continued: The Bar-Ann itself was in limbo for three years. “I had a bout with cancer,” said Wasko, who said he has since received a clean bill of health. And with the return of health came pleas from townspeople to restore nighttime entertainment to Portage, according to Wasko’s wife, Peg.
Wasko’s 1995 obituary said that he owned and operated the Bar-Ann from 1954 to 1994, as well as an assortment of other businesses.
When the Bar-Ann had a flap over its sign in early 2014, its owner was Don Gawel, who spoke through the drive-in’s manager Dustin Grush. Once that was cleared up, it converted to digital projection.
As of Labor Day weekend 2017, the Bar-Ann is still going strong.
Aha! The July 8, 1950 Billboard wrote: Maurice Fruhlinger, for many years manager of the Met Theater, Baltimore, for the Schwaber Circuit, will manage the soon-to-be opened Silver Drive-In at Winber (sic), Pa.
A 1948 wedding announcement said that Fruhlinger, already managing the Met, was from Windber but would move to Baltimore. Whatever brought him back home two years later might make an interesting story.
I’m starting to believe the assertion that the Silver opened in 1950, as is painted on a mural on-site. The 1952 Theatre Catalog listed it under Windber, Exec: Maurice Fruhlinger and Louis Hanna, Hanna Th. Service, capacity 300. The 1952-53 Motion Picture Catalog listed it under Scalp Level, Hanna Theatre Service, 300.
Also, a July 1975 newspaper ad showed that the Silver was already a “CAC” (County Amusement Co.?) theater at that point.
The Silver was listed in the 1961-66 International Motion Picture Almanacs, capacity 300, owner or booker Bud Thomas Cir. It persisted there through at least 1976. The 1978-88 editions listed it in Windber PA, owner County Amus., capacity 400.
A 2008 article in The Tribune-Democrat said that “The reopening of the Silver Drive-In in 2005 fulfilled Rick Rosko’s dream of owning a first-class outdoor theater.” Which means that the Silver was closed for a while? Also, several Trib-Dem articles referenced a 1950 opening for the Silver, but I’d guess they were confusing it with the Westmont, which closed in the early 1960s after the Silver opened.
From The Daily Courier of Connellsville, June 20 1947: The Ruthorn Drive-In Theatre, the first in Westmoreland county, opened Thursday night. Cars came from all points of Westmoreland and Fayette counties to witness and experience the newest type of entertainment.
Owned and operated by Donald J. Ruth of Mount Pleasant and R. M. Thorn of Scottdale, the theater is located midway between Pennsville and Mount Pleasant. … Plenty of ushers were on hand to escort each car to its “seat” and all cars are escorted out after the show to avoid a jam at the exit.
That was Robert M. Thorn, whose March 18 1966 obituary said he was the former partner in the “Everygreen” Drive-In. Which means that the original name is a portmanteau of the two owners' names, and therefore suggests that Ruth might have been by himself when inspired to change the drive-in’s name.
The 1948-50 Theatre Catalogs listed the Ruthorn in Scottdale, owner Donald J. Ruth, capacity 300. The Catalogs later noticed the name change to Evergreen.
The 1952-59 Motion Picture Almanacs also had the Evergreen in Scottdale, the “owner or booker” was Co-op, capacity 400. By the 1966 edition, the owner had changed to S-Hanna Co-op Thea. Serv. The 1978-84 editions had the owner as H. Michael. The Evergreen fell off the MPA list by 1986, never to return. Considering that one family owned it during that period, I wonder if it was ever closed.
Its web site currently has its account suspended and its official Facebook page didn’t have any posts for four years, but it does appear that the Silver was active in 2017. The Tribune-Democrat mentioned it in May as one place to watch summer blockbusters, and the Silver added a See You In The Spring post to Facebook in October.
From the Connellsville Daily Courier, June 14, 1950: Anna Marie Fasson, 19, of Connellsville, R. D., was the winner of the contest to name the new drive-in theatre at Morrell under sponsorship of the Morrell Amusement Company. The name chosen for which Miss Fasson will receive a price was “The Comet.” It is planned to open the theatre within the next few weeks.
The 1952 Theatre Catalog listed the Comet in Morrell, Exec: A. C. DeMichelis, Strand Th., Dunbar, and Louis Hanna, Hanna Th. Service, Pittsburgh, capacity 300. 1955-56 edition listed the Comet in Connellsville, Exec: Ted Laskey and Moore Th. Serv.
The 1952-59 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Comet in Morrell, owner Hanna Thea. Ser., capacity 300. It was gone from the 1961 edition. For the 1963-66 editions, the owner had changed to Ted Laskey. It stayed in Morrell through 1976, then the 1978-88 editions put it in Connellsville, owner Monessen Amu., capacity 425.
A July 1967 article announcing extensive renovations said it was part of the Manos Theatre chain. Again on July 28, 1971 it held a “grand opening tonight to celebrate its new, bright look.” At that point, it had a panoramic screen an new marquee.
Ficks opened in April 1949. Its ad in the April 22, 1949 Uniontown Morning Herald said to “watch for opening of the district’s newest most modern constructed drive-in”. Its first now showing ad was Tuesday April 26, “One Sunday Afternoon”. For some reason, the current Brownsville site says the original box office was erected in June 1949.
Ficks Drive-In Theatre, Inc. filed public notice of incorporation for February 9, 1950.
The Daily Courier of Connellsville wrote on July 3, 1951: I. J. Ficks and Margaret B. A. Moody were deeded nine and a half acres of ground with buildings along Route 40 by the Ficks Drive-In Theatre, Inc. That would be Isadore J. Ficks.
In March 1954, I. J. Ficks announced purchase of the Moody interests in the Ficks Drive-In theater.
The Brownsville, formerly Ficks, reopened for the season in March 1959, now owned by Louis Stuler and Durward Coe, the pair who started the Sky View a few miles down the road in Carmichaels.
The 1952 Theatre Catalog listed “Fick’s” in East Brownsville, Exec: Moody and Baker. The 1955-56 Catalog listed “Fick’s” in Brownsville, Exec: Basie and Laskey Entr., and F. D. Moore Th. Serv.
Ficks is listed under Brownsville in the 1952-59 Motion Picture Almanacs, capacity 400, owned by Moody & Dickinson. For the 1961-66 editions, it became the Brownsville DI, owned by Louis Stuler & Darwin Coe. It fell off the MPA list in 1978, never to return.
The 1993 photo at HistoricAerials.com shows only two screens, so the third must have come after that. The 1969 photo shows that the main screen used to be northwest of the concession stand.
Every anecdotal source says this drive-in opened in 1946, but they’re all wrong. The Jan. 25 1951 Evening Standard of nearby Unionville wrote about a lawsuit against the drive-in’s owners that “when the theater was opened in 1948, reddog and earth was heaped up near the headwaters of a brook”. Which explains what the Theatre Catalog wrote.
The 1948-49 Theatre Catalog listed Carmichaels Drive-In as under construction, Exec: Lou Stuler, Stuler and Coe. Carmichaels was in the regular drive-in list in the 1949-50 edition. By the 1952 edition of the Catalog, its name had changed to the Skyview, still owned by L. Stuler and Duard Coe.
In the newspapers in nearby Unionville, its first mention was in a February 1950 traffic accident report as “the Drive-In theater”. It was advertising in those papers by summer, calling itself the Sky View with a small gap between words. By the 1960s, the ads were running as the Sky-View with a hyphen.
In 1960, the Brownsville Telegraph mentioned that “Lewis Stuler and Durwood Coe” owned the “Skyview”.
The Pittsburgh Press ran an obituary for Louis S. Stuler after he died of a heart attack at the age of 47 on August 10, 1961. “Together with Duard Coe of Waynesburg, Mr. Stuler owned and operated the Sky View and Brownsville Drive-In Theaters”.
The 1952-66 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Skyview Auto (later just the Skyview) as owned by Stuler & Coe. Capacity was originally 225, but doubled to 450 by 1963. When ownership info returned for the 1978-82 editions, capacity was 400 and the owner was Cinemette Corporation of America, based in Pittsburgh. In the 1984-88 editions, the owner changed to G & G Theaters, Inc., which incorporated in 1963 and is now inactive.
There’s another name that’s not mentioned often enough, it appears. The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog showed the Central in Blackwood VA, owners H. Kiser and R. Lodge, capacity 150.
The 1953-66 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Central under Blackwood VA, owner Russell Large, capacity 150. In the 1978-88 editions, after ownership information resumed, the owner was R. Kiser, capacity 100.
Was that co-owner Large or Lodge? Historically the Catalog had fewer errors, so my guess would be Lodge. Update: Except I’m wrong. On Facebook, the reply I received was “the original owners were the Kiser family and the Large family.” It’s the rare case when the MPA was right and the Catalog wasn’t.
The Kingsport Times-News wrote that the Central opened “in 1952 by the Kiser family of Wise County”.
“Buddy and Paula (Herron) bought the Central in 2005 from Jeff Kiser following the death of his mother, Agnes Kiser Lay, the Kiser family’s much loved drive-in darling who operated the Central for many if not most of those years since it opened in 1952.”
Multiple reports say the Central has a very nice arcade. This YouTube video from July 2017 includes a glimpse plus some drone footage with a train passing by across the highway from the screen.
Also, the 25 Drive In Auto Theatre is up to three screens now. A photo copyright 2015 still showed two, and a July 2016 photo showed “Now 3 screens”, so I’d guess it was an early 2016 addition.
On a probably unrelated note, the McCutcheons took a couple of months off at the beginning of this year. They told the Greenwood Index-Journal, “since 2010, we’ve been open 52 weeks out of the year and it’s hard to visit people when you only have two days off.”
The 1952-56 Theatre Catalogs listed the Monetta as owned by Sam Bogo, capacity 230.
In the 1952-66 Motion Picture Almanacs, the Monetta was owned by Twin City Amusement Co., capacity 200. It was off the list for 1969-76.
In the 1978 edition, the owner was J. Warren, capacity 210, which is how it stayed through the 1988 edition, again showing that the MPA didn’t always notice change.
Richard and Lisa Boaz added a second screen in 2005, and as noted above, a third screen in 2011.
There was a lightning strike June 18, 2017 that knocked out all three screens. They were all up and running by June 22.
In 2014, some locals were trying to find a way to save the mural. The story was in The Post and Courier of Charleston.
Tex Roberts, whose uncle helped create it, was leading the effort, and “the owner, Keith Kinard, also is willing to work to save the screen, even going so far as to subdivide his land.”
Based on what I see in a May 2106 Google Street View and the 2017 aerial view, I’d guess it was torn down. :(
The 1980-82 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Plaza 21 Drive-in in Beaufort, owned by P. Trask, capacity 300. (There’s a Yelp page that still calls it the Plaza 21. And Google Maps calls the highway in front of the drive-in the Trask Parkway. Hmm.) For the 1984-88 editions, it had the Hiway 21, owned by J. Warren.
The Island News wrote that the drive-in closed in 2002. Bonnie and Joe Barth bought the Highway 21 and reopened it in 2003, per The Post and Courier of Charleston.
The 1952-56 Theatre Catalogs had the Family owned by W. P. Riggins, capacity 300.
The 1952-61 editions of the Motion Picture Almanac listed the Family Drive-In in Jessup (sic) with owner W. P. Reggins (sic), capacity 300. It was off the list in the 1963-66 editions.
The Family was back in Jesup in the 1969-76 MPAs with a capacity of 350. When ownership info returned in the 1978 MPA, its name had changed to the Jesup, the owner was Cockfield, and capacity was 250. In 1980-88, the Jesup Twin was owned by Floyd Theatres of Lakeland FL.
The Florida Times-Union wrote in 1999 that “had been closed for 10 years when (Tim) Cockfield bought it in 1970. In 1975, Cockfield ‘twinned it,’ turning the back two rows around and adding two more.” It also said at the time that “Cockfield, 72, works behind the counter before the movie starts” and “Tim Cockfield Jr. … is poised to take over when the time comes.”
In 2012, the Savannah Morning News quoted Ward P. Riggins III, grandson of the original builder, who said “It’s been here since the 1940s.”
“There was only a short time when it wasn’t operational,” Riggins says. “My dad, who is 87, said they built the Jesup Strand Theatre in 1924 in the center of town. In 1948, they built the Jesup Family Drive-in.” … When Riggins’ grandfather got sick, Ward Jr. continued the business.
Although the Stateline’s About Us page says it opened in 1947, it wasn’t listed in the 1949-50 Theatre Catalog. The 1952-56 editions listed owner Earl B. Bolling, capacity 250.
The 1952-66 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the owner as R. D. Dunn, capacity 246. The 1978-84 editions listed R. (Ray) Glover, 200. The 1986-88 editions (finally?) sort of agreed with the old Catalogs, listing the owner as E. Bolling.
In an article about the history of the city’s indoor theater, the Elizabethton Star wrote that in 1962, Earl Bolling was the owner and operator of the Stateline Drive-In.
An archived 2009 Elizabethton Star article (PDF) wrote, “Now owned by Andy Wetsel (sic) Jr., the Stateline Drive-In was built in 1947. Wetsel purchased the theater from the late Earl Bolling, who owned it from 1952 until the 1970s, and again from 1980 to 1995.”
A 2000 article in American Profile talked to then-owner Andy Whetsel (sic). Andrew “Andy” Wetzel (as it’s spelled by every reference except the previous two) is still the owner as of March 2017.
A 2008 Topix discussion thread, which also included plenty of inflammatory talk of which I have no first-hand knowledge, said that Wetzel is married to the daughter of Bolling’s widow, which is how he acquired the Stateline.
In April 2016, the City of Elizabethton was the highest bidder to acquire the Bonnie Kate.
Here’s its history at that point, shamelessly* copied from the Elizabethton Star:
The first owner was Mrs. Ollie Browning of Bluefield WV in 1926. She lived upstairs above the theater. …
The theater formally opened to a full house on July 4, with a christening by former Governor Alfred Taylor. …
In 1950, Bob Neal, who owned the Ritz Theater downtown, purchased the theater from the Browning family.
In 1962, Earl Bolling, owner and operator of the Stateline Drive-In bought it from Bob Neal. …
In 1973, Ray Glover began managing the theater with his wife, Jeanette, until 1989. Then, they sold it to Leroy and Agnes Policky, who operated it for 15 years.
During the 1970s, a massive sheetrock wall was built to twin the theater, allowing two movies to be shown simultaneously.
In 2004, Leroy Policky sold the theater to Brian and Cindy Higgs, who operated it till 2012.
Since then, it has been without an owner. (Huh? If it was abandoned, then why were folks bidding on it?)
For the “fair use” scholarly purpose of establishing the timeline for this historic theater.
The 1952 Theatre Catalog lists the Sunset owned by Colonial Ths., capacity 300. The 1955-56 edition raised that to 342.
The 1952-63 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Sunset in Swainsville and owned by Colonial Theatres Inc., capacity 300. The MPA said that in 1953 it was the first drive-in for the small chain, based in Valdese NC, then run by general manager G. D. Carpenter. It wasn’t listed in the 1966-69 editions, but returned in Shelby for the 1972-76 editions.
When owner info returned in the 1978-82 editions, the Sunset was still owned by Colonial. For 1984-88, it was owned by Benfield Th.
Modern accounts say that Rick Stinnett, whose family built and ran the Bessemer City Kings Mountain Drive-In until it closed after the 2014 season, bought the Sunset in 1985. He spent $100,000 to remodel and convert the projection room in early 2014.
According to The Fayetteville Observer, the Keysville was reopened (in 2009 I guess) by Mark and Jennifer Frank, but they sold it to focus on a more recent purchase, the Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre in Henderson NC.
A lot of news outlets got confused about the Family’s ownership structure. I guess the Wikipedia entry wasn’t around yet.
From The Washington Post, July 26, 2013: “William Dalke Jr. built the Family Drive-in Theatre outside Winchester in 1956 in the midst of an American drive-in building boom. … in time (son Tim) Dalke took over the Family Drive-In. ‘I twinned the screen in 1989 because we could double the product we were offering the public,’ he says. … (Dalke) says that Jim Kopp will be his first option if he ever wants to sell the park”.
From WTOP, August 2012: “owner Jim Kopp … took over the theater three years ago.”
From the Drive-In Theater Adventures blog, August 2013: “In March 2009, Tim Dalke leased the theatre to Jim Kopp (the lease runs for another 7 years).”
The Pittsburgh Press wrote on July 6, 1950 that “The New Dependable Drive-In Theater … opened just a week ago … was heavily damaged” in a flood that caused widespread damage in Moon Township.
The Pittsburgh Press wrote in December 1950 that the Dependable’s “owner”, “president Joseph Marcus, of the Dependable Drive-In, Inc.,” sued DeVry Corp., makers of the film projector, and sales agent D. E. Lovett for selling a bad unit and failing to repair it.
The Daily Courier of Connellsville PA wrote in September 1951 that the Dependable’s owner was Howard C. Benson when it was the victim of a holdup. The armed robber was caught, convicted and sentenced in just three months. Those were the days!
In April 1952, The Pittsburgh Press wrote that the Dependable Corp. had been chartered in 1950 with stock held by three couples – H.C.A. Hofacker and wife Florence, Joseph Marcus and wife Dora, and Robert J. Springer and wife Helen May. The Springers sued the other two couples for leasing the drive-in to Ernest Stern in June 1951. The Moon Drive-In Theater, Inc. “gained control from Mr. Stern” in September 1951.
Robert J. Springer offered a reward in 1955 for whoever shot the tame mallards at the adjoining lake.
In March 1974, neighbors signed petitions against the X-rated movies showing at the Dependable. “Let’s face it – X-rated films are the only thing that saves us,” Rick Glaus, Dependable manager, told The Pittsburgh Press.
In February 1977, Dependable Drive-In Inc. sold 26.4 acres to Regal Development Corp. for $500,000.
From TribLive.com, June 9, 2011, “Nearly three months after the plan was proposed, Unity supervisors on Wednesday gave developers the go-ahead to demolish the landmark Hi-Way Drive-In along Route 30 to make way for a CVS pharmacy. …
“Lee and Kathy Zimmerman, who operated the 730-car drive-in until its final showing last fall also operated a popular flea market at the location every Sunday, … The drive-in was owned by Latrobe-based Dill Construction Co. and leased on a year-to-year basis by the Zimmermans.
“In May, P. Richard Ridilla, owner of the drive-in and the property it has sat on since 1950, wrote a letter to township officials indicating … that the Zimmermans said the drive-in and flea market have not been profitable for some time.”
The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog listed the Bar-Ann, capacity 300, Exec: George Wasko, and Stearn-Hanna Co-Operative Th Serv.
Its first appearance in the International Motion Picture Almanac was the 1956 edition when it was listed as simply “Drive-In”. In 1957-66, it was the Bar An (sic), Geo. Wasko, Hanna Theatre Serv., capacity 276.
The IMPA didn’t fix the name until 1978 when the Bar Ann was still owned by G. Wasko. It stayed that way through the final list in 1988.
The drive-in was advertised in 1985-87 in the Altoona Mirror as Wasko’s Bar-Ann. A July 1985 article said that Wasko had owned the drive-in “since its construction in 1955.”
The June 30, 1991 Altoona Mirror, found at NewspaperArchive.com said that the Bar-Ann had recently reopened “after a three-year hiatus”. The article said that George Wasko named the drive-in after his two daughters, Barbara and Peggy Ann. The original idea came to him “in 1955 after a vacation trip”. He had installed radio sound “during the theater’s most recent season”.
The article continued: The Bar-Ann itself was in limbo for three years. “I had a bout with cancer,” said Wasko, who said he has since received a clean bill of health. And with the return of health came pleas from townspeople to restore nighttime entertainment to Portage, according to Wasko’s wife, Peg.
Wasko’s 1995 obituary said that he owned and operated the Bar-Ann from 1954 to 1994, as well as an assortment of other businesses.
When the Bar-Ann had a flap over its sign in early 2014, its owner was Don Gawel, who spoke through the drive-in’s manager Dustin Grush. Once that was cleared up, it converted to digital projection.
As of Labor Day weekend 2017, the Bar-Ann is still going strong.
Aha! The July 8, 1950 Billboard wrote: Maurice Fruhlinger, for many years manager of the Met Theater, Baltimore, for the Schwaber Circuit, will manage the soon-to-be opened Silver Drive-In at Winber (sic), Pa.
A 1948 wedding announcement said that Fruhlinger, already managing the Met, was from Windber but would move to Baltimore. Whatever brought him back home two years later might make an interesting story.
I’m starting to believe the assertion that the Silver opened in 1950, as is painted on a mural on-site. The 1952 Theatre Catalog listed it under Windber, Exec: Maurice Fruhlinger and Louis Hanna, Hanna Th. Service, capacity 300. The 1952-53 Motion Picture Catalog listed it under Scalp Level, Hanna Theatre Service, 300.
Also, a July 1975 newspaper ad showed that the Silver was already a “CAC” (County Amusement Co.?) theater at that point.
The Silver was listed in the 1961-66 International Motion Picture Almanacs, capacity 300, owner or booker Bud Thomas Cir. It persisted there through at least 1976. The 1978-88 editions listed it in Windber PA, owner County Amus., capacity 400.
A 2008 article in The Tribune-Democrat said that “The reopening of the Silver Drive-In in 2005 fulfilled Rick Rosko’s dream of owning a first-class outdoor theater.” Which means that the Silver was closed for a while? Also, several Trib-Dem articles referenced a 1950 opening for the Silver, but I’d guess they were confusing it with the Westmont, which closed in the early 1960s after the Silver opened.
From The Daily Courier of Connellsville, June 20 1947: The Ruthorn Drive-In Theatre, the first in Westmoreland county, opened Thursday night. Cars came from all points of Westmoreland and Fayette counties to witness and experience the newest type of entertainment.
Owned and operated by Donald J. Ruth of Mount Pleasant and R. M. Thorn of Scottdale, the theater is located midway between Pennsville and Mount Pleasant. … Plenty of ushers were on hand to escort each car to its “seat” and all cars are escorted out after the show to avoid a jam at the exit.
That was Robert M. Thorn, whose March 18 1966 obituary said he was the former partner in the “Everygreen” Drive-In. Which means that the original name is a portmanteau of the two owners' names, and therefore suggests that Ruth might have been by himself when inspired to change the drive-in’s name.
The 1948-50 Theatre Catalogs listed the Ruthorn in Scottdale, owner Donald J. Ruth, capacity 300. The Catalogs later noticed the name change to Evergreen.
The 1952-59 Motion Picture Almanacs also had the Evergreen in Scottdale, the “owner or booker” was Co-op, capacity 400. By the 1966 edition, the owner had changed to S-Hanna Co-op Thea. Serv. The 1978-84 editions had the owner as H. Michael. The Evergreen fell off the MPA list by 1986, never to return. Considering that one family owned it during that period, I wonder if it was ever closed.
Its web site currently has its account suspended and its official Facebook page didn’t have any posts for four years, but it does appear that the Silver was active in 2017. The Tribune-Democrat mentioned it in May as one place to watch summer blockbusters, and the Silver added a See You In The Spring post to Facebook in October.
From the Connellsville Daily Courier, June 14, 1950: Anna Marie Fasson, 19, of Connellsville, R. D., was the winner of the contest to name the new drive-in theatre at Morrell under sponsorship of the Morrell Amusement Company. The name chosen for which Miss Fasson will receive a price was “The Comet.” It is planned to open the theatre within the next few weeks.
The 1952 Theatre Catalog listed the Comet in Morrell, Exec: A. C. DeMichelis, Strand Th., Dunbar, and Louis Hanna, Hanna Th. Service, Pittsburgh, capacity 300. 1955-56 edition listed the Comet in Connellsville, Exec: Ted Laskey and Moore Th. Serv.
The 1952-59 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Comet in Morrell, owner Hanna Thea. Ser., capacity 300. It was gone from the 1961 edition. For the 1963-66 editions, the owner had changed to Ted Laskey. It stayed in Morrell through 1976, then the 1978-88 editions put it in Connellsville, owner Monessen Amu., capacity 425.
A July 1967 article announcing extensive renovations said it was part of the Manos Theatre chain. Again on July 28, 1971 it held a “grand opening tonight to celebrate its new, bright look.” At that point, it had a panoramic screen an new marquee.
Ficks opened in April 1949. Its ad in the April 22, 1949 Uniontown Morning Herald said to “watch for opening of the district’s newest most modern constructed drive-in”. Its first now showing ad was Tuesday April 26, “One Sunday Afternoon”. For some reason, the current Brownsville site says the original box office was erected in June 1949.
Ficks Drive-In Theatre, Inc. filed public notice of incorporation for February 9, 1950.
The Daily Courier of Connellsville wrote on July 3, 1951: I. J. Ficks and Margaret B. A. Moody were deeded nine and a half acres of ground with buildings along Route 40 by the Ficks Drive-In Theatre, Inc. That would be Isadore J. Ficks.
In March 1954, I. J. Ficks announced purchase of the Moody interests in the Ficks Drive-In theater.
The Brownsville, formerly Ficks, reopened for the season in March 1959, now owned by Louis Stuler and Durward Coe, the pair who started the Sky View a few miles down the road in Carmichaels.
The 1952 Theatre Catalog listed “Fick’s” in East Brownsville, Exec: Moody and Baker. The 1955-56 Catalog listed “Fick’s” in Brownsville, Exec: Basie and Laskey Entr., and F. D. Moore Th. Serv.
Ficks is listed under Brownsville in the 1952-59 Motion Picture Almanacs, capacity 400, owned by Moody & Dickinson. For the 1961-66 editions, it became the Brownsville DI, owned by Louis Stuler & Darwin Coe. It fell off the MPA list in 1978, never to return.
The 1993 photo at HistoricAerials.com shows only two screens, so the third must have come after that. The 1969 photo shows that the main screen used to be northwest of the concession stand.
Every anecdotal source says this drive-in opened in 1946, but they’re all wrong. The Jan. 25 1951 Evening Standard of nearby Unionville wrote about a lawsuit against the drive-in’s owners that “when the theater was opened in 1948, reddog and earth was heaped up near the headwaters of a brook”. Which explains what the Theatre Catalog wrote.
The 1948-49 Theatre Catalog listed Carmichaels Drive-In as under construction, Exec: Lou Stuler, Stuler and Coe. Carmichaels was in the regular drive-in list in the 1949-50 edition. By the 1952 edition of the Catalog, its name had changed to the Skyview, still owned by L. Stuler and Duard Coe.
In the newspapers in nearby Unionville, its first mention was in a February 1950 traffic accident report as “the Drive-In theater”. It was advertising in those papers by summer, calling itself the Sky View with a small gap between words. By the 1960s, the ads were running as the Sky-View with a hyphen.
In 1960, the Brownsville Telegraph mentioned that “Lewis Stuler and Durwood Coe” owned the “Skyview”.
The Pittsburgh Press ran an obituary for Louis S. Stuler after he died of a heart attack at the age of 47 on August 10, 1961. “Together with Duard Coe of Waynesburg, Mr. Stuler owned and operated the Sky View and Brownsville Drive-In Theaters”.
The 1952-66 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Skyview Auto (later just the Skyview) as owned by Stuler & Coe. Capacity was originally 225, but doubled to 450 by 1963. When ownership info returned for the 1978-82 editions, capacity was 400 and the owner was Cinemette Corporation of America, based in Pittsburgh. In the 1984-88 editions, the owner changed to G & G Theaters, Inc., which incorporated in 1963 and is now inactive.
There’s another name that’s not mentioned often enough, it appears. The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog showed the Central in Blackwood VA, owners H. Kiser and R. Lodge, capacity 150.
The 1953-66 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Central under Blackwood VA, owner Russell Large, capacity 150. In the 1978-88 editions, after ownership information resumed, the owner was R. Kiser, capacity 100.
Was that co-owner Large or Lodge? Historically the Catalog had fewer errors, so my guess would be Lodge. Update: Except I’m wrong. On Facebook, the reply I received was “the original owners were the Kiser family and the Large family.” It’s the rare case when the MPA was right and the Catalog wasn’t.
The Kingsport Times-News wrote that the Central opened “in 1952 by the Kiser family of Wise County”.
“Buddy and Paula (Herron) bought the Central in 2005 from Jeff Kiser following the death of his mother, Agnes Kiser Lay, the Kiser family’s much loved drive-in darling who operated the Central for many if not most of those years since it opened in 1952.”
Multiple reports say the Central has a very nice arcade. This YouTube video from July 2017 includes a glimpse plus some drone footage with a train passing by across the highway from the screen.
Also, the 25 Drive In Auto Theatre is up to three screens now. A photo copyright 2015 still showed two, and a July 2016 photo showed “Now 3 screens”, so I’d guess it was an early 2016 addition.
On a probably unrelated note, the McCutcheons took a couple of months off at the beginning of this year. They told the Greenwood Index-Journal, “since 2010, we’ve been open 52 weeks out of the year and it’s hard to visit people when you only have two days off.”
In their YouTube video, published in 2014 and shot before digital projection, a banner on the concession building says “Showing movies since 1945”.
The first Theatre Catalog drive-in list in 1948-49 listed just “Drive-In” for Greenwood, owned by A. T. Livingston, capacity 250.
The 1952-56 Theatre Catalogs listed the Monetta as owned by Sam Bogo, capacity 230.
In the 1952-66 Motion Picture Almanacs, the Monetta was owned by Twin City Amusement Co., capacity 200. It was off the list for 1969-76.
In the 1978 edition, the owner was J. Warren, capacity 210, which is how it stayed through the 1988 edition, again showing that the MPA didn’t always notice change.
Richard and Lisa Boaz added a second screen in 2005, and as noted above, a third screen in 2011.
There was a lightning strike June 18, 2017 that knocked out all three screens. They were all up and running by June 22.
In 2014, some locals were trying to find a way to save the mural. The story was in The Post and Courier of Charleston.
Tex Roberts, whose uncle helped create it, was leading the effort, and “the owner, Keith Kinard, also is willing to work to save the screen, even going so far as to subdivide his land.”
Based on what I see in a May 2106 Google Street View and the 2017 aerial view, I’d guess it was torn down. :(
The 1980-82 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Plaza 21 Drive-in in Beaufort, owned by P. Trask, capacity 300. (There’s a Yelp page that still calls it the Plaza 21. And Google Maps calls the highway in front of the drive-in the Trask Parkway. Hmm.) For the 1984-88 editions, it had the Hiway 21, owned by J. Warren.
The Island News wrote that the drive-in closed in 2002. Bonnie and Joe Barth bought the Highway 21 and reopened it in 2003, per The Post and Courier of Charleston.
The 1952-56 Theatre Catalogs had the Family owned by W. P. Riggins, capacity 300.
The 1952-61 editions of the Motion Picture Almanac listed the Family Drive-In in Jessup (sic) with owner W. P. Reggins (sic), capacity 300. It was off the list in the 1963-66 editions.
The Family was back in Jesup in the 1969-76 MPAs with a capacity of 350. When ownership info returned in the 1978 MPA, its name had changed to the Jesup, the owner was Cockfield, and capacity was 250. In 1980-88, the Jesup Twin was owned by Floyd Theatres of Lakeland FL.
The Florida Times-Union wrote in 1999 that “had been closed for 10 years when (Tim) Cockfield bought it in 1970. In 1975, Cockfield ‘twinned it,’ turning the back two rows around and adding two more.” It also said at the time that “Cockfield, 72, works behind the counter before the movie starts” and “Tim Cockfield Jr. … is poised to take over when the time comes.”
In 2012, the Savannah Morning News quoted Ward P. Riggins III, grandson of the original builder, who said “It’s been here since the 1940s.”
“There was only a short time when it wasn’t operational,” Riggins says. “My dad, who is 87, said they built the Jesup Strand Theatre in 1924 in the center of town. In 1948, they built the Jesup Family Drive-in.” … When Riggins’ grandfather got sick, Ward Jr. continued the business.
Although the Stateline’s About Us page says it opened in 1947, it wasn’t listed in the 1949-50 Theatre Catalog. The 1952-56 editions listed owner Earl B. Bolling, capacity 250.
The 1952-66 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the owner as R. D. Dunn, capacity 246. The 1978-84 editions listed R. (Ray) Glover, 200. The 1986-88 editions (finally?) sort of agreed with the old Catalogs, listing the owner as E. Bolling.
In an article about the history of the city’s indoor theater, the Elizabethton Star wrote that in 1962, Earl Bolling was the owner and operator of the Stateline Drive-In.
An archived 2009 Elizabethton Star article (PDF) wrote, “Now owned by Andy Wetsel (sic) Jr., the Stateline Drive-In was built in 1947. Wetsel purchased the theater from the late Earl Bolling, who owned it from 1952 until the 1970s, and again from 1980 to 1995.”
A 2000 article in American Profile talked to then-owner Andy Whetsel (sic). Andrew “Andy” Wetzel (as it’s spelled by every reference except the previous two) is still the owner as of March 2017.
A 2008 Topix discussion thread, which also included plenty of inflammatory talk of which I have no first-hand knowledge, said that Wetzel is married to the daughter of Bolling’s widow, which is how he acquired the Stateline.
In April 2016, the City of Elizabethton was the highest bidder to acquire the Bonnie Kate.
Here’s its history at that point, shamelessly* copied from the Elizabethton Star:
The first owner was Mrs. Ollie Browning of Bluefield WV in 1926. She lived upstairs above the theater. …
The theater formally opened to a full house on July 4, with a christening by former Governor Alfred Taylor. …
In 1950, Bob Neal, who owned the Ritz Theater downtown, purchased the theater from the Browning family.
In 1962, Earl Bolling, owner and operator of the Stateline Drive-In bought it from Bob Neal. …
In 1973, Ray Glover began managing the theater with his wife, Jeanette, until 1989. Then, they sold it to Leroy and Agnes Policky, who operated it for 15 years.
During the 1970s, a massive sheetrock wall was built to twin the theater, allowing two movies to be shown simultaneously.
In 2004, Leroy Policky sold the theater to Brian and Cindy Higgs, who operated it till 2012.
Since then, it has been without an owner. (Huh? If it was abandoned, then why were folks bidding on it?)
The 1952 Theatre Catalog lists the Sunset owned by Colonial Ths., capacity 300. The 1955-56 edition raised that to 342.
The 1952-63 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Sunset in Swainsville and owned by Colonial Theatres Inc., capacity 300. The MPA said that in 1953 it was the first drive-in for the small chain, based in Valdese NC, then run by general manager G. D. Carpenter. It wasn’t listed in the 1966-69 editions, but returned in Shelby for the 1972-76 editions.
When owner info returned in the 1978-82 editions, the Sunset was still owned by Colonial. For 1984-88, it was owned by Benfield Th.
Modern accounts say that Rick Stinnett, whose family built and ran the Bessemer City Kings Mountain Drive-In until it closed after the 2014 season, bought the Sunset in 1985. He spent $100,000 to remodel and convert the projection room in early 2014.
According to The Fayetteville Observer, the Keysville was reopened (in 2009 I guess) by Mark and Jennifer Frank, but they sold it to focus on a more recent purchase, the Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre in Henderson NC.
A lot of news outlets got confused about the Family’s ownership structure. I guess the Wikipedia entry wasn’t around yet.
From The Washington Post, July 26, 2013: “William Dalke Jr. built the Family Drive-in Theatre outside Winchester in 1956 in the midst of an American drive-in building boom. … in time (son Tim) Dalke took over the Family Drive-In. ‘I twinned the screen in 1989 because we could double the product we were offering the public,’ he says. … (Dalke) says that Jim Kopp will be his first option if he ever wants to sell the park”.
From WTOP, August 2012: “owner Jim Kopp … took over the theater three years ago.”
From the Drive-In Theater Adventures blog, August 2013: “In March 2009, Tim Dalke leased the theatre to Jim Kopp (the lease runs for another 7 years).”
The Pittsburgh Press wrote on July 6, 1950 that “The New Dependable Drive-In Theater … opened just a week ago … was heavily damaged” in a flood that caused widespread damage in Moon Township.
The Pittsburgh Press wrote in December 1950 that the Dependable’s “owner”, “president Joseph Marcus, of the Dependable Drive-In, Inc.,” sued DeVry Corp., makers of the film projector, and sales agent D. E. Lovett for selling a bad unit and failing to repair it.
The Daily Courier of Connellsville PA wrote in September 1951 that the Dependable’s owner was Howard C. Benson when it was the victim of a holdup. The armed robber was caught, convicted and sentenced in just three months. Those were the days!
In April 1952, The Pittsburgh Press wrote that the Dependable Corp. had been chartered in 1950 with stock held by three couples – H.C.A. Hofacker and wife Florence, Joseph Marcus and wife Dora, and Robert J. Springer and wife Helen May. The Springers sued the other two couples for leasing the drive-in to Ernest Stern in June 1951. The Moon Drive-In Theater, Inc. “gained control from Mr. Stern” in September 1951.
Robert J. Springer offered a reward in 1955 for whoever shot the tame mallards at the adjoining lake.
In March 1974, neighbors signed petitions against the X-rated movies showing at the Dependable. “Let’s face it – X-rated films are the only thing that saves us,” Rick Glaus, Dependable manager, told The Pittsburgh Press.
In February 1977, Dependable Drive-In Inc. sold 26.4 acres to Regal Development Corp. for $500,000.