That photo, taken in 2015, ran with an article in The Daily Star of Oneonta on May 22, 2016. It’s one of the best drive-in histories I’ve ever seen in a newspaper.
This is where I like to list the full history of the drive-in,
but the The Daily Star of Oneonta beat me to it in an article on May 22, 2016. After noting that the Unadilla opened on Tuesday, May 29, 1956, it quoted the positive remarks of The Unadilla Times of June 1: “(G)ood public relations on the part of Mr. (John) Gardner and Mr. (Al) LaFamme would seem to insure another successful Unadilla enterprise.”
Then The Daily Star quoted its Aug. 22, 1986 article when “Michael and Beatrice Chonka were determined to keep their drive-in open, as they had for the last 17 years.” That put the purchase date around 1969.
“Chonka, a Binghamton native, started in the business almost two decades ago when Al LaFamme, who built the Unadilla theater, asked him to come to work. … when LaFamme wanted to sell some time later, Chonka bought the theater.”
Michael Chonka passed away in August 1994, and the theater closed earlier than usual. Trevor Ladner and Thomas Owens
bought the Unadilla from his widow and re-opened it in late May 1995.
I’ll close with the article’s fuzziest paragraph. The Wilson family bought the Unadilla “(a)round 2000” It noted that the drive-in had updated to digital projection, but didn’t mention when. Also, “By an act of nature in recent years, specifically a windstorm, the old wooden screen that was knocked down got replaced by a steel structure.”
A long story in the July 15, 2016 PressConnects.com filled in a few details. “Unadilla’s current owners are Eric and Marcia Wilson, who bought the property in 2000”. The old screen went down “three years ago”. The Wilsons' children work there now, and Rob Tracey is the general manager.
The Daily Star’s article is a much better history than most newspapers ever see, and it matched the International Motion Picture Almanacs pretty well. The Unadilla made its first appearance in the IMPAs in its 1957 edition. It had a capacity of 400 cars and was owned by John W. Gardner and A. O. La Flamme (sic). They were both still there in 1959, although the listed capacity had grown to 500. In the 1961-66 editions, Gardner stood alone – a little odd considering the narrative above.
After the IMPA resumed listing owners, the 1978 edition listed “Chonka”, and that’s the way it stayed through the final IMPA list in 1988.
The Circle web site says the drive-in was built in 1945, but its first appearance in the Theatre Catalogs was in the 1949-50 edition, owner Albert Frangel, capacity 700 cars. That’s pretty much how it stayed through the 1955-56 edition. (There was an Albert Frengel of Frengel Motor Car company in New Castle PA at the time. Same guy?)
The owner listed in the 1952-53 Motion Picture Almanac was E. Hollander (Allied Circuit). It switched to just the Allied Circuit in the 1955-59 editions. Milgrim Bkg. Serv. was the “owner or booker” in 1961-66. The MPAs showed a capacity of 500.
The 1978-84 MPAs listed the Circle in Scranton, owner M. J. (Michael) Delfino, capacity 600. The locale switched to Carbondale in the 1986-88 editions.
The Warwick’s web site has an excellent, updated history on its About Us page. Its early details match up with the 1950s Theatre Catalogs. The second screen went up in 1982, and the third must have been just before 1995.
Although the drive-in’s old web site (seen at Archive.org) claimed the Mahoning opened in 1948, that’s just wrong. The March 26, 1949 Billboard magazine said that Max Korr “in association with Mitchell Rappeport and others” was building a drive-in in Mahoning Valley. The first time it was mentioned in The Morning Call of Allentown was April 18, 1949 when it wrote that “the theatre has been completed” and that it “will bring to this section one of the nation’s finest theatres.” And there was a later interview with a guy “who witnessed the theater’s opening in 1949”.
The Mahoning’s first appearance in the Theatre Catalog series was the 1949-50 edition; the listed “Exec” was Max Korr, and its capacity was 500. In the 1952 TC, the exec/owner was “A. M. Ellis Th. Ct.” and the capacity was bumped to 600. In the 1955-56 edition, the exec/owner was James Humphries.
The Morning Call wrote on May 23, 1952 that Mitchell Rapaport, president of the Mahoning Corporation, had sued the drive-in and A. M. Ellis Theatres Co. Separately, the drive-in had sued Ellis Theatres for interfering with operations. It was a complicated, long story of loans, intertwined businesses, and hiring Max M. Korr Enterprises two weeks earlier to buy and book films.
An auction notice for the drive-in (725 car capacity), its lease, equipment, and name was in the Oct. 4 Philadelphia Inquirer. Five days later, The Morning Call wrote it was sold at auction by the Ellis Theater Company to Dr. Joseph J. Humphries and R. C. H. Becker Sr. “Both men had been associated with the operation of the theatre,” wrote the Mauch Chunk Times-News.
Amazingly, it gets more confusing. The Nov. 15, 1952 issue of Billboard magazine said the Mahoning was sold at auction to Max Korr and associates.
Despite the sale, the Motion Picture Almanacs continued to list Ellis Theatres as the owner through the 1961 edition. At first the capacity was 500, then in 1956, the capacity dropped to 450, where it stayed. The owner for at least the 1963-66 editions was Claude Reinhard, who had founded Palmerton TV Signal Corporation, an early cable TV company.
The MPAs didn’t list owners for at least 1969-76. After that, the editions on my shelf list the Mahoning’s owner as:
1978: Riant Entp.
1980-82: J. Morgan.
1984-88: J. Farruggio.
The Morning Call wrote on Aug 23, 1992 that Amos Theaters Inc. (owned by Joseph Farruggio) had owned the Mahoning since 1981. Its manager was described as “an employee of the Palmerton Telephone Company”.
On Aug. 22, 1997 The Morning Call wrote about Farruggio preparing to show adult movies and trying not to run afoul of the Carbon County DA. “He’s shown no movies this year, but now says he’ll play the explicit films two weeks to maintain the drive-in’s 49 years of continuous operation, then close again.” Farruggio said he needed the proceeds to pay overdue taxes. (He eventually backed down and showed Mimic and Copland instead.) He had been battling “for five years” to get permits to add three screens. The drive-in is adjacent to an airport (then Carbon County, now Jake Arner Memorial) so the FAA was involved.
In 1998, the Mahoning opened for only a few weeks because health permits “require the facility to be open at least one night a year.”
I’m not sure when Mike and Deb Danchak came in, or there were other owners in between. In 2013, as the digital conversion loomed, the drive-in had a misadventure starring a guy who said he fixed up drive-ins but never told me which ones. My story and that guy’s comment can be found here.
The Morning Call called Jeff Mattox “a new owner” on October 23, 2014. He joined with two former Temple University film students, Virgil Cardamone and Matthew McClanahan, to embrace the 35mm nostalgia factor and keep the Mahoning running film even today.
davidcoppock, the drive-in is within Mahoning Township. The screen is less than 1200 feet from Mahoning Drive (AKA PA Route 902). The town of New Mahoning is about 2½ miles west of the drive-in, and the Mahoning Valley Speedway and Mahoning Valley Farmers Market are about a mile east.
Of those possibilities, I’m not sure which is the inspiration for the drive-in’s name.
Based on the 1952 issues of The Mountain Echo, a weekly newspaper in Shickshinny PA, the Gardens Drive-In Theatre (named for Hunlock Gardens) opened between June 27 (an “opening soon” note) and July 11 (its first advertisement). It was said to have room for 325 cars. It became the singular Garden in February 1954.
The drive-in was built by Gardens Amusement Company, but that was apparently Theodore Roosevelt Cragle, who died of a heart attack in December 1955. His son Arthur took over the Garden.
More details emerge from Ronald Hontz’s sweeping History of Sweet Valley PA, written around 2003. Arthur Cragle ran the drive-in until 1986, when he sold it to Nelson and Diane Fey. They operated it until 1990 and passed it down to their daughter, Kimberly Barbacci, and her husband Doug. They’re still the owners in 2017.
Current (2017) manager David Hudzik had been the Garden’s projectionist since 1979, “and he has been the source for most of the info you read herein.” In 1986 the drive-in converted from in-car speakers to AM radio; they added FM in 1990.
Adjacent to the Susquehanna River, the Garden floods frequently. In June 1972, Hurricane Agnes caused extensive damage with water over the roof of the concession stand. “Following that event, Hudzik has gotten the removal of equipment down to a science. A team of five guys can now remove all the valuable items in three hours.”
Hontz continues by noting the Garden added a second screen on the southeastern corner of its property in 2002. “The main screen features parking for approximately 450 cars and another 250 or so can view the second screen.”
A side note about Elmira attorney LeRoy Stein. When the project was first announced on April 21, 1947, he was called the president of the Elmira Drive-In Theater Co. On June 4, 1948, as construction was about to commence, he was called its secretary / treasurer. When groundbreaking was reported on June 21, 1948, he was down to just secretary. Stein’s 1964 obituary mentioned that he was a member of the Elmira Symphony Orchestra but said nothing about the drive-in.
Gee whiz, this drive-in changed hands a lot! Decades of issues of the Elmira Star-Gazette provided a lot of details.
The Elmira Drive-In Theater Co. opened the drive-in on April 16, 1949. At the time, the company’s president was Harry L. Berinstein, and its VP/treasurer was Benjamin Berinstein. Horace Robinson was the manager, and its grand opening ad said it had room for 800 cars.
The 1949-50 Theatre Catalog listed H. L. Berinstein as the owner and the capacity at just 500. That stayed through the 1955-56 edition, which listed its home town as Big Flats NY.
The 1952-63 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the “Big Flats Drive-In” in Elmira NY. The owner was Elmira Drive-In, Inc.; H. & B. Berinstein, capacity 500.
On May 1, 1963, The 153 Corp., took over the drive-in from the Elmira Drive-In Co. with a “long-term lease”. That put it under the control of the Dipson Circuit, which owned or ran Elmira’s indoor theaters and a couple dozen others in the region.
By the International MPA’s 1966 edition, the name had changed to Elmira, the owner had changed to Dipson Circuit, and the capacity rose to 800, where it stayed through at least 1976.
In August 1976, the Elmira’s lease “held by Cornell Theaters” was transferred to Galaxy Theaters of Rochester. Shirley Owens was manager and said that Cornell had been operating the drive-in for a year and a half.
Later owner listings in my International MPAs:
1978: not listed. (although it advertised that year)
1980-82: S.J.M. Entertainment Co.
The August 10, 1980 Star-Gazette listed under Property Transfers, “Beatrice W., Ann M., Henry W., William P. Berinstein to Samuel J. Mitchell, Ann N., Henry W., and William P. Berinstein and Mary S. Westman.” Sounds like Mitchell bought the top slice of the family business. There’s an S.J.M. Entertainment Corp. registered in Baldwinsville NY, CEO Samuel J. Mitchell, but it was registered in 1985. Maybe it was his Company before it became his Corporation.
1984: S. Freeman. (no clue)
1986-88: G. Howell. (There was a George Howell who was a civic-minded man and the top guy at F.M. Howell & Company, a huge employer in Elmira. But what did he have to do with the Zurichs?)
Conrad and Linda Zurich (spelled Zurick through 1988 articles) bought the drive-in in January 1985 and renamed it, at least in newspaper ads, as the Elmira Bargain Drive-In. It had to end its 1986 season early after a fire in the fall damaged the building. Fire hit again in October 1987, deliberately set a week after vandals smashed its electrical meters. Susan Calabrese was the manager from at least 1987 through 1998.
An August 1998 article subtitled “Despite rundown appearance, Big Flats facility still draws the crowds” said the drive-in suffered from “badly peeling paint, broken neon lights, (and) overgrown vegetation”. Could that article have prompted the Zurichs to change managers? Dale and Karen Chapman took over as managers the following season, started by adding a second screen, dropping the “Bargain” from the name, and working to spruce up the place.
In 2008, Zurich Cinema operated the drive-in, and they still do that today.
The July 3, 1957 Kane Republican said that “Wally Anderson” completed the sale of the Family to Clifford Brown and the Holmes Poster Advertising Company “this morning”. That company included R. Wayne Holmes, Lyle Holmes, Mrs. Olive Holmes, and Mrs. Avis Holmes Carlson.
The March 5, 1954 edition of the Kane Republican had a short story about the sale of the Ideal to the W. E. Anderson Theatre Circuit, which had been operating theatres for 22 years in PA and NY.
The new owners announced that before the 1954 season started, “A new concession will be added, a modern playground, rides of all types, a new sign, (and) moonlight lighting.” Makes you wonder what the place looked like when it opened!
The April 14 edition, announcing the season opener, said that “Wally” Anderson had purchased the drive-in “last fall” and was renaming it the Family Drive-In. So the drive-in’s Our History page is wrong about how long it stayed Ideal.
The Kane Family Drive In (originally called the “Ideal Drive In”) was built in 1952 by Clyde Piccirillo of Ridgway, PA. It was built for Joseph Farrell of St. Mary’s and Harold Prosser of Altoona. Waldemar Anderson, of Mt. Jewett, operated the Drive In until 1957, when it was sold to Clifford Brown and F.R. Holmes Poster Advertising Co. of Kane. At this time, it became known as the “Family Drive-In”. The theater was run by Lyle and R. Wayne Holmes. All buildings are original. One unique feature of the Kane Family Drive In is the 60 foot cement block screen, which is four stories tall and open on the inside.
In 1969, Fred Holmes became the projectionist for the theater. In 1983, Fred purchased the drive-in and continued to run it, along with his wife Mary and their daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren until 2014. The Drive In was Kane’s Business of the Year in 2011. In 2013, the Holmes family upgraded to a digital, high-definition projector, which has made movie viewing an even more exceptional experience.
We feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to carry on Fred and Mary’s tradition of family entertainment. We hope that you will enjoy your time spent at this historic theater.
Note: That “we” belongs to Lowell and Jackie Watts, the current owners.
Chris1982’s note refers to the Sunset’s web site, since abandoned. Those details are still there at the Internet Archive, though.
My reference books always listed the Sunset’s capacity as 350 cars. It showed up in the 1948-49 Theatre Catalog, owned by Ray Woodard (sic), A. Phelps, E. Wilson and Woodard. By 1952, that was Ray Woodward, Kayton Th.
The 1952-54 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the owners as Phelps & Wilson. In the 1955-66 editions, it was Ray Woodward. However, a July 1958 note in the Huntingdon PA Daily News said the owner was Alden W. Phelps. And that’s probably Alden Wesley Phelps, May 6, 1918 – July 1, 2001, buried in the Waterford Cemetery.
For the 1969-76 editions, the International MPAs listed only the capacity. The Sunset wasn’t listed at all in the 1978-88 IMPAs, though the drive-in advertised X-rated movies in the Titusville Herald in 1978 & 1984 (at least).
Dennis and Margaret Koper bought the Sunset in 1988 and were still running it in the 2017 season.
The group of Buffalo businessmen who built the Transit included Anthony Ragusa, George Tater, Louis Battaglia, and John Battaglia.
The 1953-57 editions of the Motion Picture Almanac had Battaglia & Ragusa as owners and the capacity was exactly 392. In the 1959-66 editions, I. Cohen was the owner. By 1978, it was M. Cohen, and that’s how it stayed through the last list in 1988.
NewYorkDriveIns.com says screen 2 opened in 1994, screen 3 opened in 1996, and screen 4 opened in 2001. The fifth screen went up in 2016.
Ulrich Signs built them a gorgeous marquee in 2014.
A 2015 story in The Daily Beast liberally quotes current owner Rick Cohen in describing the Transit’s history of a sometimes-porn theater in the 1970s.
The Theatre Catalog lists from 1948-50 showed Exec: Walter Dion and Son, capacity 250. The 1952 edition changed it to George F. Tater.
According to the 1952 grand opening article for the Transit Drive-In in Lockport, the same group owned the Lockport Drive-In at that point. They were Anthony Ragusa, George Tater, Louis Battaglia, and John Battaglia.
The 1952-53 Motion Picture Almanac listed it with a capacity of 200 (the only time I ever saw a number other than 250), owned by Ragusa, Tater, Battaglia, so that matches. The 1953-54 edition changed it to T. Falk.
The 1955-66 International MPAs listed the owner as Tater and Falk. The 1978-82 IMPAs had it owned by Midway. Atco Canton slipped in as the owner in the 1984 IMPA. By the end, the 1986-88 IMPA listed the owner as M. Potter.
The Vintage opened on June 20, 1997, the work of Paul Dean and David Philips. On Opening Day, it had one screen up and a second under construction.
When the Baltimore Sun profiled it in June 1998, Dean was called “the owner” and Philips was not mentioned. At the time, Dean was “planning to build a third screen by next spring.”
In 2008, Dean told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle that “his original investment in equipment was in the mid-six-figure range, and that his investment has been a good one.”
After about a decade of three screens, the Vintage added its fourth screen in the 2009-2010 offseason.
A contemporary article in the Arcade (NY) Herald, hosted by NewYorkDriveIns.com, said that Opening Day for the Delevan was Sept. 24, 1959. It was built by Elgin Boylan and had 400 speakers for 400 cars. HistoricAerials.com shows it under construction(!) earlier in 1959 and in operation in 1961.
Here’s another illustration of the fallibility of the International Motion Picture Almanac. The Delevan wasn’t listed in the 1961 edition, and the 1963-66 editions showed it with a capacity of 365 cars, owned by “Al Boylain”.
The 1978 MPA changed the owner to “Mendola, G.P.” (NYDI says that was Gasper “Pat” Mendola) and corrected the capacity to 400, and that’s how it stayed through its final list in 1988.
NYDI says the Delevan was later operated by Macy Cohen & Phil Leiffer, then later yet by Ron and Mary Sahr. A 1992 Springville Journal article referred to it as Sahr’s Delevan Drive-In Theater.
Don Loomis and his wife Josie bought the drive-in in 2000. Aerial photos show that he added a second screen between 2002 and 2006, matching the 2005 note above. Loomis had converted one screen to digital projection, but when Josie was diagnosed with cancer, they made the decision to sell.
Dr. Michael DiBella, an emergency room physician, bought the drive-in in the 2014-2015 off-season after Loomis listed it on eBay. DiBella changed the name to the Delevan Twin Drive In. (For some reason, his name is spelled Mickel on the drive-in’s web site, but it’s Michael everywhere else including all references to his day job in Buffalo.)
Olean Times Herald articles from 1949-50 mentioned Dean Emley as the Haven’s manager. Much later, he managed the Portville Drive-In when it opened in 1972.
Despite what its web site says, the Portville opened on July 7, 1972, and the Olean Times Herald said it was owned by the Frontier Amusement Company. According my search at Newspapers.com, the first time the Portville advertised in the Wellsville Daily Reporter was the following Wednesday, July 12.
The Portville wasn’t listed in the 1972-76 editions of the International Motion Picture Almanac. It appeared in the 1978-82 editions with owner “Bordinaro”. That was corrected to Bordonaro by the 1984 edition. All evidence points to the Bordonaro family owning the Portville for a very long time, possibly since it opened.
According to the history of the Silver Lake Drive-In in Perry NY, Jake Stefanon opened the Altoona when he was with the Blatt Brothers, a Pittsburgh-based theater chain. The Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Blatt Brothers as the owners from at least its 1952-82 editions.
The 1984-88 editions of the MPA listed the owner as simply Manos.
The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle wrote in 1991 that the Silver Lake opened Sept. 23, 1949, showing Body and Soul starring John Garfield. That article said the drive-in’s capacity was 420 cars.
Harry Martin and his wife Mary built the Silver Lake and operated it until selling it to Jake Stefanon before the 1966 season. Jake’s son Rick bought it from his dad in 1993 and runs it now.
The 1947-56 Theatre Catalogs listed the Finger Lakes as owned by Don Wilson, sometimes with Anthony DeNiro, capacity 290 or 300.
The Motion Picture Almanacs for 1952-66 also listed Don Wilson as the owner, capacity 290. In 1978-82, the owner changed to Fields. In 1984-88, the Finger Lakes was not listed.
The Aug 2, 1992 Democrat and Chronicle of Rochester said Frank Feocco bought the business in 1986. His 1996 obituary said that he owned and operated the Finger Lakes Drive-in for 12 years.
On the other hand, the Ithaca Journal of Aug 25, 1971 mentions a charity fundraiser at the “Feocco Finger Lakes Drive-In”, so maybe the family was involved earlier than 1986.
Sylvan Leff died at the age of 72 in November 1986. Several mentions in the 1930s and 1940s put him with Universal; in 1936 he was with the Universal Home Exploitation Department. Leff was based in Albany and touched the lives of several drive-ins in New York.
I’ve read in a couple of places online that the present owners, which would be Thomas Wade and family, bought the Bay in 1982. Let’s see what it says in my Motion Picture Almanacs.
I’d also read that the Bay was supposed to replace the 1000 Islands, but both are listed in the 1969-76 editions of the Almanac (which didn’t list owners in those years). By the 1980 edition, the 1000 Island was gone.
The grand opening article in the Thousand Island Sun said that Willard Beach (who had been mayor of Alexandria Bay) was the top stockholder in the corporation that owned the Bay. The 1980-84 MPAs listed W. Beach as the owner. H. Wade took over by the 1986 edition.
According to AmericanTowns.com, the Bay rebuilt the concession stand in 1992, adding a 60-seat indoor viewing area.
Also, the Watertown Daily Times reported that a massive thunderstorm “demolished” the Bay in the wee hours of July 15, 1995. The Wades fixed that within two weeks.
The Alexandria town planning board approved a second screen in March 1997, but it wasn’t built until July 1999. The second field’s layout is unusual because of the lot being only diagonally adjacent to the original. They added a second concession stand in 2001 for the second screen; it sold Pepsi products while the main concessions sold Coke products. Restrooms for the second screen were added in 2006.
In 2013, the old projection booth was remodeled into a cafe, allowing customers to watch the movie from a “1950s cafe setting.”
Its former operator, John Gardner, was one of the owners of the Unadilla Drive-In when it opened in 1956.
That photo, taken in 2015, ran with an article in The Daily Star of Oneonta on May 22, 2016. It’s one of the best drive-in histories I’ve ever seen in a newspaper.
This is where I like to list the full history of the drive-in, but the The Daily Star of Oneonta beat me to it in an article on May 22, 2016. After noting that the Unadilla opened on Tuesday, May 29, 1956, it quoted the positive remarks of The Unadilla Times of June 1: “(G)ood public relations on the part of Mr. (John) Gardner and Mr. (Al) LaFamme would seem to insure another successful Unadilla enterprise.”
Then The Daily Star quoted its Aug. 22, 1986 article when “Michael and Beatrice Chonka were determined to keep their drive-in open, as they had for the last 17 years.” That put the purchase date around 1969.
“Chonka, a Binghamton native, started in the business almost two decades ago when Al LaFamme, who built the Unadilla theater, asked him to come to work. … when LaFamme wanted to sell some time later, Chonka bought the theater.”
Michael Chonka passed away in August 1994, and the theater closed earlier than usual. Trevor Ladner and Thomas Owens bought the Unadilla from his widow and re-opened it in late May 1995.
I’ll close with the article’s fuzziest paragraph. The Wilson family bought the Unadilla “(a)round 2000” It noted that the drive-in had updated to digital projection, but didn’t mention when. Also, “By an act of nature in recent years, specifically a windstorm, the old wooden screen that was knocked down got replaced by a steel structure.”
A long story in the July 15, 2016 PressConnects.com filled in a few details. “Unadilla’s current owners are Eric and Marcia Wilson, who bought the property in 2000”. The old screen went down “three years ago”. The Wilsons' children work there now, and Rob Tracey is the general manager.
The Daily Star’s article is a much better history than most newspapers ever see, and it matched the International Motion Picture Almanacs pretty well. The Unadilla made its first appearance in the IMPAs in its 1957 edition. It had a capacity of 400 cars and was owned by John W. Gardner and A. O. La Flamme (sic). They were both still there in 1959, although the listed capacity had grown to 500. In the 1961-66 editions, Gardner stood alone – a little odd considering the narrative above.
After the IMPA resumed listing owners, the 1978 edition listed “Chonka”, and that’s the way it stayed through the final IMPA list in 1988.
The Circle web site says the drive-in was built in 1945, but its first appearance in the Theatre Catalogs was in the 1949-50 edition, owner Albert Frangel, capacity 700 cars. That’s pretty much how it stayed through the 1955-56 edition. (There was an Albert Frengel of Frengel Motor Car company in New Castle PA at the time. Same guy?)
The owner listed in the 1952-53 Motion Picture Almanac was E. Hollander (Allied Circuit). It switched to just the Allied Circuit in the 1955-59 editions. Milgrim Bkg. Serv. was the “owner or booker” in 1961-66. The MPAs showed a capacity of 500.
The 1978-84 MPAs listed the Circle in Scranton, owner M. J. (Michael) Delfino, capacity 600. The locale switched to Carbondale in the 1986-88 editions.
The Warwick’s web site has an excellent, updated history on its About Us page. Its early details match up with the 1950s Theatre Catalogs. The second screen went up in 1982, and the third must have been just before 1995.
Although the drive-in’s old web site (seen at Archive.org) claimed the Mahoning opened in 1948, that’s just wrong. The March 26, 1949 Billboard magazine said that Max Korr “in association with Mitchell Rappeport and others” was building a drive-in in Mahoning Valley. The first time it was mentioned in The Morning Call of Allentown was April 18, 1949 when it wrote that “the theatre has been completed” and that it “will bring to this section one of the nation’s finest theatres.” And there was a later interview with a guy “who witnessed the theater’s opening in 1949”.
The Mahoning’s first appearance in the Theatre Catalog series was the 1949-50 edition; the listed “Exec” was Max Korr, and its capacity was 500. In the 1952 TC, the exec/owner was “A. M. Ellis Th. Ct.” and the capacity was bumped to 600. In the 1955-56 edition, the exec/owner was James Humphries.
The Morning Call wrote on May 23, 1952 that Mitchell Rapaport, president of the Mahoning Corporation, had sued the drive-in and A. M. Ellis Theatres Co. Separately, the drive-in had sued Ellis Theatres for interfering with operations. It was a complicated, long story of loans, intertwined businesses, and hiring Max M. Korr Enterprises two weeks earlier to buy and book films.
An auction notice for the drive-in (725 car capacity), its lease, equipment, and name was in the Oct. 4 Philadelphia Inquirer. Five days later, The Morning Call wrote it was sold at auction by the Ellis Theater Company to Dr. Joseph J. Humphries and R. C. H. Becker Sr. “Both men had been associated with the operation of the theatre,” wrote the Mauch Chunk Times-News.
Amazingly, it gets more confusing. The Nov. 15, 1952 issue of Billboard magazine said the Mahoning was sold at auction to Max Korr and associates.
Despite the sale, the Motion Picture Almanacs continued to list Ellis Theatres as the owner through the 1961 edition. At first the capacity was 500, then in 1956, the capacity dropped to 450, where it stayed. The owner for at least the 1963-66 editions was Claude Reinhard, who had founded Palmerton TV Signal Corporation, an early cable TV company.
The MPAs didn’t list owners for at least 1969-76. After that, the editions on my shelf list the Mahoning’s owner as: 1978: Riant Entp. 1980-82: J. Morgan. 1984-88: J. Farruggio.
The Morning Call wrote on Aug 23, 1992 that Amos Theaters Inc. (owned by Joseph Farruggio) had owned the Mahoning since 1981. Its manager was described as “an employee of the Palmerton Telephone Company”.
On Aug. 22, 1997 The Morning Call wrote about Farruggio preparing to show adult movies and trying not to run afoul of the Carbon County DA. “He’s shown no movies this year, but now says he’ll play the explicit films two weeks to maintain the drive-in’s 49 years of continuous operation, then close again.” Farruggio said he needed the proceeds to pay overdue taxes. (He eventually backed down and showed Mimic and Copland instead.) He had been battling “for five years” to get permits to add three screens. The drive-in is adjacent to an airport (then Carbon County, now Jake Arner Memorial) so the FAA was involved.
In 1998, the Mahoning opened for only a few weeks because health permits “require the facility to be open at least one night a year.”
I’m not sure when Mike and Deb Danchak came in, or there were other owners in between. In 2013, as the digital conversion loomed, the drive-in had a misadventure starring a guy who said he fixed up drive-ins but never told me which ones. My story and that guy’s comment can be found here.
The Morning Call called Jeff Mattox “a new owner” on October 23, 2014. He joined with two former Temple University film students, Virgil Cardamone and Matthew McClanahan, to embrace the 35mm nostalgia factor and keep the Mahoning running film even today.
davidcoppock, the drive-in is within Mahoning Township. The screen is less than 1200 feet from Mahoning Drive (AKA PA Route 902). The town of New Mahoning is about 2½ miles west of the drive-in, and the Mahoning Valley Speedway and Mahoning Valley Farmers Market are about a mile east.
Of those possibilities, I’m not sure which is the inspiration for the drive-in’s name.
Based on the 1952 issues of The Mountain Echo, a weekly newspaper in Shickshinny PA, the Gardens Drive-In Theatre (named for Hunlock Gardens) opened between June 27 (an “opening soon” note) and July 11 (its first advertisement). It was said to have room for 325 cars. It became the singular Garden in February 1954.
The drive-in was built by Gardens Amusement Company, but that was apparently Theodore Roosevelt Cragle, who died of a heart attack in December 1955. His son Arthur took over the Garden.
More details emerge from Ronald Hontz’s sweeping History of Sweet Valley PA, written around 2003. Arthur Cragle ran the drive-in until 1986, when he sold it to Nelson and Diane Fey. They operated it until 1990 and passed it down to their daughter, Kimberly Barbacci, and her husband Doug. They’re still the owners in 2017.
Current (2017) manager David Hudzik had been the Garden’s projectionist since 1979, “and he has been the source for most of the info you read herein.” In 1986 the drive-in converted from in-car speakers to AM radio; they added FM in 1990.
Adjacent to the Susquehanna River, the Garden floods frequently. In June 1972, Hurricane Agnes caused extensive damage with water over the roof of the concession stand. “Following that event, Hudzik has gotten the removal of equipment down to a science. A team of five guys can now remove all the valuable items in three hours.”
Hontz continues by noting the Garden added a second screen on the southeastern corner of its property in 2002. “The main screen features parking for approximately 450 cars and another 250 or so can view the second screen.”
A side note about Elmira attorney LeRoy Stein. When the project was first announced on April 21, 1947, he was called the president of the Elmira Drive-In Theater Co. On June 4, 1948, as construction was about to commence, he was called its secretary / treasurer. When groundbreaking was reported on June 21, 1948, he was down to just secretary. Stein’s 1964 obituary mentioned that he was a member of the Elmira Symphony Orchestra but said nothing about the drive-in.
Gee whiz, this drive-in changed hands a lot! Decades of issues of the Elmira Star-Gazette provided a lot of details.
The Elmira Drive-In Theater Co. opened the drive-in on April 16, 1949. At the time, the company’s president was Harry L. Berinstein, and its VP/treasurer was Benjamin Berinstein. Horace Robinson was the manager, and its grand opening ad said it had room for 800 cars.
The 1949-50 Theatre Catalog listed H. L. Berinstein as the owner and the capacity at just 500. That stayed through the 1955-56 edition, which listed its home town as Big Flats NY.
The 1952-63 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the “Big Flats Drive-In” in Elmira NY. The owner was Elmira Drive-In, Inc.; H. & B. Berinstein, capacity 500.
On May 1, 1963, The 153 Corp., took over the drive-in from the Elmira Drive-In Co. with a “long-term lease”. That put it under the control of the Dipson Circuit, which owned or ran Elmira’s indoor theaters and a couple dozen others in the region.
By the International MPA’s 1966 edition, the name had changed to Elmira, the owner had changed to Dipson Circuit, and the capacity rose to 800, where it stayed through at least 1976.
In August 1976, the Elmira’s lease “held by Cornell Theaters” was transferred to Galaxy Theaters of Rochester. Shirley Owens was manager and said that Cornell had been operating the drive-in for a year and a half.
Later owner listings in my International MPAs: 1978: not listed. (although it advertised that year) 1980-82: S.J.M. Entertainment Co. The August 10, 1980 Star-Gazette listed under Property Transfers, “Beatrice W., Ann M., Henry W., William P. Berinstein to Samuel J. Mitchell, Ann N., Henry W., and William P. Berinstein and Mary S. Westman.” Sounds like Mitchell bought the top slice of the family business. There’s an S.J.M. Entertainment Corp. registered in Baldwinsville NY, CEO Samuel J. Mitchell, but it was registered in 1985. Maybe it was his Company before it became his Corporation.
1984: S. Freeman. (no clue) 1986-88: G. Howell. (There was a George Howell who was a civic-minded man and the top guy at F.M. Howell & Company, a huge employer in Elmira. But what did he have to do with the Zurichs?)
Conrad and Linda Zurich (spelled Zurick through 1988 articles) bought the drive-in in January 1985 and renamed it, at least in newspaper ads, as the Elmira Bargain Drive-In. It had to end its 1986 season early after a fire in the fall damaged the building. Fire hit again in October 1987, deliberately set a week after vandals smashed its electrical meters. Susan Calabrese was the manager from at least 1987 through 1998.
An August 1998 article subtitled “Despite rundown appearance, Big Flats facility still draws the crowds” said the drive-in suffered from “badly peeling paint, broken neon lights, (and) overgrown vegetation”. Could that article have prompted the Zurichs to change managers? Dale and Karen Chapman took over as managers the following season, started by adding a second screen, dropping the “Bargain” from the name, and working to spruce up the place.
In 2008, Zurich Cinema operated the drive-in, and they still do that today.
The July 3, 1957 Kane Republican said that “Wally Anderson” completed the sale of the Family to Clifford Brown and the Holmes Poster Advertising Company “this morning”. That company included R. Wayne Holmes, Lyle Holmes, Mrs. Olive Holmes, and Mrs. Avis Holmes Carlson.
The March 5, 1954 edition of the Kane Republican had a short story about the sale of the Ideal to the W. E. Anderson Theatre Circuit, which had been operating theatres for 22 years in PA and NY.
The new owners announced that before the 1954 season started, “A new concession will be added, a modern playground, rides of all types, a new sign, (and) moonlight lighting.” Makes you wonder what the place looked like when it opened!
The April 14 edition, announcing the season opener, said that “Wally” Anderson had purchased the drive-in “last fall” and was renaming it the Family Drive-In. So the drive-in’s Our History page is wrong about how long it stayed Ideal.
From the Kane’s Our History page:
The Kane Family Drive In (originally called the “Ideal Drive In”) was built in 1952 by Clyde Piccirillo of Ridgway, PA. It was built for Joseph Farrell of St. Mary’s and Harold Prosser of Altoona. Waldemar Anderson, of Mt. Jewett, operated the Drive In until 1957, when it was sold to Clifford Brown and F.R. Holmes Poster Advertising Co. of Kane. At this time, it became known as the “Family Drive-In”. The theater was run by Lyle and R. Wayne Holmes. All buildings are original. One unique feature of the Kane Family Drive In is the 60 foot cement block screen, which is four stories tall and open on the inside.
In 1969, Fred Holmes became the projectionist for the theater. In 1983, Fred purchased the drive-in and continued to run it, along with his wife Mary and their daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren until 2014. The Drive In was Kane’s Business of the Year in 2011. In 2013, the Holmes family upgraded to a digital, high-definition projector, which has made movie viewing an even more exceptional experience. We feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to carry on Fred and Mary’s tradition of family entertainment. We hope that you will enjoy your time spent at this historic theater.
Note: That “we” belongs to Lowell and Jackie Watts, the current owners.
Chris1982’s note refers to the Sunset’s web site, since abandoned. Those details are still there at the Internet Archive, though.
My reference books always listed the Sunset’s capacity as 350 cars. It showed up in the 1948-49 Theatre Catalog, owned by Ray Woodard (sic), A. Phelps, E. Wilson and Woodard. By 1952, that was Ray Woodward, Kayton Th.
The 1952-54 Motion Picture Almanacs listed the owners as Phelps & Wilson. In the 1955-66 editions, it was Ray Woodward. However, a July 1958 note in the Huntingdon PA Daily News said the owner was Alden W. Phelps. And that’s probably Alden Wesley Phelps, May 6, 1918 – July 1, 2001, buried in the Waterford Cemetery.
For the 1969-76 editions, the International MPAs listed only the capacity. The Sunset wasn’t listed at all in the 1978-88 IMPAs, though the drive-in advertised X-rated movies in the Titusville Herald in 1978 & 1984 (at least).
Dennis and Margaret Koper bought the Sunset in 1988 and were still running it in the 2017 season.
The group of Buffalo businessmen who built the Transit included Anthony Ragusa, George Tater, Louis Battaglia, and John Battaglia.
The 1953-57 editions of the Motion Picture Almanac had Battaglia & Ragusa as owners and the capacity was exactly 392. In the 1959-66 editions, I. Cohen was the owner. By 1978, it was M. Cohen, and that’s how it stayed through the last list in 1988.
NewYorkDriveIns.com says screen 2 opened in 1994, screen 3 opened in 1996, and screen 4 opened in 2001. The fifth screen went up in 2016.
Ulrich Signs built them a gorgeous marquee in 2014.
A 2015 story in The Daily Beast liberally quotes current owner Rick Cohen in describing the Transit’s history of a sometimes-porn theater in the 1970s.
The Theatre Catalog lists from 1948-50 showed Exec: Walter Dion and Son, capacity 250. The 1952 edition changed it to George F. Tater.
According to the 1952 grand opening article for the Transit Drive-In in Lockport, the same group owned the Lockport Drive-In at that point. They were Anthony Ragusa, George Tater, Louis Battaglia, and John Battaglia.
The 1952-53 Motion Picture Almanac listed it with a capacity of 200 (the only time I ever saw a number other than 250), owned by Ragusa, Tater, Battaglia, so that matches. The 1953-54 edition changed it to T. Falk.
The 1955-66 International MPAs listed the owner as Tater and Falk. The 1978-82 IMPAs had it owned by Midway. Atco Canton slipped in as the owner in the 1984 IMPA. By the end, the 1986-88 IMPA listed the owner as M. Potter.
The Vintage opened on June 20, 1997, the work of Paul Dean and David Philips. On Opening Day, it had one screen up and a second under construction.
When the Baltimore Sun profiled it in June 1998, Dean was called “the owner” and Philips was not mentioned. At the time, Dean was “planning to build a third screen by next spring.”
In 2008, Dean told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle that “his original investment in equipment was in the mid-six-figure range, and that his investment has been a good one.”
After about a decade of three screens, the Vintage added its fourth screen in the 2009-2010 offseason.
A contemporary article in the Arcade (NY) Herald, hosted by NewYorkDriveIns.com, said that Opening Day for the Delevan was Sept. 24, 1959. It was built by Elgin Boylan and had 400 speakers for 400 cars. HistoricAerials.com shows it under construction(!) earlier in 1959 and in operation in 1961.
Here’s another illustration of the fallibility of the International Motion Picture Almanac. The Delevan wasn’t listed in the 1961 edition, and the 1963-66 editions showed it with a capacity of 365 cars, owned by “Al Boylain”.
The 1978 MPA changed the owner to “Mendola, G.P.” (NYDI says that was Gasper “Pat” Mendola) and corrected the capacity to 400, and that’s how it stayed through its final list in 1988.
NYDI says the Delevan was later operated by Macy Cohen & Phil Leiffer, then later yet by Ron and Mary Sahr. A 1992 Springville Journal article referred to it as Sahr’s Delevan Drive-In Theater.
Don Loomis and his wife Josie bought the drive-in in 2000. Aerial photos show that he added a second screen between 2002 and 2006, matching the 2005 note above. Loomis had converted one screen to digital projection, but when Josie was diagnosed with cancer, they made the decision to sell.
Dr. Michael DiBella, an emergency room physician, bought the drive-in in the 2014-2015 off-season after Loomis listed it on eBay. DiBella changed the name to the Delevan Twin Drive In. (For some reason, his name is spelled Mickel on the drive-in’s web site, but it’s Michael everywhere else including all references to his day job in Buffalo.)
Olean Times Herald articles from 1949-50 mentioned Dean Emley as the Haven’s manager. Much later, he managed the Portville Drive-In when it opened in 1972.
Despite what its web site says, the Portville opened on July 7, 1972, and the Olean Times Herald said it was owned by the Frontier Amusement Company. According my search at Newspapers.com, the first time the Portville advertised in the Wellsville Daily Reporter was the following Wednesday, July 12.
The Portville wasn’t listed in the 1972-76 editions of the International Motion Picture Almanac. It appeared in the 1978-82 editions with owner “Bordinaro”. That was corrected to Bordonaro by the 1984 edition. All evidence points to the Bordonaro family owning the Portville for a very long time, possibly since it opened.
According to the history of the Silver Lake Drive-In in Perry NY, Jake Stefanon opened the Altoona when he was with the Blatt Brothers, a Pittsburgh-based theater chain. The Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Blatt Brothers as the owners from at least its 1952-82 editions.
The 1984-88 editions of the MPA listed the owner as simply Manos.
The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle wrote in 1991 that the Silver Lake opened Sept. 23, 1949, showing Body and Soul starring John Garfield. That article said the drive-in’s capacity was 420 cars.
Harry Martin and his wife Mary built the Silver Lake and operated it until selling it to Jake Stefanon before the 1966 season. Jake’s son Rick bought it from his dad in 1993 and runs it now.
The 1947-56 Theatre Catalogs listed the Finger Lakes as owned by Don Wilson, sometimes with Anthony DeNiro, capacity 290 or 300.
The Motion Picture Almanacs for 1952-66 also listed Don Wilson as the owner, capacity 290. In 1978-82, the owner changed to Fields. In 1984-88, the Finger Lakes was not listed.
The Aug 2, 1992 Democrat and Chronicle of Rochester said Frank Feocco bought the business in 1986. His 1996 obituary said that he owned and operated the Finger Lakes Drive-in for 12 years.
On the other hand, the Ithaca Journal of Aug 25, 1971 mentions a charity fundraiser at the “Feocco Finger Lakes Drive-In”, so maybe the family was involved earlier than 1986.
Sylvan Leff died at the age of 72 in November 1986. Several mentions in the 1930s and 1940s put him with Universal; in 1936 he was with the Universal Home Exploitation Department. Leff was based in Albany and touched the lives of several drive-ins in New York.
I’ve read in a couple of places online that the present owners, which would be Thomas Wade and family, bought the Bay in 1982. Let’s see what it says in my Motion Picture Almanacs.
I’d also read that the Bay was supposed to replace the 1000 Islands, but both are listed in the 1969-76 editions of the Almanac (which didn’t list owners in those years). By the 1980 edition, the 1000 Island was gone.
The grand opening article in the Thousand Island Sun said that Willard Beach (who had been mayor of Alexandria Bay) was the top stockholder in the corporation that owned the Bay. The 1980-84 MPAs listed W. Beach as the owner. H. Wade took over by the 1986 edition.
According to AmericanTowns.com, the Bay rebuilt the concession stand in 1992, adding a 60-seat indoor viewing area.
Also, the Watertown Daily Times reported that a massive thunderstorm “demolished” the Bay in the wee hours of July 15, 1995. The Wades fixed that within two weeks.
The Alexandria town planning board approved a second screen in March 1997, but it wasn’t built until July 1999. The second field’s layout is unusual because of the lot being only diagonally adjacent to the original. They added a second concession stand in 2001 for the second screen; it sold Pepsi products while the main concessions sold Coke products. Restrooms for the second screen were added in 2006.
In 2013, the old projection booth was remodeled into a cafe, allowing customers to watch the movie from a “1950s cafe setting.”