Thanks to a visit to the Miami Public Library’s microfilm collection of the Miami Daily News-Record, I now know that the original Sooner opened on July 2, 1953.
I’m not sure which was the first movie it showed, because its ad that day promised the 1951 flick “Two Tickets to Broadway” … “starring Virginia Mayo, Gloria DeHaven, Dennis Morgan, Gene Nelson”. Except that none of those performers were in that movie; they were all in the 1951 film “Painting the Clouds with Sunshine”.
According to an Abilene KS Tourism site, Tom Knight bought a C. W. Parker carousel in 1959 and installed it at the drive-in. A 1975 AP wire story about Abilene’s fund-raising drive to buy it said that it had been used at the drive-in “until about three years ago”, so I guess Commonwealth put the carousel in storage soon after it bought the drive-in.
Joplin (MO) News Herald, Aug. 1, 1968: “Extensive damage was done to the concession stand and projection equipment at the Parsons drive-in theater by fire about 8 o'clock Wednesday night. The blaze apparently started in the vicinity of the popcorn machine. The Parsons fire department went to the scene and was there nearly an hour and a half. The theater was closed after the fire due to damage to the equipment. There were no injuries.”
Joplin News Herald, Aug. 31, 1964: “A brief thunderstorm, accompanied by heavy winds, whipped through Arnold (MO) Sunday afternoon, injuring five persons and damaging property … Most of a 1,000-foot-long fence was blown down at the 61 South Drive-In Theater north of Herculaneum and the Marquee was damaged.”
Here’s a fun AP wire story, dateline Ontario, Calif., so it probably refers to the Valley. (It ran in the Dec. 17, 1963 Joplin (MO) News Herald.)
“A drive-in theater is short two essential items today - cash and popcorn. Detectives said burglars covered floors and concrete walks with popcorn kernels to make things easier when they wheeled out a 350-poiunts safe containing $6,000 from the theater office. The kernels acted like ball bearings.”
The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog included Centerville’s Town and Country Drive-In, capacity 400 cars, owners “Wayne McCalment and Bob Martin, and A. A. Renfro, Omaha, Neb.”
A UPI wire service story, carried on the following day’s front page of the Joplin (MO) News Herald, said that a severe windstorm on Aug. 8, 1956, leveled Centerville’s drive-in theater about midnight.
No, davidcoppock, that’s not accurate. The undated season-opening ad that’s in this drive-in’s photo section here couldn’t have before 1955, because that’s when that movie, The Americano, was released.
The 1951 grand (or season-) opening ad I referenced above unfortunately included no details about the movies that night.
Looks like this was always the Edgewood. An ad/column in the July 2, 1950 issue of the Neosho Daily Democrat by Hugh Gardner mentioned that his 30th anniversary of his presence in town while “we are in the midst of contract letting for the new EDGEWOOD DRIVE-IN, that we hope to be able to open sometime in September for at least a few weeks operation before cold weather.”
Although the indoor Band Box and Orpheum theaters advertised regularly in the Daily Democrat, the Edgewood didn’t do so very often. One ad, on May 18, 1951, was for the Edgewood’s “grand opening”, though it’s possible that it was just a seasonal opening.
According to the March 26, 1952 issue of Variety, that’s about when Sol Frank bought the Starview, probably fro Alspach and Anderson of McPherson, who sold him the Hillcrest Drive-In of Beatrice NE.
According to the March 26, 1952 issue of Variety, that’s about when Sol Frank sold the Chief as part of a deal to buy the Hillcrest Drive-In in Beatrice NE.
The Exhibitor, Aug. 9, 1950: “Cannon Theatres, Live Oak, Fla., opened the Nova Drive-In, with room for 200 cars. This makes six theatres and drive-ins for this company.”
Boxoffice, May 6, 1963: “A new building containing projection booth, cafeteria, restrooms and concessionaire’s offices was constructed at the Quincy Drive-In, West Quincy, prior to the spring opening of the Kerasotes airer. The building, with completely new equipment in every area, replaces one destroyed by fire last December.”
Boxoffice, April 29, 1963: “Joe Serugo of Key West, former owner of the Islander Drive-In, the southernmost airer in the continental U.S., died April 11 … The Islander is managed by Ed Chumley, former Paramount manager of this city.”
Boxoffice, April 29, 1963: “Effective Saturday (27), the Fair Oaks Drive-In, Marietta, will open after being remodeled and will have the new name of Smyrna Drive-In.”
Boxoffice, May 30, 1960: “Cletus Barton was enlarging and completely renovating the Starvue Drive-In at Cleveland, Tenn., bringing the capacity to 803 cars”
Boxoffice, April 29, 1963: “Tuesday (16) fire broke out at the Starvue Drive-In due to a short circuit. High winds prevailed and before the fire department could reach the theatre, the entire screen tower was destroyed. Construction was started Wednesday morning (17) by the owner, Clitus H. Benton. The Starvue expects to resume normal operation in two or three weeks.”
Boxoffice, May 2, 1960: “Wright Sanders has shuttered his Suburban Drive-In, Quincy”
Boxoffice, April 15, 1963: “The Suburban Open Air Drive-In, Bradenton, long operated by veteran showman K. T. Barfield, was acquired by Alan Iselin (April 5) as the newest unit in his growing circuit of Florida outdoorers.”
Boxoffice, April 15, 1963: “Gulf States Theatres has taken over the Algiers Drive-In from Wright, Lais & Co., and is renovating it. Mrs. Sammy Wright and R L Johnson had been managing the Algiers. Johnson has joined Ballantyne Co. in Omaha, Neb.”
Boxoffice, April 8, 1963: “John Gardner has notified all film companies that he will bid for first-run films - he also is increasing the capacity of his drive-in, to make it one of the largest in the south. It’s the Arrow Drive-In, state road 7, which now has been made part of Hollywood - it used to be West Hollywood.”
I think I found the Normandy’s closing date. According to a Boxoffice article two weeks later about the indoor theaters that would replace the drive-in, “its long-postponed closing (was) the night of March 24,” 1963.
Boxoffice, March 25, 1963: “Alan V. Iselin of Iselin Theatres has purchased the Gainesville (Fla.) Drive-In, and will spend $75,000 in renovating the ten-year-old 560-car situation. He acquired the Trail Drive-In at Sarasota, Fla., a year ago.”
Boxoffice, March 25, 1963: “LANETT, ALA. - A. L. Royal, owner of a circuit with headquarters in Medidian, Miss., has purchased the local Lanett Theatre and the Hi-Way Drive-In, Shawmut, Ala., from a Lanett company headed by L. J. Duncan. Royal took over the properties as of March 1 … The property on which the Hi-Way Drive-In is located is under lease from the Word family, Duncan said. The lease has around 20 years to run.”
Boxoffice, March 18, 1963: “MACON, GA. - This area will be enjoying a new drive-in theatre by early summer, according to James Herndon, city manager for Georgia Theatres. The 850-car theatre is under construction at Arkwright road and Riverside drive.”
This drive-in spent most of its life as the Rivoli Drive-In. The first reference that I could find in The Exhibitor was 1952. In February 1963, Gulf States Theatres sold it to W. A. Porter. Five years later in February 1968, Gulf States reacquired the Rivoli and announced that it would be renovated and renamed Showtown U.S.A.
Thanks to a visit to the Miami Public Library’s microfilm collection of the Miami Daily News-Record, I now know that the original Sooner opened on July 2, 1953.
I’m not sure which was the first movie it showed, because its ad that day promised the 1951 flick “Two Tickets to Broadway” … “starring Virginia Mayo, Gloria DeHaven, Dennis Morgan, Gene Nelson”. Except that none of those performers were in that movie; they were all in the 1951 film “Painting the Clouds with Sunshine”.
According to an Abilene KS Tourism site, Tom Knight bought a C. W. Parker carousel in 1959 and installed it at the drive-in. A 1975 AP wire story about Abilene’s fund-raising drive to buy it said that it had been used at the drive-in “until about three years ago”, so I guess Commonwealth put the carousel in storage soon after it bought the drive-in.
Joplin (MO) News Herald, Aug. 1, 1968: “Extensive damage was done to the concession stand and projection equipment at the Parsons drive-in theater by fire about 8 o'clock Wednesday night. The blaze apparently started in the vicinity of the popcorn machine. The Parsons fire department went to the scene and was there nearly an hour and a half. The theater was closed after the fire due to damage to the equipment. There were no injuries.”
Joplin News Herald, Aug. 31, 1964: “A brief thunderstorm, accompanied by heavy winds, whipped through Arnold (MO) Sunday afternoon, injuring five persons and damaging property … Most of a 1,000-foot-long fence was blown down at the 61 South Drive-In Theater north of Herculaneum and the Marquee was damaged.”
Here’s a fun AP wire story, dateline Ontario, Calif., so it probably refers to the Valley. (It ran in the Dec. 17, 1963 Joplin (MO) News Herald.)
“A drive-in theater is short two essential items today - cash and popcorn. Detectives said burglars covered floors and concrete walks with popcorn kernels to make things easier when they wheeled out a 350-poiunts safe containing $6,000 from the theater office. The kernels acted like ball bearings.”
The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog included Centerville’s Town and Country Drive-In, capacity 400 cars, owners “Wayne McCalment and Bob Martin, and A. A. Renfro, Omaha, Neb.”
A UPI wire service story, carried on the following day’s front page of the Joplin (MO) News Herald, said that a severe windstorm on Aug. 8, 1956, leveled Centerville’s drive-in theater about midnight.
High-resolution versions of this photo are available from the Library of Congress’s John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive, which is effectively in the public domain.
No, davidcoppock, that’s not accurate. The undated season-opening ad that’s in this drive-in’s photo section here couldn’t have before 1955, because that’s when that movie, The Americano, was released.
The 1951 grand (or season-) opening ad I referenced above unfortunately included no details about the movies that night.
Looks like this was always the Edgewood. An ad/column in the July 2, 1950 issue of the Neosho Daily Democrat by Hugh Gardner mentioned that his 30th anniversary of his presence in town while “we are in the midst of contract letting for the new EDGEWOOD DRIVE-IN, that we hope to be able to open sometime in September for at least a few weeks operation before cold weather.”
Although the indoor Band Box and Orpheum theaters advertised regularly in the Daily Democrat, the Edgewood didn’t do so very often. One ad, on May 18, 1951, was for the Edgewood’s “grand opening”, though it’s possible that it was just a seasonal opening.
According to the March 26, 1952 issue of Variety, that’s about when Sol Frank bought the Starview, probably fro Alspach and Anderson of McPherson, who sold him the Hillcrest Drive-In of Beatrice NE.
According to the March 26, 1952 issue of Variety, that’s about when Sol Frank sold the Chief as part of a deal to buy the Hillcrest Drive-In in Beatrice NE.
The Exhibitor, Aug. 9, 1950: “Cannon Theatres, Live Oak, Fla., opened the Nova Drive-In, with room for 200 cars. This makes six theatres and drive-ins for this company.”
Boxoffice, May 6, 1963: “A new building containing projection booth, cafeteria, restrooms and concessionaire’s offices was constructed at the Quincy Drive-In, West Quincy, prior to the spring opening of the Kerasotes airer. The building, with completely new equipment in every area, replaces one destroyed by fire last December.”
Boxoffice, April 29, 1963: “Bob Baum has taken over management of the local Negro-patronage Skyview Drive-In.”
Boxoffice, April 29, 1963: “Joe Serugo of Key West, former owner of the Islander Drive-In, the southernmost airer in the continental U.S., died April 11 … The Islander is managed by Ed Chumley, former Paramount manager of this city.”
Boxoffice, April 29, 1963: “Effective Saturday (27), the Fair Oaks Drive-In, Marietta, will open after being remodeled and will have the new name of Smyrna Drive-In.”
Boxoffice, May 30, 1960: “Cletus Barton was enlarging and completely renovating the Starvue Drive-In at Cleveland, Tenn., bringing the capacity to 803 cars”
Boxoffice, April 29, 1963: “Tuesday (16) fire broke out at the Starvue Drive-In due to a short circuit. High winds prevailed and before the fire department could reach the theatre, the entire screen tower was destroyed. Construction was started Wednesday morning (17) by the owner, Clitus H. Benton. The Starvue expects to resume normal operation in two or three weeks.”
Boxoffice, May 2, 1960: “Wright Sanders has shuttered his Suburban Drive-In, Quincy”
Boxoffice, April 15, 1963: “The Suburban Open Air Drive-In, Bradenton, long operated by veteran showman K. T. Barfield, was acquired by Alan Iselin (April 5) as the newest unit in his growing circuit of Florida outdoorers.”
Boxoffice, April 15, 1963: “Gulf States Theatres has taken over the Algiers Drive-In from Wright, Lais & Co., and is renovating it. Mrs. Sammy Wright and R L Johnson had been managing the Algiers. Johnson has joined Ballantyne Co. in Omaha, Neb.”
Boxoffice, April 8, 1963: “John Gardner has notified all film companies that he will bid for first-run films - he also is increasing the capacity of his drive-in, to make it one of the largest in the south. It’s the Arrow Drive-In, state road 7, which now has been made part of Hollywood - it used to be West Hollywood.”
I think I found the Normandy’s closing date. According to a Boxoffice article two weeks later about the indoor theaters that would replace the drive-in, “its long-postponed closing (was) the night of March 24,” 1963.
Boxoffice, March 25, 1963: “Alan V. Iselin of Iselin Theatres has purchased the Gainesville (Fla.) Drive-In, and will spend $75,000 in renovating the ten-year-old 560-car situation. He acquired the Trail Drive-In at Sarasota, Fla., a year ago.”
Boxoffice, March 25, 1963: “LANETT, ALA. - A. L. Royal, owner of a circuit with headquarters in Medidian, Miss., has purchased the local Lanett Theatre and the Hi-Way Drive-In, Shawmut, Ala., from a Lanett company headed by L. J. Duncan. Royal took over the properties as of March 1 … The property on which the Hi-Way Drive-In is located is under lease from the Word family, Duncan said. The lease has around 20 years to run.”
Boxoffice, March 18, 1963: “MACON, GA. - This area will be enjoying a new drive-in theatre by early summer, according to James Herndon, city manager for Georgia Theatres. The 850-car theatre is under construction at Arkwright road and Riverside drive.”
This drive-in spent most of its life as the Rivoli Drive-In. The first reference that I could find in The Exhibitor was 1952. In February 1963, Gulf States Theatres sold it to W. A. Porter. Five years later in February 1968, Gulf States reacquired the Rivoli and announced that it would be renovated and renamed Showtown U.S.A.