@Tuffluck7 – was finally able to log back in here and comment. I don’t live in Emerald Hills anymore, I live in L.A., but we still have our family home there; I go down about once a month.
@hannibaltharadio – I had friends that lived on Geneva, guess you don’t know me though; you’d recognize the last name. Like you, I left “small town” San Diego and headed north to the “big city”, L.A. and yes, Emerald Hills is still my hood also!
Tuffluck7, I’m not quite as old as you, but you are so RIGHT! My family moved to San Diego in 1959; to Emerald Hills to be be exact; which is right across the freeway and up the hill from where the drive in was. As a matter of fact, you could stand at the top of Kelton Road, or in the parking lot of “the church on the hill” or Johnson Elementary school, and see the movies that were playing! At that time, that portion of Emerald Hills had not been developed with housing (facing west to northwest); I think this was the reason. No houses went up on that portion of the neighborhood until well after the drive in had closed.
I have MANY found memories of attending movies at the Rancho in our 1965, 9 passenger, Pontiac Safari station wagon (which was purchased from John Hine Pontiac) with my other 5 siblings. My father was a chaplain in the Navy and was overseas alot, so sometimes he would be with us, but most of the time my mother would take us. To this day I still remember once when he was in town and took just the boys to see the 1966 release of Beau Geste starring Telly Savalas; his famous line, “Always expect, the unexpected!”
I don’t recall when it closed but it was vacant and abandoned for about five years before it was finally torn down. First a GMC truck dealership went up at the base off of Federal and then Cox Cable came in, took over and built on the rest of the property. Another lost gem to “progress”.
@Tuffluck7 – was finally able to log back in here and comment. I don’t live in Emerald Hills anymore, I live in L.A., but we still have our family home there; I go down about once a month.
@hannibaltharadio – I had friends that lived on Geneva, guess you don’t know me though; you’d recognize the last name. Like you, I left “small town” San Diego and headed north to the “big city”, L.A. and yes, Emerald Hills is still my hood also!
Tuffluck7, I’m not quite as old as you, but you are so RIGHT! My family moved to San Diego in 1959; to Emerald Hills to be be exact; which is right across the freeway and up the hill from where the drive in was. As a matter of fact, you could stand at the top of Kelton Road, or in the parking lot of “the church on the hill” or Johnson Elementary school, and see the movies that were playing! At that time, that portion of Emerald Hills had not been developed with housing (facing west to northwest); I think this was the reason. No houses went up on that portion of the neighborhood until well after the drive in had closed.
I have MANY found memories of attending movies at the Rancho in our 1965, 9 passenger, Pontiac Safari station wagon (which was purchased from John Hine Pontiac) with my other 5 siblings. My father was a chaplain in the Navy and was overseas alot, so sometimes he would be with us, but most of the time my mother would take us. To this day I still remember once when he was in town and took just the boys to see the 1966 release of Beau Geste starring Telly Savalas; his famous line, “Always expect, the unexpected!”
I don’t recall when it closed but it was vacant and abandoned for about five years before it was finally torn down. First a GMC truck dealership went up at the base off of Federal and then Cox Cable came in, took over and built on the rest of the property. Another lost gem to “progress”.