Century Drive-In

It was a novel idea, and this drive-in's Cinerama screen was 180 feet wide, but you still had to view it through your windshield and with the DI sound could only have hinted at the marvel this format was.

This is Cinerama opened here in 1964, the year after the Cinerama Dome opened and 3-strip Cinerama had already given way to a single lens format (Ultra Panavision 70) in hardtops. Pacific Theaters owned the Cinerama process by this time. This would have made the Century the last 3 strip venue in L.A. It's capacity was 918 cars. It was demolished in 1984 to make way for a Costco & Home Depot.

Ahh - the Century Drive-In Theater, on Century Blvd. was the supreme drive-in movie experience for Los Angeles people on the go in the 1950s and '60s. My family often went there many times, in spite of the noise from the airliners passing overhead on their way into LAX.

We went to see the CINERAMA movie there and were really impressed with that super-wide-wide screen!

It was huge! Even though the movie was presented in Stereo sound - at a drive-in no less - the theater owners made up for those tinny speakers you hooked onto your car window by installing some huge stadium speakers in several places in the complex so you really got a "wall of sound" reverberating back and forth around the open space. I loved the Art Deco style snack bar - it was the best snack bar I've ever seen in a drive-in.

On the outside it looked like a diner, with glass windows facing the screen so when people were standing in line they could keep watching the movie! I thought it would last forever, but home video killed the Drive-In Theaters across America as a cinema experience. Like "Cinema Paradiso",

I'll never forget seeing Kirk Douglas in "ULYSSES" here in 1956.

The architect of the Century Drive-In was William Glenn Balch.

The Century Drive-In opened on July 5th, 1949.

Great screen indeed, but we really hated the noise from the flights coming in to LAX and rarely visited this drive-in. By the way, there's also a great shot of the theater in Randy Newman's video for "I Love L.A."

Wasn't that the one that had the huge painting of the Mayflower and sister ships on it? In the middle of a really rough looking sea? That picture used to scare me when I was a kid.

I saw 101 Dalmations there when I was a squirt. I do remember my parents complaining about the noise.

I grew up in the neighborhood of the Century Drive-In on Darby Ave. My friends and I would always go watch movies over the fence (especially the "mature" ones). It's funny, you could watch most movies without sound and still know what was going on. My dad and I went there at least once a month. I remember seeing all the 60's beach movies there but my most memorable time with my dad was a Muhammad Ali/Joe Frazier Closed Circuit fight. My friends watched it over the fence but my Dad and I were watching it in our Pontiac LeMans.

WOW! the Century Drive-in when people talk about the Drive-in's I always remmenber it...as a child at the age of 9 I lived in near by England Ave. and I use to park my bike at the rear of the Drive in wich it's rear was to Mornigsise High front entrance and watch the movies free with no sound and still have fun and some times people would leave the speakers with the sound high and we could hear the movies....I did this many times with my friends from the area in the 1960's man those were the days!!!

The Century DI with its Cinerama screen can be seen in The Brady Bunch Episode #100 titled "Peter and the Wolf" when Peter and Greg take two girls to the drive in.

Here are pictures of this drive-in including it's legendary screen

www.capital.net/com/jaytp/CINEDRIV.HTM

What I would have given to see a movie in cinerama at this great Drive-In. God I wish Drive-Ins would make a comeback.
Dave Grau (Mungo)
Norelco

What I would have given to see a movie in cinerama at this great Drive-In. God I wish Drive-Ins would make a comeback.
Dave Grau (Mungo)
Norelco

I grew up on 108th. st. and Wilton pl. in the 60's. Our parents would take us to Century Drive-in once a month. We saw "Night of the living Dead", along with other great movies. My mom would make us hot dogs and popcorn to bring with us. Me and my brothers would go in our pj's because we would always end up falling asleep! On the days the theater was closed, my dad would take us to ride our go kart and mini bikes in the parking lot! Those were the days when you didn't have to worry about being robbed! Such memories!!

The first time I ever went to a movie theatre in California, it was here. It was 1982 and I was 10 years old. It was a double feature of "The Beastmaster" and "Swamp Thing". I don't remember much of anything else except the fact that I thought it was cool seeing a movie in California!

Here is a picture, courtesy of the LA Library:

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics17/00028237.jpg

From socaldriveins.com:

http://mysite.verizon.net/res8ibgr/socaldriveins/century.htm

People have commented on the various murals used by Pacific for its drive-ins. Here is a picture of the Rosecrans Drive-In in Paramount with an interesting sci-fi mural. The theater is not listed here, unless it's under another name. I copied the photo from socaldriveins.com:

http://mysite.verizon.net/res8ibgr/socaldriveins/rosecran.htm

The Century DI with its Cinerama screen can be seen in The Brady Bunch Episode #100 titled "Peter and the Wolf" when Peter and Greg take two girls to the drive in.
posted by theaterdude on Feb 21, 2005 at 2:59pm

sorry to disapoint you. . . but I rented this episode of the Brady Bunch and it is NOT the Century. . . . . however it is a so cal drive in. . . . the Gilmore.

I worked there as a projectionist at one time and they were one of a handfull of Drive Ins that had Stereophonic speakers for the car.

Matt Spero

IN 1963-64 I WORKED AT THE CENTURY AS A LOT ATTENDANT WHILE ATTENDING EL CAMINO COLLEGE. WE WORE LONG WHITE 'LAB' STYLE COATS, TRIMMED IN RED WITH MATCHING CAPS. BETWEEN FEATURES MOST OF US HELPED OUT IN THE CONCESSION STAND. THE PIZZAS AND FROZEN MALTS WERE OK. I AVOIDED THE CHILI DOGS.

WHILE STILL EMPLOYED THERE THE CORPORATION INSTALLED CINERAMA. A FEATURE NARRATED BY LOWELL THOMAS LAUNCHED THE NEW SENSATION. YEARS LATER AT A DENVER HOSPITAL, LOWELL THOMAS STEPPED INTO AN ELEVATOR AS I STEPPED OUT. SMALL WORLD.

"JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS" PREMIERED AT THE CENTURY. CO-STAR NANCY KOVAK MADE AN APPEARANCE. WOULDN'T YOU KNOW I HAD THE NIGHT OFF!

Here is a June 1953 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/2eas35

Here is a 1954 ad:
http://tinyurl.com/2utwos

Here is a September 1973 ad:
http://tinyurl.com/2xpcwk

Detroit 9000 was released in August of 1973.

The entire stretch of Century between Prairie and Crenshaw has been built out for retail. I remember only about ten years ago most of this land was vacant. Hollywood Park itself will be gone in five years, for a mixed retail/residential project.

My family moved to Inglewood in 1953 and I remember a small Army anti-aircraft installation just south of the Century Drive-in at the corner of 104th street and Yukon ave. There were several gun emplacements and bunkers. Being 7 years old at the time I was impressed by all the hardware. This facility was de-activated soon after and the land remained vacant for some time. I believe Morningside High School had already been built across 104th street. Needless to say the family took advantage of this great drive-in on many occasions.

More information and photos are here.

In September 1954, the LA Times reported on the construction of a new drive-in theater to be called the Hollypark, east of Crenshaw near Imperial Highway. This was to be in conjunction with a 300 million dollar city, also called Hollypark. The drive-in was to be operated by Pacific Theaters. Perhaps because of the proximity of the Century, the Holypark was never built, nor was the city.

Hmmmm, interesting. I grew up in a housing tract in Gardena called Hollypark, which is close to where Century Drive-in was. Hollypark is between Crenshaw and Van Ness, and El Segundo and Rosecrans. My parents bought their house there new in 1955. We lived there until 1965, at which time we moved to Torrance. We used to go to three or four different Drive-ins when we lived in Hollypark - Century, Vermont, Roadium, and sometimes Centinela. We didn't go to Century as often as the others because of the airplane noise. I saw "101 Dalmations" there - I was pretty young, but I remember it pretty well. It started to rain during the opening credits - we thought we were going to have to leave. It died down and we were able to watch the whole movie. I do remember the airplane noise, but I was so thrilled to be there that I didn't care.

Enter the address on this site for some aerial views in the 50s, 70s and 80s:
http://www.historicaerials.com/Default.aspx?poi=3183

Here is an August 1974 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/rd29p4

Here is an undated photo of the Century:
http://tinyurl.com/ltaxxa

Here are some Cinerama ads:
http://tinyurl.com/n42vvw
http://tinyurl.com/mhdotz
http://tinyurl.com/n5vw2u