Highway 39 Drive-In

When I was 4 years old in 1959, I fondly remember seeing the back of the Drive-in screen. I never did watch a movie there, but I would pass by the Westminster on the freeway many times.

This was the first Drive-in I ever went to! In 1994, I was 11 years old and my family went to see "The Lion King" here. I wish I had gone back before it closed. I despise the Wal-Mart that now sits on the site. As if the world needs another Wal-Mart.

TIMELINE FOR ALL ORANGE COUNTY DRIVE-INS FROM JUNE 18, 1941 TO MARCH 31 1997. (BASED ON NEWSPAPER LISTINGS)


1) Orange- Jun.18, 1941 to Sept 11, 1994

2) Cina-Car, Lincoln, Buena Park- May 16, 1949 to Jul. 5, 1993

3) Paulo- Jul. 1, 1949 to Feb. 2, 1976

4) Highway 39- Jun. 29, 1955 to Mar. 31, 1997

5) Anaheim- Aug. 3, 1955 to Mar. 25, 1990

6) Harbor Blvd- June 29, 1960 to Dec 24, 1986

7) Warner- June 29, 1961 to Oct. 7, 1984

8) La Habra- July 3, 1962 to Sept. 10, 1989

9) Mission- Nov. 1966 to Sept. 9, 1985

10) Fountain Valley- July 12, 1967 to Oct. 7, 1984

11) Stadium- May 27, 1970 to Sept. 12, 1996

The Highway 39 Drive-In had a beautiful mural of sail boats on the back one of the screens facing Beach Blvd. Too bad it is gone. The property now contains a Lowes, WalMart and Burger King.

Its address was 7901 Trask Avenue.

We used to travel over from Costa Mesa often to this drive-in since it was so large there would always be a place to park. Always at least a double feature and the snack bar was one of the best in the county. I seemed to be here with Laurie Mynatt at times and then after I was old and married with the wife and kids. It was a good place to go and one of the last to still have speakers rather than your car radio.

The Highway 39 was the only Drive-In Theatre I ever went to (for things other than swap meets). My parents took us to see many Disney features there, such as Fantasia, Lady & The Tramp, Pinocchio, Shaggy Dog, Tomasina, 101 Dalmations and Mary Poppins, as well as thrillers like Thunderball, Goldfinger, Dr Strangelove and The French Connection.

The clear, warm, starry skies made many movies all the more memorable. During the fifties, the nearby dairy fields would lend their own unique sensory touches to the Summer nights. On some Autumn evenings, the fog would roll in near the end of the show, making getting out the exits and home a lengthy process.

Nights when we came back from a visit in Los Angeles, the familiar glow of its huge movie screen visible from the 22 Freeway, stood a timeless constant to welcome us back to Orange County. In later years I rediscovered the charm of the Highway 39 Drive-In, when my first girlfriend took us there, beginning a new chain of fond memories, sometimes behind steamy windows.

Here is a link with some pictures:
http://mysite.verizon.net/res8ibgr/socaldriveins/hiway39.htm

I was there on closing night. My wife and I were the third car back in line watching the cashiers getting ready to open when a manager walked up to them said something and they all started to close up. People started to get out of their cars and they just said "sorry we are closed". I remember a news van pulling up but I don't remember what channel. Maybe O. C. news. What a waste, if they would have anounced the closing earlier they could have had a packed house probably for weeks. Does anyone have info or photos on Fountain Valley drive-in? who is ronp?

Oh such a disappointment that must have been. I agree that does not it sound like very good planning on the part of the proprietor. While it must have been apparent to most residents that the days were numbered, to close prior to the scheduled date or without a well-publicized announcement seems premature and a wasted opportunity. If I had known, I would have made arrangements to see it one last time. I would hope that there might have been better shows on the marquis than Beavis Butthead and Howard Stern.

Here is a newspaper article dated 9/28/54:

Westminster Gets Drive-In Theater OK

Construction of a drive-in theater at Huntington Beach Blvd. and Trask Ave. in Westminster has been approved by the Orange County Board of Supervisors. The supervisors, in making the approval, reversed a denial for the theater submitted earlier by the county planning commission. The drive-in theater will cost $450,000 and will be built by the Pacific Drive-In Theater chain. It will be known as the Huntington Drive-In Theater and will have the Cinemascope screen. Added feature of the theater is that it will have a super-sized television screen for the presentation of outstanding national events.

A 1997 photo of the Highway 39 Drive-In can be seen here.

How many drive-ins did Pacific sell in the mid 1990s? I remember the one in Culver City on Sepulveda disappearing around the same time.

Capacity in 1963 was 1900 cars. Pacific Theaters was the operator at that time.

Don't bet the farm on the car capacity given in the motion picture almanac. You might end up farm less.

Then I would have to call Willie Nelson.

Here is a December 1959 ad from the Press-Telegram:
http://tinyurl.com/26dggp

Here is a grand opening ad from July 1955:
http://tinyurl.com/2edgwh

I went to Santiago High School in Garden Grove and lived off Trask way before being a projectionist. How horribly sad this is.

If you enter the theater address on this site, you will see a 1972 aerial view. The 1953 view shows only farmland, while the more recent photos show the retail development.
http://www.historicaerials.com/Default.aspx?poi=3183

Here is a 1985 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/cxscpm