Medford Twin Drive-In
100 Revere Beach Parkway,
Medford,
MA
100 Revere Beach Parkway,
Medford,
MA
3 people
favorited this theater
Medford Twin Drive-In had two screens. The total was increased to four when two more screens were added later. It was closed and demolished sometimes in the 1970’s. It was near Wellington Circle by the orange line subway station. It has been replaced by an office building.
Contributed by
Scott
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Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
This drive-in actually closed and was demolished sometime in the early ‘80s. I clearly remember standing on the Wellington MBTA bus platform, waiting with my parents for a bus and watching the Michael Keaton comedy 'Night Shift’ from across the parking lots and highway. A local office for Mellon Bank currently occupies the property.
Across the street from the drive-in use to be a truck stop diner where KISS 108 is now. We use to get greasy corn fritters and watch the movie across the road.
Like many other open air theaters across the country, the Medford Twin Drive-In opened in the 1950’s. Located in the Wellington section of Medford, MA on the site of a former race track, it bordered the Boston & Maine railroad, the Malden River and what is presently Route 16. The drive-in’s twin theaters had separate box office entrances and were named “Wellington†and “Circleâ€. The names came from the heavily traversed intersection located one quarter mile to the west. Former Paramount Pictures executive and workaholic Harry Browning went into semi retirement and managed the site from day one until it closed in his eighty-seventh year. During the 1970’s and into the 1980’s, it was owned by Theaters Inc. Partners Stephen Minasian, Robert M. Barsamian, and the late Phil Scuderi who were the original financiers of the Friday the 13th franchise also owned drive-in’s in Middleton & Tewksbury Massachusetts. They also distributed low budget horror classics like “Last House on the Left†and “Don’t Look in the Basement†under the Hallmark Releasing logo. In the 70’s concessions were operated by Delaware North’s Sportservice and in the 80’s Joe O’Donnell’s Boston Concessions Group sold the snacks and soda’s.
The greasy corn fritters reported by Chris McP came from the “Big S†sub shop across the road which was operated by Andy Leone. The “Big S†parking lot along with the breakdown lanes of Route 16 became popular stopping points when the drive-in speakers were replaced by AM radio transmitters. This gave Andy and Metropolitan Police (MDC) fits and headaches. One of the AM transmitters was crystalized to the same frequency used by WXKS-AM located across the street. This worked because WXKS-AM was a daytime only station. It was only a problem when running triple features during mid June because the later sunsets would delay start times.
As the seventies came to a close, theater multiplexes and increasing real estate values put incredible pressures on the owners to sell the property. While listening to the ever increasing offers to sell, they continued business as usual and hoped to compete with multiplexes and increase revenue with the construction of two smaller screens on each side of the property. But the real estate people eventually won out and the field lights on the tower came on for the last time in December 1982 when Cabot, Cabot & Forbes bought the property.
I worked at the Medford Twin a couple of summers during college(mid to late 70’s)repairing speakers (pre-AM radio days) and working the box office at nights. What a great place to work as a kid. Noreaster0 has all the facts correctly, and quite a few that I didn’t even know. Harry Browning and his sidekick “Cocoa” were fixtures at the theater. Harry would often sit in his cigar smoke filled office above the concession stand monitoring all aspects of the business. Harry was a tough person to work for, but once you earned his respect he was a loyal friend. I often recount stories about Harry with a smile on my face. He truly was an influential person in my life.
In last week’s Somerville News, Jimmy Del Ponte recounts his memories of going to the Medford Twin and Meadow Glen drive-ins.
The car capacity in 1975 was 1,800.
It looks like the opening was scheduled for July 1956 despite objections from the mayor and city council. The triad of owners back then were Winthrop Knox, Lloyd Clark and George Hackett operating under the Medford Amusement Corp banner. The plans for what would be the first twin screen and largest drive-in in New England at the time were originally submitted to the city in 1954. It was to have storefronts to rent with all day access to the kiddieland and concessions from the street side.
Source: Box Office magazine July 7, 1956
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It also looks like the property included what would one day become Corporation Way along the tracks and the access road that today serves the westbound route 16 on and off ramps.
1965 image of RB Pkwy in Everett, showing MTDI across the river
http://www.drive-ins.com/pictures/matmedf001.jpg
Possible candidates for first flick are….
“Moby Dick"
"The King and I"
"Somebody Up There Likes Me"
"High Society"
"It Conquered The World"
"Francis In The Haunted House”
I also recall hearing the story of the summer long showing of “Bridge Over The River Kwai which I’d assume was in 1958, since the film had it’s first USA releases in December 1957.
Updates and corrections. BOXOFFICE archives report opening night as July 21, 1956 with Charles Cutelis of Reading, MA as general manager and Warren Demming in Concessions. Harry Browning was handed the helm for the season two opener on March 13, 1957. Minasian, Scuderi and Barsamiam merged thier operations with A.R. Daytz in late 1963 to form Esquire Theatres of America. The circuit included 20 drive-ins. Still trying to determine when the MTDI joined that group.
Issuu.com/boxoffice is a goldmine of local theatre information