Plainville Drive-In

308 New Britain Avenue,
Plainville, CT 06062

Unfavorite 3 people favorited this theater

Showing 12 comments

rivest266
rivest266 on February 21, 2017 at 4:38 pm

This opened on April 21th, 1954 with the “World’s largest curved screen!”. Its grand opening ad can be found in the photo section.

cablepuller
cablepuller on January 29, 2012 at 8:56 am

I remember using the company pick-up truck, International Harvester, with a couple of my friends. We decided to see how fast we could drive over the ramps, maybe even get air borne. I bent the frame of the truck and the Perakos boys were not happy with me that day.

cablepuller
cablepuller on January 29, 2012 at 5:04 am

What a terrific photo! Thanks hispeed54!

Drive-In 54
Drive-In 54 on January 28, 2012 at 5:37 pm

Added Goggle Earth view 1991

cablepuller
cablepuller on January 28, 2012 at 2:28 pm

That would have been Tinty’s race track next door. I worked for the Perakos family at the Palace in New Britain, the Elm, and both the Plainville and Southington Drive-Ins. So sad to see it all gone. Old man Perakos promised me a job as I was leaving for the Viet Nam war in 1964. I just never went home again.

sepiatone
sepiatone on February 8, 2011 at 3:45 pm

Cinema Tour lists the Plainville’s construction year as 1954. Can anyone confirm?

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on November 8, 2010 at 3:30 pm

March 24,1970 and “CACTUS FLOWER” is playing along with “SOUTHERN STAR” In-CAR HEATERS!

monkeeman1966
monkeeman1966 on May 2, 2010 at 11:19 pm

They had two screens.

View link

Steve

monkeeman1966
monkeeman1966 on May 2, 2010 at 11:17 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ao0mYE565Y

Steve

Roger Katz
Roger Katz on July 28, 2005 at 3:11 pm

The former KMart store is where the drive-in stood. The Loews cinema is where an auto racetrack was.

SteveC
SteveC on July 28, 2005 at 3:03 pm

This great drive-in closed after the 1987 season for a development project that flopped. It was finally torn down around 1997 for a strip mall. The Loews multiplex actually was built on land adjacent to where the drive-in stood. This drive-in held 1100 cars and was one of the most popular in Central CT.

joemasher
joemasher on July 11, 2005 at 4:37 am

The Loews Plainville 20 now sits on the Drive-In property. The Drive-In was owned and operated by the Perakos family, who also owned the Southington Drive-In and the Elm Theatre in Elmwood, among others.