Atlantic Drive-In
Black Horse Pike,
Egg Harbor,
NJ
08234
Black Horse Pike,
Egg Harbor,
NJ
08234
1 person
favorited this theater
The Atlantic Drive-In was located on the Black Horse Pike in Egg Harbor, N.J., close to Pleasantville. It was opened by Walter Reade Theatres Inc. on June 16, 1950, with Alan Ladd in “Whispering Smith” and Kirk Douglas in “My Dear Secretary”. The marquee and name-sign of the theatre featured a ‘flashing’ lighthouse.
The Atlantic Drive-In operated as a second-run theatre screening double bills, and it had a capacity for 900 cars. There was a play area, which included pony rides, and there was a television room.
The original drive-in was moved far back from the street following the construction of the Shore Mall. Later on, the Towne 4 theaters were built in front of the drive-in. The enclosed theaters and the drive-in co-existed until the mid-1980’s, when the drive-in closed. The screens were demolished in 1985. The Towne 4 is now the Towne 16.
Contributed by
Ken McIntyre
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Recent comments (view all 33 comments)
How COOL! If you click on the 1963 or the 1957 link, you see the old Atantic DI.
The area south, between the screen, & the G.S. Parkway ramp was called Pioneer Town, I believe. I went there as a small kid.
My father had the Sinclair gas station on the Cardiff circle in 1957.
Listed in 1956 Motion Picture Almanac as being located in Pleasantville.
Pleasantville would be correct, or Cardiff possibly. My brother lives close to the old site, and his address is in Cardiff.
Legally the site was always in Egg Harbor Township, but the township name wasn’t commonly used for addresses until after the drive-in closed. Cardiff would be the nearest community within the township, but businesses around there that were looking to draw customers from out of town advertised as being in Pleasantville, which was better known and was probably the post office serving the area. In the 1990s the township started trying to build up an identity and asked businesses to say that they were in EHT in their advertising; many did, especially after the township got its own ZIP code. The address at the top of the page really should say Egg Harbor Township instead of just Egg Harbor; some people, especially older ones, interpret just Egg Harbor to mean Egg Harbor City, which is a completely different place.
Around 1970, I lived on Pineview Ave., in Cardiff. I walked to the Atlantic Drive-In to go to work. Our mailing address was Pleasantville, NI, 08232. Egg Harbor City is at the intersection of NJ RT. 50, & US RT. 30 (White Horse Pike.) EHT got it’s own zipcode in the late 80,s or 90’s.
Assume the man in the picture was the Manager? Been around alot of Drive-ins Never saw a manager there yet in a Suit.Learn something everyday.
The man is me. I worked as a rural letter carrier, in Mays Landing for my day job, & put a suit on & managed the Atantic & Absecon drive-ins (also the Ventnor & Margate) & I loved the Atlantic so much, that I wore a suit to work. it was my idea, & the Franks loved it! Sometimes I had to run the projectors (20 minute reels, & carbon arc lamps.
..I also have Asperger’s Syndrome, so I’m pretty weird!
Hey Crazy Bob, in 1968 on Saturday nights, ours was always the last car there because we never watched the movie, our car windows were steamed up and then we fell asleep and got locked in. That cute guy and I got married and have been together for 44 years.
Oh, and Crazy Bob, please go to this link for many pictures and more info on the Drive-In. Your picture is actually on there, as well as others. If you haven’t seen it, you’ll get a big kick out of it. http://www.drive-ins.com/gallery/njtatla
In the later years it was operated by the dreaded Frank Theaters.