Midway Drive-In

Just had a flash memory. Our old projectionist pointed out a steel I-beam to me one night on the west end of the booth. There were shards of glass stuck in it. That’s ¼ inch plate at six feet away. Back before Lexan shields in the lamp houses, the xenon bulb was open, unprotected inside the housing. One little impurity, such as a finger print, and the bulb was history. He had one actually melt, and BLOW UP one night, blowing off the door to the housing, and sticking the glass shrapnel in the beam. As far as I know, it just might still be there. Just an old memory from an old Ozoner. Thanks again for remembering the old place. John.

MikeRogers……‘Cause we lived it, not dreamed it’ How right you are. Unfortunatly, I have learned that there some of us who actually get theatre exhibition in “the blood”, but others, the majority of course, who had nothing more than a job that really means nothing to them. It seems their lives go in different directions and never really share the same feelings others do. People who I thought shared my “theatre feelings” usually change the subject whenever I bring up the good old theatre days. Very sad.

Good luck trying to get old theatre employees to talk.this from a guy who just had nice theatre reunion back in the fall of 2009.Told old stories for hours.Then mentioned Cinema Treasures and how we could all talk about each of the theatres and here it is 2010 and not a single one has gotten on.It drives you crazy.Someone will take the time to meet at a nice steak house for a couple of hours of theatre talk and then not get on CT.I enjoy reading old theatre employees posts more than any other post on CT.Cause We lived it,not dreamed it.

Nice to see some interest in the old drive in. I am wondering if there are any ex-employees on here that might relate stories. I worked at the Midway from 1981 to the cloing night in 1986, shutting off the marquee on the way home. That was a sad night. Anyone out there work at the Midway back in the day?

Right. But when I found the picture it was posted with no identifying information. Someone must have lifted it from that blog and posted it online. If it said Ohio I probably would not have put it on the Eureka page.

It wasn’t that source, as far as I recall. My source didn’t give a location, just the photo.

Hey Ken, nope, doesn’t look like the Eureka Midway. Here: View link is a picture of it in 1955. I’ll get a more modern shot of it in the next couple of days.

On 4/23/56, the Midway was showing Alfred Hitchcock’s “To Catch a Thief”, with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, along with co-feature “Finger Man”, a gangster movie. The phone number was HI 2-3370. Other local theaters at that time were the Rialto, State, Fortuna, Arcata and Eureka.