San Val Drive-In
2720 Winona Avenue,
Burbank,
CA
91504
2720 Winona Avenue,
Burbank,
CA
91504
11 people
favorited this theater
The San Val Drive-In was the second drive-in theater to open in California, after the Drive-In Theatre on Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles. It opened on June 19, 1938 and was operated by Seth D. Perkins. It originally had a capacity for 590 cars. The San Val Drive-In was forever immortalized in the James Cagney classic “White Heat”.
Operated by the Pacific Theatres chain, the San Val Drive-In closed in the mid-1970’s and the site is now the home of several production and effect houses.
Contributed by
R. L. Strong, William Gabel
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Recent comments (view all 16 comments)
I believe that this is also the San Val:
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics22/00030953.jpg
My memory of the San-Val goes back to the first-run of “Shane,” some time around 1951. I was in the back seat, watching between my Mom & Dad, wearing my pj’s. We lived in Pacoima at the time, and would take a long drive east on San Fernando Road to get to the drive-in. I saw many movies there, and my little brother and I played on the swings and the little merry-go-round spinner many happy times. Going from the car into the low snack-bar was always exciting. It’s too bad; there’s only one operating drive-in left in all of L.A. County now, and it’s a multi-screen.
Here is a September 1960 ad from the Valley News:
http://tinyurl.com/27wkr6
I remember riding with my P.J.’s and pillow in the package tray of our ‘36 Ford with Mom and Dad …
Dad worked at lockheed and we couldn’t wait until he came home on Friday’s or Saturday’s for “Movie Night”.
The only problem was during 1943 – 1945 when the air-raid sirens would go off, the screen went dark and everybody was told to stay in their cars … kinda scary … and it usually happened during the Cartoon … DARN!
Jim Rowe
“Blood Feast” was playing at the San Val in April 1964:
http://tinyurl.com/2sh59a
The San Val is featured in “White Heat” (1949). Listed on the marquee outside are “South of St. Louis” and “Siren of Atlantis”. On the screen, however, is an action scene from “Task Force”.
The car-hop’s uniforms are great.
Hi Lost Memory. Did you post the release date of “Blood Feast” as a point of information? Or to dispute ken mc’s post that it was playing at the San Val in April 1964?
It was often the case that drive-ins didn’t show first-run movies. In ken’s ad, the movies Hud, Lilies of The Field and Cleopatra are all advertised as Oscar winners. They were all released in 1963, and the ceremony for those awards was held and televised on Monday, April 13, 1964. [Tom Jones won Best Picture.] Therefore, ken’s post is correct.
Cheers!
More from the LAPL:
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics43/00071164.jpg
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics43/00071163.jpg
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics43/00071162.jpg
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics43/00071161.jpg
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics28/00033959.jpg
Here is a September 1961 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/ykrjr3l
From the Burbankia page:
http://wesclark.com/burbank/san_val.jpg
http://wesclark.com/burbank/san_val_1.jpg
http://wesclark.com/burbank/san_val_2.jpg
http://wesclark.com/burbank/san_val_3.jpg
http://wesclark.com/burbank/san_val_4.jpg
http://wesclark.com/burbank/san_val_5.jpg
http://wesclark.com/burbank/san_val_6.jpg
http://wesclark.com/burbank/san_val_7.jpg
http://wesclark.com/burbank/san_val_8.jpg