Starlighter Drive-In

1712 N. Riverside Drive,
Espanola, NM 87532

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Dollison Theaters, Trans-Lux Movies Corp.

Previous Names: El Chico Drive-In, Chico Drive-In, Espanola Drive-In

Nearby Theaters

Statlighter Drive-IN..Espanola NM

The El Chico Drive-In opened in April 28, 1950 with Vincent Price in “The Baron of Arizona”. It operated until 1962. On April 6, 1962 it was renamed Starlighter Drive-In and closed on September 9, 1994 with John Candy in “Wagons East” & Harrison Ford in “Clear and Present Danger”.

Contributed by Don Lewis / Billy Smith / Billy Holcomb

Recent comments (view all 14 comments)

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on February 10, 2019 at 7:49 pm

I would say that April 1959 mention was probably a season opener, and this is the same drive-in as the Chico, based on the following.

Motion Picture Almanac drive-in list mentions for Espanola:

  • 1950 (first list)-1954: Chico, (no capacity), Owner Fidel Theatres, Inc.
  • 1955-56: Chico, Capacity 380, Owner Fidel Theatres, Inc.
  • 1957: no listing (!)
  • 1958-62: Chico, Capacity 380, Owner Lewis H. Miles
  • 1963-66: Starlighter, Capacity 380, Owner Lewis H. Miles
  • 1969-76: Starlighter, 380, (no owner info)
  • 1977-84: Starlighter, 300, L. Dollison
  • 1985-1988 (final list): Starlighter, Val Leyba
MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on June 13, 2019 at 2:02 pm

Based on its Grand Opening ad, the Chico opened April 28, 1950 with Vincent Price starring in The Baron of Arizona.

davidcoppock
davidcoppock on June 14, 2019 at 7:27 am

Is snow unusual in New Mexico?

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on June 14, 2019 at 9:57 am

Sixty seconds with Google brought me to this page with a thorough rundown of average snowfall amounts for towns in New Mexico. Nearby Santa Fe averages almost two feet and even Carlsbad averages a couple of inches.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on December 6, 2019 at 5:30 pm

Boxoffice, April 29, 1950: “Fidel Theatres has opened its new 475-car $75,000 drive-in at Espanola, N. M. Brenkert projectors and RCA sound and in-car speakers were purchased from Western Service & Supply.”

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on January 16, 2020 at 2:09 pm

How many times did Fidel sell this drive-in?

Boxoffice, Aug. 21, 1954: “Mr. and Mrs. L. H. Mills have bought the El Capitan and the El Rio, along with the Chico Drive-In, Espanola, N. M., from the Fidel Theatres, Inc.”

Boxoffice, April 6, 1957: “Lester Dollison has bought the Chico Drive-In and the El Rio in Espanola, N. M., from the El Fidel Theatres”

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on September 22, 2021 at 12:15 pm

Santa Fe New Mexican, April 22, 1962: “‘Starlighter’ is the new name for the Espanola Drive-In Theater, formerly known as the Chico, however, it is still operated by the Dollison Theatre chain which has headquarters in Santa Fe.”

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on May 7, 2022 at 12:04 am

The Santa Fe New Mexican wrote that the Trans-Lux theater folks bought the Starlighter in 1989, but it wasn’t as successful as Santa Fe’s Yucca, which Trans-Lux also owned at the time. Nevertheless, the Starlighter stayed open until at least Sept. 9, 1994, when it showed “Wagons East” with “Clear and Present Danger”.

Trans-Lux sold the Starlighter to a housing developer in early 1995, and the screen was taken down in April that year.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on August 26, 2022 at 3:35 pm

The best address for the former Chico / Starlighter on Google Maps today is 1712 N Riverside Dr, where a tire store sits on the former drive-in’s entrance road.

dansdriveintheater
dansdriveintheater on September 11, 2023 at 12:09 am

The side of the ramps still remain please update

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