Olympic Drive-In
12101 West Olympic Boulevard,
West Los Angeles,
CA
90064
12101 West Olympic Boulevard,
West Los Angeles,
CA
90064
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A few other movies with “drive-in” scenes (not the Olympic) are “Lolita” (1961) and “Lonelyhearts” (1958) with Montgomery Clift.
I just watched “The Facts of Life” (UA, 1960) which shows the Olympic Drive-In Theatre. The b&w movie is available on a 2007 MGM/UA DVD. The segment starts at the 56:59 point and ends at 1:00:10. Bob Hope and Lucille Ball are driving, nervously looking for some place to go, and Hope says, “Hey, there’s an idea. Wanna see a movie?” Ball replies, “Sure” and they enter the Olympic Drive-In Theatre. There are great shots of the Olympic exterior, showing the name in neon and a mural showing a couple on surfboards, sailboats in the water and a beach/coastline. The theater entrance is shown, then a long-shot of the Drive-In lot, showing the screen and the car entering and pulling into a spot. At the end of the scene, the car exits the Olympic, showing the street side of the screen. Is this the Olympic Drive-In shown in the “interior” shots? I assume it is, but you never know with “movie magic”…
This theater should be listed in Los Angeles. West Los Angeles is a district, not an independent city.
Went to this drive in quite a few times in my childhood. I remember it quite fondly.
The best program I ever saw at the Olympic was “Werewolves On Wheels,” “Hell’s Angels On Wheels,” and “Evil Knievel.” I went on a Monday night and hauled in a bunch of food and soft drinks.
A couple of years later, I was delivering stationery supplies during the day and going to school at night. After one particular delivery to a Cadillac dealership, I realized that I was on the site of the Olympic Drive In. I looked around to see if anything remained, but “progress” had eliminated any trace of the theater. This was the beginning of the end. Soon after, the Century in Inglewood would close, then the Centinela in L.A./Inglewood/Westchester and the Studio in Culver City would follow.
Now, I live fairly close to the Mission Tiki Drive In in Pomona. During the summer, the entire place is sold out, and long lines of cars wait to get in. The lines spill out into the street, and the people stay because, like so many of the people on this site, they want to continue a tradition that should have never come so close to dying.
I saw “THE FACTS OF LIFE” bet alot of L.A. drive-ins were used in the movies.
Very cool.
I just saw “The Facts of Life” and was tickled to see this drive-in featured there. Lucille Ball and Bob Hope go there to cheat on their spouses and get in a little necking but they are spotted by their dry-cleaning man. Hilarity ensues when the horn gets stuck and the speaker is still attached to the car as they try to duck out.
I remember as a kid visiting the Olympic with my parents as I was always more interested in the very colorful and bright Milani 1890 French dressing billboard that was outside of the theater to the right side of the screen then the movie at the age I was then.
What year did the Olympic drive in theater move to the new location near olympic and bundy?
LOL I thought that source was exhausted by now.
Here is a 1951 photo from Life magazine:
http://tinyurl.com/dnmlbv
This site has a photo.
The last film to play at the Olympic was “Gordon’s War” with Paul Winfield, according to the LA Times ads of October 1973.
If you enter the address on this site, you can see the theater in the 1952 and 1972 aerials. It was long gone by the time the 1980 photo was taken.
View link
Here is another photo.
Was mentioned in the documentary “Drive-In Movie Memories” in 2001.
Here is a 1954 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/2z8rj7
This drive-in appeared in the film “The Facts of Life”.
From socaldriveins.com:
View link
From the Santa Monica Library website:
http://www.smpl.org/archive/2105/IMG0048.JPG
Thank you, William. (Gotta remember to check that “previous name” box when searching!)
stevebob, the Whittier Drive-In later became the Fiesta Four Drive-In in Pico Rivera. It’s on this site.
Among those listed above with classic murals is the Whittier Drive-In. I saw it often from a passing car as a child and remember the Spanish dancers.
Anyway, it doesn’t have an entry here as yet. It was on Whittier Boulevard (probably still U.S. 101 when the drive-in opened), but it was not in the city of Whittier. I can’t recall the exact location, but I believe it was in Montebello or Pico Rivera.
hoppy, the second Drive-In was located on the site/area of the old Picwood. It was called the Pico Drive-In, which opened in 1934. It later moved to the site of were the Olympic once sat. (Martin Cadillac dearship now)