Cranston Drive-In
1400 Oaklawn Avenue,
Cranston,
RI
02920
1400 Oaklawn Avenue,
Cranston,
RI
02920
1 person
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The Cranston Auto Drive-In opened in 1948. It was still operating under this name in 1955.
Contributed by
TOM CONTI
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Recent comments (view all 17 comments)
On October 12 & 13 of 1951 the Cranston Auto Theatre was showing an unexpected program for a drive-in, De Sica’s The Bicycle Thief . The Italian movie had had a number of successful little runs at an art house in the area, the Avon, and the Uptown in Providence. But a drive-in? And subtitled? I don’t believe the distributor was circulating dubbed prints then or later. The program was even advertised in the Italian-American weekly “The Italian Echo.” The accompanying film on the double bill was a B-western (!) called California Passage. Certainly unusual.
And on October 11 & 12 of 1950, they had shown Rossellini’s Open City. Those two programs, exactly one year apart, coincided with Columbus Day and were meant to be cultural presentations for the R.I. Italian-American community. Perhaps the drive-in should have been renamed “Neorealist Auto Theatre.”
Lostmemory, this drive-in was also called the Cranston Drive-In late in its career but Cranston Auto Theatre earlier on. I have a newspaper ad in front of me from August, 1978, when it was showing Corvette Summer & Coma. The ad says Cranston Drive-In, Rte. 5, Cranston. It was to close about 15 months later.
i remember this place-nothing but great memories- i remember hearing over the loud speakers “concession stand closes in 10 minutes”
3-D Movie at Drive-In Provides Police with 4-D Traffic Tieup
That was the headline of a Providence Journal newspaper article on July 13, 1953 reporting that the showing of a 3-D movie at this drive-in the night before combined with volumes of traffic returning from the R.I. beaches had caused a monumental traffic snarl in the area. The movie was Fort Ti which played with the 3-D short Spooks, featuring the 3 Stooges.
I spent many a summre’s evening as a boy with my family at this long-ago delight. Every year when they closed, they would post on their sign; “Had to close before we froze. See you when the crocus grows."
:–)
Bill Gannon
I believe this drive in installed 70mm in the early sixties. National Theatre Supply ran an ad in the tradepapers for their Ventarc blown arc lamp with a picture of the booth. They also had Norelco DP70’s. The screen size was given as 114 ft.
I just rechecked the ad and screen size was given as 50'x122' and a projected pcture of 47'x118' at a 240' throw. Light readings were 6 fl. for 35mm and 8 fl. for 70mm.
The Cranston Drive-In was equipped with 3-D projection capability in 1953, with the first offering being “Man in the Dark” per an item in Boxoffice mahgazine, July 4, 1953.
Cranston Drive-In sues gas station for removal of annoying blinker sign,
item in Boxoffice magazine, August 5, 1950:
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