Kelly Drive-In

1325 Frio City Road,
San Antonio, TX 78226

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Kenmore
Kenmore on May 3, 2023 at 9:48 am

The screen is present in a January 2008 Google Street View, but gone by April 2011.

The metal base that supported the screen is still present in a January 2022 Google Street View.

Jim
Jim on May 3, 2023 at 9:14 am

Above, davidcoppock asked why the drive-in was called the Kelly. It came from nearby Kelly Air Force Base (now just Kelly Field), west of the theater.

In 1955, my late father was manager for a short while. His hiring prompted our relocation from Kokomo, Indiana, where he’d run old the North Drive-In Theater. By the end of the year, we packed up and moved again when he was hired to manage the Surf and the Twin Palms Drive-In theaters in Corpus Christi, Texas.

I was nine years old at the time and my only recollection is listening to my dad’s voice on the theater’s speakers. He would tape pre-show messages, promoting upcoming events at the theater, mixed with songs referenced the approach of evening, like “Red Sails in the Sunset” by Nat King Cole.

rivest266
rivest266 on January 12, 2020 at 9:01 am

The Kelly Drive-In opened with “Canyon Passage” on July 23rd, 1949. Grand opening ad posted.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on November 16, 2019 at 9:00 pm

Billboard, Oct. 23, 1954: “Sale of two drive-in theaters in San Antonio for $275,000 has been reported by Thurman Barrett Jr., owner-operator. Buyer is Lone Star Theaters, Inc., Dallas, owned by Pack-Murchison interests. The theaters are the Lackland and the Kelly.”

davidcoppock
davidcoppock on March 21, 2018 at 6:11 am

Why the name Kelly? Who bought the projection equipment and for how much was it sold?

TomMc11
TomMc11 on March 20, 2018 at 11:11 am

If you do Google Maps street view and go down Carolyn street just to the west of the drive in, it appears the base metal from the screen tower is still there as of March 2016, but the screen is gone.

driveinfan
driveinfan on May 25, 2017 at 7:24 am

Does anyone know when the screen tower was taken down?

bobwashere
bobwashere on January 23, 2007 at 10:30 am

The actuall addres is 1325 FRIO CITY RD. I use to live on West Kirk and the Drive-In was my backyard. Free Spanish Movies.

lyssa751
lyssa751 on March 16, 2005 at 1:52 pm

The restroom and projection area also remain on this lot, along with the screen. The projection equiptment that was still in the projection area was recently sold by the owner.