Motor-Vu Drive-In

The Motor-Vu’s ad first appeared in the Ogden Standard-Examiner on June 19, 1947, and was called the Weber Motor-Vu. This was Ogden area’s second drive-in after the Riverdale, which opened on May 23. By the 1952 season The “Weber” in its ads began to get smaller and smaller until finally it disappeared and it was just called the Motor-Vu. This is the year that the sports car logo, which is on their web site today, first appeared.
In the summer of 1960, the booking pattern of films began to change in Ogden. The Motor-Vu started to play first-run movies that previously had gone to the downtown houses. That summer the Motor-Vu had exclusive runs almost weekly, including future classics “Elmer Gantry” and “Oceans 11.” In 1961, the other Ogden drive-ins started following this policy until 1962 when the drive-ins and hardtops began playing day and date, even sharing ad space.
Through early 1967 and into 1979, the Motor-Vu and the local Egyptian were National General and later Mann Theaters
The August 8, 1997 edition of the Deseret News said that Howard Coleman had started at the Motor-Vu at age 15 in 1952. He became manager in 1963 and then purchased it in 1979 when it had two screens. Coleman lamented that the popular children’s playground had to close because of insurance reasons.
There is still a popular swap meet held every Saturday and Sunday and indoor heated shops that are open year round.