Bel-Air Drive-In
1190 E. Chain of Rocks Road,
Pontoon Beach,
IL
62040
1190 E. Chain of Rocks Road,
Pontoon Beach,
IL
62040
6 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 27 comments
All remaining traces of the ramps have disappeared. There is nothing remaining to indicate that a drive-in once stood on the property.
It appears one of the marquees lives on inside Gate 2 of the Illinois State Fairgrounds on the corner of Route 66 and Sangamon Avenue. Photo added credit American Road magazine. Facebook link below.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=913596854109678&set=a.507497111386323
This link from a July 2018 comment has a photo of it’s removal.
https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/Sign-of-the-times-Old-Bel-Air-Drive-In-sign-13091470.php
The Bel-Air sign was sadly removed in mid-2018.
As a single-screener, the Bel Air Drive-In originally had a capacity of 500 cars plus a 200-seat capacity seating arrangement, and has the installation of a panoramic screen. The Bel-Air was first operated by former Madison County Sheriff chief R.L. Wesemann of Collinsville.
What’s crazy about the opening date of the Bel-Air is that the Bel-Air Drive-In opened its gates while the rest of the drive-ins surrounding the metro area closed for the season.
The Bel-Air Drive-In actually opened its gates on Christmas Eve 1953 with Robert Taylor in “Ride, Vaquero”, and John Payne in “The Vanquished” with no extra short subjects, but however, the management on opening day distributed toys to the children only on first night of the occasion.
From the Jan. 5, 1955 Motion Picture Exhibitor: “In Granite City, Ill., the Bel-Air Drive-In, owned and operated by Komm Circuit, has recently put into service 200 new Radiant type in-a-car heaters purchased through the St. Louis branch of National Theatre Supply.”
From the Nov. 27, 1957 Motion Picture Exhibitor: “EAST ST. LOUIS, ILL.—Members of the Knights of Columbus Council, Number 592. recently adopted a resolution condemning three of the drive-in theatres of this vicinity on the grounds that they had been showing ‘immoral and obscene’ motion pictures. The resolution also urged members of the Council not to patronize the drive-ins so long as the management continues ‘to show such pictures.’ The theatres involved are Shop City Drive-In, Mounds Drive-In, and the Bel-Air Drive-In. All are operated by the Jablonow-Komm theatre interests.”
From the Aug. 26, 1964 Motion Picture Exhibitor: “Reinhardt Weseman has been appointed supervisor for the five drive-ins operated in southern Illinois by Mid America Theatres. Weseman will retain his position as manager, Bel Air Drive-In, Mitchell, Ill.”
Looks like the second screen was added in May 1979. The Bel-Air’s listings in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch had only one program through May 3, 1979 but listed two of them on May 10, 1979.
The July 18, 1953 issue of Box Office reported that an 800-car drive-in was being built by “Komm Theatres” in Granite City.
The Aug. 15 issue added that the St. Louis branch of National Theatre Supply “furnished equipment for the Bel-Air Drive-In on state Route 111 and U.S. 66 north of Granite City, Ill., to be owned and operated by the Komm theatre interests of St. Louis. Equipment for that drive-in includes Simplex X-L sound and projection, lights and generators, Simplex speakers and posts. This drive-in is scheduled for opening about September.”
Amplifying JAlex’s note, the best Google Maps address I could find is 1190 Chain of Rocks Road, Pontoon Beach, IL 62040. (That marks the point where the old entrance ramp, now Bel Air Drive, connected with old Route 66.) Pontoon Beach has some weird borders, but the old Bel-Air ramps are visible within the city limits, albeit a literal stone’s throw from Granite City.
The first ad I can find in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for the Bel-Air (with hyphen) is on March 29, 1954. A Jan. 2, 1955 article there reported that the The Bel-Air Drive-In, owned and operated by the Jablonow-Komm Theaters, “is reported to be the first drive-in theater in this area to provide in-car heaters and an air-conditioned Ramp House for patrons who prefer theater-type seating.”
A Jan. 21, 1971 Post-Dispatch profile of Louis and Julius Jablonow said that “in 1953 (Louis) built the Bel-Air Drive-In in Granite City.” He said he thought it was the first outdoor theater with “in-car heaters, an enclosed seating area, and an elaborate cafeteria style concession building.”
Throughout the 1970s and 80s, the Post-Dispatch’s drive-in round-up ads would use hyphens for the Bel-Air inconsistently, without more often than with. Considering those editorial uses above, I would still vote hyphen.
Motion Picture Almanacs placed the “Bel Air” in Mitchell from its first appearance in the 1955 edition and never included a hyphen through its final list in 1988. All MPA drive-in list mentions:
The (Alton) Telegraph story gives the location of the venue as Pontoon Beach. A detailed map search agrees.
The Chuck Norris movies were called “Missing in action”.
Sign of the times: Old Bel-Air Drive-In sign dismantled, sold to collector
https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/Sign-of-the-times-Old-Bel-Air-Drive-In-sign-13091470.php
The Vietnam era movie could be one of the Rambo movies or one of the Chuck Norris movies(where went back to rescue soliders though to be missing in action?), i forget the name of those movies?
In addition to the marquee, you can still see a partial outline and some ramps. https://goo.gl/maps/vOG1h
That Vietnam movie sounds like “The Green Berets” with John Wayne. Jim Hutton met his demise in the fashion described.
Saw a war movie here that took place in the Vietnam era. Very violent. A guy was walking down a path and a tree stump with spikes came out of a tree and impaled him. LOL Far out.Wish I could remember the name of the movie. Also saw the Dick Van Dyke flick “Cold Turkey”.
Venue operated from 1953 to 1986. The second screen was added in 1979.
It was hidden under another one. No worries.
On 11/29/07.
That photo looks familiar.
Here’s a silly question.
Did the Bel-Air Drive In’s name actually have the hyphen/dash in the middle of it?
The sign appears to have taken some creative license with an extended portion of the “A”. But with the spacing between the “Bel” and the “Air”, it appears to me to really be just the “Bel Air”.
I only ask because all of the posts refer to it as the Bel-Air. Just curious. I guess only the incorporation papers might yield the answer. Just curious.
As a kid back in the late 50’s, the projectionists (Van and Ronnie, I still remember their names) let me stand in the projection room doorway to watch the action. Strong Super 135 arc lamps, Simplex XL projectors, a changeover every 20 minutes — it was a much better show than the movie. A door on the rear wall led to the motor-generator room (to rectify current for the arc lamps), with a door on the other side leading back to the concession area. The projection ports didn’t have glass but had blowers to keep out the bugs (and cold air in the winter). Seems like just yesterday.
Here is an April 2007 article about the Bel-Air along with another photo of the marquee:
http://tinyurl.com/28xwj8
http://tinyurl.com/222y4q
The Bel-Air is an integral part of my childhood. My family and I lived in Mitchell, not far from the drive-in, but I can only recall going there a handful of times. The first movie I can remember going to there was “The French Connection,” conking out before the movie even started. Still, if we happened to be out driving somewhere and our route took us past the Bel-Air, I’d have to look at the screen to see what was playing and look at the neon sign in front. I have the distinct memory of seeing Hitchcock’s “Frenzy” as we passed it one night, and seeing the film as an adult I can pick out which scene it was.
I don’t know how common this was among drive-ins, but the Bel-Air would have “dusk to dawn” marathons every year, usually a series of horror movies. I would see ads in the Granite City Press-Record and fliers around town. I never went to one, and I don’t know anyone who ever did.
The BAC chain owned several video stores in the area, and when the drive-in closed, the car speakers were sold in the stores, touted as unique souvenirs.