Boxoffice, April 2, 1949: “Garland West, veteran exhibitor in Buckhannon, W. Va., isn’t afraid of the wind blowing over the screen tower at his new West Drive-In because the pictures will be projected onto one side of the concrete block building illustrated here. … This area will be painted white and used without plaster or other surfacing.”
I am so confused. Topo maps show that the 71 Drive-In about one mile north of Fayetteville, but they also show a drive-in about three miles north of Springdale. That matches a front-page report in the Feb. 25, 1949 edition of the Northwest Arkansas Times, which said that a drive-in three miles north of Springdale was to built by a corporation headed by Bob Fellers of Neosho MO. A 1980 aerial photo showed a drive-in still intact at about 4876 N Thompson St. By 1994, the screen was still up, but the site was being used to park trucks.
The 1952 Theatre Catalog listed the 71 under Springdale, but the 1953-54 Theatre Catalog listed the 71 under Fayetteville “(Springdale)” with the same capacity and owner. I couldn’t find any other mention of a north-of-Springdale drive-in in the NW AR Times even though it was published only about 15 miles away. So what happened?
Update: That northern drive-in became the Grove, whose location CT erroneously maps south of Springdale as I type. Its CT profile says that (also?) opened as the 71 and was later renamed.
As noted in the Grand Opening ad that dallasmovietheaters uploaded, the Biltmore opened on March 18, 1949. A front-page story in the Feb. 21, 1949 Tucson Daily Citizen added some details: “The Biltmore Motor-Vue, Tucson’s new $125,000 drive-in theater, will open in mid-March, according to E. B. Pegram, Bozeman, Mont., owner of the new enterprise. Located directly behind the Tucson Biltmore motel on Oracle road, the drive-in will have a capacity of 450 to 500 cars … Architects and contractors on the job are the Utah firm of Cartwright & Wilson, specialists in drive-in theater construction.”
The 71 opened one mile north of Fayetteville on Thursday, Aug. 18, 1949, based on its grand opening ad the day before in the Northwest Arkansas Times. The first show was a Glenn Ford film, “The Man From Colorado,” plus two cartoons, “Two Gophers from Texas” and “Nothing But the Truth.”
The front-page story of the opening said that several Commonwealth Theaters officials would attend to witness their first drive-in in the state.
Boxoffice, March 19, 1949: “BAKERSFIELD, CALIF. – A new 700-car drive-in, to be known as "9” was to open at Highway 99 and Pierce road near here next week. Built for Lloyd Miller, Joe and Bill Gannon and Owen Clark, the open-air project will costs $200,000 and will have in-car speakers, commodious restrooms and a large concession bar with bottle warming facilities."
Maybe the Pioneer had a different projected name during construction? Boxoffice, March 12, 1949: “A new Garfield Anderson drive-in is being built on the Tempe-Mesa highway at an approximate cost of $150,000. The airer will be named the Valley Drive-In and will accommodate 800 cars. It is being built on a 20-acre site and will have an elaborate electrical display featuring a western desert theme.”
Boxoffice, March 12, 1949: “Construction of a 1,150-car drive-in theater has been started as a site on West Whittier boulevard in Pico by Ernest M. Pellkofer, local businessman. In-car speakers and individual heaters are to be installed in the new open air theatre, which is expected to cost approximately $400,000.”
I didn’t know there used to be an airport near the 66.
Boxoffice, Sept. 11, 1948: “Construction was slated to start in mid-September on a drive-in to be built … by Albuquerque Theatres circuit, according to Manager George Tucker. The new ozoner will be located near the airport road and will accommodate 750 cars. Opening is planned for next spring.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 5, 1949: “George L. Tucker, city manager for Albuquerque Theatre, (announced the start of contruction of an indoor theater) in addition to recently announced plans for construction of the new 66 Drive-In, a 750 to 1,000-car situation to be built at the entrance to the Cutter-Carr airport.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 25, 1948: “ELK CITY, OKLA. – Construction work is under way on a new 400-car drive-in on highway 66 two miles west of here. Griffith Consolidated Theatres, Inc., is builder of the ozoner, which is scheduled for completion about March 1.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 25, 1948: “One of the biggest neon signs in the southwest will be installed on the 60-foot screen tower of the new Mesa Drive-In in Yuma. The sign, featuring a cowboy on horseback, will be done in many colors, with the neon flashing back and forth to make the cowboy appear to twirl his lariat. Installation of the sign will begin as soon as the screen tower is surfaced.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 25, 1948: “SOUTH BEND, WASH. – The old Tokay Theatre building here has been sold to Harley Webber, who said he would completely remodel and renovate the building to accommodate a new city hall and a recreational center to include a bowling alley and swimming pool. The building was erected about 1920 by the late George Reizner and, since his death, has been operated by A. G. Basil.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 4, 1948: “Modern Amusement, Inc., staged the grand opening of its new Roadium Drive-In in Clearwater on Thanksgiving day. Joseph S. Bianchi heads the ozoner company”
But the LA Times' movie roundup ad included the Roadium in Clearwater on May 21, 1948, showing Cheyenne and Out of the Blue. I don’t know why it waited half a year to hold a grand opening.
The Palace Theatre fire, which started there and destroyed what sounds like a full block of the business district, was written up in the Nov. 27, 1948 issue of Boxoffice.
I read the Oklahoma Historical Society’s page as saying that there was only one theater there. “In 1917 "new” town was incorporated as the town of Quapaw. Following the discovery of lead and zinc in surrounding areas, mining operators and thousands of miners moved to the region. Red Ike Bingham built the Palace Theater, a Masonic Hall, and the three-story Gateway Hotel."
Boxoffice, Nov. 20, 1948: “OURAY, COLO. – Theatre Manager Ray David and operater Jerry Joyner were forced to escape from the projection room of the Ouray Theatre through small air vents recently when flames destroyed the booth and equipment. David noticed the fire in the booth during the second show and dashed upstairs to help Joyner. Both men were trapped as the fire raged through thousands of feet of film.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 23, 1948: “BARTLESVILLE, OKLA. – The new Hill Top Drive-In here, a Griffith Bros. showcase located three miles east of the city on the Nowata road, was to be opened October 8. The ozoner accommodates 500 cars and cost an estimated $130,000.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 23, 1948: “SAN BERNARDINO, CALIF. – A. G. and George E. Mitzel recently opened the 700-car Mount Vernon Motor-In here. The Mitzels also own drive-in in Portland, Ore., and in Los Angeles. The Mount Vernon airer, the owners said, boasted a natural stage, an innovation in drive-in construction.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 16, 1948: “The old Rex Opera House at Rawlins, Wyo., closed for 27 years, has been remodeled, reseated and reopened as the Elk by Fox Intermountain Theatres. The house has 465 seats.”
I found this picture by the Mile High Photo Company in the Denver Public Library collection, dated “1930-1940?”
Boxoffice, April 2, 1949: “Garland West, veteran exhibitor in Buckhannon, W. Va., isn’t afraid of the wind blowing over the screen tower at his new West Drive-In because the pictures will be projected onto one side of the concrete block building illustrated here. … This area will be painted white and used without plaster or other surfacing.”
The Grove held its Grand Opening on June 7, 1963 and ran a rare ad in Fayetteville’s Northwest Arkansas Times to mark the occasion.
I am so confused. Topo maps show that the 71 Drive-In about one mile north of Fayetteville, but they also show a drive-in about three miles north of Springdale. That matches a front-page report in the Feb. 25, 1949 edition of the Northwest Arkansas Times, which said that a drive-in three miles north of Springdale was to built by a corporation headed by Bob Fellers of Neosho MO. A 1980 aerial photo showed a drive-in still intact at about 4876 N Thompson St. By 1994, the screen was still up, but the site was being used to park trucks.
The 1952 Theatre Catalog listed the 71 under Springdale, but the 1953-54 Theatre Catalog listed the 71 under Fayetteville “(Springdale)” with the same capacity and owner. I couldn’t find any other mention of a north-of-Springdale drive-in in the NW AR Times even though it was published only about 15 miles away. So what happened?
Update: That northern drive-in became the Grove, whose location CT erroneously maps south of Springdale as I type. Its CT profile says that (also?) opened as the 71 and was later renamed.
As noted in the Grand Opening ad that dallasmovietheaters uploaded, the Biltmore opened on March 18, 1949. A front-page story in the Feb. 21, 1949 Tucson Daily Citizen added some details: “The Biltmore Motor-Vue, Tucson’s new $125,000 drive-in theater, will open in mid-March, according to E. B. Pegram, Bozeman, Mont., owner of the new enterprise. Located directly behind the Tucson Biltmore motel on Oracle road, the drive-in will have a capacity of 450 to 500 cars … Architects and contractors on the job are the Utah firm of Cartwright & Wilson, specialists in drive-in theater construction.”
The 71 opened one mile north of Fayetteville on Thursday, Aug. 18, 1949, based on its grand opening ad the day before in the Northwest Arkansas Times. The first show was a Glenn Ford film, “The Man From Colorado,” plus two cartoons, “Two Gophers from Texas” and “Nothing But the Truth.”
The front-page story of the opening said that several Commonwealth Theaters officials would attend to witness their first drive-in in the state.
Boxoffice, March 19, 1949: “BAKERSFIELD, CALIF. – A new 700-car drive-in, to be known as "9” was to open at Highway 99 and Pierce road near here next week. Built for Lloyd Miller, Joe and Bill Gannon and Owen Clark, the open-air project will costs $200,000 and will have in-car speakers, commodious restrooms and a large concession bar with bottle warming facilities."
Maybe the Pioneer had a different projected name during construction? Boxoffice, March 12, 1949: “A new Garfield Anderson drive-in is being built on the Tempe-Mesa highway at an approximate cost of $150,000. The airer will be named the Valley Drive-In and will accommodate 800 cars. It is being built on a 20-acre site and will have an elaborate electrical display featuring a western desert theme.”
Boxoffice, March 12, 1949: “Construction of a 1,150-car drive-in theater has been started as a site on West Whittier boulevard in Pico by Ernest M. Pellkofer, local businessman. In-car speakers and individual heaters are to be installed in the new open air theatre, which is expected to cost approximately $400,000.”
Adding a name, Boxoffice, Feb. 12, 1949: “Paul Glick of the Canoga in Canoga Park plans an early opening for his new Reseda Drive-In”
I didn’t know there used to be an airport near the 66.
Boxoffice, Sept. 11, 1948: “Construction was slated to start in mid-September on a drive-in to be built … by Albuquerque Theatres circuit, according to Manager George Tucker. The new ozoner will be located near the airport road and will accommodate 750 cars. Opening is planned for next spring.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 5, 1949: “George L. Tucker, city manager for Albuquerque Theatre, (announced the start of contruction of an indoor theater) in addition to recently announced plans for construction of the new 66 Drive-In, a 750 to 1,000-car situation to be built at the entrance to the Cutter-Carr airport.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 25, 1948: “ELK CITY, OKLA. – Construction work is under way on a new 400-car drive-in on highway 66 two miles west of here. Griffith Consolidated Theatres, Inc., is builder of the ozoner, which is scheduled for completion about March 1.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 25, 1948: “One of the biggest neon signs in the southwest will be installed on the 60-foot screen tower of the new Mesa Drive-In in Yuma. The sign, featuring a cowboy on horseback, will be done in many colors, with the neon flashing back and forth to make the cowboy appear to twirl his lariat. Installation of the sign will begin as soon as the screen tower is surfaced.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 25, 1948: “SOUTH BEND, WASH. – The old Tokay Theatre building here has been sold to Harley Webber, who said he would completely remodel and renovate the building to accommodate a new city hall and a recreational center to include a bowling alley and swimming pool. The building was erected about 1920 by the late George Reizner and, since his death, has been operated by A. G. Basil.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 11, 1948: “Raleigh Messerschmidt has bought the Kiowa, Kiowa, Colo., from Delpha Moreland.”
This great photo ran in the Dec. 4, 1948 issue of Boxoffice, which I believe is in the public domain.
Boxoffice, Dec. 4, 1948: “Modern Amusement, Inc., staged the grand opening of its new Roadium Drive-In in Clearwater on Thanksgiving day. Joseph S. Bianchi heads the ozoner company”
But the LA Times' movie roundup ad included the Roadium in Clearwater on May 21, 1948, showing Cheyenne and Out of the Blue. I don’t know why it waited half a year to hold a grand opening.
The Palace Theatre fire, which started there and destroyed what sounds like a full block of the business district, was written up in the Nov. 27, 1948 issue of Boxoffice.
I read the Oklahoma Historical Society’s page as saying that there was only one theater there. “In 1917 "new” town was incorporated as the town of Quapaw. Following the discovery of lead and zinc in surrounding areas, mining operators and thousands of miners moved to the region. Red Ike Bingham built the Palace Theater, a Masonic Hall, and the three-story Gateway Hotel."
Boxoffice, Nov. 20, 1948: “OURAY, COLO. – Theatre Manager Ray David and operater Jerry Joyner were forced to escape from the projection room of the Ouray Theatre through small air vents recently when flames destroyed the booth and equipment. David noticed the fire in the booth during the second show and dashed upstairs to help Joyner. Both men were trapped as the fire raged through thousands of feet of film.”
Adding another name, Boxoffice, Nov. 6, 1948: “Lou Berman and Tommy Huntington opened the Harbor Drive-In in Chula Vista November 3.”
Boxoffice, Nov. 6, 1948: “H. E. Wilson has sold the Chief, La Veta, Colo., to Chick Welloff”
Boxoffice, Oct. 23, 1948: “BARTLESVILLE, OKLA. – The new Hill Top Drive-In here, a Griffith Bros. showcase located three miles east of the city on the Nowata road, was to be opened October 8. The ozoner accommodates 500 cars and cost an estimated $130,000.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 23, 1948: “SAN BERNARDINO, CALIF. – A. G. and George E. Mitzel recently opened the 700-car Mount Vernon Motor-In here. The Mitzels also own drive-in in Portland, Ore., and in Los Angeles. The Mount Vernon airer, the owners said, boasted a natural stage, an innovation in drive-in construction.”
This photo ran in the Modern Theatre section of the Jan. 6, 1951 issue of Boxoffice, which is apparently in the public domain.
Boxoffice, Oct. 16, 1948: “The old Rex Opera House at Rawlins, Wyo., closed for 27 years, has been remodeled, reseated and reopened as the Elk by Fox Intermountain Theatres. The house has 465 seats.”