Bad News: KB Home, which bought the Starlite site in the last year or two, has taken down the old marquee, as shown in this January 2025 Google Street View.
Good News: KB Home announced this week that it’s building “Astaire and Harlow at Starlite” and will restore the marquee to its former glory to “serve as a beautiful entrance monument.” Press release.
Boxoffice, Oct. 2, 1954: “Walter F. Graham has sold his Graham Theatre to J. C. Christiansen, formerly of Madras, Ore. The new owner has renamed the house Melody after his 8-year-old daughter.”
Looks like May 28, 1954 was the precise opening date.
Boxoffice, Sept. 25, 1954: “The screen of the Mount Vu Drive-In at the foot of beautiful Mt. Shasta has been increased to 104x50 feet for CinemaScope. Mrs. Curtis Cheadle, secretary of the theatre company, reports the new 530-car airer, opened last May 28, boasts the most beautiful setting in the Northwest with the famed mountain for a background and spectacular scenery all around.”
HistoricAerials.com must have added its 1958 aerial photo of Beeville since my posts here five years ago. It now clearly shows the drive-in at 1608 S Washington St (AKA Texas 202), where a storage facility sits today.
As rivest266 surmised, another operator bought the Nor-West before the 1987 season. William “Bill” Holshoe, who had purchased the nearby 88 Drive-In in 1976, apparently bought the Nor-West as well. An August 1997 article in the Broomfield Enterprise said that he “managed the Nor-West for a decade before calling it quits last year.” He didn’t advertise in the Denver papers too often during that decade, but when he did, it was a combined 88/Norwest listing.
The reason Holshoe reluctantly closed the drive-in at the end of the 1996 season was because city fathers were excited about a developer’s plan for an indoor ice rink. That August 1997 article was about the fact that the rink proposal had already faded away. The site continues to sit vacant today.
Richard Young owned the Wabash from 1977 to 1985. He told the Lafayette Journal and Courier the reason he switched from X-rated movies to family-friendly fare was, “I can’t go to church and show X-rated movies at the same time.” The June 8, 1985 article also noted that potential patrons were renting adult films from video stores.
By November 1991, it was called “the old Wabash Drive-In Theater” in a Journal and Courier ad.
To answer an old question, it was probably named for US 41, which was probably called the Wabash Highway since that’s where it went.
Boxoffice, Feb. 7, 1972: “Extensive remodeling is under way at the Aero Drive-In, 1470 Broadway. The changes will increase the capacity of the ozoner from its present 530 to approximately 1,000 car spaces, according to Al Dumont, who has managed the Aero since 1951. The theatre has been completely rewired and all new posts and speakers installed. Plans also call for the remodeling of the concession stand and restrooms. The project also includes moving the boxoffice 650 feet north of its present location and constructing a four-lane entrance which will allow space for a 250-car “stack-up” on theatre property. Existing Broadway frontage will be completely landscaped and a new attraction board erected.
“The Aero Drive-In is owned by Los Angeles-based Sero Amusement Co. and was opened in 1949. Showings have not been suspended during the modernization work. The Aero Swap-Meet, a companion operation, is held at the theatre each week. The remodeling also will affect that operation, doubling the present 400 stall spaces now available.”
Boxoffice, July 24, 1954: “E. L. Baker of Spokane and Keith Beckwith of North Bend have bought the Motor-In Theatre from Lowell Thompson for a reported $100,000. Thompson built the 750-car airer in 1946 with Baker as his first manager.”
As Joe Vogel noted, the Lithia Theatre burned in 1952. But a couple of its employees carried on, sort of.
Boxoffice, July 24, 1954: “ASHLAND, ORE. - Construction on a new drive-in a few miles north of here on highway 99 is under way and should be completed by the end of July according to the owners, Jack Putney and Jim Selleck. The new 400-car airer will be called the Lithia after a local conventional house which burned two years ago. Selleck had served as manager of the former Lithia and Putney was the projectionist.”
Boxoffice, July 24, 1954: “ASHLAND, ORE. - Construction on a new drive-in a few miles north of here on highway 99 is under way and should be completed by the end of July according to the owners, Jack Putney and Jim Selleck. The new 400-car airer will be called the Lithia after a local conventional house which burned two years ago. Selleck had served as manager of the former Lithia and Putney was the projectionist.”
As kennerado knows, you can’t trust those Boxoffice “opened” notices.
Boxoffice, July 10, 1954: “DOUGLAS, WYO. – Douglas Movies, Inc., has opened its Mile High Drive-In near here, according to Joe Stallman, one of the firm’s officers. The new ozoner will have a 250-car capacity.”
Boxoffice, July 17, 1954: “DOUGLAS, WYO. - The Mile High Drive-In near here has opened after a slight delay in procuring the necessary screening equipment. Joe Stallman will manage the airer.”
The June 26, 1954 issue of Boxoffice included an article about the Liberty Kiwanis club using the Claco for an after-graduation party for Liberty High School. The author called it the “Cisco,” but there was no mistaking which drive-in he was talking about. “The theatre gave each girl a Cisco the Clown pin - a lovely red, white and gold brooch-type pin featuring the drive-in’s trademark insignia, the clown.”
This drive-in was once known as the Rustic Drive-In. A 1957 movie flyer posted here by Drive-In 54 used that name. “Rustic” was the name given in a 1959 movie list in the Tampa Tribune, also in the April 8, 1960 note in the Tampa Bay Times when Carl Floyd bought the place from Harry Jones.
These days, the Ruskin is reopening soon, and WFLA has posted a very nice Youtube video to prove it.
As you said, capacity exaggeration was not at all unheard of. However, note that those six ramps all appear to be double ramps. Counting the poles visible in a very detailed USGS photo, I’d guess that they held 30x2 cars each, which would make 350 a more reasonable figure.
That photo appeared in the May 22, 1954 issue of Boxoffice, in the public domain. The original caption, titled “Are the Indians attacking?”:
This is not a promotion for a western feature. It’s the entrance sign at the Fort Drive-In Theatre, Leavenworth, Kas., engulfed in flames. Beverly Miller, president of the Kansas-Missouri Allied unit, who owns the Fort, said the fire was caused by a short circuit in the wiring. A strong wind whipped up the flames, which completely consumed the rustic-type sign. Damage as set at $3,000. A patron, with a camera, took the picture at the height of the fire.
Boxoffice, Feb. 13, 1954: “The Rimrock Drive-In was sold at a sheriff’s sale to Aldrich and Co. and Marshall Wells. The business will be resold to settle the bills due these two firms and other local business firms.”
Boxoffice, May 15, 1954: “BRIDGER, MONT. - Construction of a new screen tower got under way at the Bridger Drive-In here immediately following its sale to Ed DeRudder by Aldrich & Co. and Marshall Wells store, the two firms which bought the business earlier at a sheriff’s sale. Replacement of the screen tower was necessitated after a heavy windstorm last summer destroyed the old tower. George DeRudder, son of the owner, will manage the ozoner and two other sons, August and Frank, will assist.”
Boxoffice, April 24, 1954: “Alvah B. Stockdale, 56, owner of the Vista Theatre and Gay Drive-In at Enterprise in eastern Oregon, died after suffering a heart attack. Stockdale … in 1933 moved to Enterprise where he and his wife operated the Vista. They built the 350-car Gay Drive-In in 1953.”
Boxoffice, April 24, 1954: “Representatives of the Kaiser Co., the Aluminum Co. of America, the U. S. Plywood Corp. and representatives from a number of other companies as well as theatremen have been in attendance at the Terrace Drive-In in the last few weeks, giving their attention to the new Mirra-scope screen invented by Virgil Odell, Emmett inventor. The screen, which is a quarter of a city block wide, is made up of some 648 separate sheets of shiny, fluted aluminum, fitted together so expertly that no seam shows. The aluminum itself has been hand-made to specifications by a Portland firm. The patent which Odell has is for a "light distribution system for controlling of reflected light.” Experts predicted that trying to fit the hundreds of aluminum pieces together on such a huge scale could not be done, but the new screen, all in one piece at last and scrubbed down to a shining luster, is now spreading its reflection over a 90-degree area and is not only mirror bright but reflects depth also. The screen requires no repainting or refinishing, Odell says."
The Hazel Dell Drive-In held its grand opening on July 23, 1953, based on a short article in the previous day’s Vancouver Columbian. It was the third drive-in and fourth theater in the Adamson chain. The Hazel Dell could hold 500 cars.
The opening program was “The Battle at Apache Pass” and “Bonzo Goes to College”.
Motion Picture Herald, Aug. 14, 1954: “Roy B. Case sold his Maribel at Weott, August 1, to W. B. Davis. George Archibald of the Arch Booking and Buying, will continue to service the house.”
Bad News: KB Home, which bought the Starlite site in the last year or two, has taken down the old marquee, as shown in this January 2025 Google Street View.
Good News: KB Home announced this week that it’s building “Astaire and Harlow at Starlite” and will restore the marquee to its former glory to “serve as a beautiful entrance monument.” Press release.
Looks like there was another name along the way.
Boxoffice, Oct. 2, 1954: “Walter F. Graham has sold his Graham Theatre to J. C. Christiansen, formerly of Madras, Ore. The new owner has renamed the house Melody after his 8-year-old daughter.”
Looks like May 28, 1954 was the precise opening date.
Boxoffice, Sept. 25, 1954: “The screen of the Mount Vu Drive-In at the foot of beautiful Mt. Shasta has been increased to 104x50 feet for CinemaScope. Mrs. Curtis Cheadle, secretary of the theatre company, reports the new 530-car airer, opened last May 28, boasts the most beautiful setting in the Northwest with the famed mountain for a background and spectacular scenery all around.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 18, 1954: “Glenn Harper has sold his Arrow and Fontana theatres in Fontana to Paul Mart.”
HistoricAerials.com must have added its 1958 aerial photo of Beeville since my posts here five years ago. It now clearly shows the drive-in at 1608 S Washington St (AKA Texas 202), where a storage facility sits today.
As rivest266 surmised, another operator bought the Nor-West before the 1987 season. William “Bill” Holshoe, who had purchased the nearby 88 Drive-In in 1976, apparently bought the Nor-West as well. An August 1997 article in the Broomfield Enterprise said that he “managed the Nor-West for a decade before calling it quits last year.” He didn’t advertise in the Denver papers too often during that decade, but when he did, it was a combined 88/Norwest listing.
The reason Holshoe reluctantly closed the drive-in at the end of the 1996 season was because city fathers were excited about a developer’s plan for an indoor ice rink. That August 1997 article was about the fact that the rink proposal had already faded away. The site continues to sit vacant today.
Richard Young owned the Wabash from 1977 to 1985. He told the Lafayette Journal and Courier the reason he switched from X-rated movies to family-friendly fare was, “I can’t go to church and show X-rated movies at the same time.” The June 8, 1985 article also noted that potential patrons were renting adult films from video stores.
By November 1991, it was called “the old Wabash Drive-In Theater” in a Journal and Courier ad.
To answer an old question, it was probably named for US 41, which was probably called the Wabash Highway since that’s where it went.
Boxoffice, Feb. 7, 1972: “Extensive remodeling is under way at the Aero Drive-In, 1470 Broadway. The changes will increase the capacity of the ozoner from its present 530 to approximately 1,000 car spaces, according to Al Dumont, who has managed the Aero since 1951. The theatre has been completely rewired and all new posts and speakers installed. Plans also call for the remodeling of the concession stand and restrooms. The project also includes moving the boxoffice 650 feet north of its present location and constructing a four-lane entrance which will allow space for a 250-car “stack-up” on theatre property. Existing Broadway frontage will be completely landscaped and a new attraction board erected.
“The Aero Drive-In is owned by Los Angeles-based Sero Amusement Co. and was opened in 1949. Showings have not been suspended during the modernization work. The Aero Swap-Meet, a companion operation, is held at the theatre each week. The remodeling also will affect that operation, doubling the present 400 stall spaces now available.”
Here’s the reason for the name change, I assume.
Boxoffice, July 24, 1954: “E. L. Baker of Spokane and Keith Beckwith of North Bend have bought the Motor-In Theatre from Lowell Thompson for a reported $100,000. Thompson built the 750-car airer in 1946 with Baker as his first manager.”
As Joe Vogel noted, the Lithia Theatre burned in 1952. But a couple of its employees carried on, sort of.
Boxoffice, July 24, 1954: “ASHLAND, ORE. - Construction on a new drive-in a few miles north of here on highway 99 is under way and should be completed by the end of July according to the owners, Jack Putney and Jim Selleck. The new 400-car airer will be called the Lithia after a local conventional house which burned two years ago. Selleck had served as manager of the former Lithia and Putney was the projectionist.”
More background, and maybe a little exaggeration.
Boxoffice, July 24, 1954: “ASHLAND, ORE. - Construction on a new drive-in a few miles north of here on highway 99 is under way and should be completed by the end of July according to the owners, Jack Putney and Jim Selleck. The new 400-car airer will be called the Lithia after a local conventional house which burned two years ago. Selleck had served as manager of the former Lithia and Putney was the projectionist.”
As kennerado knows, you can’t trust those Boxoffice “opened” notices.
Boxoffice, July 10, 1954: “DOUGLAS, WYO. – Douglas Movies, Inc., has opened its Mile High Drive-In near here, according to Joe Stallman, one of the firm’s officers. The new ozoner will have a 250-car capacity.”
Boxoffice, July 17, 1954: “DOUGLAS, WYO. - The Mile High Drive-In near here has opened after a slight delay in procuring the necessary screening equipment. Joe Stallman will manage the airer.”
The June 26, 1954 issue of Boxoffice included an article about the Liberty Kiwanis club using the Claco for an after-graduation party for Liberty High School. The author called it the “Cisco,” but there was no mistaking which drive-in he was talking about. “The theatre gave each girl a Cisco the Clown pin - a lovely red, white and gold brooch-type pin featuring the drive-in’s trademark insignia, the clown.”
This drive-in was once known as the Rustic Drive-In. A 1957 movie flyer posted here by Drive-In 54 used that name. “Rustic” was the name given in a 1959 movie list in the Tampa Tribune, also in the April 8, 1960 note in the Tampa Bay Times when Carl Floyd bought the place from Harry Jones.
These days, the Ruskin is reopening soon, and WFLA has posted a very nice Youtube video to prove it.
As you said, capacity exaggeration was not at all unheard of. However, note that those six ramps all appear to be double ramps. Counting the poles visible in a very detailed USGS photo, I’d guess that they held 30x2 cars each, which would make 350 a more reasonable figure.
Offered for sale at this eBay auction.
That photo appeared in the May 22, 1954 issue of Boxoffice, in the public domain. The original caption, titled “Are the Indians attacking?”:
This is not a promotion for a western feature. It’s the entrance sign at the Fort Drive-In Theatre, Leavenworth, Kas., engulfed in flames. Beverly Miller, president of the Kansas-Missouri Allied unit, who owns the Fort, said the fire was caused by a short circuit in the wiring. A strong wind whipped up the flames, which completely consumed the rustic-type sign. Damage as set at $3,000. A patron, with a camera, took the picture at the height of the fire.
Boxoffice, Feb. 13, 1954: “The Rimrock Drive-In was sold at a sheriff’s sale to Aldrich and Co. and Marshall Wells. The business will be resold to settle the bills due these two firms and other local business firms.”
Boxoffice, May 15, 1954: “BRIDGER, MONT. - Construction of a new screen tower got under way at the Bridger Drive-In here immediately following its sale to Ed DeRudder by Aldrich & Co. and Marshall Wells store, the two firms which bought the business earlier at a sheriff’s sale. Replacement of the screen tower was necessitated after a heavy windstorm last summer destroyed the old tower. George DeRudder, son of the owner, will manage the ozoner and two other sons, August and Frank, will assist.”
Boxoffice, April 24, 1954: “Alvah B. Stockdale, 56, owner of the Vista Theatre and Gay Drive-In at Enterprise in eastern Oregon, died after suffering a heart attack. Stockdale … in 1933 moved to Enterprise where he and his wife operated the Vista. They built the 350-car Gay Drive-In in 1953.”
Boxoffice, April 24, 1954: “Representatives of the Kaiser Co., the Aluminum Co. of America, the U. S. Plywood Corp. and representatives from a number of other companies as well as theatremen have been in attendance at the Terrace Drive-In in the last few weeks, giving their attention to the new Mirra-scope screen invented by Virgil Odell, Emmett inventor. The screen, which is a quarter of a city block wide, is made up of some 648 separate sheets of shiny, fluted aluminum, fitted together so expertly that no seam shows. The aluminum itself has been hand-made to specifications by a Portland firm. The patent which Odell has is for a "light distribution system for controlling of reflected light.” Experts predicted that trying to fit the hundreds of aluminum pieces together on such a huge scale could not be done, but the new screen, all in one piece at last and scrubbed down to a shining luster, is now spreading its reflection over a 90-degree area and is not only mirror bright but reflects depth also. The screen requires no repainting or refinishing, Odell says."
The Hazel Dell Drive-In held its grand opening on July 23, 1953, based on a short article in the previous day’s Vancouver Columbian. It was the third drive-in and fourth theater in the Adamson chain. The Hazel Dell could hold 500 cars.
The opening program was “The Battle at Apache Pass” and “Bonzo Goes to College”.
Boxoffice, Jan. 16, 1954: “The 600-seat Banning Theatre has reopened as the new Fox after a major remodeling and redecorating.”
So many owner names in such a brief period!
Boxoffice, March 1, 1952: “Lorine Willard has sold the El Rancho Theatre here to Charles Tisdale, formerly an exhibitor in Camarillo, Calif.”
Boxoffice, Nov. 1, 1952: “Mrs. Rebecca Carrillo has taken over the El Rancho Theatre in Moorpark from Ed Hunter”
Motion Picture Herald, Dec. 25, 1954: “John Hatcher has taken over the operation of the El Rancho theatre in Moor Park from Sherwood Lowe.”
Motion Picture Herald, Aug. 14, 1954: “Closing this week were two houses in the Panero Circuit: the American, Kingsburg and the McFarland, McFarland."
Motion Picture Herald, Aug. 14, 1954: “Roy B. Case sold his Maribel at Weott, August 1, to W. B. Davis. George Archibald of the Arch Booking and Buying, will continue to service the house.”