From Billboard, June 26, 1954: “Triple swimming pools are part of a $50,000 improvement program under way at the Lone Star and Samuel Bolevard (sic) Drive-In theaters at Dallas. Other improvements include picnic patios, panoramic screens, booth equipment and general repainting and renovating. Each of the drive-ins will have three pools, two for kids and one for adults. Use of the pools and picnic patios will be free to patrons.”
From the June 19, 1954 issue of Billboard: “In Dagsboro, Del., Alfred W. Goodyear, owner of the Dagsboro Drive-In, was held under $500 bail on each of two charges of exhibiting indecent pictures. State police said they visited the drive-in after receiving complaints about the show. After looking for a time at what they termed burlesque-style motion pictures, they stopped the show and confiscated the film. Goodyear was arraigned in Sussex County Court and held for further hearing.”
From the June 12, 1954 issue of Billboard: “V. E. Hamm has purchased the Hunt and Trail Drive-In theaters, Greenville, Tex., from his brother, M. E. Hamm. Monroe Wright has been named manager.”
From the June 12, 1954 issue of Billboard: “V. E. Hamm has purchased the Hunt and Trail Drive-In theaters, Greenville, Tex., from his brother, M. E. Hamm. Monroe Wright has been named manager.”
On June 5, 1954, Billboard reported that the Meriden’s owners were building a drive-in in back. “A new $125,000 drive-in with capacity for 815 cars, now being erected at Meriden, Conn., will have a screen measuring 120 feet wide. Nick Kounaris and Paul Tolis, partners in Kounaris and Tolis Theaters, are building the project in the rear of their first-run Meriden Theater. July completion is planned.”
The 1952-54 editions of the Theatre Catalog listed the 77 as owned by Woodrow Good and George Clements. The 1955-56 edition had the owner as W. A. Smith. Billboard magazine filled in the connection on June 5, 1954: “Mr. and Mrs. Wilford A. Smith have purchased Cameron (Tex.) Drive-In. The Smiths come from Temple where they operated a theater for 10 years.”
More hints from the June 5, 1954 issue of Billboard: “Rocket Drive-In, San Angelo, Tex., which was extensively damaged by high winds for the second time this year, is being remodeled and will be equipped to show CinemaScope, according to John D. Jones.”
Billboard, Feb, 27, 1954: “Ivan Solis and G. R. Garza have announced that construction has started at Alice, Tex., on a 500-car drive-in which will feature the showing of Spanish language films.”
And about three months later, the exact opening date…
“G. R. Garza and the Solis brothers opened the new 500-car Ranch Drive-In at Alice, Tex., on May 9.” – Billboard, June 5, 1954
The April 17, 1954 issue of Billboard provided more background:
New to the Denver area is the indoor-outdoor theater now nearing completion in the Northwest section of the city. Construction of the Wadsworth drive-in marks the culmination of a long-time dream of L. K. Lee, general manager of Lee Theaters of Greeley, Colorado Springs and Denver. It will serve an area of nearly 50,000 patrons. Featuring a double ramp arrangement for 1,000 cars and seating capacity for 600 patrons in the glass enclosed, air-conditioned indoor theater, all will view the same 96-foot CinemaScope screen. This, plus the latest in-car electric heaters, will make the drive-in a year-round operation. Also available will be rides for children, adjacent to the theater’s picnic area. An open-view, stainless steel cafeteria will dispense hot and cold foods. Lee came to Denver from Oklahoma in 1945. His first venture in the Denver area was a partnership in the Arvada. He helped build the Motorena, Greeley, in 1949 and had a hand in construction of the drive-in at Torrington, Wyo. Others with which he is connected are the Kar-Vu, Brighton, and the Monace Drive-In, Denver. LeRoy Ramsey, former manager of the Tower Theater, Denver, has been named manager of the Wadsworth. Victor Love, of Ad Film, Inc., will continue to do publicity and advertising for the five Lee theaters.
And the June 5, 1954 edition kept those details gushing:
The second drive-in to open in the Denver area within six weeks pulled excellent crowds as the Lee Theater chain opened its 1,000-car Wadsworth Drive-In. The opening was postponed for a week due to bad weather, but the delay gave LeRoy Ramsey opportunity for more advertising and promotional stunts. … At the Wadsworth, utilizing both indoor and outdoor facilities, the Lee brothers have instigated a permanent policy of admitting every 50th car free. Opening festivities included free gifts for every customer and special kid gimmicks.
From Billboard, May 22, 1954: “Blue Hills Drive-In Theater Corporation, Bloomfield, Conn., has erected an eight-foot aluminum fence around its property at a cost of $10,000.”
The drive-in was still intact in a 1980 aerial photo. It was in Wyoming, on the highway to Forest Lake, at 5680 259th St
Wyoming, MN 55092. By 1991, it had been replaced by housing, and no trace of it remains today.
In an article yesterday in the Forest Lake Times, there was an offhand mention of the Hub. “When Bob and Jayne (Drummond) expanded their business network in 1959 to open the Hub Drive-In Theatre in Wyoming, there were more employment opportunities for the Drummond girls.”
OTOH, Norhart’s Forest Lake History page said that it was 1958 when “Mr. and Mrs. Bob Drummond and Everette Struble opened the Hub Drive-In Theater.”
Writing in 2004 about a bowling alley sign, Mark Nicklawske wrote in Press, “The Hub drive-in theater, between Forest Lake and Wyoming, had a huge sign, but that was more of a billboard-type thing.”
There’s a lengthy, history-packed article in yesterday’s Forest Lake Times marking the sale of the Forest building to “a partnership group of Bob Anderson, Matthew Anderson and Natalie Harrer. … The bar and restaurant is slated for major remodeling and a future operation as Fireside Getaway.”
Highlights from local historian Brian Tolzmann:
“The earliest I have in my archive is from the May 20, 1916, edition of Motion Picture World, which said, ‘The new Forest Theatre has been taken over by F.W. Walker.’”
There were at least eight ownership changes through the years.
“Three years after taking over the operation, the Fladlands (Jackie and Dwayne) opened Forest II in April 1980. The 89-seat auditorium allowed the owners to showcase two feature films. The main auditorium, Forest I, had seating for 264.”
The Forest’s final show was on May 29, 1990, with the two screens featuring “Hunt for Red October” and “Born on the 4th of July.”
From Billboard, May 15, 1954: “Tom Sumners has purchased El Capitan Drive-In, San Antonio, his first drive-in operation. He operates the Laurel, Josephine and Woodlawn theaters. Sumners plans to continue the present double feature policy at the El Capitan – one Spanish language and one English language film.”
From Billboard, May 15, 1954: “For the second time in recent weeks vandals with a shotgun shattered the glass marquee of the Circle Drive-In, Lubbock, Tex. Marvin McLarty. owner of the drive-in, has posted a $100 reward for the arrest and conviction of vandals.”
From the May 8, 1954 Billboard: “Construction has been started on a
third drive-in at Kingsville, Tex., on a 10-acre tract of land. It will be operated by Koseph & Kyle, operator of the King’s and Brahama drive-ins. According to Chester Kyle the new drive-in will have a 350-car capacity and will feature Spanish language films.”
From the April 24, 1954 Billboard: “Name of the Route 130 Drive-In, Trenton, N. J., has been changed to the Trenton Drive-In, and corporate name of the operator is now Mercer Drive-In Corporation.”
Not sure whether this is the right drive-in, the one that opened was listed as the “Open Air” in the Motion Picture Almanacs of the day.
From Billboard, April 24, 1954: “Groton Open Air Theater, Inc., headed by J. Lawrence Peters, New London, Conn., has started construction of a 850-car capacity drive-in at Groton, Conn., with completion slated for late May. The corporation has applied to the Connecticut State Police Commissioner, Hartford, for certificate of approval to operate the theater. Other officers are: Vice-president, Isadore Fishbone: secretary, Harry Picazio Jr. and treasurer, Anthony Albino. The land is held by Fapp Realty, Inc., and will be leased to the theater corporation.”
This photo is identical to a 1979 photo by John Margolies. That photo is in the John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive at the Library of Congress, and is effectively in the public domain.
Back then, the drive-in was on Wyoming Avenue, barely within the Albuquerque city limits. The adjacent, co-owned Terrace Drive-In was barely outside the city, which might be why it was a separate drive-in.
Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Wyoming with a capacity of 1000 cars. Its final show was on Sept. 18, 1978.
This photo is identical to a 1977 photo by John Margolies. That photo is now in the John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive at the Library of Congress and is effectively in the public domain.
Indeed, this drive-in site is in Sappington, but that’s just an unincorporated census-designated place in St. Louis County. As jwmovies pointed out, the current indoor Ronnie’s Cinema near the site lists a St. Louis mailing address.
Aha! I finally found the remains of the old Lincoln, intact except for the screen, in a 1956 USGS photo. At some point they reworked the intersections near there, but the site is the large open field south of 1311 South Beason Road (AKA County Road 1500 N), so that makes a better address.
This drive-in’s first appearance in the Film Daily Year Book’s list wasn’t until 1951 (as the Car-Vue Drive-In). That’s not conclusive, but it’s another data point suggesting that the drive-in opened in 1950.
The Hi-Way, capacity 400, owners Paul Kerrigan, first appeared in the 1949-50 Theatre Catalog. The Catalog, along with all other contemporary drive-in lists, included the drive-in under Frackville because it was about two miles west of that town.
Early Motion Picture Almanacs listed it as the Hiway, capacity 300, owner Highway Drive-In, Inc. In 1962 the owner changed to M. L. Heinback. The 1977-82 MPA editions raised the drive-in’s capacity to 500. The Hiway’s owner changed to H. Crisswell in 1985, and that’s how it stayed through the last MPA list in 1988.
The Hiway was still intact in a 1992 aerial photo, but the screen was gone by 1999. Google Maps lists the location with an Ashland PA address although Ashland is significantly farther away than Frackville.
From Billboard, June 26, 1954: “Triple swimming pools are part of a $50,000 improvement program under way at the Lone Star and Samuel Bolevard (sic) Drive-In theaters at Dallas. Other improvements include picnic patios, panoramic screens, booth equipment and general repainting and renovating. Each of the drive-ins will have three pools, two for kids and one for adults. Use of the pools and picnic patios will be free to patrons.”
From the June 19, 1954 issue of Billboard: “In Dagsboro, Del., Alfred W. Goodyear, owner of the Dagsboro Drive-In, was held under $500 bail on each of two charges of exhibiting indecent pictures. State police said they visited the drive-in after receiving complaints about the show. After looking for a time at what they termed burlesque-style motion pictures, they stopped the show and confiscated the film. Goodyear was arraigned in Sussex County Court and held for further hearing.”
From the June 12, 1954 issue of Billboard: “V. E. Hamm has purchased the Hunt and Trail Drive-In theaters, Greenville, Tex., from his brother, M. E. Hamm. Monroe Wright has been named manager.”
From the June 12, 1954 issue of Billboard: “V. E. Hamm has purchased the Hunt and Trail Drive-In theaters, Greenville, Tex., from his brother, M. E. Hamm. Monroe Wright has been named manager.”
On June 5, 1954, Billboard reported that the Meriden’s owners were building a drive-in in back. “A new $125,000 drive-in with capacity for 815 cars, now being erected at Meriden, Conn., will have a screen measuring 120 feet wide. Nick Kounaris and Paul Tolis, partners in Kounaris and Tolis Theaters, are building the project in the rear of their first-run Meriden Theater. July completion is planned.”
The 1952-54 editions of the Theatre Catalog listed the 77 as owned by Woodrow Good and George Clements. The 1955-56 edition had the owner as W. A. Smith. Billboard magazine filled in the connection on June 5, 1954: “Mr. and Mrs. Wilford A. Smith have purchased Cameron (Tex.) Drive-In. The Smiths come from Temple where they operated a theater for 10 years.”
More hints from the June 5, 1954 issue of Billboard: “Rocket Drive-In, San Angelo, Tex., which was extensively damaged by high winds for the second time this year, is being remodeled and will be equipped to show CinemaScope, according to John D. Jones.”
Billboard, Feb, 27, 1954: “Ivan Solis and G. R. Garza have announced that construction has started at Alice, Tex., on a 500-car drive-in which will feature the showing of Spanish language films.”
And about three months later, the exact opening date…
“G. R. Garza and the Solis brothers opened the new 500-car Ranch Drive-In at Alice, Tex., on May 9.” – Billboard, June 5, 1954
The April 17, 1954 issue of Billboard provided more background:
New to the Denver area is the indoor-outdoor theater now nearing completion in the Northwest section of the city. Construction of the Wadsworth drive-in marks the culmination of a long-time dream of L. K. Lee, general manager of Lee Theaters of Greeley, Colorado Springs and Denver. It will serve an area of nearly 50,000 patrons. Featuring a double ramp arrangement for 1,000 cars and seating capacity for 600 patrons in the glass enclosed, air-conditioned indoor theater, all will view the same 96-foot CinemaScope screen. This, plus the latest in-car electric heaters, will make the drive-in a year-round operation. Also available will be rides for children, adjacent to the theater’s picnic area. An open-view, stainless steel cafeteria will dispense hot and cold foods. Lee came to Denver from Oklahoma in 1945. His first venture in the Denver area was a partnership in the Arvada. He helped build the Motorena, Greeley, in 1949 and had a hand in construction of the drive-in at Torrington, Wyo. Others with which he is connected are the Kar-Vu, Brighton, and the Monace Drive-In, Denver. LeRoy Ramsey, former manager of the Tower Theater, Denver, has been named manager of the Wadsworth. Victor Love, of Ad Film, Inc., will continue to do publicity and advertising for the five Lee theaters.
And the June 5, 1954 edition kept those details gushing:
The second drive-in to open in the Denver area within six weeks pulled excellent crowds as the Lee Theater chain opened its 1,000-car Wadsworth Drive-In. The opening was postponed for a week due to bad weather, but the delay gave LeRoy Ramsey opportunity for more advertising and promotional stunts. … At the Wadsworth, utilizing both indoor and outdoor facilities, the Lee brothers have instigated a permanent policy of admitting every 50th car free. Opening festivities included free gifts for every customer and special kid gimmicks.
From Billboard, May 22, 1954: “Blue Hills Drive-In Theater Corporation, Bloomfield, Conn., has erected an eight-foot aluminum fence around its property at a cost of $10,000.”
The drive-in was still intact in a 1980 aerial photo. It was in Wyoming, on the highway to Forest Lake, at 5680 259th St Wyoming, MN 55092. By 1991, it had been replaced by housing, and no trace of it remains today.
In an article yesterday in the Forest Lake Times, there was an offhand mention of the Hub. “When Bob and Jayne (Drummond) expanded their business network in 1959 to open the Hub Drive-In Theatre in Wyoming, there were more employment opportunities for the Drummond girls.”
OTOH, Norhart’s Forest Lake History page said that it was 1958 when “Mr. and Mrs. Bob Drummond and Everette Struble opened the Hub Drive-In Theater.”
Writing in 2004 about a bowling alley sign, Mark Nicklawske wrote in Press, “The Hub drive-in theater, between Forest Lake and Wyoming, had a huge sign, but that was more of a billboard-type thing.”
There’s a lengthy, history-packed article in yesterday’s Forest Lake Times marking the sale of the Forest building to “a partnership group of Bob Anderson, Matthew Anderson and Natalie Harrer. … The bar and restaurant is slated for major remodeling and a future operation as Fireside Getaway.”
Highlights from local historian Brian Tolzmann:
“The earliest I have in my archive is from the May 20, 1916, edition of Motion Picture World, which said, ‘The new Forest Theatre has been taken over by F.W. Walker.’”
There were at least eight ownership changes through the years.
“Three years after taking over the operation, the Fladlands (Jackie and Dwayne) opened Forest II in April 1980. The 89-seat auditorium allowed the owners to showcase two feature films. The main auditorium, Forest I, had seating for 264.”
The Forest’s final show was on May 29, 1990, with the two screens featuring “Hunt for Red October” and “Born on the 4th of July.”
From Billboard, May 15, 1954: “Tom Sumners has purchased El Capitan Drive-In, San Antonio, his first drive-in operation. He operates the Laurel, Josephine and Woodlawn theaters. Sumners plans to continue the present double feature policy at the El Capitan – one Spanish language and one English language film.”
From Billboard, May 15, 1954: “For the second time in recent weeks vandals with a shotgun shattered the glass marquee of the Circle Drive-In, Lubbock, Tex. Marvin McLarty. owner of the drive-in, has posted a $100 reward for the arrest and conviction of vandals.”
From the May 8, 1954 Billboard: “Construction has been started on a third drive-in at Kingsville, Tex., on a 10-acre tract of land. It will be operated by Koseph & Kyle, operator of the King’s and Brahama drive-ins. According to Chester Kyle the new drive-in will have a 350-car capacity and will feature Spanish language films.”
From the April 24, 1954 Billboard: “Name of the Route 130 Drive-In, Trenton, N. J., has been changed to the Trenton Drive-In, and corporate name of the operator is now Mercer Drive-In Corporation.”
Not sure whether this is the right drive-in, the one that opened was listed as the “Open Air” in the Motion Picture Almanacs of the day.
From Billboard, April 24, 1954: “Groton Open Air Theater, Inc., headed by J. Lawrence Peters, New London, Conn., has started construction of a 850-car capacity drive-in at Groton, Conn., with completion slated for late May. The corporation has applied to the Connecticut State Police Commissioner, Hartford, for certificate of approval to operate the theater. Other officers are: Vice-president, Isadore Fishbone: secretary, Harry Picazio Jr. and treasurer, Anthony Albino. The land is held by Fapp Realty, Inc., and will be leased to the theater corporation.”
This photo is identical to a 1979 photo by John Margolies. That photo is in the John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive at the Library of Congress, and is effectively in the public domain.
Back then, the drive-in was on Wyoming Avenue, barely within the Albuquerque city limits. The adjacent, co-owned Terrace Drive-In was barely outside the city, which might be why it was a separate drive-in.
Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Wyoming with a capacity of 1000 cars. Its final show was on Sept. 18, 1978.
This photo is identical to a 1977 photo by John Margolies. That photo is now in the John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive at the Library of Congress and is effectively in the public domain.
Indeed, this drive-in site is in Sappington, but that’s just an unincorporated census-designated place in St. Louis County. As jwmovies pointed out, the current indoor Ronnie’s Cinema near the site lists a St. Louis mailing address.
Aha! I finally found the remains of the old Lincoln, intact except for the screen, in a 1956 USGS photo. At some point they reworked the intersections near there, but the site is the large open field south of 1311 South Beason Road (AKA County Road 1500 N), so that makes a better address.
This drive-in’s first appearance in the Film Daily Year Book’s list wasn’t until 1951 (as the Car-Vue Drive-In). That’s not conclusive, but it’s another data point suggesting that the drive-in opened in 1950.
The Hi-Way, capacity 400, owners Paul Kerrigan, first appeared in the 1949-50 Theatre Catalog. The Catalog, along with all other contemporary drive-in lists, included the drive-in under Frackville because it was about two miles west of that town.
Early Motion Picture Almanacs listed it as the Hiway, capacity 300, owner Highway Drive-In, Inc. In 1962 the owner changed to M. L. Heinback. The 1977-82 MPA editions raised the drive-in’s capacity to 500. The Hiway’s owner changed to H. Crisswell in 1985, and that’s how it stayed through the last MPA list in 1988.
The Hiway was still intact in a 1992 aerial photo, but the screen was gone by 1999. Google Maps lists the location with an Ashland PA address although Ashland is significantly farther away than Frackville.
Billboard, April 10, 1954: “Michael Delfino, co-owner of the Maple Drive-In, Carbondale, Pa., took as his bride Gwen Calibro, also of Carbondale.”