El Monte Drive-In

OH, here is one other thing. Where else, but at a Pacific Drive-In Theater, could you get a pizza with its combination of mozarella AND cheddar cheeses? Now think back. Remember? There was white and orange cheeses on those pizzas. I remember them all too well because the projectionist could order a whole pizza for only ONE DOLLAR. Also, that is where I had first experienced not only pepperoni but also jalapenos as the toppings… gastrointestinal bliss…

And, of course, I was a relief projectionist there, as well. Old Man Foreman, the guy who started Pacific Theaters, was instrumental in the drive-ins era, even though it actually began in New Jersey. Sumner Redstone, the owner of National Amusement Theaters and Paramount Studios, started with a single drive-in here on Long Island and grew the business into the empire he has today. Redstone is still alive; Foreman is not. But Foreman really pushed drive-ins in California, and it seemed as though every populated city had its own drive-in. Today, Pacific Theaters Company is still in existance, but it only operates indoor theaters. Ironic, what put them on the map, the drive-ins, do not exist anymore.

I GREW UP IN ARCADIA AND NOW LIVE IN REDLANDS. THE EL MONTE DRIVE-IN WAS ALWAYS THERE IN ALL OF ITS GLORY WHEN I WAS GROWING UP. EVEN AFTER I MOVED TO REDLANDS, I WOULD ALWAYS PASS BY THE DRIVE-IN ON MY WAY TO VISIT MY PARENTS. UNTIL ONE DAY, IT WASN’T THERE…I CRYED…I WAS SO MAD AT THE PEOPLE IN THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY AND HOME DEPOT FOR NOT TRYING TO SAVE AT LEAST THE SCREEN WITH THE “CARMEN MIRANDA” DANCING FIGURE ON IT. THAT DRIVE-IN WAS A LAND MARK!…I AM SO GLAD THAT THE CITY I LIVE IN NOW, REDLANDS, TAKES PRIDE IN RESTORING ITS LANDMARKS, SUCH AS THE FOX THEATER, NOW IN RESTORATION, INSTEAD OF TEARING THEM DOWN.