Harbor Drive-In
23314 S. Vermont Avenue,
Los Angeles,
CA
90502
23314 S. Vermont Avenue,
Los Angeles,
CA
90502
7 people
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Showing 26 - 40 of 40 comments
There is an ad in the 8/17/55 LA Times for the Harbor. Address is given as 23322 S. Vermont. Phone number was TE4-8501. Features that day were “Drums Across the River” and “The Kettles at Home”.
We lived on the east side of the Harbor Drive-In Theater in the 1950’s thru 1964. Before the Harbor Freeway there was a wheat farm located on the north side of the theater, a large open space on the east where the freeway was placed between the theater and Orchard Avenue and an oriental family that lived on the property along the south side. As kids we would climb over the fence and go down to the playground and watch the movie.
The drive-in property ran approximately the length of Orchid Avenue north and south, and began on the east side right next to the freeway and sprawled over to Vermont Ave. The movie screen was located on the north side of the property, backed up against the farm. Back then if I recall correctly, it was just part of Wilmington.
Good to know, thanks.
Ken, just as San Pedro and Wilmington are communities within the city of Los Angeles Harbor City is too. These areas are represented by Los Angeles city councilwoman Janice Hahn.
I don’t think Harbor City is in the city of LA, although I do get election propaganda from the city all the time. I think Harbor City is in LA county.
Harbor City is actually a district within the City of Los Angeles, just like San Pedro or Van Nuys or Hollywood. It is part of the LA Strip that runs down to the harbor area. The Harbor Drive-In was likely in unincorporated LA County territory, like my parents home two blocks north of the theater, at 228th St and Vermont Ave. That area uses a Torrance Post Office address but is not part of Torrance, Carson or the City of LA (Harbor City).
Welcome to the world of real estate. When I bought my condo in 1994, (where the drive-in was located) I was told that the location was “Torrance area”, which means Harbor City. I have used the Torrance address ever since.
I live in the neighborhood across Vermont and my mom used to tell me that the Zody’s took the place of the drive-in. I’m sure she could be wrong but how is it that the Harbor Drive-in is listed as being in Harbor City (as the Zody’s land is) but the land that the condos are on is Torrance?
BTW, interesting real estate ad. My uncle lived in that neighborhood and I know they paid substantially more than $8250 for their house.
This ad was in the Long Beach Independent in April 1954. Not a bad deal:
$350 Down
NON-VET
New 2-bdrm. expandable stucco home. Open beam or plastered
ceiling. Tile kit. & bath. Attach. garage, sewers, paved streets. $69.50/mo. From $8250 and up.
Move in Today
Open for inspection at Menlo St. & Ocean (228th St.) bet.
Vermont & Figueroa, just north of the Harbor Drive-In Theater.
Roland H. Snow, Rltr.
State 5-6988 DI 3-0325
There is still an oil pump behind the old Vons on the southwest corner of Vermont and Sepulveda. I think the one you are referring to was closer to the drive-in.
Up until the land on the other side of Sepulveda was developed there was a small hill that had an oil derrick and an old shack. It was really spooky at night. When going to the snackbar I could hear that oil pump making a chug chug chug sound.
Here is a link:
View link
Thanks for the info. I was trying to catch a glimpse of the theater in Gone in 60 Seconds (the original) when Ed Halicki gets off the 110 at Sepulveda, going north. Unfortunately, he turns right on Sepulveda instead of left or we would see everything. I did see a large vacant lot where the Target is now, on the corner of Sepulveda and Figueroa.
I live in the condos on this site. There is a Food4Less directly behind us that takes up quite a bit of acreage. I am wondering if the drive-in was actually on the supermarket property and not on the condo property, which is about a block north of Vermont and Sepulveda. Any info would be appreciated.
This is the first of the local drive-ins I recall being demolished. It was creepy-looking even in its good days! We often went there during the early 1960s—-in fact, I called to check on the programs so often that I still remember the telephone number: TE1-3370. Back then, Harbor City hadn’t been incorporated, so this part of town was primarily a no-man’s-land, surrounded by swamps. (My dad and grandfather used to catch crawfish on the neighboring swampland on some lovely, lazy weekend afternoons). I later got to know a couple who just happened to live in the condos that were eventually built on this lot; it was a very strange experience visiting them and thinking about what USED to be there…