Bayshore-Sunrise Drive-In
1881 Sunrise Highway,
Bay Shore,
NY
11706
1881 Sunrise Highway,
Bay Shore,
NY
11706
8 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 85 comments
I remember being able to catch good glimpses of the screens from St. Louis Avenue, which ran on the eastern perimeter of the drive in. You had to cut over Oakwood and drive down St. Louis to get to the entrance if you were coming from my direction down Brentwood Road, because the Sunrise Hwy service roads were one way in each direction. I know I saw a handful of movies here, but all I can remember is the first “Fletch” with Chevy Chase.
Last time I was at the site of the old Drive-In, I stopped for a late bite in the TGIF that is near the location. There’s some big chain store there where the Drive-In lot was. I can’t remember which.
I don’t think Flip is mis-remembering the drive-in./ I think he is talking about Bayshore Sunrise but that he’s just mistaken a little bit about how close Entenmann’s was to it. I think it’s coincidental that Entenmann’s happened to be down the road from a completely different drive-in than Flip was talking about. By the way, Entenmann’s is still there at 5th and Candlewood, right where it has always been.
I think the Bay Shore Sunrise Drive-In screens did face Sunrise more or less. They were angled a bit but I’m pretty sure you could see them from Sunrise. I remember watching the credits as we drove away. We used to there a few times every summer before it closed down. By the time I was old enough to drive the only drive-in left on LI was Westbury.
Anyone have more pictures of the Sunrise Drive-In. I am making a Lionel O gauge layout from our old trains and I want to build the drive-in as close to real as possible. I already have the house. Thanks
I only remember the farm from when I was 5 or 6 until I was 10 or 11 when we sold it. I remember going out the back of the property to a dirt road that ran parallel to Sunrise and we would buy eggs and other things from the farmers on “farmers road” as we called it. Don’t remember the real name. Then we would head on over to Entermans (my best part of the trip) and buy cake. I do remember watching the drive in screen from the front steps of the house, for it was bed time right after the first show.
Right… 5th Avenue and Candlewood! That’s where Entenmann’s was. It’s been a while. Anyway… flip’s comment about going up the road to Entenmann’s made me think that he might have been thinking of the 5th Avenue Drive-In. My mistake in thinking it was on Sunrise Hwy. If flip was across Sunrise from the Drive-In then it must be the Sunrise Drive-In. Perhaps there was another Entenmann’s outlet near there at one time. Also, I don’t recall that the screens faced Sunrise Hwy… I thought they faced in more of an eastern direction… but – as is quite evident from my last couple of posts – my memory may be faulty! I lived in the area in very early 20’s in 1985-88. Right on Candlewood and Massachusettes Ave, as a matter of fact.
Thanks, Bill.
To clarify a bit, I grew up in Brentwood. Entenmann’s is on 5th Ave but it is not at the corner of 5th and Brentwood Rd. There is no such corner. 5th Ave. and Brentwood Rd. run parallel to each other in a north/south direction. They both run from Main St./Montauk Hwy. at the south end, to Suffolk Ave. at the north end.
The 5th Ave. Drive-In closed before I was even born but I don’t think it was right near Sunrise Highway. I think previous posters on here have suggested that it was located where Hubbard Sand & Gravel now is, which is well north of Sunrise and right down the road from Entenmanns.
Sorry… I mean flip5050.
Filly5050… are you talking about this Drive-In or the 5th Avenue Drive-In? I’m not questioning your memory, I’m just curious since both were on Sunrise Hwy and you mention Entenmann’s being down the street. The Entenmann’s bakery that I’m thinking of is at the corner of 5th Avenue and Brentwood Road. I only ask since that intersection is probably a lot closer to the site of the Drive-In down 5th Ave than it is the Sunrise Drive-In which was much farther away down where Brentwood Road crosses Sunrise.
Thanks, Jeana… shots 61 and 79 of the 85 posted feature the Bay Shore Sunrise Drive-In – including one of the pylon sign on Sunrise that had been previously posted somewhere above.
Slightly off-topic, but if anyone is interested in old photos of the area, I have posted quite a few on webshots.com Just type in Bay Shore Brightwaters and you’ll see them.
My family had the farm (white house with blue roof) directly across the street from the Bayshore drive in. At night we would sit on the stoop and watch the movie without sound. One of my relatives read lips really well as a fun thing. We would cross Sunrise Highway in the daytime which was not very wide or buisy and play on the solid metal swing horses which were hung with chain. If you stood in front of them on full swing it could kill ya I guess. I also remember the round spinning platform with the pipe you would hold onto and run as fast as you could then jump on and spin. So much for safety back then eh? Good thing lawyers were not so desperate in the 60’s. On Sundays we would get cake from Entermans right down the street. I was only 6 at the time and lived at the playground in the Bay Shore drive in. What a life it was.
Some pictures of this Drive-in theater can be found here: www.eastislip.org
Were these XXX hardcore films? Or “soft” X? Either way, I imagine a number of local teens probably found their way to St. Louis Ave on the perimeter of the drive-in lot to try and peer at the exotic images that filled the giant screen!
I don’t know I don’t have that part of the ad. Yes there were many drive-ins that went all XXX. There was still one in Scranton PA 10 years ago.
Robert, what was playing in the old Patchogue Plaza, seen to the left?
BTW, to comment on the link, adult movies at a drive in?!?! I had no idea they used to do that!
This double bill must have helped heat up the patrons in the cars :)
View link
Thanx Wally, but that wasn’t really a question, I just remember it being there.
gustavelifting
go back to june o6 may answer some questions…
wally 1975
erra in posting
for sale $775,000.00
It wasn’t on the drive in, but I think it was a U.A.
There was an indoor theater in front of the Drive-In but not as I recall, on the drive-in property itself, like the Copiague All- Weather or Patchogue.
I remember there being an indoor at the drive in entrance. I recall seeing Glory at that theater. Maybe that’s the one.
I do not remember an indoor theater on this property and I remember the snack bar as a stand-alone building. Also, it is possible,the Bay Shore 5th Ave. Drive-IN may have been North of Southern State Pky. My placing it by the auto salvage yards may or not be correct. When I visited there as a child, the suburbs were just coming in and most of that area was still scrub pine forest.
The Bayshore Sunrise Drive in was open in the 50s before the Copiague Johnny all weather. I frequented it alot back then. My father was a Drive in addict and we went 2-3 times a week. the “gravel sand pit” at the front of the screen was not the mini golf course which was added later (I think about 60-61) but those could be the remains of shuffleboard courts which my parents and grandparents would play before the movie. The golf course was located on the South East side of the property. The playground featured a ferris wheel and it was located near the snack bar. Sunrise Hwy was just a 2 lane rd. back then and we would turn left onto the property coming from the East. There was no traffic! The Farmers market was on the west side of the property. The building was a long quonset hut strung with xmas lights year round. . there was an amusement park about a mile west on the North side of Sunrise near the Peter pan diner (I just stumbled across the Peter pan website and was suprised that they were still there.) with a ferris wheel like ride that had old bi planes attached that would spin( I never rode it) The 5th ave was located on the west side of 5th near where the auto salvage yards are or were( I live in North Carolina now) and it did stay open for a short while along with the Bayshore Sunrise cause we visited them both. The 5th Ave, had a simple little playground in front of the screen with swings, see-saws and also a shuffleboard court. The snackbar was a very old looking structure painted brown. Charlie S.