My guess is that this was always known as the Tri-County Drive-In.
The Exhibitor, May 9, 1951: “The Tri-County Drive-In, Spruce Pines, N. C., opened. Owner is Tom Cooper.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 3, 1975: “Exhibitors visiting on (Charlotte) Filmrow recently were Tom Cooper and Rogers Garland, Carolina Tri-County Drive-In, Spruce Pines”
The Exhibitor, July 4, 1951: “The Murphy Drive-In, Murphy, N. C., opened. Owner is W. M. Mauney. Theatre Booking Service will handle buying and booking.”
Boxoffice, July 7, 1951: “Murphy, N. C. - The Murphy Drive-In was opened here recently by Grover Maury and Jack Lunceford.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Feb. 16, 1955: “Max Reinhardt Enterprises had the following exhibitors in talking over their problems: … J. W. Wimpey, Murphy DriveIn, Murphy, N. C., will reopen full time on March 6. He was in making these arrangements with his booker, Theatre Booking Service.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Feb. 22, 1961: “P. J. Henn, owner, Henn Theatres in Georgia and North Carolina, took over the Murphy Drive-In, Murphy, N.C. from Jack Lunsford.”
An August 1980 ad block in the Asheville Citizen-Times was “Compliments of Henn Theater and Murphy 64 Drive-In / Murphy, N.C. / Movies are your best entertainment”.
A 1984 aerial photo showed a small, intact drive-in about four miles east of Murphy on what was then US 64, across the street from Tri-County Community College. By 1998, the drive-in was dormant. The ramps are still visible today; the closest address I could find to the screen tower is 35 Family Church Rd, Murphy, NC 28906.
The 1950 drive-in construction roundup that appeared in the Feb. 17, 1951 issue of Boxoffice included the already open Sunset in Lapeer, capacity 500 cars, owned by Robert & Harold Schuckert.
Boxoffice, March 9, 1970: “The St. Joe Auto Theatre, Stevensville, has been acquired by St. Joe Auto Drive-In, Oscar A. Brotman, president - also president of Brotman and Sherman Theatres, a 16-house Chicago circuit. The former operator was Fox Eastern Theatre, which was required to divest itself of one drive-in in the Benton Harbor area under a consent decree.”
Boxoffice, March 9, 1970: “Harry Mohney, Durand theatre circuit operator, has purchased the Laney Drive-Ins in Michigan from Mrs. Margaret Laney, wife of the late founder. The theatres involved are: Alpena and Thunder Bay drive-ins, Alpena, and Sunset Drive-In, Lapeer. Buying and booking of films will be handled by Clark Theatre Service, Oak Park.”
Boxoffice, March 9, 1970: “Harry Mohney, Durand theatre circuit operator, has purchased the Laney Drive-Ins in Michigan from Mrs. Margaret Laney, wife of the late founder. The theatres involved are: Alpena and Thunder Bay drive-ins, Alpena, and Sunset Drive-In, Lapeer. Buying and booking of films will be handled by Clark Theatre Service, Oak Park.”
Boxoffice, March 9, 1970: “The Ark Vue Drive-In was built and designed by Gene and Clara Bullard … The 350 speakers are repaired every year to give patrons the best in sound … The Ark Vue Drive-In, according to its operators, has the largest curved CinemaScope screen in the state of Kansas.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, June 26, 1957: “Milgram Buying and Booking Service will handle the new Ewing Drive-In, Trenton, N. J., for Dave Glickman, when it opens on June 27th.”
Budco Quality Theatres acquired the Ewing in 1966, per a note in the July 18 issue of Boxoffice.
Boxoffice, March 2, 1970: “Larry Thomas, 20th Century-Fox booker, has resigned to become manager and part owner with Paul Enright, 20th-Fox booker, of the 400-car Champaign Auto Drive-In, Urbana, formerly operated by Guy Spangler.”
Boxoffice, March 2, 1970: “Here (in Oklahoma City) on theatre business from Pauls Valley were L. E. Brewer, a veteran exhibitor, and his son Mike. L. E. announced that the entire job of running the family’s two theatres, the Royal Theatre and the Brewer Drive-In, is being turned over to Mike.”
In the March 2, 1970 issue of Boxoffice, Martin Theatres president C. L. Patrick announced that his company had acquired a bunch of theaters from Floyd Enterprises. Among them was the Fun-Lan in Edgewater.
In the March 2, 1970 issue of Boxoffice, Martin Theatres president C. L. Patrick announced that his company had acquired a bunch of theaters from Floyd Enterprises. Among them was the Boulevard in “De Land.”
In the March 2, 1970 issue of Boxoffice, Martin Theatres president C. L. Patrick announced that his company had acquired a bunch of theaters from Floyd Enterprises. Among them was the No. 1 in South Daytona.
In the March 2, 1970 issue of Boxoffice, Martin Theatres president C. L. Patrick announced that his company had acquired a bunch of theaters from Floyd Enterprises. Among them was the Joy-Lan in Dade City. I wonder when (if?) Floyd got it back.
In the March 2, 1970 issue of Boxoffice, Martin Theatres president C. L. Patrick announced that his company had acquired a bunch of theaters from Floyd Enterprises. Among them was the Dale in Auburndale.
Looking through 1949 issues of the Eldon Advertiser, I can’t find any mention of a local drive-in, even though the indoor Tom’s Theatre and later the Grand Glaize Drive-In are there. I also checked some decent 1948 USGS aerial photos and didn’t see anything obvious. (That promising shape that Kenmore noted was empty land in ‘48.) I wonder whether the Film Daily Year Book got it wrong in 1947, or if it was some kind of backyard, temporary drive-in.
Boxoffice, Feb. 23, 1970: “Ponco Theatres, consisting of the Skyline Drive-In in East Stroudsburg, the Grand Theatre in East Stroudsburg and the Sherman Theatre in Stroudsburg, Pa., has been sold by Jack Luckey, owner-operator for the last ten years, to Tri State Theatres of Matamoras, Pa. Tri State Theatres is owned by Irving Hulst, who now operates a circuit of theatres in Pennsylvania and New York state.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 23, 1970: “Ponco Theatres, consisting of the Skyline Drive-In in East Stroudsburg, the Grand Theatre in East Stroudsburg and the Sherman Theatre in Stroudsburg, Pa., has been sold by Jack Luckey, owner-operator for the last ten years, to Tri State Theatres of Matamoras, Pa. Tri State Theatres is owned by Irving Hulst, who now operates a circuit of theatres in Pennsylvania and New York state.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 23, 1970: “Ponco Theatres, consisting of the Skyline Drive-In in East Stroudsburg, the Grand Theatre in East Stroudsburg and the Sherman Theatre in Stroudsburg, Pa., has been sold by Jack Luckey, owner-operator for the last ten years, to Tri State Theatres of Matamoras, Pa. Tri State Theatres is owned by Irving Hulst, who now operates a circuit of theatres in Pennsylvania and New York state.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 16, 1970: “The screen at the General Cinema Corp.’s first-run Meadows Drive-In toppled in a rainstorm, causing the theatre to close for five nights. The 2,070-car capacity Meadows is largest drive-in in Connecticut”
Boxoffice, Nov. 2, 1964: “A storm of hurricane force blew the screens down at the Tri-County Drive-In, Nathalie, Va., and the Alta Vista Drive-In.”
My guess is that this was always known as the Tri-County Drive-In.
The Exhibitor, May 9, 1951: “The Tri-County Drive-In, Spruce Pines, N. C., opened. Owner is Tom Cooper.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 3, 1975: “Exhibitors visiting on (Charlotte) Filmrow recently were Tom Cooper and Rogers Garland, Carolina Tri-County Drive-In, Spruce Pines”
The Exhibitor, July 4, 1951: “The Murphy Drive-In, Murphy, N. C., opened. Owner is W. M. Mauney. Theatre Booking Service will handle buying and booking.”
Boxoffice, July 7, 1951: “Murphy, N. C. - The Murphy Drive-In was opened here recently by Grover Maury and Jack Lunceford.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Feb. 16, 1955: “Max Reinhardt Enterprises had the following exhibitors in talking over their problems: … J. W. Wimpey, Murphy DriveIn, Murphy, N. C., will reopen full time on March 6. He was in making these arrangements with his booker, Theatre Booking Service.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Feb. 22, 1961: “P. J. Henn, owner, Henn Theatres in Georgia and North Carolina, took over the Murphy Drive-In, Murphy, N.C. from Jack Lunsford.”
An August 1980 ad block in the Asheville Citizen-Times was “Compliments of Henn Theater and Murphy 64 Drive-In / Murphy, N.C. / Movies are your best entertainment”.
A 1984 aerial photo showed a small, intact drive-in about four miles east of Murphy on what was then US 64, across the street from Tri-County Community College. By 1998, the drive-in was dormant. The ramps are still visible today; the closest address I could find to the screen tower is 35 Family Church Rd, Murphy, NC 28906.
Boxoffice, March 9, 1970: “Holiday Amusements Co. has acquired … the City Drive-In, Lancaster, from Frank Yassenoff”
Boxoffice, March 9, 1970: “Holiday Amusements Co. has acquired the Skyway Drive-In, Palmetto, Fla., from Ron Jones”
The 1950 drive-in construction roundup that appeared in the Feb. 17, 1951 issue of Boxoffice included the already open Sunset in Lapeer, capacity 500 cars, owned by Robert & Harold Schuckert.
Boxoffice, March 9, 1970: “The St. Joe Auto Theatre, Stevensville, has been acquired by St. Joe Auto Drive-In, Oscar A. Brotman, president - also president of Brotman and Sherman Theatres, a 16-house Chicago circuit. The former operator was Fox Eastern Theatre, which was required to divest itself of one drive-in in the Benton Harbor area under a consent decree.”
Boxoffice, March 9, 1970: “Harry Mohney, Durand theatre circuit operator, has purchased the Laney Drive-Ins in Michigan from Mrs. Margaret Laney, wife of the late founder. The theatres involved are: Alpena and Thunder Bay drive-ins, Alpena, and Sunset Drive-In, Lapeer. Buying and booking of films will be handled by Clark Theatre Service, Oak Park.”
Here’s that new owner.
Boxoffice, March 9, 1970: “Harry Mohney, Durand theatre circuit operator, has purchased the Laney Drive-Ins in Michigan from Mrs. Margaret Laney, wife of the late founder. The theatres involved are: Alpena and Thunder Bay drive-ins, Alpena, and Sunset Drive-In, Lapeer. Buying and booking of films will be handled by Clark Theatre Service, Oak Park.”
Boxoffice, March 9, 1970: “The Ark Vue Drive-In was built and designed by Gene and Clara Bullard … The 350 speakers are repaired every year to give patrons the best in sound … The Ark Vue Drive-In, according to its operators, has the largest curved CinemaScope screen in the state of Kansas.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, June 26, 1957: “Milgram Buying and Booking Service will handle the new Ewing Drive-In, Trenton, N. J., for Dave Glickman, when it opens on June 27th.”
Budco Quality Theatres acquired the Ewing in 1966, per a note in the July 18 issue of Boxoffice.
Not sure who renamed this drive-in, or when.
Boxoffice, March 2, 1970: “Larry Thomas, 20th Century-Fox booker, has resigned to become manager and part owner with Paul Enright, 20th-Fox booker, of the 400-car Champaign Auto Drive-In, Urbana, formerly operated by Guy Spangler.”
Boxoffice, March 2, 1970: “Here (in Oklahoma City) on theatre business from Pauls Valley were L. E. Brewer, a veteran exhibitor, and his son Mike. L. E. announced that the entire job of running the family’s two theatres, the Royal Theatre and the Brewer Drive-In, is being turned over to Mike.”
In the March 2, 1970 issue of Boxoffice, Martin Theatres president C. L. Patrick announced that his company had acquired a bunch of theaters from Floyd Enterprises. Among them was the Fun-Lan in Edgewater.
In the March 2, 1970 issue of Boxoffice, Martin Theatres president C. L. Patrick announced that his company had acquired a bunch of theaters from Floyd Enterprises. Among them was the Boulevard in “De Land.”
In the March 2, 1970 issue of Boxoffice, Martin Theatres president C. L. Patrick announced that his company had acquired a bunch of theaters from Floyd Enterprises. Among them was the No. 1 in South Daytona.
In the March 2, 1970 issue of Boxoffice, Martin Theatres president C. L. Patrick announced that his company had acquired a bunch of theaters from Floyd Enterprises. Among them was the Joy-Lan in Dade City. I wonder when (if?) Floyd got it back.
In the March 2, 1970 issue of Boxoffice, Martin Theatres president C. L. Patrick announced that his company had acquired a bunch of theaters from Floyd Enterprises. Among them was the Dale in Auburndale.
Looking through 1949 issues of the Eldon Advertiser, I can’t find any mention of a local drive-in, even though the indoor Tom’s Theatre and later the Grand Glaize Drive-In are there. I also checked some decent 1948 USGS aerial photos and didn’t see anything obvious. (That promising shape that Kenmore noted was empty land in ‘48.) I wonder whether the Film Daily Year Book got it wrong in 1947, or if it was some kind of backyard, temporary drive-in.
Boxoffice, March 2, 1970: “Fred Hickman, Windsor exhibitor, … took over the Corral Drive-In, Eldon, from Tom Edwards, effective February 19.”
Boxoffice, March 2, 1970: “Norman Edwards, Branson exhibitor, has closed and dismantled his Branson Drive-In.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 23, 1970: “Ponco Theatres, consisting of the Skyline Drive-In in East Stroudsburg, the Grand Theatre in East Stroudsburg and the Sherman Theatre in Stroudsburg, Pa., has been sold by Jack Luckey, owner-operator for the last ten years, to Tri State Theatres of Matamoras, Pa. Tri State Theatres is owned by Irving Hulst, who now operates a circuit of theatres in Pennsylvania and New York state.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 23, 1970: “Ponco Theatres, consisting of the Skyline Drive-In in East Stroudsburg, the Grand Theatre in East Stroudsburg and the Sherman Theatre in Stroudsburg, Pa., has been sold by Jack Luckey, owner-operator for the last ten years, to Tri State Theatres of Matamoras, Pa. Tri State Theatres is owned by Irving Hulst, who now operates a circuit of theatres in Pennsylvania and New York state.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 23, 1970: “Ponco Theatres, consisting of the Skyline Drive-In in East Stroudsburg, the Grand Theatre in East Stroudsburg and the Sherman Theatre in Stroudsburg, Pa., has been sold by Jack Luckey, owner-operator for the last ten years, to Tri State Theatres of Matamoras, Pa. Tri State Theatres is owned by Irving Hulst, who now operates a circuit of theatres in Pennsylvania and New York state.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 16, 1970: “The screen at the General Cinema Corp.’s first-run Meadows Drive-In toppled in a rainstorm, causing the theatre to close for five nights. The 2,070-car capacity Meadows is largest drive-in in Connecticut”