While researching the Sky-Vue Drive-In, I happened upon the Gila’s transition to Dollison.
Boxoffice, August 24, 1967: “Lowell Cain, Silco Theatres, Silver City, N.M., was re-elected for another term as mayor of Silver City.”
Boxoffice, April 15, 1968: “About 80 high school and college students picketed the Gila Theatre in downtown Silver City after it was announced that the hardtop film house was closing down. Silver City theatreman Lowell Cain, who manages the house as well as serves as mayor of this city of 6,900 persons … said that henceforth all first-run pictures normally run at the Gila will be shown at the Skyview (sic) Drive-In, which Cain also manages.”
Boxoffice, May 13, 1968: “Lester Dollison will reopen the Gila Theatre in Silver City, N.M. The house had been operated by Lowell Cain who closed it about a month ago. The reopening will be set after the installation of new seating and projection equipment. Dollison also operates the Starlighter Drive-In in Silver City, in addition to theaters in Espanola, Santa Rosa and Socorro, N.M.”
Digging through some notes, I noticed that Floyd Davis was from Springfield, so that explains why the 85 project was listed with a Springfield, Colorado dateline.
And I found a mention of the exact opening date. Boxoffice, Dec. 3, 1949: “RATON, N. M. - J. E. Oliver, owner of the Plaza Food store, has purchased the 85 Drive-In here from Floyd W. Davis of Springfield, Colo., and Nat Jones of Abernathy, Tex. The theatre opened last June 15.”
According to his El Paso Times obituary, U. A. Kane, who also built the Rocket in Las Cruces NM, owned El Paso’s Rocket and Bronco drive-ins. Kane lived in El Paso for 20 years and died there in 1985.
Here’s a quote that says the Aggie stayed open until 1994.
Santa Fe New Mexican, Feb. 3, 1995: “the Aggie Drive-In in Las Cruces, the only one in that city, closed six months ago, said Harold Cousland, Las Cruces Sun News editor.”
The address of the mobile home park that covers the old Aggie site and much more is 1751 W Hadley Ave.
Silver City Daily Press, April 15, 1971: “Sale of the Sky Vue Drive in Theater was announced today by Lowell Cain and the new owner U. A. Kane of El Paso. Kane said his plans include a complete remodeling of the theater including the addition of a second screen to permit showing of two features at once. He will move to Silver City with his family to assume management of his new property as soon as he can complete a house, he said. Kane is an experienced theater operator, having owned three El Paso drive-in theaters which he recently sold to the McClendon Corp. of Dallas. He said the construction on the second screen will begin “right away, as soon as I can get a building permit.” He added the theater will remain open during the construction and remodeling operations.”
The second screen became operational between August 20, when its Daily Press ad said “Screen 2 Opening Soon”, and August 23, when it was advertising movies on both screens.
I just posted the Valley’s opening night newspaper ad from August 11, 1954. Its first program was “Iron Mistress” with Alan Ladd and “The Texas Rangers” with George Montgomery.
The best address for the former Chico / Starlighter on Google Maps today is 1712 N Riverside Dr, where a tire store sits on the former drive-in’s entrance road.
To provide a source for dallasmovietheaters' accurate note, the Fayetteville Flyer reported that the 112’s final night would be Aug. 27, showing Footloose and Grease.
The Flyer said that an attorney for the buyers “told the city council back in the spring that the new owners plan to include a drive-in theater somewhere on the property.” There’s always hope.
Boxoffice, May 2, 1966: “Mrs. J. J. Rosenthal and Mrs. M. M. Botto have reopened their Skyway Drive-In on Dawson Road offering two complete shows each evening. Mr. and Mrs. Rodgers Pickering are in charge of the Skyway’s concessions. Other staffers are Tommy Farmer, projectionist, and Mrs. Harold McGowan, cashier.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 23, 1950: “Roscoe Perdue … furnished Ballantyne equipment for the Anita Drive-In at Princeton, W. Va., opened last month by Louis Skeens.”
Now an organization called Elevate Chama is in charge of the drive-in, which is still active. It has a Facebook presence, and its main web page says that the drive-in’s address is 555 US Highway 64/84.
Adding up the clips below, I would guess that for at least a couple of years after longtime owner Mike Kelly sold it, the Rainbow Theatre was reopened as the Lobo. Either that, or the Martinez family built a second Chama theater.
Boxoffice, Oct. 27, 1969: “Mike Kelly will not open up his conventional Rainbo (sic) Theatre in Chama, N. M., for the winter, as he has done in the past”
Boxoffice, June 18, 1973: “Mr. and Mrs. Frank Martinez are aiming for an early fall opening of their new Lobo Theatre in Chama, N.M. The new theatres will have a varied house policy, with some Spanish-language product being spotted throughout the monthly programs.”
Boxoffice, Jan. 14, 1974: “Sun International … “Instinct for Survival” also had a single-night booking at the Lobo Theatre, Chama”
Boxoffice, May 29, 1978: “Word was received here (Denver) of the death of Mike Kelly, who was a veteran in the field of exhibition. Kelly had operated the Rainbow Theatre and the Chama Drive-In in Chama, N.M., up until the time of his retirement from the business some years ago.”
Boxoffice, July 17, 1948: “SPRINGER, N. M. – John C. Wood of Clarksdale, Ariz., has purchased the Zia Theatre and confectionery here.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, April 21, 1965: “The Zia, Springer, N. M., has been purchased by Carl J. Garitson from John C. Wood.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 9, 1972: “Carl J. Garitson, a veteran exhibitor in the Southwest territory, has sold his Zia Theatre, Springer, N.M., to Carlos P. Gutierrez, a newcomer to the business.”
Update: I was fortunate enough to correspond with Shannon Drawe, who was happy to confirm that this photo really was of Walsenburg’s Trail, and that it must have been erroneously marked as a Route 66 drive-in much later.
Kingsport (TN) Times-News, March 9, 1984: “The Lonesome Pine Drive-In in Tacoma, Va., switched to X-rated films several years ago after operating many years as a family drive-in. The Lonesome Pine opened in 1948.”
Joe Bob Briggs' column, Jan. 23, 1994 (found in the San Francisco Examiner): “The Lonesome Pine Drive-In in Coburn, Va., held on as long as it could, mostly by showing X-rated stuff, but now it’s gone forever. Without eternal vigilance, it could happen here.”
The 6’s final ad in the Albuquerque Journal was on Sunday, Sept. 17, 1995. A month later, the local papers reported that Century Theaters had received the city’s conditional approval to level the drive-in and build a huge indoor multiplex.
Although its mailing address is Monroe, the Memory Lane is in the middle of Frenchtown MI, the address it gives on its web site, which is only advertising shows on one screen this summer.
DriveInMovie reported that the Midland’s owners “announced on their Facebook page that they would not re-open in 2020 and that they were closing the drive-in permanently.”
While researching the Sky-Vue Drive-In, I happened upon the Gila’s transition to Dollison.
Boxoffice, August 24, 1967: “Lowell Cain, Silco Theatres, Silver City, N.M., was re-elected for another term as mayor of Silver City.”
Boxoffice, April 15, 1968: “About 80 high school and college students picketed the Gila Theatre in downtown Silver City after it was announced that the hardtop film house was closing down. Silver City theatreman Lowell Cain, who manages the house as well as serves as mayor of this city of 6,900 persons … said that henceforth all first-run pictures normally run at the Gila will be shown at the Skyview (sic) Drive-In, which Cain also manages.”
Boxoffice, May 13, 1968: “Lester Dollison will reopen the Gila Theatre in Silver City, N.M. The house had been operated by Lowell Cain who closed it about a month ago. The reopening will be set after the installation of new seating and projection equipment. Dollison also operates the Starlighter Drive-In in Silver City, in addition to theaters in Espanola, Santa Rosa and Socorro, N.M.”
Based on news stories and ads in the Ruidoso News, the Downs opened on May 7, 1959 with “The Wild and the Innocent,” and closed on August 30, 1976.
Sorry, davidcoppock, but the buildings that were on either side of the Downs in 1982 (per aerial photo) are all gone now.
Digging through some notes, I noticed that Floyd Davis was from Springfield, so that explains why the 85 project was listed with a Springfield, Colorado dateline.
And I found a mention of the exact opening date. Boxoffice, Dec. 3, 1949: “RATON, N. M. - J. E. Oliver, owner of the Plaza Food store, has purchased the 85 Drive-In here from Floyd W. Davis of Springfield, Colo., and Nat Jones of Abernathy, Tex. The theatre opened last June 15.”
Google Maps now likes the address 4400 Main St.
The building closest to the site of the Rocket’s screen tower is the bank at 2400 N Main St.
According to his El Paso Times obituary, U. A. Kane, who also built the Rocket in Las Cruces NM, owned El Paso’s Rocket and Bronco drive-ins. Kane lived in El Paso for 20 years and died there in 1985.
Here’s a quote that says the Aggie stayed open until 1994.
Santa Fe New Mexican, Feb. 3, 1995: “the Aggie Drive-In in Las Cruces, the only one in that city, closed six months ago, said Harold Cousland, Las Cruces Sun News editor.”
The address of the mobile home park that covers the old Aggie site and much more is 1751 W Hadley Ave.
Silver City Daily Press, April 15, 1971: “Sale of the Sky Vue Drive in Theater was announced today by Lowell Cain and the new owner U. A. Kane of El Paso. Kane said his plans include a complete remodeling of the theater including the addition of a second screen to permit showing of two features at once. He will move to Silver City with his family to assume management of his new property as soon as he can complete a house, he said. Kane is an experienced theater operator, having owned three El Paso drive-in theaters which he recently sold to the McClendon Corp. of Dallas. He said the construction on the second screen will begin “right away, as soon as I can get a building permit.” He added the theater will remain open during the construction and remodeling operations.”
The second screen became operational between August 20, when its Daily Press ad said “Screen 2 Opening Soon”, and August 23, when it was advertising movies on both screens.
I just posted the Valley’s opening night newspaper ad from August 11, 1954. Its first program was “Iron Mistress” with Alan Ladd and “The Texas Rangers” with George Montgomery.
The best address for the former Chico / Starlighter on Google Maps today is 1712 N Riverside Dr, where a tire store sits on the former drive-in’s entrance road.
To provide a source for dallasmovietheaters' accurate note, the Fayetteville Flyer reported that the 112’s final night would be Aug. 27, showing Footloose and Grease.
The Flyer said that an attorney for the buyers “told the city council back in the spring that the new owners plan to include a drive-in theater somewhere on the property.” There’s always hope.
Boxoffice, Nov. 26, 1949: “Princeton, Ind. - Princeton Drive-In purchased by Ted Mendelssohn.”
Boxoffice, May 2, 1966: “Mrs. J. J. Rosenthal and Mrs. M. M. Botto have reopened their Skyway Drive-In on Dawson Road offering two complete shows each evening. Mr. and Mrs. Rodgers Pickering are in charge of the Skyway’s concessions. Other staffers are Tommy Farmer, projectionist, and Mrs. Harold McGowan, cashier.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 23, 1950: “Roscoe Perdue … furnished Ballantyne equipment for the Anita Drive-In at Princeton, W. Va., opened last month by Louis Skeens.”
Now an organization called Elevate Chama is in charge of the drive-in, which is still active. It has a Facebook presence, and its main web page says that the drive-in’s address is 555 US Highway 64/84.
Adding up the clips below, I would guess that for at least a couple of years after longtime owner Mike Kelly sold it, the Rainbow Theatre was reopened as the Lobo. Either that, or the Martinez family built a second Chama theater.
Boxoffice, Oct. 27, 1969: “Mike Kelly will not open up his conventional Rainbo (sic) Theatre in Chama, N. M., for the winter, as he has done in the past”
Boxoffice, June 18, 1973: “Mr. and Mrs. Frank Martinez are aiming for an early fall opening of their new Lobo Theatre in Chama, N.M. The new theatres will have a varied house policy, with some Spanish-language product being spotted throughout the monthly programs.”
Boxoffice, Jan. 14, 1974: “Sun International … “Instinct for Survival” also had a single-night booking at the Lobo Theatre, Chama”
Boxoffice, May 29, 1978: “Word was received here (Denver) of the death of Mike Kelly, who was a veteran in the field of exhibition. Kelly had operated the Rainbow Theatre and the Chama Drive-In in Chama, N.M., up until the time of his retirement from the business some years ago.”
Chain of ownership, 1948-1972.
Boxoffice, July 17, 1948: “SPRINGER, N. M. – John C. Wood of Clarksdale, Ariz., has purchased the Zia Theatre and confectionery here.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, April 21, 1965: “The Zia, Springer, N. M., has been purchased by Carl J. Garitson from John C. Wood.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 9, 1972: “Carl J. Garitson, a veteran exhibitor in the Southwest territory, has sold his Zia Theatre, Springer, N.M., to Carlos P. Gutierrez, a newcomer to the business.”
Update: I was fortunate enough to correspond with Shannon Drawe, who was happy to confirm that this photo really was of Walsenburg’s Trail, and that it must have been erroneously marked as a Route 66 drive-in much later.
Two clues on the closing date.
Kingsport (TN) Times-News, March 9, 1984: “The Lonesome Pine Drive-In in Tacoma, Va., switched to X-rated films several years ago after operating many years as a family drive-in. The Lonesome Pine opened in 1948.”
Joe Bob Briggs' column, Jan. 23, 1994 (found in the San Francisco Examiner): “The Lonesome Pine Drive-In in Coburn, Va., held on as long as it could, mostly by showing X-rated stuff, but now it’s gone forever. Without eternal vigilance, it could happen here.”
The 6’s final ad in the Albuquerque Journal was on Sunday, Sept. 17, 1995. A month later, the local papers reported that Century Theaters had received the city’s conditional approval to level the drive-in and build a huge indoor multiplex.
I was just thinking of posting that screen cap. It’s from the video that WRTV posted to YouTube.
Although its mailing address is Monroe, the Memory Lane is in the middle of Frenchtown MI, the address it gives on its web site, which is only advertising shows on one screen this summer.
DriveInMovie reported that the Midland’s owners “announced on their Facebook page that they would not re-open in 2020 and that they were closing the drive-in permanently.”
Kingston Family FunWorld closed near the end of the 2019 season, per a story from Global News.