As mentioned above, plans for the Bel-Air included a (single?) 135 by 90-foot screen, and the drive-in opened showing a single program. Less than two months later, the Bel-Air was advertising shows on its North and South screens. Considering its layout, with a double-sided screen in the middle of the lot, I’d guess that’s what it looked like when it opened, and the first few chilly spring weeks only had movies on one side. Here’s the first double-screen ad:
To refine Kenmore’s suggestion, what if the Finklea never had ramps or a projection booth, at least before Huggins’s remodeling? That kind of setup, even for a “permanent” drive-in, wasn’t unheard of in rural areas. Somebody with a 16mm projector and a loudspeaker could present a show for a few dozen carefully positioned cars. (The aerial photos show few neighbors who could object to the noise.) All you’d really need is a screen and the fencing to keep out freeloaders. And if Connie knocked over that screen, with television on its way, maybe the owner decided it wasn’t worth rebuilding it.
Boxoffice, Dec. 17, 1955: “Verne Lindholm, owner of the Ainsworth Theatre, has sold his holdings to Cecil See, effective immediately … Lindholm said he is keeping his interest in the new drive-in a mile east of Long Pine.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 17, 1955: “Norris Stephens, buying and booking agent for a number of operations in Georgia, has leased the Grand Theatre and Screven Drive-In, Sylvania, effective January 1.”
The 28th Street opened on Dec. 5, 1950 with “Colt .45” starring Zachary Scot. The Tampa Bay Times said it held 750 cars and was owned by P. J. Sones and S. T. Wilson. Landscaping included palms and tropical shrubbery.
The 28th Street’s final night was June 30, 2000, showing “Mission Impossible 2” followed by “Rules of Engagement.” The Pinellas County School District bought the 14.5 acres for $1.52 million.
Boxoffice, Aug. 27, 1955: “TUPELO, MISS. - The new Lee Drive-In here has been opened by owners Joe Chambers and Frank Heard. Construction was started on the 400-car situation last October, but opening was delayed until August because of rains and other obstacles. The Lee is the only home-owned theatre in Tupelo.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 27, 1955: “Midway Drive-In, New Bern, N. C., was damaged by Hurricane Connie and will be closed a week or two for repairs, according to Manager P. G. Parrot. The Midway is a new theatre, which opened recently”
Boxoffice, Aug. 27, 1955: “DECATUR, ALA. - The Bowline Drive-in, with a capacity of 600 cars, opened here Wednesday (17). Owners are W. W. Hammonds jr., C. B. Goss and G. D. Wheeler, Albertville, and A. W. Hammonds, Florence. They also operate the Wilson Drive-In in Florence and the Marshall Drive-In in Albertville. Carlton Mann, who has been in show business almost ten years, is manager. He was formerly with the Sunset Drive-In. The theatre features CinemaScope, a kiddy playground, patio for 100 persons for refreshments, plus in-car heaters. The theatre is located on a 20-acre tract.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 27, 1955: “The Dania Drive-In has been sold by George Hertner of Fort Lauderdale and George Koelliker, Dania, doing business as the Herkel Corp., to the Ochs Management Corp. of Cleveland, Ohio … The chain owns the Auto Park and Fortieth Street drive-ins in Tampa, and the Siesta in St. Petersburg.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 27, 1955: “FLORALA, ALA. - Manager Olin Evans reopened the Starlite Drive-In after a fire which destroyed the projection room and concession stand several weeks ago.”
Boxoffice, March 19, 1955: “Malco Theatres … has purchased the local Bellevue and Summer drive-ins from Kemmons Wilson and associates. The purchase, which gives Malco eight theatres in Memphis itself, was announced by M. A. Lightman jr., who is associated with his father in the operation of the circuit.”
Boxoffice, March 19, 1955: “James Nichols is the new owner of the Shell Drive-In and has changed its name to the No. 1 Drive-In. An improvement program will be started at once which will include the installation of CinemaScope. Stereophonic sound, new equipment and other improvements are planned. There is to be a new concession stand and it is probable that short order hot snacks will be available.”
A note in the June 18, 1955 issue of Boxoffice said that the Dixie had integrated its audience to include Black patrons. “The theatre has a large picnic lawn in front of the screen tower, and there are benches and chairs on the patio in front of the tower for viewers who don’t want to remain in their cars. It has complete playground facilities and children under 12 are admitted free in cars.”
The end? Boxoffice, Feb. 26, 1955: “The Sunset Drive-In, Jackson’s only airer, was destroyed by fire, with damages estimated at $15,000. The entire concession stand, as well as projection equipment, merchandise and merchandising equipment and two restrooms were demolished. Mack Foreman and L. P. Finley, co-owners, said they believed the fire was started due to defective wiring. The building and its contents were only partially covered by insurance.”
I found this postcard at the Boston Public Library’s Tichnor Brothers Collection. Since it was published without a copyright notice, it’s now in the public domain.
One of the Bridgehead’s screens lives on at the Skyline Drive-In in Barstow. According to a note in Barstow’s Desert Dispatch, that screen “was originally 60-by-90 feet but had to be trimmed down to 35-by-45 feet due to damage along the screen’s edges”
To amplify that excellent catch, the Bar-Len’s final performance was on Sunday, Sept. 15, 1968, when it showed “The One and Only Genuine Original Family Band” and “Bambi”. Subsequent ads were “Closed for the winter”.
Boxoffice, July 1990: “Larry Jacobs, former owner of the Eagle Rock Theatre in Eagle Rock, Calif., died at the age of 43. He was the former owner of a theatre in Bell, Calif., as well as drive-ins in Ventura and Mount Baldy. He came to the Los Angeles area from New York while working for Pacific Concessions.”
The Airway opened on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 1948, as seen in the ad below. The next day, a similar ad said “Now Open” so that grand opening probably went off okay.
In the autumn of 1974, Wehrenberg Theatres took over operation of the Airway. Less than a year later, they added a second screen, first advertising the Airway Twin on May 21, 1975.
As much as I’d like to believe this is the St. Ann 4-Screen, it looks more like the Riverdale IL 4-Screen. Chicagoland had this double feature, but as far as I can tell, St. Ann didn’t.
David Gulick, a photographer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, had several photos from the St. Ann 4-Screen in the newspaper’s July 6, 1958. One of those had to have been taken at the same time as this photo, with the same families in the front seats. The Post-Dispatch’s photo was cropped more narrowly, and the “engineer” was looking down instead of forward, but it was clearly taken within moments of this one. Weird!
As mentioned above, plans for the Bel-Air included a (single?) 135 by 90-foot screen, and the drive-in opened showing a single program. Less than two months later, the Bel-Air was advertising shows on its North and South screens. Considering its layout, with a double-sided screen in the middle of the lot, I’d guess that’s what it looked like when it opened, and the first few chilly spring weeks only had movies on one side. Here’s the first double-screen ad:
The Bel-Air added its third screen in 1979, switching its newspaper ad from two programs to three on June 15.
The 1950 Film Daily Year Book listed only the Roan Theatre, 175 seats, under De Beque. That’s got to be the same theater, right?
The address of the old IOOF building is 416 Curtis Avenue.
From the Modern Theatre section of the May 8, 1961 issue of Boxoffice, which is in the public domain.
To refine Kenmore’s suggestion, what if the Finklea never had ramps or a projection booth, at least before Huggins’s remodeling? That kind of setup, even for a “permanent” drive-in, wasn’t unheard of in rural areas. Somebody with a 16mm projector and a loudspeaker could present a show for a few dozen carefully positioned cars. (The aerial photos show few neighbors who could object to the noise.) All you’d really need is a screen and the fencing to keep out freeloaders. And if Connie knocked over that screen, with television on its way, maybe the owner decided it wasn’t worth rebuilding it.
Boxoffice, Dec. 17, 1955: “Verne Lindholm, owner of the Ainsworth Theatre, has sold his holdings to Cecil See, effective immediately … Lindholm said he is keeping his interest in the new drive-in a mile east of Long Pine.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 17, 1955: “W. B. Sockwell of United Theatres, new owners of the 65 Drive-In, Conway, Ark., will book and buy in Memphis”
Boxoffice, Dec. 17, 1955: “Norris Stephens, buying and booking agent for a number of operations in Georgia, has leased the Grand Theatre and Screven Drive-In, Sylvania, effective January 1.”
The 28th Street opened on Dec. 5, 1950 with “Colt .45” starring Zachary Scot. The Tampa Bay Times said it held 750 cars and was owned by P. J. Sones and S. T. Wilson. Landscaping included palms and tropical shrubbery.
The 28th Street’s final night was June 30, 2000, showing “Mission Impossible 2” followed by “Rules of Engagement.” The Pinellas County School District bought the 14.5 acres for $1.52 million.
Boxoffice, Dec. 17, 1955: “Neal Robinson … has taken over the Dixie Drive-In, Crestview, Fla., from Tom Barrow to whom he was leasing the theatre.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 27, 1955: “TUPELO, MISS. - The new Lee Drive-In here has been opened by owners Joe Chambers and Frank Heard. Construction was started on the 400-car situation last October, but opening was delayed until August because of rains and other obstacles. The Lee is the only home-owned theatre in Tupelo.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 27, 1955: “Midway Drive-In, New Bern, N. C., was damaged by Hurricane Connie and will be closed a week or two for repairs, according to Manager P. G. Parrot. The Midway is a new theatre, which opened recently”
Boxoffice, Aug. 27, 1955: “DECATUR, ALA. - The Bowline Drive-in, with a capacity of 600 cars, opened here Wednesday (17). Owners are W. W. Hammonds jr., C. B. Goss and G. D. Wheeler, Albertville, and A. W. Hammonds, Florence. They also operate the Wilson Drive-In in Florence and the Marshall Drive-In in Albertville. Carlton Mann, who has been in show business almost ten years, is manager. He was formerly with the Sunset Drive-In. The theatre features CinemaScope, a kiddy playground, patio for 100 persons for refreshments, plus in-car heaters. The theatre is located on a 20-acre tract.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 27, 1955: “The Dania Drive-In has been sold by George Hertner of Fort Lauderdale and George Koelliker, Dania, doing business as the Herkel Corp., to the Ochs Management Corp. of Cleveland, Ohio … The chain owns the Auto Park and Fortieth Street drive-ins in Tampa, and the Siesta in St. Petersburg.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 27, 1955: “FLORALA, ALA. - Manager Olin Evans reopened the Starlite Drive-In after a fire which destroyed the projection room and concession stand several weeks ago.”
Boxoffice, March 19, 1955: “Malco Theatres … has purchased the local Bellevue and Summer drive-ins from Kemmons Wilson and associates. The purchase, which gives Malco eight theatres in Memphis itself, was announced by M. A. Lightman jr., who is associated with his father in the operation of the circuit.”
Boxoffice, March 19, 1955: “James Nichols is the new owner of the Shell Drive-In and has changed its name to the No. 1 Drive-In. An improvement program will be started at once which will include the installation of CinemaScope. Stereophonic sound, new equipment and other improvements are planned. There is to be a new concession stand and it is probable that short order hot snacks will be available.”
A note in the June 18, 1955 issue of Boxoffice said that the Dixie had integrated its audience to include Black patrons. “The theatre has a large picnic lawn in front of the screen tower, and there are benches and chairs on the patio in front of the tower for viewers who don’t want to remain in their cars. It has complete playground facilities and children under 12 are admitted free in cars.”
The end? Boxoffice, Feb. 26, 1955: “The Sunset Drive-In, Jackson’s only airer, was destroyed by fire, with damages estimated at $15,000. The entire concession stand, as well as projection equipment, merchandise and merchandising equipment and two restrooms were demolished. Mack Foreman and L. P. Finley, co-owners, said they believed the fire was started due to defective wiring. The building and its contents were only partially covered by insurance.”
I found this postcard at the Boston Public Library’s Tichnor Brothers Collection. Since it was published without a copyright notice, it’s now in the public domain.
One of the Bridgehead’s screens lives on at the Skyline Drive-In in Barstow. According to a note in Barstow’s Desert Dispatch, that screen “was originally 60-by-90 feet but had to be trimmed down to 35-by-45 feet due to damage along the screen’s edges”
To amplify that excellent catch, the Bar-Len’s final performance was on Sunday, Sept. 15, 1968, when it showed “The One and Only Genuine Original Family Band” and “Bambi”. Subsequent ads were “Closed for the winter”.
Boxoffice, July 1990: “Larry Jacobs, former owner of the Eagle Rock Theatre in Eagle Rock, Calif., died at the age of 43. He was the former owner of a theatre in Bell, Calif., as well as drive-ins in Ventura and Mount Baldy. He came to the Los Angeles area from New York while working for Pacific Concessions.”
The Airway opened on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 1948, as seen in the ad below. The next day, a similar ad said “Now Open” so that grand opening probably went off okay.
In the autumn of 1974, Wehrenberg Theatres took over operation of the Airway. Less than a year later, they added a second screen, first advertising the Airway Twin on May 21, 1975.
As much as I’d like to believe this is the St. Ann 4-Screen, it looks more like the Riverdale IL 4-Screen. Chicagoland had this double feature, but as far as I can tell, St. Ann didn’t.
David Gulick, a photographer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, had several photos from the St. Ann 4-Screen in the newspaper’s July 6, 1958. One of those had to have been taken at the same time as this photo, with the same families in the front seats. The Post-Dispatch’s photo was cropped more narrowly, and the “engineer” was looking down instead of forward, but it was clearly taken within moments of this one. Weird!