The Modern Theatre section of the April 7, 1958 issue of Boxoffice ran a one-page article about the Autoscope’s efficient concession stand. Among the details:
The drive-in was run by Clark Smith, who learned the trade in Texas “before returning to his native western Kentucky county”. The Autoscope held 600 cars and 600 walk-ins, had a 105x52-foot screen, and cost $125,000 to build. It opened July 24, 1957. Cairo IL provided a lot of the patronage, but the bulk of it came “from Ballard County, population 8,545, Smith’s drive-in being the only outdoor operation in the county.”
Thumbing through old issues of the Morton Tribune, I saw an ad in the Aug. 12, 1954 edition saying that the Indian would open Saturday, Aug. 21. That would be very late in the year for a season opener, making me wonder whether the screen destruction in April 1953 was before the Indian opened for business. Anyway, that first movie in the following week’s ad was “Drums of Tahiti” with Dennis O'Keefe.
FYI, Morton High School’s sports teams were called the Indians.
Boxoffice, Feb. 18, 1950: I. Q. Mize, president of the Highway Amusement Co., told the story of his last-minute naming of the drive-in. “One morning before daylight as he and his wife were arising earlier than usual, Mize glanced through a bedroom window and was entranced with the silvery appearance of the moon which shone through his bedroom window.”
The Parrot really existed, if not for very long, according to more issues of the Aurora Democrat.
On Sept. 14, 1928, it ran a schedule of movies beginning Saturday, Sept. 15. “Under new management the old Hollywood, now known as the Parrot, will make earnest effort to give Aurora a picture show that we can all be proud of. Only the best pictures will be shown and every effort will be made to please you. Let’s all go!”
Sept. 21, 1928: “The Parrot Theatre, which has been artistically re-decorated, promises to be an attraction to Aurora’s movie fans this season. The new management are showing the best pictures obtainable, and with good music and comfortable seats, an evening at the Parrot is an evening of real enjoyment.”
Sept. 28, 1928: Ainslie R. Davis was appointed manager.
Oct. 11, 1929: The Women’s Library Club put on a play at the Parrot on Oct. 8.
Jan. 1, 1932: “The building formerly occupied by the Parrot theatre at Emporia and Colfax is being remodeled into a store building.”
Same location, wonder what happened? Boxoffice, Jan. 14, 1950: “A permit has been issued to construct a $31,100 drive-in at First and Alma streets in San Jose, to be built by Daley Bros. of San Francisco for the Shamrock Amusement Co. The drive-in will be on the circus grounds property.”
Boxoffice, Jan. 14, 1950: (under the erroneous headline “Build Winston Drive-In”) WINSTON, ORE. – Mr. and Mrs. Paul Bender of Roseburg, former owners of the Shamrock motel, are building a new theatre here for opening in April. The theatre will seat 420 persons.
The first appearance for the “Conesus Lake Drive-In” in the annual Motion Picture Almanac drive-in list was the 1958 edition, owner Jos. Iamon, no capacity. In 1960, that changed to T. J. Meagher, 580 cars. The MPA continued to list it that way through 1976.
In 1977, when the MPA rebooted its drive-in list, the drive-in was just “Conesus,” moved under Livonia, and was owned by R. Iamon. In the 1983 MPA, it was back to “Conesus Lake,” and the owner was Szczesniak. That’s how it stayed through the final MPA drive-in list in 1988.
The Dec. 12, 1934 issue of the Craig Empire Courier announced the reopening of the Victory after a weekend closure to install a new sound system and other improvements. “The side and rear walls (of the main auditorium) have been paneled and attractive scenes painted at intervals.” Owner Alma Evans also installed an electrically-controlled curtain.
Boxoffice, May 21, 1949: “Sam Reed, who operates the Placer in Fairplay, is in other business also. In fact he is kept busy by a college camp and a hamburger stand in addition to the theatre.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 17, 1949: “Sam Reed, who has been operating the Placer, Fairplay, for some months, along with other R. D. Ervin properties, returned to Denver. He is doing some relief operating until he completes future plans”
CSWalczak’s link was acting odd for me, so here’s the Internet Archive backup version.
For a couple more details, here’s the story in the March 17, 1945 issue of Boxoffice:
Fire did $175,000 damage to the Egyptian Theatre, Scottsbluff, Neb., practically destroying the building, the only things saved being the booth and the front of the house. The theatre, owned by W. H. Ostenberg and operated as a unit of Gibralter Enterprises, will be rebuilt as soon as possible. No film was burned. The house had 1,016 seats.
Per Cape Girardeau TV station KFVS, the former Montgomery will reopen in October as the Rock ‘N’ Roll Drive-In. From photos on its Facebook page, they’ve done a lot of work to clear the viewing field and take the foliage off the sturdy concrete screen.
The Lincoln Journal Star ran an article today talking about the history of the city’s drive-ins, focusing mainly on the West O and its drawbacks. The author complained about frequent noise from the nearby Burlington Railroad hump yard as well as its position near the flight path for Lincoln Airport. He said that the West O’s final night was June 23, 1985.
One more Boxoffice mention, accurate in everything except the dateline city.
Boxoffice, April 16, 1949: “SPRINGFIELD, COLO. – Work has begun on a 400-car drive-in on a ten-acre plot of ground three blocks east of Highway 85, just north of Eagle Tail airport. The theatre will be operated by Floyd Davis and Nat Jones, local business men. Plans are for a 50x60 foot screen at the north end of the grounds and a two-story combination refreshment center and projection booth. Facilities for expansion to 500 cars will be allowed, the owners said.”
I’ve found the answer to this mysterious quote in Boxoffice. First, that quote:
Boxoffice, April 16, 1949: “SPRINGFIELD, COLO. – Work has begun on a 400-car drive-in on a ten-acre plot of ground three blocks east of Highway 85, just north of Eagle Tail airport. The theatre will be operated by Floyd Davis and Nat Jones, local business men. Plans are for a 50x60 foot screen at the north end of the grounds and a two-story combination refreshment center and projection booth. Facilities for expansion to 500 cars will be allowed, the owners said.”
Searching for the site near Springfield turned out to be futile, since it had neither an Eagle Tail airport nor a Highway 85. On the other hand, both were present in Raton NM, where Floyd Davis and Nat Jones opened the 85 Drive-in in June 1949.
By the way, Getty Images is licensing this old Denver Post photo, so my advice would be to either give Getty a few hundred dollars to reuse it or just enjoy looking at it here.
The pandemic has led Ripon resident Mark Stotzer to reopen the Ceres. It’s down to one screen, and it may be just a temporary thing, but it was reported by the Turlock Journal and the Modesto Bee.
Getty Images is licensing this photo from the Jan. 12, 1962 issue of the Denver Post. Getty would disagree with the assertion that this image is public domain, and they have many lawyers in their employ.
Newman still owned the Gem in 1964, when he bought the Apache Drive-In in Springfield CO, per a note in the Feb. 17, 1964 issue of Boxoffice. In his 2007 essay “Silver Screens Under Starry Skies,” historian Mark Wolfe clarified that Newman had formed a corporation, Baca Theaters, with Ike and Ruby Ross in 1963. Wolfe wrote that the corporation bought the Gem that year.
Same theater? Boxoffice, Sept. 23, 1950: “DELTA, COLO. – Max Story, owner of the Skylite Drive-In here, will open a new house in the old Strand building early in October. … The house will be operated on a year-around basis with the Skylite, which probably will close for a few months during the winter."
Now that you got me started, here’s a history of the Empire, as seen by the San Juan Record.
Noel Sitton, who ran a service station in Monticello UT, opened the Empire in July 1940. It seated 156.
On Aug. 5, 1944, a fire that started in the film room destroyed the Empire a and its “fine building erected nearly two years ago by Noel W. Sitton.” Not sure whether he built in 1942-43, or the newspaper got the dates wrong. Thanks to Sitton’s calm instructions for patrons to leave, no one was injured. The Empire reopened in temporary quarters on Sept. 16.
By January 1947, there were references to the Empire Theatre building, so Sitton must have rebuilt.
Another fire caused by “the careless use of a cigarette in the film room” broke out on June 9, 1945. Sitton and two others were injured while subduing the flames.
The Dec. 16, 1954 note posted above showed that Sitton sold the Empire to the Waltons in 1951, and they sold it to Neil Bolt.
The Empire advertised in the Record from 1964 to April 1967. In the Feb. 13, 1969 issue of the San Juan Record, Neil and Nettie Bolt advertised that they were reopening. “The Empire Theatre in Dove Creek will again offer you the best in entertainment starting February 20” It continued advertising sporadically for years; the last I could find was Dec. 23, 1976.
The San Juan Record (Monticello UT), Dec. 16, 1954: “Mr. and Mrs. Bill Walton, owners of the Empire Theatre, announced this week, the sale of the business to Neil Bolt of Dove Creek. The change will be effective Jan. 1. The Walton(s) of Monticello purchased the theatre three years ago from Noel Sitton. They have made a lot of friends in Dove Creek and wish to express their thanks for the fine patronage. Bolt’s sister and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. O. S. Roush of Albuquerque, N. M., will be in charge of the theatre.”
The Modern Theatre section of the April 7, 1958 issue of Boxoffice ran a one-page article about the Autoscope’s efficient concession stand. Among the details:
The drive-in was run by Clark Smith, who learned the trade in Texas “before returning to his native western Kentucky county”. The Autoscope held 600 cars and 600 walk-ins, had a 105x52-foot screen, and cost $125,000 to build. It opened July 24, 1957. Cairo IL provided a lot of the patronage, but the bulk of it came “from Ballard County, population 8,545, Smith’s drive-in being the only outdoor operation in the county.”
Thumbing through old issues of the Morton Tribune, I saw an ad in the Aug. 12, 1954 edition saying that the Indian would open Saturday, Aug. 21. That would be very late in the year for a season opener, making me wonder whether the screen destruction in April 1953 was before the Indian opened for business. Anyway, that first movie in the following week’s ad was “Drums of Tahiti” with Dennis O'Keefe.
FYI, Morton High School’s sports teams were called the Indians.
Boxoffice, Feb. 18, 1950: I. Q. Mize, president of the Highway Amusement Co., told the story of his last-minute naming of the drive-in. “One morning before daylight as he and his wife were arising earlier than usual, Mize glanced through a bedroom window and was entranced with the silvery appearance of the moon which shone through his bedroom window.”
Three 1950 notes from Boxoffice:
On Feb. 18, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Amato had sold the Uptown building to Nathan and Helen Snyder.
On May 27, the Snyders had sold it to George Sawaya, owner of the Peak Drive-In and the Strand.
But on June 24: “Nadine Caselnova has closed the Uptown in Trinidad, and the theatre will be dismantled and the building remodeled into a storeroom.”
The Parrot really existed, if not for very long, according to more issues of the Aurora Democrat.
On Sept. 14, 1928, it ran a schedule of movies beginning Saturday, Sept. 15. “Under new management the old Hollywood, now known as the Parrot, will make earnest effort to give Aurora a picture show that we can all be proud of. Only the best pictures will be shown and every effort will be made to please you. Let’s all go!”
Sept. 21, 1928: “The Parrot Theatre, which has been artistically re-decorated, promises to be an attraction to Aurora’s movie fans this season. The new management are showing the best pictures obtainable, and with good music and comfortable seats, an evening at the Parrot is an evening of real enjoyment.”
Sept. 28, 1928: Ainslie R. Davis was appointed manager.
Oct. 11, 1929: The Women’s Library Club put on a play at the Parrot on Oct. 8.
Jan. 1, 1932: “The building formerly occupied by the Parrot theatre at Emporia and Colfax is being remodeled into a store building.”
Same location, wonder what happened? Boxoffice, Jan. 14, 1950: “A permit has been issued to construct a $31,100 drive-in at First and Alma streets in San Jose, to be built by Daley Bros. of San Francisco for the Shamrock Amusement Co. The drive-in will be on the circus grounds property.”
Boxoffice, Jan. 14, 1950: (under the erroneous headline “Build Winston Drive-In”) WINSTON, ORE. – Mr. and Mrs. Paul Bender of Roseburg, former owners of the Shamrock motel, are building a new theatre here for opening in April. The theatre will seat 420 persons.
The first appearance for the “Conesus Lake Drive-In” in the annual Motion Picture Almanac drive-in list was the 1958 edition, owner Jos. Iamon, no capacity. In 1960, that changed to T. J. Meagher, 580 cars. The MPA continued to list it that way through 1976.
In 1977, when the MPA rebooted its drive-in list, the drive-in was just “Conesus,” moved under Livonia, and was owned by R. Iamon. In the 1983 MPA, it was back to “Conesus Lake,” and the owner was Szczesniak. That’s how it stayed through the final MPA drive-in list in 1988.
The Dec. 12, 1934 issue of the Craig Empire Courier announced the reopening of the Victory after a weekend closure to install a new sound system and other improvements. “The side and rear walls (of the main auditorium) have been paneled and attractive scenes painted at intervals.” Owner Alma Evans also installed an electrically-controlled curtain.
Boxoffice, May 21, 1949: “Sam Reed, who operates the Placer in Fairplay, is in other business also. In fact he is kept busy by a college camp and a hamburger stand in addition to the theatre.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 17, 1949: “Sam Reed, who has been operating the Placer, Fairplay, for some months, along with other R. D. Ervin properties, returned to Denver. He is doing some relief operating until he completes future plans”
CSWalczak’s link was acting odd for me, so here’s the Internet Archive backup version.
For a couple more details, here’s the story in the March 17, 1945 issue of Boxoffice:
Fire did $175,000 damage to the Egyptian Theatre, Scottsbluff, Neb., practically destroying the building, the only things saved being the booth and the front of the house. The theatre, owned by W. H. Ostenberg and operated as a unit of Gibralter Enterprises, will be rebuilt as soon as possible. No film was burned. The house had 1,016 seats.
Per Cape Girardeau TV station KFVS, the former Montgomery will reopen in October as the Rock ‘N’ Roll Drive-In. From photos on its Facebook page, they’ve done a lot of work to clear the viewing field and take the foliage off the sturdy concrete screen.
The Lincoln Journal Star ran an article today talking about the history of the city’s drive-ins, focusing mainly on the West O and its drawbacks. The author complained about frequent noise from the nearby Burlington Railroad hump yard as well as its position near the flight path for Lincoln Airport. He said that the West O’s final night was June 23, 1985.
The Voice of America produced a video about the Family Drive-In in July 2013. It’s available at the Internet Archive, and it’s in the public domain.
One more Boxoffice mention, accurate in everything except the dateline city.
Boxoffice, April 16, 1949: “SPRINGFIELD, COLO. – Work has begun on a 400-car drive-in on a ten-acre plot of ground three blocks east of Highway 85, just north of Eagle Tail airport. The theatre will be operated by Floyd Davis and Nat Jones, local business men. Plans are for a 50x60 foot screen at the north end of the grounds and a two-story combination refreshment center and projection booth. Facilities for expansion to 500 cars will be allowed, the owners said.”
I’ve found the answer to this mysterious quote in Boxoffice. First, that quote:
Boxoffice, April 16, 1949: “SPRINGFIELD, COLO. – Work has begun on a 400-car drive-in on a ten-acre plot of ground three blocks east of Highway 85, just north of Eagle Tail airport. The theatre will be operated by Floyd Davis and Nat Jones, local business men. Plans are for a 50x60 foot screen at the north end of the grounds and a two-story combination refreshment center and projection booth. Facilities for expansion to 500 cars will be allowed, the owners said.”
Searching for the site near Springfield turned out to be futile, since it had neither an Eagle Tail airport nor a Highway 85. On the other hand, both were present in Raton NM, where Floyd Davis and Nat Jones opened the 85 Drive-in in June 1949.
By the way, Getty Images is licensing this old Denver Post photo, so my advice would be to either give Getty a few hundred dollars to reuse it or just enjoy looking at it here.
The pandemic has led Ripon resident Mark Stotzer to reopen the Ceres. It’s down to one screen, and it may be just a temporary thing, but it was reported by the Turlock Journal and the Modesto Bee.
Getty Images is licensing this photo from the Jan. 12, 1962 issue of the Denver Post. Getty would disagree with the assertion that this image is public domain, and they have many lawyers in their employ.
There’s an excellent article, with plenty of photos, in today’s Tulsa World marking the 10th anniversary of the Admiral Twin’s screen-destroying fire.
FYI, Getty Images has a lot of Denver Post photos that it licenses, and this is one of them. Reuse this photo at your peril.
Newman still owned the Gem in 1964, when he bought the Apache Drive-In in Springfield CO, per a note in the Feb. 17, 1964 issue of Boxoffice. In his 2007 essay “Silver Screens Under Starry Skies,” historian Mark Wolfe clarified that Newman had formed a corporation, Baca Theaters, with Ike and Ruby Ross in 1963. Wolfe wrote that the corporation bought the Gem that year.
Same theater? Boxoffice, Sept. 23, 1950: “DELTA, COLO. – Max Story, owner of the Skylite Drive-In here, will open a new house in the old Strand building early in October. … The house will be operated on a year-around basis with the Skylite, which probably will close for a few months during the winter."
Now that you got me started, here’s a history of the Empire, as seen by the San Juan Record.
Noel Sitton, who ran a service station in Monticello UT, opened the Empire in July 1940. It seated 156.
On Aug. 5, 1944, a fire that started in the film room destroyed the Empire a and its “fine building erected nearly two years ago by Noel W. Sitton.” Not sure whether he built in 1942-43, or the newspaper got the dates wrong. Thanks to Sitton’s calm instructions for patrons to leave, no one was injured. The Empire reopened in temporary quarters on Sept. 16.
By January 1947, there were references to the Empire Theatre building, so Sitton must have rebuilt.
Another fire caused by “the careless use of a cigarette in the film room” broke out on June 9, 1945. Sitton and two others were injured while subduing the flames.
The Dec. 16, 1954 note posted above showed that Sitton sold the Empire to the Waltons in 1951, and they sold it to Neil Bolt.
The Empire advertised in the Record from 1964 to April 1967. In the Feb. 13, 1969 issue of the San Juan Record, Neil and Nettie Bolt advertised that they were reopening. “The Empire Theatre in Dove Creek will again offer you the best in entertainment starting February 20” It continued advertising sporadically for years; the last I could find was Dec. 23, 1976.
The San Juan Record (Monticello UT), Dec. 16, 1954: “Mr. and Mrs. Bill Walton, owners of the Empire Theatre, announced this week, the sale of the business to Neil Bolt of Dove Creek. The change will be effective Jan. 1. The Walton(s) of Monticello purchased the theatre three years ago from Noel Sitton. They have made a lot of friends in Dove Creek and wish to express their thanks for the fine patronage. Bolt’s sister and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. O. S. Roush of Albuquerque, N. M., will be in charge of the theatre.”