The Skylark Drive-In is the second drive-in theater to open in the Canadian side of Sault Sainte Marie, the only drive-in in the area being locally operated, and was the first in Northern Ontario to have widescreen installation in a drive-in theater, opening on July 5, 1954 with Dan Dailey in “Meet Me At The Fair” along with two shorts “Get Rich Quick” and “Mad About Moonshine”, an unnamed cartoon, and a newsreel. Exactly two days after the grand opening, the management of the Skylark apologizes in front of the Sault Star due to possible shorter attendance than what they’re expecting but they still continued with its run of the grand opening attraction for one more day.
Both the Skylark Drive-In and the nearby Soo Drive-In closed for the final time on September 5, 1984.
The Grand Bay Drive-In opened in the early-1950s. What’s unique about the Grand Bay Drive-In is that according to a May 30, 1953 article of the National Post, the Grand Bay Drive-In installed 300 seats to attract small boat traffic.
This replaced an older 1,746-seat Avalon Mall Cinema that operated from 1967 until 1999. St. John’s in Newfoundland had a grand total of 17 theaters (16 indoors and a drive-in) throughout its history.
Does anybody know about the two drive-ins that served Halifax as well? There was the 426-capacity Bay Street Drive-In and the 1,473-capacity Triple Drive-In, but I cannot find a lot of information about those two.
Hmm, so Thompson closed the downtown Stone Theatre right at the same time the Stone Drive-In began its operation? I don’t know why, but did someone had a chance to reopen the Stone Theatre later on or did it close for the final time?
Correction: It is the second oldest drive-in in the Lehigh Valley and in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton area behind the Shankweiler’s within less than 10 miles.
Does anybody know about the other few theaters that served Mountain View throughout its history, including the Stone Theatre and the Ozark Theatre there?
The Arcade Theatre originally had a capacity of 1,000 seats from the 1938 rebuilt, and some original equipment featured a 15x19ft screen, Super Simplex projection, and a bubble type fountain in the ornate lobby.
ABC Florida State Theatres was the last operator for the Arcade Theatre until the Arcade closed as a movie theater on February 22, 1977. The Arcade Theatre relaunched as a performing arts theater right afterward.
When the Arcade Theatre was renovated during a nearly two-year closure that left the theater completely dark in 1989 due to low attendance, the Arcade Theatre relaunched back as a performing arts house with a downsized 393-seat capacity on November 1, 1991.
The original Arcade Theatre opened its doors on February 5, 1917 with Frank McIntyre in “The Traveling Salesman”.
This was first known as the “Hilltop Twin Cinema”. Although I cannot find its opening date, it opened around 1972. The theater was renamed “Hilltop Expanded Cinema” in January 1983 (although it was never expanded) and was lastly known as the “Hilltop Square Two Theatres” in the mid-1980s back when AMC ran the theater. I cannot find its closing date either.
The Pembroke Mall Theatres operated from October 1971 until Spring 1987, and it was actually first operated by ABC Southeastern Theatres, not ABC Southern Theatres.
Once operated by ABC Southeast Theatres, later by Plitt, and finally by NEI. The theater closed in January 1998 after it failed to gain its audience after switching its format to discount during its final years of operation.
At the time of the Twinlake’s opening, it was his 26th year in the theater business.
Novak started his life as a doorman for the Strand Theatre in Jonesboro in 1952, which at the time was a Malco theater. Shortly after the first couple of drive-ins opened in Jonesboro, Malco transferred the manager to Jonesboro from Memphis and he called Novak that if he will be interested on running a drive-in. At the time, Jonesboro had three drive-in theaters (the Starlite, the Skyvue, and the Indian; all Malco theaters). He once remembered that one of the drive-ins there jammed over the number of cars on Saturday nights, also adding that we got an 800-car capacity once-a-week. At the time, it is a year-round drive-in and he said that it was the first drive-in in Arkansas to give out free in-car heaters. Novak would later have a partnership with the Imperial Theatre in Pocahontas and would later build and open the Cherokee Drive-In in Ash Flat. At the time while Novak worked at the Skyvue Drive-In in Jonesboro in the mid-1970s, that’s when Novak brought the idea of the Twinlake Tri-Cinema.
On August 22, 1997, Novak passed away from an undergoing heart surgery at St. Bernard’s Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro.
The Skylark Drive-In is the second drive-in theater to open in the Canadian side of Sault Sainte Marie, the only drive-in in the area being locally operated, and was the first in Northern Ontario to have widescreen installation in a drive-in theater, opening on July 5, 1954 with Dan Dailey in “Meet Me At The Fair” along with two shorts “Get Rich Quick” and “Mad About Moonshine”, an unnamed cartoon, and a newsreel. Exactly two days after the grand opening, the management of the Skylark apologizes in front of the Sault Star due to possible shorter attendance than what they’re expecting but they still continued with its run of the grand opening attraction for one more day.
Both the Skylark Drive-In and the nearby Soo Drive-In closed for the final time on September 5, 1984.
The Grand Bay Drive-In opened in the early-1950s. What’s unique about the Grand Bay Drive-In is that according to a May 30, 1953 article of the National Post, the Grand Bay Drive-In installed 300 seats to attract small boat traffic.
Capacity of 500.
This replaced an older 1,746-seat Avalon Mall Cinema that operated from 1967 until 1999. St. John’s in Newfoundland had a grand total of 17 theaters (16 indoors and a drive-in) throughout its history.
Does anybody know about the two drive-ins that served Halifax as well? There was the 426-capacity Bay Street Drive-In and the 1,473-capacity Triple Drive-In, but I cannot find a lot of information about those two.
Closed in 1992.
Hmm, so Thompson closed the downtown Stone Theatre right at the same time the Stone Drive-In began its operation? I don’t know why, but did someone had a chance to reopen the Stone Theatre later on or did it close for the final time?
Once known as Shea’s Midway Drive-In.
Correction: The Royal Drive-In managed to continue into the rest of the mid-1970s, but was closed before the late-1970s.
Correction: It is the second oldest drive-in in the Lehigh Valley and in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton area behind the Shankweiler’s within less than 10 miles.
Does anybody know about the other few theaters that served Mountain View throughout its history, including the Stone Theatre and the Ozark Theatre there?
It appears that the 1983 aerial view shows nothing but it appears that the theater was opened before 1994, but I’m still looking.
Hmm, Where’s “The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh?”
The Tiger probably operated until the late-1970s, as the 1981 aerial view shows the traces surrounded by some sort of construction.
Once operated by Gulf State Theatres.
Once operated by Floyd Theatres.
The Arcade Theatre originally had a capacity of 1,000 seats from the 1938 rebuilt, and some original equipment featured a 15x19ft screen, Super Simplex projection, and a bubble type fountain in the ornate lobby.
ABC Florida State Theatres was the last operator for the Arcade Theatre until the Arcade closed as a movie theater on February 22, 1977. The Arcade Theatre relaunched as a performing arts theater right afterward.
When the Arcade Theatre was renovated during a nearly two-year closure that left the theater completely dark in 1989 due to low attendance, the Arcade Theatre relaunched back as a performing arts house with a downsized 393-seat capacity on November 1, 1991.
The original Arcade Theatre opened its doors on February 5, 1917 with Frank McIntyre in “The Traveling Salesman”.
This was first known as the “Hilltop Twin Cinema”. Although I cannot find its opening date, it opened around 1972. The theater was renamed “Hilltop Expanded Cinema” in January 1983 (although it was never expanded) and was lastly known as the “Hilltop Square Two Theatres” in the mid-1980s back when AMC ran the theater. I cannot find its closing date either.
The Pembroke Mall Theatres operated from October 1971 until Spring 1987, and it was actually first operated by ABC Southeastern Theatres, not ABC Southern Theatres.
Last operated by ABC Southeast Theatres.
Once operated by ABC Southeast Theatres, later by Plitt, and finally by NEI. The theater closed in January 1998 after it failed to gain its audience after switching its format to discount during its final years of operation.
Closed in mid-1999.
This is taken shortly before his death from surgery in Jonesboro.
This is taken shortly before his death from surgery in Jonesboro.
At the time of the Twinlake’s opening, it was his 26th year in the theater business.
Novak started his life as a doorman for the Strand Theatre in Jonesboro in 1952, which at the time was a Malco theater. Shortly after the first couple of drive-ins opened in Jonesboro, Malco transferred the manager to Jonesboro from Memphis and he called Novak that if he will be interested on running a drive-in. At the time, Jonesboro had three drive-in theaters (the Starlite, the Skyvue, and the Indian; all Malco theaters). He once remembered that one of the drive-ins there jammed over the number of cars on Saturday nights, also adding that we got an 800-car capacity once-a-week. At the time, it is a year-round drive-in and he said that it was the first drive-in in Arkansas to give out free in-car heaters. Novak would later have a partnership with the Imperial Theatre in Pocahontas and would later build and open the Cherokee Drive-In in Ash Flat. At the time while Novak worked at the Skyvue Drive-In in Jonesboro in the mid-1970s, that’s when Novak brought the idea of the Twinlake Tri-Cinema.
On August 22, 1997, Novak passed away from an undergoing heart surgery at St. Bernard’s Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro.