I didn’t know there used to be an airport near the 66.
Boxoffice, Sept. 11, 1948: “Construction was slated to start in mid-September on a drive-in to be built … by Albuquerque Theatres circuit, according to Manager George Tucker. The new ozoner will be located near the airport road and will accommodate 750 cars. Opening is planned for next spring.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 5, 1949: “George L. Tucker, city manager for Albuquerque Theatre, (announced the start of contruction of an indoor theater) in addition to recently announced plans for construction of the new 66 Drive-In, a 750 to 1,000-car situation to be built at the entrance to the Cutter-Carr airport.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 25, 1948: “ELK CITY, OKLA. – Construction work is under way on a new 400-car drive-in on highway 66 two miles west of here. Griffith Consolidated Theatres, Inc., is builder of the ozoner, which is scheduled for completion about March 1.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 25, 1948: “One of the biggest neon signs in the southwest will be installed on the 60-foot screen tower of the new Mesa Drive-In in Yuma. The sign, featuring a cowboy on horseback, will be done in many colors, with the neon flashing back and forth to make the cowboy appear to twirl his lariat. Installation of the sign will begin as soon as the screen tower is surfaced.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 25, 1948: “SOUTH BEND, WASH. – The old Tokay Theatre building here has been sold to Harley Webber, who said he would completely remodel and renovate the building to accommodate a new city hall and a recreational center to include a bowling alley and swimming pool. The building was erected about 1920 by the late George Reizner and, since his death, has been operated by A. G. Basil.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 4, 1948: “Modern Amusement, Inc., staged the grand opening of its new Roadium Drive-In in Clearwater on Thanksgiving day. Joseph S. Bianchi heads the ozoner company”
But the LA Times' movie roundup ad included the Roadium in Clearwater on May 21, 1948, showing Cheyenne and Out of the Blue. I don’t know why it waited half a year to hold a grand opening.
The Palace Theatre fire, which started there and destroyed what sounds like a full block of the business district, was written up in the Nov. 27, 1948 issue of Boxoffice.
I read the Oklahoma Historical Society’s page as saying that there was only one theater there. “In 1917 "new” town was incorporated as the town of Quapaw. Following the discovery of lead and zinc in surrounding areas, mining operators and thousands of miners moved to the region. Red Ike Bingham built the Palace Theater, a Masonic Hall, and the three-story Gateway Hotel."
Boxoffice, Nov. 20, 1948: “OURAY, COLO. – Theatre Manager Ray David and operater Jerry Joyner were forced to escape from the projection room of the Ouray Theatre through small air vents recently when flames destroyed the booth and equipment. David noticed the fire in the booth during the second show and dashed upstairs to help Joyner. Both men were trapped as the fire raged through thousands of feet of film.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 23, 1948: “BARTLESVILLE, OKLA. – The new Hill Top Drive-In here, a Griffith Bros. showcase located three miles east of the city on the Nowata road, was to be opened October 8. The ozoner accommodates 500 cars and cost an estimated $130,000.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 23, 1948: “SAN BERNARDINO, CALIF. – A. G. and George E. Mitzel recently opened the 700-car Mount Vernon Motor-In here. The Mitzels also own drive-in in Portland, Ore., and in Los Angeles. The Mount Vernon airer, the owners said, boasted a natural stage, an innovation in drive-in construction.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 16, 1948: “The old Rex Opera House at Rawlins, Wyo., closed for 27 years, has been remodeled, reseated and reopened as the Elk by Fox Intermountain Theatres. The house has 465 seats.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 16, 1948: “COLORADO SPRINGS – The Broadmoor Theatre, located in the Broadmoor hotel here, has been opened to the public. New projection and sound equipment has been installed. One performance is given nightly. The downtown price scale is in effect at the house.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 9, 1948: “REDDING, CALIF. – A drive-in, being built here by a group of local businessmen, is scheduled to be in operation by November 15. The new project will cost from $40,000 to $50,000 and is located just north of the Sacramento river bridge on highway 99. Nordell Huffaker, Merit L. Espy and Arthur O. Perkins are backing the business. The theatre will accommodate 400 cars.”
When was this theater renamed? Boxoffice, Sept. 25, 1948: “Lester Dollison, who owns the Studio at East Vaughn, N. M., bought the Pecos, Santa Rosa, N. M., from Max Kugelman”
More details two weeks later. Boxoffice, Oct. 9, 1948: “SANTA ROSA, N. M. – Interests of Max Gugelman and Max Wortheim in the Pecos Theatre here have been purchased by Lester Dollison, widely known Texas operator. The house will be remodeled and redecorated, and new lighting and projection equipment will be installed.”
Boxoffice, Jan. 10, 1948: “CARLSBAD, N. M. – Construction of a 570-car drive-in theatre here by Carl Burton, Oklahoma City theatre owner, is expected to start this month. Burton has acquired 18 acres of land for the project. This will allow for future expansion to 1,000-car capacity, he said. The theatre will have RCA equipment and will operate ten months of the year, closing only in January and February, according to Burton.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 21, 1948: “CARLSBAD, N. M. – Victor Farrar, formerly of Chickasha, Okla., has been named house manager of the newly opened Fiesta Drive-In, built here by Carl Burton at a cost exceeding $150,000. The 625-car ozoner was sold to Ray Bartlett of Artesia shortly before the formal opening."
Boxoffice, Aug. 28, 1948: “CARLSBAD – An editorial in the Carlsbad Current Argus took Theatre Enterprises, Inc., to task recently on the occasion of the opening of the Fiesta Drive-In, swank $150,000 ozoner built here by the circuit. The editorial said that the people of Carlsbad were disappointed with the opening attraction at the drive-in, and described the picture as a “10-year-old” film – “so old, in fact, that the actors' and actresses' clothes were out of style.” "
Boxoffice, Oct. 2, 1948: “CARLSBAD, N. M. – Bill Bartlett, city manager for Theatre Enterprises, Inc., owners of the swank new $50,000 Fiesta Drive-In opened here recently, replied to criticism of the opening film with a lengthy open letter to the Carlsbad Current Argus. Bartlett explained that the three first run houses here played current released long before they would be available to the ozoners. He also explained the the policy of the Fiesta was to play the best reissues."
The movie that caused such a fuss was “God’s Country and the Woman,” Warner Brothers' first feature-length film in full 3-strip Technicolor, released in January 1937.
Boxoffice, Sept. 25, 1948: “L. E. Harvey and Carl T. Nall have opened their new Hi-Way Drive-In between Kingsville and Bishop. Both men are new to the industry and are regularly employed at Corpus Christi, a few miles away. They drive out in the evening to operate the ozoner.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 25, 1948: “C. E. McLaughlin, owner of the Ritz at Las Animas, Colo., is adding to his wealth via a gusher in the oil fields of Oklahoma. McLaughlin owns an eighth interest. But he says he will watch his expenses as much as ever and that he will continue to operate his theatre since it now, more than ever before, will become his hobby.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 25, 1948: “The Crescent Drive-In, newest Vallejo theatre enterprise, was erected at a cost of $150,000. It has a capacity of 735 cars, with each terrace constructed to give a perfect view of the 70x60-foot screen”
BoxofficeSept. 18, 1948: “R. W. Hendrick of the Stardust Drive-In an San Angelo … said he had taken on R. C. Gunter as a partner in the drive-in … In addition to the drive-in, Hendrick has owned and operated the Pic Theatre nearby for ten years. This is the drive-in’s second year.”
I didn’t know there used to be an airport near the 66.
Boxoffice, Sept. 11, 1948: “Construction was slated to start in mid-September on a drive-in to be built … by Albuquerque Theatres circuit, according to Manager George Tucker. The new ozoner will be located near the airport road and will accommodate 750 cars. Opening is planned for next spring.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 5, 1949: “George L. Tucker, city manager for Albuquerque Theatre, (announced the start of contruction of an indoor theater) in addition to recently announced plans for construction of the new 66 Drive-In, a 750 to 1,000-car situation to be built at the entrance to the Cutter-Carr airport.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 25, 1948: “ELK CITY, OKLA. – Construction work is under way on a new 400-car drive-in on highway 66 two miles west of here. Griffith Consolidated Theatres, Inc., is builder of the ozoner, which is scheduled for completion about March 1.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 25, 1948: “One of the biggest neon signs in the southwest will be installed on the 60-foot screen tower of the new Mesa Drive-In in Yuma. The sign, featuring a cowboy on horseback, will be done in many colors, with the neon flashing back and forth to make the cowboy appear to twirl his lariat. Installation of the sign will begin as soon as the screen tower is surfaced.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 25, 1948: “SOUTH BEND, WASH. – The old Tokay Theatre building here has been sold to Harley Webber, who said he would completely remodel and renovate the building to accommodate a new city hall and a recreational center to include a bowling alley and swimming pool. The building was erected about 1920 by the late George Reizner and, since his death, has been operated by A. G. Basil.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 11, 1948: “Raleigh Messerschmidt has bought the Kiowa, Kiowa, Colo., from Delpha Moreland.”
This great photo ran in the Dec. 4, 1948 issue of Boxoffice, which I believe is in the public domain.
Boxoffice, Dec. 4, 1948: “Modern Amusement, Inc., staged the grand opening of its new Roadium Drive-In in Clearwater on Thanksgiving day. Joseph S. Bianchi heads the ozoner company”
But the LA Times' movie roundup ad included the Roadium in Clearwater on May 21, 1948, showing Cheyenne and Out of the Blue. I don’t know why it waited half a year to hold a grand opening.
The Palace Theatre fire, which started there and destroyed what sounds like a full block of the business district, was written up in the Nov. 27, 1948 issue of Boxoffice.
I read the Oklahoma Historical Society’s page as saying that there was only one theater there. “In 1917 "new” town was incorporated as the town of Quapaw. Following the discovery of lead and zinc in surrounding areas, mining operators and thousands of miners moved to the region. Red Ike Bingham built the Palace Theater, a Masonic Hall, and the three-story Gateway Hotel."
Boxoffice, Nov. 20, 1948: “OURAY, COLO. – Theatre Manager Ray David and operater Jerry Joyner were forced to escape from the projection room of the Ouray Theatre through small air vents recently when flames destroyed the booth and equipment. David noticed the fire in the booth during the second show and dashed upstairs to help Joyner. Both men were trapped as the fire raged through thousands of feet of film.”
Adding another name, Boxoffice, Nov. 6, 1948: “Lou Berman and Tommy Huntington opened the Harbor Drive-In in Chula Vista November 3.”
Boxoffice, Nov. 6, 1948: “H. E. Wilson has sold the Chief, La Veta, Colo., to Chick Welloff”
Boxoffice, Oct. 23, 1948: “BARTLESVILLE, OKLA. – The new Hill Top Drive-In here, a Griffith Bros. showcase located three miles east of the city on the Nowata road, was to be opened October 8. The ozoner accommodates 500 cars and cost an estimated $130,000.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 23, 1948: “SAN BERNARDINO, CALIF. – A. G. and George E. Mitzel recently opened the 700-car Mount Vernon Motor-In here. The Mitzels also own drive-in in Portland, Ore., and in Los Angeles. The Mount Vernon airer, the owners said, boasted a natural stage, an innovation in drive-in construction.”
This photo ran in the Modern Theatre section of the Jan. 6, 1951 issue of Boxoffice, which is apparently in the public domain.
Boxoffice, Oct. 16, 1948: “The old Rex Opera House at Rawlins, Wyo., closed for 27 years, has been remodeled, reseated and reopened as the Elk by Fox Intermountain Theatres. The house has 465 seats.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 16, 1948: “COLORADO SPRINGS – The Broadmoor Theatre, located in the Broadmoor hotel here, has been opened to the public. New projection and sound equipment has been installed. One performance is given nightly. The downtown price scale is in effect at the house.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 9, 1948: “REDDING, CALIF. – A drive-in, being built here by a group of local businessmen, is scheduled to be in operation by November 15. The new project will cost from $40,000 to $50,000 and is located just north of the Sacramento river bridge on highway 99. Nordell Huffaker, Merit L. Espy and Arthur O. Perkins are backing the business. The theatre will accommodate 400 cars.”
When was this theater renamed? Boxoffice, Sept. 25, 1948: “Lester Dollison, who owns the Studio at East Vaughn, N. M., bought the Pecos, Santa Rosa, N. M., from Max Kugelman”
More details two weeks later. Boxoffice, Oct. 9, 1948: “SANTA ROSA, N. M. – Interests of Max Gugelman and Max Wortheim in the Pecos Theatre here have been purchased by Lester Dollison, widely known Texas operator. The house will be remodeled and redecorated, and new lighting and projection equipment will be installed.”
Boxoffice, Jan. 10, 1948: “CARLSBAD, N. M. – Construction of a 570-car drive-in theatre here by Carl Burton, Oklahoma City theatre owner, is expected to start this month. Burton has acquired 18 acres of land for the project. This will allow for future expansion to 1,000-car capacity, he said. The theatre will have RCA equipment and will operate ten months of the year, closing only in January and February, according to Burton.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 21, 1948: “CARLSBAD, N. M. – Victor Farrar, formerly of Chickasha, Okla., has been named house manager of the newly opened Fiesta Drive-In, built here by Carl Burton at a cost exceeding $150,000. The 625-car ozoner was sold to Ray Bartlett of Artesia shortly before the formal opening."
Boxoffice, Aug. 28, 1948: “CARLSBAD – An editorial in the Carlsbad Current Argus took Theatre Enterprises, Inc., to task recently on the occasion of the opening of the Fiesta Drive-In, swank $150,000 ozoner built here by the circuit. The editorial said that the people of Carlsbad were disappointed with the opening attraction at the drive-in, and described the picture as a “10-year-old” film – “so old, in fact, that the actors' and actresses' clothes were out of style.” "
Boxoffice, Oct. 2, 1948: “CARLSBAD, N. M. – Bill Bartlett, city manager for Theatre Enterprises, Inc., owners of the swank new $50,000 Fiesta Drive-In opened here recently, replied to criticism of the opening film with a lengthy open letter to the Carlsbad Current Argus. Bartlett explained that the three first run houses here played current released long before they would be available to the ozoners. He also explained the the policy of the Fiesta was to play the best reissues."
The movie that caused such a fuss was “God’s Country and the Woman,” Warner Brothers' first feature-length film in full 3-strip Technicolor, released in January 1937.
Boxoffice, Sept. 25, 1948: “L. E. Harvey and Carl T. Nall have opened their new Hi-Way Drive-In between Kingsville and Bishop. Both men are new to the industry and are regularly employed at Corpus Christi, a few miles away. They drive out in the evening to operate the ozoner.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 25, 1948: “C. E. McLaughlin, owner of the Ritz at Las Animas, Colo., is adding to his wealth via a gusher in the oil fields of Oklahoma. McLaughlin owns an eighth interest. But he says he will watch his expenses as much as ever and that he will continue to operate his theatre since it now, more than ever before, will become his hobby.”
Boxoffice, Sept. 25, 1948: “The Crescent Drive-In, newest Vallejo theatre enterprise, was erected at a cost of $150,000. It has a capacity of 735 cars, with each terrace constructed to give a perfect view of the 70x60-foot screen”
The Miller was described as a 780-seat theatre in its for-lease display ad in the Sept. 18, 1948 issue of Boxoffice.
BoxofficeSept. 18, 1948: “R. W. Hendrick of the Stardust Drive-In an San Angelo … said he had taken on R. C. Gunter as a partner in the drive-in … In addition to the drive-in, Hendrick has owned and operated the Pic Theatre nearby for ten years. This is the drive-in’s second year.”
Here’s the Grand (Re-)Opening ad: