This theater/swap meet was owned by my father and his brother, who started in the cinema business with the silents. A tenant farmer through the depression, my father was consumed with the success of the Starlite, and rightly so. He and several siblings pooled savings to create the business. Eight extended family members of three generations eventually worked at the Starlite, along with many of the El Monte community. When market pressures forced drive-ins to syndicate, my father focused his intense drive on the swap meet. This theater became many things to many people, and had difficulties peculiar to a business of its type. The drive-in was a culture-changing phenomenon, where on a large property open to the public after dark, incidents of the type depicted on the screen might sometimes be realized. After syndication, an entirely remote business controlled the quality of films. The great number of hard working people eventually involved in the Starlite reflect the powerful and striving community of El Monte. The theater and swap meet offered entertainment at night, and during the day a business venue, at a low price. I still feel a child’s anticipation, as dusk falls on the playground under a colossal screen, and my mother calls me to the car. We snuggle down to await the movie and my father’s return from the snack bar—with hot donuts, just out of the machine.
This theater/swap meet was owned by my father and his brother, who started in the cinema business with the silents. A tenant farmer through the depression, my father was consumed with the success of the Starlite, and rightly so. He and several siblings pooled savings to create the business. Eight extended family members of three generations eventually worked at the Starlite, along with many of the El Monte community. When market pressures forced drive-ins to syndicate, my father focused his intense drive on the swap meet. This theater became many things to many people, and had difficulties peculiar to a business of its type. The drive-in was a culture-changing phenomenon, where on a large property open to the public after dark, incidents of the type depicted on the screen might sometimes be realized. After syndication, an entirely remote business controlled the quality of films. The great number of hard working people eventually involved in the Starlite reflect the powerful and striving community of El Monte. The theater and swap meet offered entertainment at night, and during the day a business venue, at a low price. I still feel a child’s anticipation, as dusk falls on the playground under a colossal screen, and my mother calls me to the car. We snuggle down to await the movie and my father’s return from the snack bar—with hot donuts, just out of the machine.