My parents lived in Lynwood about a mile away from the Compton Drive-in back in the early 70’s. One of my first childhood memories was driving with my parents on Rosecrans Ave. and seeing this amazing screen tower with Viking ships painted on it. I use to wonder what was behind the glass windows at the base of the screen tower. Just like everything else in life, I assumed it would be there forever and never returned after we moved from the area in 1977. I drove by in May of 2005 and saw that several houses were being built on the former site of the drive-in. I found a great picture of the screen tower in a book titled “Southern Californialand” by Charles Phoenix. Check it out and enjoy, they just don’t make them like that anymore.
I really miss this drive-in. I grew up near by and would pass by quite often. I saw Star Wars here in 1977. By the late 1990’s I knew its days were numbered. In the summer of 1998 I snuck in and took several pictures of it. The screen tower was open and there was trash everywhere. I was gone for a few days at the beginning of Sept. 1998 and when I got back it was being bulldozed. The mural on the screen tower is what made this drive-in special, it was truely spectacular! Too bad that these places which once played such important parts in our lives are not revered and preserved.
My parents lived in Lynwood about a mile away from the Compton Drive-in back in the early 70’s. One of my first childhood memories was driving with my parents on Rosecrans Ave. and seeing this amazing screen tower with Viking ships painted on it. I use to wonder what was behind the glass windows at the base of the screen tower. Just like everything else in life, I assumed it would be there forever and never returned after we moved from the area in 1977. I drove by in May of 2005 and saw that several houses were being built on the former site of the drive-in. I found a great picture of the screen tower in a book titled “Southern Californialand” by Charles Phoenix. Check it out and enjoy, they just don’t make them like that anymore.
I really miss this drive-in. I grew up near by and would pass by quite often. I saw Star Wars here in 1977. By the late 1990’s I knew its days were numbered. In the summer of 1998 I snuck in and took several pictures of it. The screen tower was open and there was trash everywhere. I was gone for a few days at the beginning of Sept. 1998 and when I got back it was being bulldozed. The mural on the screen tower is what made this drive-in special, it was truely spectacular! Too bad that these places which once played such important parts in our lives are not revered and preserved.