Boxoffice, Feb. 13, 1954: “Ritzville’s first drive-in should be ready to open next spring, according to Ray R. Yates of Couer d'Alene, in charge of construction for owner Pat Merzgar of Smelterville, Idaho. A 52x40-foot concrete building at the theatre site has already been closed in. Preliminary grading has been carried out for ramps to place 360 automobiles.”
Boxoffice, May 30, 1953: “The Zabel family has opened its new $100,000 Lacey Drive-In at Slater-Kinney road, near the Old Tacoma highway. The 500-car outdoorer will be operated by Arthur, Kenneth and Hobart Zabel. They recently celebrated their 44th year of film operation in Olympia. The business was founded in May 1909 by Ed Zabel. The sons said they continue to operate the Capitol Theatre.”
When did this drive-in open? Looks like it was Monday, May 11, 1953.
Boxoffice, Sept. 29, 1951: “A 500-car capacity drive-in will be built north of Colville. M. A. Hadfield of the Alpine Theatre here started construction September 17. Work will be completed next spring. Construction is expected to cost between $60,000 and $70,000. Hadfield said work on the screen tower will be completed before it snows, then terracing of the theatre and installation of sound and picture equipment will be finished for a June opening.”
Spokane Daily Chronicle, May 7, 1953: “COLVILLE, Wash., May 7 - The new Auto-Vue drive-in theater, located midway between Kettle Falls and Colville will have its official opening Monday (11) evening, according to Max Hadfield, owner. Open house will be held Sunday.”
Boxoffice, May 23, 1953: “KETTLE FALLS, WASH. - Max Hadfield, owner, has opened his new Auto-Vue Drive-In, located midway between here and Colville.”
Boxoffice, May 2, 1953: “MEDFORD, ORE. – The Rogue Drive-In has been opened here by Robert Corbin, manager of the Oregon-California Theatres here. The new 600-car drive-in, accommodating some 70 less cars than the company’s Starlite Drive-In here, can be expanded to greater capacity if needed.”
Boxoffice, May 23, 1953: “Another new drive-in, second in the Medford area, is the Rogue (Lippert circuit) on the Crater Lake highway, opened May 6.”
Boxoffice, Aug. 2, 1952: “Plans were recently announced by Bill Thrall, owner-operator of the Valley Theatre, to build a 300-car ozoner. It is to be located on the south end of the Bailey property south of here and just west of Highway 99. Thrall indicated that the airer would be in operation this season.”
Boxoffice, May 23, 1953: “Scheduled opening of the 400-car Vista Drive-In at Junction City has been delayed because of weather conditions, according to operator W. D. Thrall”
Boxoffice, May 23, 1956: “Morrel and Catherine Ritter have opened the Rhododendron Drive-In at Florence. It has a 500-car capacity. They also operate the Ritter Theatre in Florence”
Boxoffice, May 23, 1953: “James Beale, Columbia manager, reports that Tom Moyer’s new drive-in at Hubbard was all set to open. Moyer also operates drive-in and conventional theatres in Portland and suburban areas with his brothers”
Duffy’s debuted in the Motion Picture Almanac in the 1955 edition, owner D. Grouenhorst, no capacity number, under “Slaton”. By 1962 the listing had been updated to 250 cars, same owner, corrected city name.
The MPA didn’t make a lot of updates for a while, and when they rebooted their drive-in list for the 1977 edition, Duffy’s was no longer on it.
On the afternoon of Saturday, Dec. 14, 1963, the Baldwin Hills dam burst, causing extensive damage to the Baldwin. Boxoffice ran a lengthy story about the event two weeks later.
After water started rushing in through the rear exit doors, manager Kenneth Wright led about 175 patrons, mostly children, up through the projection booth to the roof. He waited there with them until their parents picked them up or they were brought home by employees.
Boxoffice, March 6, 1961: “Pork and beans, sardines and crackers, cracker barrel cheese, potted ham, tobacco and snuff, old-fashioned candles and long underwear were among the items on sale at the Starlite Drive-In snackbar for ten weeks. Garland Morrison, manager of the Statesville Theatres operation at North Wilkesboro, N. C., gathered together old equipment used in stores years ago and transformed his snackbar into an Old Country Store. And he did a thriving business.”
This Automovie opened August 21, 1947. The first program included news, “Hunky and Spunky,” “Playtime Journey,” the featured “Pin-Up Girl” with Betty Grable, and “Skating Vanities.”
The last newspaper ad for the Pine Breeze was in the July 17, 1962 Chico Enterprise-Record. The double feature that night was “The Hustler” and “Two Rode Together”.
I removed my previous topo map, which was actually for the newer version of the Mesa. I replaced it with an aerial photo of the old, original Mesa Drive-In. As a reminder, that address is 2750 Lincoln Blvd.
I’m glad to have a point of agreement with Jamey_monroe45. The drive-in was at 2858 Willamette St. There’s a trailhead at 2858 South Willamette, but aerial photos indicate there was never a drive-in there.
Please remove the S. from the address for the drive-in.
Boxoffice, Dec. 24, 1949: “ARCATA, CALIF. - The Arden Theatre here reverted to its original name, the Minor, in celebration of its 35th anniversary, according to Pat Pratchen, manager … The old Minor, the first modern theatre in northern California, was opened Dec. 3, 1944 (sic!). It was built by Isaac Minor, pioneer settler of the county, who also built the first hall and theatre in Uniontown in 1884.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 3, 1949: “Louis Yager, druggist, and several other business men have opened the El Grande, a 400-seat theatre in Granby, Colo., giving that city its first regular theatre. They equipped it with Brenkert booth equipment and RCA sound, bought from Western Service & Supply”
Boxoffice, Dec. 3, 1949: “McMINNVILLE, ORE. - The 450-car drive-in theatre being erected here by Clifford Briggs is nearing completion, but it probably will not be operated until next spring. The screen tower and a building which will house the projection booth have been completed. When ready for opening, the theatre will have cost approximately $50,000.”
Boxoffice, Nov. 26, 1949: “WINNEMUCCA, NEV. - Members of the city council here have voted to order the Harvey Amusement Co., owner of the Sage Theatre here, either to improve the wiring in the Sage or have the license revoked and the theatre shut down. Henry Berk, building inspector, told the council that wiring in the building is in very poor shape and could cause a fire at any time. He said he has warned the theatre several times that the electrical system was faulty. In addition, councilmen said, the exits from the balcony are far from adequate and the stairway could be blocked by a fire in the projection room. The booth floor is wooden, which councilmen said is a violation of fire laws in almost any large city.”
Boxoffice, Nov. 29, 1952: “The Harvey Bros. firm has taken a new ten-year lease on the Sage Theatre at Winnemucca and plans to remodel the house”
Boxoffice, Nov. 12, 1949: “Vincent Traina of San Jose plans to build a $100,000 drive-in on Christmas (sic) road near Highway 50. A 600-car capacity, the drive-in also will have a car hop system of concession sales and a daytime children’s carnival. Traina’s partners are Alex Balanesi and Stuart Fletcher, also of San Jose.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 29, 1949: “OREGON CITY, ORE. - Construction of a 900-car drive-in to be built at a cost of $200,000 by Amphitheatres, Inc., has been started on a 12½-acre site at Naef road and McLaughlin boulevard here. In-car heaters will be among facilities, and the grounds will be landscaped. The new drive-in is expected to be ready for opening next February or March, according to Phil Polsky, president of the firm.”
Adding a couple of names. Boxoffice, Sept. 14, 1949: “A. L. Berg and F. S. Miller opened their new Sunset Drive-In near Tumwater September 1”
Boxoffice, Oct. 1, 1949: “The Sunset Drive-In on Highway 99 near the Olympia airport, was opened recently by A. L. Berg and Fred S. Miller, owners. RCA sound and projection equipment is used in the 428-car situation.”
Boxoffice, Feb. 13, 1954: “Ritzville’s first drive-in should be ready to open next spring, according to Ray R. Yates of Couer d'Alene, in charge of construction for owner Pat Merzgar of Smelterville, Idaho. A 52x40-foot concrete building at the theatre site has already been closed in. Preliminary grading has been carried out for ramps to place 360 automobiles.”
Boxoffice, June 20, 1953: “Ownbey’s 200-car drive-in opened at Newport, Wash., Sunday (14)”
Boxoffice, May 30, 1953: “The Zabel family has opened its new $100,000 Lacey Drive-In at Slater-Kinney road, near the Old Tacoma highway. The 500-car outdoorer will be operated by Arthur, Kenneth and Hobart Zabel. They recently celebrated their 44th year of film operation in Olympia. The business was founded in May 1909 by Ed Zabel. The sons said they continue to operate the Capitol Theatre.”
When did this drive-in open? Looks like it was Monday, May 11, 1953.
Boxoffice, Sept. 29, 1951: “A 500-car capacity drive-in will be built north of Colville. M. A. Hadfield of the Alpine Theatre here started construction September 17. Work will be completed next spring. Construction is expected to cost between $60,000 and $70,000. Hadfield said work on the screen tower will be completed before it snows, then terracing of the theatre and installation of sound and picture equipment will be finished for a June opening.”
Spokane Daily Chronicle, May 7, 1953: “COLVILLE, Wash., May 7 - The new Auto-Vue drive-in theater, located midway between Kettle Falls and Colville will have its official opening Monday (11) evening, according to Max Hadfield, owner. Open house will be held Sunday.”
Boxoffice, May 23, 1953: “KETTLE FALLS, WASH. - Max Hadfield, owner, has opened his new Auto-Vue Drive-In, located midway between here and Colville.”
Boxoffice, May 2, 1953: “MEDFORD, ORE. – The Rogue Drive-In has been opened here by Robert Corbin, manager of the Oregon-California Theatres here. The new 600-car drive-in, accommodating some 70 less cars than the company’s Starlite Drive-In here, can be expanded to greater capacity if needed.”
Boxoffice, May 23, 1953: “Another new drive-in, second in the Medford area, is the Rogue (Lippert circuit) on the Crater Lake highway, opened May 6.”
A few more details about the Vista’s origins.
Boxoffice, Aug. 2, 1952: “Plans were recently announced by Bill Thrall, owner-operator of the Valley Theatre, to build a 300-car ozoner. It is to be located on the south end of the Bailey property south of here and just west of Highway 99. Thrall indicated that the airer would be in operation this season.”
Boxoffice, May 23, 1953: “Scheduled opening of the 400-car Vista Drive-In at Junction City has been delayed because of weather conditions, according to operator W. D. Thrall”
A couple of names to add to SteveSwanson’s note.
Boxoffice, May 23, 1956: “Morrel and Catherine Ritter have opened the Rhododendron Drive-In at Florence. It has a 500-car capacity. They also operate the Ritter Theatre in Florence”
Boxoffice, May 23, 1953: “The Frontier, a 300-car drive-in at Cave Junction, has opened.”
Boxoffice, May 23, 1953: “James Beale, Columbia manager, reports that Tom Moyer’s new drive-in at Hubbard was all set to open. Moyer also operates drive-in and conventional theatres in Portland and suburban areas with his brothers”
Duffy’s debuted in the Motion Picture Almanac in the 1955 edition, owner D. Grouenhorst, no capacity number, under “Slaton”. By 1962 the listing had been updated to 250 cars, same owner, corrected city name.
The MPA didn’t make a lot of updates for a while, and when they rebooted their drive-in list for the 1977 edition, Duffy’s was no longer on it.
Looks like the name had changed by 1959.
Boxoffice, June 15, 1959: “Motion Picture Purchasing has taken over the booking and buying for Red’s Drive-In at Brookings, Ore.”
When the UK’s Daily Mail ran this photo in 2017, its credit line was “© Allan Grant / The LIFE Picture Collection / Getty Images”.
Probably not CC-licensed.
On the afternoon of Saturday, Dec. 14, 1963, the Baldwin Hills dam burst, causing extensive damage to the Baldwin. Boxoffice ran a lengthy story about the event two weeks later.
After water started rushing in through the rear exit doors, manager Kenneth Wright led about 175 patrons, mostly children, up through the projection booth to the roof. He waited there with them until their parents picked them up or they were brought home by employees.
Boxoffice, March 6, 1961: “Pork and beans, sardines and crackers, cracker barrel cheese, potted ham, tobacco and snuff, old-fashioned candles and long underwear were among the items on sale at the Starlite Drive-In snackbar for ten weeks. Garland Morrison, manager of the Statesville Theatres operation at North Wilkesboro, N. C., gathered together old equipment used in stores years ago and transformed his snackbar into an Old Country Store. And he did a thriving business.”
This Automovie opened August 21, 1947. The first program included news, “Hunky and Spunky,” “Playtime Journey,” the featured “Pin-Up Girl” with Betty Grable, and “Skating Vanities.”
The last newspaper ad for the Pine Breeze was in the July 17, 1962 Chico Enterprise-Record. The double feature that night was “The Hustler” and “Two Rode Together”.
I removed my previous topo map, which was actually for the newer version of the Mesa. I replaced it with an aerial photo of the old, original Mesa Drive-In. As a reminder, that address is 2750 Lincoln Blvd.
I’m glad to have a point of agreement with Jamey_monroe45. The drive-in was at 2858 Willamette St. There’s a trailhead at 2858 South Willamette, but aerial photos indicate there was never a drive-in there.
Please remove the S. from the address for the drive-in.
Boxoffice, Dec. 24, 1949: “ARCATA, CALIF. - The Arden Theatre here reverted to its original name, the Minor, in celebration of its 35th anniversary, according to Pat Pratchen, manager … The old Minor, the first modern theatre in northern California, was opened Dec. 3, 1944 (sic!). It was built by Isaac Minor, pioneer settler of the county, who also built the first hall and theatre in Uniontown in 1884.”
Boxoffice, Dec. 3, 1949: “Louis Yager, druggist, and several other business men have opened the El Grande, a 400-seat theatre in Granby, Colo., giving that city its first regular theatre. They equipped it with Brenkert booth equipment and RCA sound, bought from Western Service & Supply”
Boxoffice, Dec. 3, 1949: “McMINNVILLE, ORE. - The 450-car drive-in theatre being erected here by Clifford Briggs is nearing completion, but it probably will not be operated until next spring. The screen tower and a building which will house the projection booth have been completed. When ready for opening, the theatre will have cost approximately $50,000.”
Boxoffice, Nov. 26, 1949: “WINNEMUCCA, NEV. - Members of the city council here have voted to order the Harvey Amusement Co., owner of the Sage Theatre here, either to improve the wiring in the Sage or have the license revoked and the theatre shut down. Henry Berk, building inspector, told the council that wiring in the building is in very poor shape and could cause a fire at any time. He said he has warned the theatre several times that the electrical system was faulty. In addition, councilmen said, the exits from the balcony are far from adequate and the stairway could be blocked by a fire in the projection room. The booth floor is wooden, which councilmen said is a violation of fire laws in almost any large city.”
Boxoffice, Nov. 29, 1952: “The Harvey Bros. firm has taken a new ten-year lease on the Sage Theatre at Winnemucca and plans to remodel the house”
Boxoffice, Nov. 12, 1949: “Vincent Traina of San Jose plans to build a $100,000 drive-in on Christmas (sic) road near Highway 50. A 600-car capacity, the drive-in also will have a car hop system of concession sales and a daytime children’s carnival. Traina’s partners are Alex Balanesi and Stuart Fletcher, also of San Jose.”
Boxoffice, Oct. 29, 1949: “OREGON CITY, ORE. - Construction of a 900-car drive-in to be built at a cost of $200,000 by Amphitheatres, Inc., has been started on a 12½-acre site at Naef road and McLaughlin boulevard here. In-car heaters will be among facilities, and the grounds will be landscaped. The new drive-in is expected to be ready for opening next February or March, according to Phil Polsky, president of the firm.”
Adding a couple of names. Boxoffice, Sept. 14, 1949: “A. L. Berg and F. S. Miller opened their new Sunset Drive-In near Tumwater September 1”
Boxoffice, Oct. 1, 1949: “The Sunset Drive-In on Highway 99 near the Olympia airport, was opened recently by A. L. Berg and Fred S. Miller, owners. RCA sound and projection equipment is used in the 428-car situation.”