When was the exact closing date of the Skyview? (One-word name) The short answer is I’m not sure, it’s a little weird. Here’s what I found in the Sacramento Bee.
On Dec. 10, 1988, the Skyview ran an ad showing “Nightmare on Elm Street 4” + “Halloween 4” / “Iron Eagle II + They Live” / Closed for Repairs on screens 1, 2, and 3 respectively.
On Dec. 18, 1988, the Skyview ad changed the second screen to “Young Guns” + “Alien Nation,” but everything else stayed the same. The Bee’s editorial listing showed the same movies as Dec. 10.
On Dec. 22, 1988, there was no Skyview ad, and the listing again showed the same movies as Dec. 10.
I would have chalked it all up to a passive editorial crew that didn’t update listings for a freshly dead drive-in, that the final Screen 2 show was “Alien Nation.” Except that two weeks later a bad crash resulted in a Jan. 2, 1989 Sacramento Union photo (uploaded here) of the (already “old”) Skyview sign showing the same program as Dec. 10.
Did the Skyview really change back for shows on Christmas week? Was its Dec. 18 ad wrong because it had quietly closed earlier? And how did the Union writers discern that the freshly closed Skyview would never open again?
According to Google Maps, the old Skyview site is in the unincorporated, census-designated place called Parkway. Even Sacramento Bee ombudsman Art Nauman concurred in 1990: “Last week I blithely wrote that the Skyview drive-in theater was built outside Sacramento’s city limits in 1950 and later was annexed to the county. Three readers - including county Supervisor Illa Collin, who ought to know - emphatically pointed out the Skyview still is in the county, not the city. I should have double-checked.”
I am sad to report that the Sacramento 6 is not technically in Sacramento. Google Maps says that it is in the unincorporated, census-designated place of La Riviera, across US 50 from Rosemont (another CDP) and across Bradshaw Road from Rancho Cordova (a real city).
Based on Google Maps' city borders, the Hi-Lander wasn’t very close to Sacramento, over four miles away from the city’s nearest corner.
Maps says that the site is across Antelope Road from North Highlands, an unincorporated, census-designated area that was the source of the drive-in’s name and which was contemporaneously used as its location. But Maps says old Hi-Lander site is currently in Antelope, yet another census-designated area.
Anyway, after a big run-in with Sacramento County officials over noise complaints and X-rated movies, the Hi-Lander “shut down in September” 1975, according to its lawyer’s remarks a couple of months later. He assured the district attorney “that it would be used as a storage area instead of a theater.”
If a drive-in’s name is what’s on its sign, then this one should be numeric: “49” or “49'er”. Just sayin'.
The 49'er’s last night was Sept. 3, 2000. The following day, it was listed as “Closed for Season” and never reopened. The final twin bills on its six screens were:
The Marina Auto Movie (not plural) held its grand opening on June 19, 1968 with “The Sound of Music” and “High, Wild and Free.”
In the 1970s, the Marina Auto Movie dropped off the Salinas Californian movie pages as it pivoted to X-rated films. In early 1977, the Marina City Council banned “offensive nudity or sexually-explicit conduct at drive-ins.” That ordinance was to take effect March 28. I didn’t find any evidence of lawsuits or appeals, nor of any other mentions of the Marina Auto Movie in the Californian after that, so it’s possible that was the closing date.
Stories in the Petaluma Argus-Courier said that the Sonomarin’s owner, Dan Tocchini or San Carlos Cinema, kept the drive-in open until escrow closed on Sonoma County’s purchase of the site. Since the Sonomarin was open Friday-Sunday at that point, and working backwards from the escrow date, its final show was on March 12, 1989. The drive-in’s ads in that paper had ceased the previous summer.
Based on spot checks of the Paradise Post, the Pine Breeze’s final season might have been 1962. The town’s theaters were plagued by vandalism, and I didn’t see any later drive-in ads. Although the site looked intact in aerial photos, a letter to the editor in February 1970 said, “As the former Pine Breeze outdoor theatre now stands it is slowly rusting and disintegrating.”
The Sunrise was active until the summer of 2004, when it sort of lost its fight with Sacramento County code enforcement, which said the 70-foot screen was in danger of collapsing. Its final appearance in the Sacramento Bee’s theater listings was on July 27, 2004.
The last listing for the “Airport I & II” in the Oakland Tribune was on the day after Labor Day, Sept. 5, 1978. Screen 1 showed “Jaws 2” and “Grey Lady Down.” Screen 2 had “Smokey and the Bandit” and “The Last Remake of Beau Geste.”
The Moonlite opened on June 29, 1950, based on a story in the next day’s Hollister Advance. “(B)uilt by Hans Severinsen at a cost of $80,000,” the drive-in boasted a 42x56-foot screen. “Opening night feature was “The Outriders,” a first-run MGM technicolor production starring Joel McCrea.”
The drive-in’s last performance was on June 30, 1962, as it made way for a hardware store to be built on the site. The final movies were “GI Blues” and “Too Late Blues.”
The last Motor-In ad I found in the Fresno Bee was on Oct. 21, 1979. The X-rated triple feature was “Love World,” “Runaway Hormones,” & “Bedroom Magic.”
The last Humboldt ad I could find in the Eureka Times-Standard was on Dec. 17, 1977. The movies were “One on One” and “Sorceror”. The Dec. 23 ad read No Show This Weekend / “Merry Christmas”
That housing unit, Brookdale Estates, is completely within the city limits of Menominee Falls, according to Google Maps. The folks who live there now get their mail from the Menominee Falls post office, Zip Code 53051.
IMHO, the Victory should be listed under Menominee Falls.
When was the exact closing date of the Skyview? (One-word name) The short answer is I’m not sure, it’s a little weird. Here’s what I found in the Sacramento Bee.
On Dec. 10, 1988, the Skyview ran an ad showing “Nightmare on Elm Street 4” + “Halloween 4” / “Iron Eagle II + They Live” / Closed for Repairs on screens 1, 2, and 3 respectively.
On Dec. 18, 1988, the Skyview ad changed the second screen to “Young Guns” + “Alien Nation,” but everything else stayed the same. The Bee’s editorial listing showed the same movies as Dec. 10.
On Dec. 22, 1988, there was no Skyview ad, and the listing again showed the same movies as Dec. 10.
I would have chalked it all up to a passive editorial crew that didn’t update listings for a freshly dead drive-in, that the final Screen 2 show was “Alien Nation.” Except that two weeks later a bad crash resulted in a Jan. 2, 1989 Sacramento Union photo (uploaded here) of the (already “old”) Skyview sign showing the same program as Dec. 10.
Did the Skyview really change back for shows on Christmas week? Was its Dec. 18 ad wrong because it had quietly closed earlier? And how did the Union writers discern that the freshly closed Skyview would never open again?
According to Google Maps, the old Skyview site is in the unincorporated, census-designated place called Parkway. Even Sacramento Bee ombudsman Art Nauman concurred in 1990: “Last week I blithely wrote that the Skyview drive-in theater was built outside Sacramento’s city limits in 1950 and later was annexed to the county. Three readers - including county Supervisor Illa Collin, who ought to know - emphatically pointed out the Skyview still is in the county, not the city. I should have double-checked.”
I am sad to report that the Sacramento 6 is not technically in Sacramento. Google Maps says that it is in the unincorporated, census-designated place of La Riviera, across US 50 from Rosemont (another CDP) and across Bradshaw Road from Rancho Cordova (a real city).
The final show at the Mather Auto Movie was on October 5, 1976. The final program was “The Outlaw Josey Wales” + “Magnum Force” + “Trackdown.”
BTW, Google Maps puts the Mather site clearly within the Rancho Cordova city limits.
Based on Google Maps' city borders, the Hi-Lander wasn’t very close to Sacramento, over four miles away from the city’s nearest corner.
Maps says that the site is across Antelope Road from North Highlands, an unincorporated, census-designated area that was the source of the drive-in’s name and which was contemporaneously used as its location. But Maps says old Hi-Lander site is currently in Antelope, yet another census-designated area.
Anyway, after a big run-in with Sacramento County officials over noise complaints and X-rated movies, the Hi-Lander “shut down in September” 1975, according to its lawyer’s remarks a couple of months later. He assured the district attorney “that it would be used as a storage area instead of a theater.”
If a drive-in’s name is what’s on its sign, then this one should be numeric: “49” or “49'er”. Just sayin'.
The 49'er’s last night was Sept. 3, 2000. The following day, it was listed as “Closed for Season” and never reopened. The final twin bills on its six screens were:
“The Art of War” + “The Replacements”
“Bring It On” + “Nutty Professor II: The Klumps”
“The Cell” + “Scary Movie”
“Godzilla 2000” + “Hollow Man”
“Bless the Child” + “Shaft”
“What Lies Beneath” + “Coyote Ugly”
The Marina Auto Movie (not plural) held its grand opening on June 19, 1968 with “The Sound of Music” and “High, Wild and Free.”
In the 1970s, the Marina Auto Movie dropped off the Salinas Californian movie pages as it pivoted to X-rated films. In early 1977, the Marina City Council banned “offensive nudity or sexually-explicit conduct at drive-ins.” That ordinance was to take effect March 28. I didn’t find any evidence of lawsuits or appeals, nor of any other mentions of the Marina Auto Movie in the Californian after that, so it’s possible that was the closing date.
After a preview show (“The Farmer’s Daughter”) on May 8, 1947, the Motor-In held its grand opening the following night, May 9.
Stories in the Petaluma Argus-Courier said that the Sonomarin’s owner, Dan Tocchini or San Carlos Cinema, kept the drive-in open until escrow closed on Sonoma County’s purchase of the site. Since the Sonomarin was open Friday-Sunday at that point, and working backwards from the escrow date, its final show was on March 12, 1989. The drive-in’s ads in that paper had ceased the previous summer.
The Oaks' final newspaper ad was on Oct. 26, 1985. The double feature that night was “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” and “My Science Project.”
Based on spot checks of the Paradise Post, the Pine Breeze’s final season might have been 1962. The town’s theaters were plagued by vandalism, and I didn’t see any later drive-in ads. Although the site looked intact in aerial photos, a letter to the editor in February 1970 said, “As the former Pine Breeze outdoor theatre now stands it is slowly rusting and disintegrating.”
The old Mesa was replaced by Oroville Manor, a housing unit that is still there today. Its address is 2750 Lincoln Blvd, Oroville, CA 95966.
The Sunrise was active until the summer of 2004, when it sort of lost its fight with Sacramento County code enforcement, which said the 70-foot screen was in danger of collapsing. Its final appearance in the Sacramento Bee’s theater listings was on July 27, 2004.
The last Coliseum Drive-In listing I could find in the Oakland Tribune was on November 27, 1994. The next day’s listing said “Closed for the Winter.”
Coliseum Drive-In final listing Nov 27, 1994 Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California) Newspapers.com
The last listing for the “Airport I & II” in the Oakland Tribune was on the day after Labor Day, Sept. 5, 1978. Screen 1 showed “Jaws 2” and “Grey Lady Down.” Screen 2 had “Smokey and the Bandit” and “The Last Remake of Beau Geste.”
The Moonlite opened on June 29, 1950, based on a story in the next day’s Hollister Advance. “(B)uilt by Hans Severinsen at a cost of $80,000,” the drive-in boasted a 42x56-foot screen. “Opening night feature was “The Outriders,” a first-run MGM technicolor production starring Joel McCrea.”
The drive-in’s last performance was on June 30, 1962, as it made way for a hardware store to be built on the site. The final movies were “GI Blues” and “Too Late Blues.”
The last Motor-In ad I found in the Fresno Bee was on Oct. 21, 1979. The X-rated triple feature was “Love World,” “Runaway Hormones,” & “Bedroom Magic.”
The last Humboldt ad I could find in the Eureka Times-Standard was on Dec. 17, 1977. The movies were “One on One” and “Sorceror”. The Dec. 23 ad read No Show This Weekend / “Merry Christmas”
That housing unit, Brookdale Estates, is completely within the city limits of Menominee Falls, according to Google Maps. The folks who live there now get their mail from the Menominee Falls post office, Zip Code 53051.
IMHO, the Victory should be listed under Menominee Falls.
This 1981 photo by Steve Fitch is included in his 2025 book, “Screen Towers: The Drive-In Theater in America.” He still owns its copyright.
This 1982 photo by Steve Fitch is included in his 2025 book, “Screen Towers: The Drive-In Theater in America.” He still owns its copyright.
This 1975 photo by Steve Fitch is included in his 2025 book, “Screen Towers: The Drive-In Theater in America.” He still owns its copyright.
This 1973 photo by Steve Fitch is included in his 2025 book, “Screen Towers: The Drive-In Theater in America.” He still owns its copyright.
This photo by Steve Fitch is part of his 2025 book, “Screen Towers: The Drive-In Theater in America.” He still owns its copyright.