Sky-Vu Drive-In
813 E. Market Street,
Gratz,
PA
17048
813 E. Market Street,
Gratz,
PA
17048
4 people
favorited this theater
The Sky-Vu Drive-In was a single screen drive-in with a capacity for 200 cars. It was opened on July 13, 1950 and operated from May to September showing double features. It was closed by Carmike Cinemas in summer of 2014, unable to convert to digital projection. It reopened in 2016 but closed at the end of the 2023 season, with some doubt about it opening for the 2024 season.
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Lost Memory
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Update from FB..
Thank you for sharing the page and helping spread the word that the drive in will opening soon. Next week the digital projector arrives and Pepsi will be there to do the install. Today Ruth Hafer did some painting. We’re getting things ready. We had the first step completed for the screen repair and we had stone brought in for the road into the drive in. Almost time for movies under the stars again. Tim and Renate Neal
Norman Gasbarro’s Lykens Valley blog has a great history of the Sky-Vu. “In 1949, the land on which the theatre now stands, was sold by Allen Lincoln Shade and Etta May [Hartman] Shade to Eston C. Artz and Stanford E. Carl. Eston and Stanford established a partnership to create the Sky-Vu Drive-In Theatre in 1950.”
The first newspaper reference I could find was an ad in the Elizabethville Echo of July 13, 1950. It doesn’t quite say so, but it appears to be a grand opening ad: “SKY VU Drive-In Theatre welcomes you to one of America’s most unique outside theatres.” The ad described the Sky Vu’s benefits in copy that wasn’t repeated in the weekly ads that followed. (I’ve uploaded the ad to the Photos section here.)
The 1949-50 Theatre Catalog lists “Drive In” in Gratz, capacity 550, Exec: Artz and Carl (UNC). Did that mean under construction? By the 1952 edition, the listing had evolved to the Sky Vu, capacity 232, Exec: Eston, Artz and Carl, Spring Glen.
The 1951-52 International Motion Picture Almanac listed the “Skyview”, capacity 230, owned by G. Wolfe, which is how it stayed through at least 1959. For the 1961-66 editions, only the owner changed, to E. Hotz.
When ownership information resumed after a decade off, the 1978 edition listed Trautman, capacity 200. Except for a minor update to M. Trautman, that’s how it stayed through the final IMPA list in 1988.
The Lykens Valley blog fills in part of this period. Around 1969, Marvin Troutman, son of Marvin and Ada Troutman, bought the Sky-Vu and the nearby Halifax Drive-In. “Shortly afterward, he and his wife formed Martro Theatres, Inc.” And they began running X-rated movies at both drive-ins.
The United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association wrote that the Sky-Vu reopened in 1994. Which means it must have been closed for a while before that.
Reports say the Sky Vu closed (again) in 2014. When Tim and Renate Neal leased and reopened it in 2016, Marvin Troutman still owned the place.
The May 8, 1954 Billboard magazine said the Roy Sullender’s National Screen Service Corporation was handling the buying and booking for the Sky-Vu. In Feb. 5, 1955, it said that Tri-States Buying and Booking Service was handling the drive-in.
Opened On July 13th, 1950. Please Update.
this address is correct but is is in lykens pa not gratz pa
this address is correct but is is in lykens pa not gratz pa.
this address is correct but is is in lykens pa not gratz pa.
Gratz, PA works okay…
Opened with Robert Montgomery in “Ride The Pink Horse” (unknown if any short subjects were added).
Will not open for the 2024 unless new operators are found:
Gratz, PA: Sky-Vu Drive-in Will Not Reopen for 2024 Season Without New Operators [Apr 30, 2024]
According to the local news it appears that this Drive In will not reopen. The Troutman family has sold the property.