Ark Vue Drive-In
2701 N. Summit Street,
Arkansas City,
KS
67005
2701 N. Summit Street,
Arkansas City,
KS
67005
2 people
favorited this theater
The Ark Vue Drive-In opened June 1, 1954 with Kathryn Grayson in “Showboat” & Janet Leigh in “Fearless Fagan”. This single screen drive-in had a capacity for 350 cars. The Ark Vue Drive-In closed on September 11, 1981 with Brooke Shields in “The Blue Lagoon”. Later in the evening two X-Rated movies were screened which caused the authorities to close the theatre down.
Contributed by
Lost Memory
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 11 comments)
Address # should be 2701. Address given above is south of the Walmart.
Great pictures dallas!!
The 1949 opening listed above is incorrect. The Ark Vue drive-in theater opened in July of 1954; the movie was “Showboat” with Ava Gardner and Howard Keel. I was there for the event, my brother-in-law was the manager of the theater. Also, the Ark Vue was definitely still operating in the 80’s. Finally, in the city directories of the day, you’ll find the address was listed as 2511 N Summit.
Just posted the opening day movie ad. It opened June 1,1954
Okay, I was off by a month… memory ain’t what it used to be. At least I got the feature right. :)
Hey Gary….have any pictures of it to share??
Sorry – no photos. In fact, the pics of the Ark Vue on this site are new to me. FWIW, they are exactly as I remember it. :)
The drive-in was still intact in 1981, but was demolished by 1985. Although the screen foundation and general outline was still present.
There appears to be a go-kart track in the 1981 aerial, between the entrance and exit roads. Something that was not present in the 1956 aerial.
Another slightly interesting feature was that the screen in 1956 appears to be a widescreen, something that was just being constructed in drive-ins at the time. Plus, the screen sits a considerable distance from the first row.
Boxoffice, March 9, 1970: “The Ark Vue Drive-In was built and designed by Gene and Clara Bullard … The 350 speakers are repaired every year to give patrons the best in sound … The Ark Vue Drive-In, according to its operators, has the largest curved CinemaScope screen in the state of Kansas.”
The Ark Vue Drive-In closed after the 1981 season, likely due to both mortgage issues and as well as the arrest of its operators on two misdemeanor charges of promoting late-night obscenity. On September 11, 1981, a triple feature was scheduled with only the first one being a normal first-run movie. “The Blue Lagoon” was the last normal film that was screened at the Ark Vue at sunset, but the last two movies afterward are X-rated films.
This led the B&B Theatres chain, who owns the Ark Vue in its last years of operation, to cease and ban X-rated movies from any theater or drive-in. The operators were later sued for its foreclosure in November 1982 by the Home National Bank in a petition filed with a local district court.