NW Hi-Way Drive-In

3215 NW Expressway,
Oklahoma City, OK 73106

Unfavorite 1 person favorited this theater

Showing 7 comments

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on October 19, 2021 at 7:08 pm

This drive-in’s ownership got complicated in its final decade or so. By 1968, Gulf States Theatres had taken over all of Barton’s Oklahoma drive-ins on a lease-purchase agreement. The NW Hi-Way appears to have been closed in 1973, then Galaxy Theatres ran it in 1974. Caporal Theatres, which also had the Riviera, bought it and reopened in spring 1975. For some reason, Boxoffice then (May 12, 1975) referred to the drive-in as “the long-shuttered Northwest Highway”.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on October 10, 2021 at 4:25 pm

Motion Picture Herald, Aug. 9, 1952: “The Barton Theatres have bought the N W Hi-Way drive-in theatre from the Sullivan Theatres of Wichita, Kan. The drive-in is the 12th theatre in the Barton chain.”

rivest266
rivest266 on August 22, 2018 at 11:48 pm

The Odom and Northwest Drive-ins both opened on July 2nd, 1947 becoming the first drive-ins in the area.

Northwest Highway and Odom Drive-Ins openingNorthwest Highway and Odom Drive-Ins opening Wed, Jul 2, 1947 – 38 · The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) · Newspapers.com

Grand opening ad in the photo section.

Cimarron
Cimarron on February 9, 2014 at 4:20 am

1948 Pic of N.W. Hi-Way Drive-In, Oklahoma City, added to Photo Section.

vonerator
vonerator on November 3, 2013 at 11:27 pm

Used to set on the hill behind the drive-in at the grade school with my buddies wathing what ever was showing. If we got bored, we would walk over to the Baptist hospital emergency room to see what was happening.

Jim Beaver
Jim Beaver on April 20, 2013 at 9:00 pm

I got my start as a projectionist at the NW Hiway Drive-In. First day on the job, I dropped the first reel of KLUTE on my foot and broke two toes. When I got back to work, we were showing THE CROSS AND THE SWITCHBLADE. I remember one of the projectors burning out during LITTLE BIG MAN and I had to stop the film for about five minutes between each reel to let the one remaining projector cool down and reload it with the next reel. Good times. Now I act in movies. Almost as much fun!

whorton
whorton on July 13, 2012 at 7:01 pm

I dare say that clipping looks very familiar. Perhaps it came from a listing I posted on another site, contrasting the first and the last ad from the drive in. Notice too, the Altus Drive in ad.

See the posting at: www.driveins.org/aida4.html

The Northwest Highway was Oklahoma City’s first drive in. Opening the same day that the Odom’s drive in opened on S. Shields. (Later to become the Barton’s ‘77 drivein.)

Just for the record, the drive in opened on July 2, 1947, The last showing was on Sept 15, 1979. That clipping is the last ad published.