Milford Red and Blue Drive-In
230 Cherry Street,
Milford,
CT
06460
230 Cherry Street,
Milford,
CT
06460
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: E.M. Loew's Theaters Inc.
Previous Names: Milford Drive-In
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The Milford Drive-In was Connecticut’s first drive-in theater which was opened May 26, 1939. It had a 500-car capacity. It was twinned on May 10, 1978 and torn down in 1988 for the current incarnation as a Showcase Cinemas 5plex. There was a flea market on site.
Contributed by
Dave Bonan
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Recent comments (view all 14 comments)
Here is an August 1958 ad from the Bridgeport Post:
http://tinyurl.com/p7b9xk
Any Photos?
230 Cherry St, Milford, CT 06460
The above address will map accurately to the location of the drive-in.
Here is a 1960 aerial photo of the drive-in, courtesy of Earth Explorer and USGS.
Saw many movies here during late 60’s & early 70’s. Remember seeing Woodstock, The Incredible two headed transplant, The Dr. Phibes movies and plenty of AIP Corman pictures.
lol They showed xxx movies in the early ‘80’s. I saw some there and also watched just the top of the screen many times from the pizza place across the street (Mama Teresa’s?).
Opened May 26, 1939 (opening day ad uploaded to photos) and originally advertised as the Drive-in Theatre Milford. Operated in the ‘40s by Carl Hellpen for the EM Loew chain, which also ran drive-ins in Montville (Norwich-New London DI) and elsewhere in CT.
This was my assigned Drive-In to manage summer of 1979. The Sat. Flea Market was huge and almost always sold out. Went to work Friday afternoon and worked straight thru two big drive-in nights and flea market to early Sunday morning. Ahh to be young again. Not sure what year it closed to make way for the Showcase Cinema that followed.
According to notes in the June 1940 issues of The Exhibitor, the Milford’s second year was delayed by local protests. It opened June 26 that year “with individual amplifiers for cars.”
Billboard, July 24, 1954: “One of the first drive-in theaters in the country, E. M. Loew’s 850-car capacity Milford (Conn.) Drive-In, is to undergo extensive remodeling, including installation of a 76-foot-wide screen, according to George E. Landers, the circuit’s Hartford, Conn., division manager. The theater will have a new concession building, lounges and relandscaping.”
Two screens on May 10th, 1978 and its last season was in 1985.