Covina Twin Drive-In
978 Arrow Highway,
Covina,
CA
91724
978 Arrow Highway,
Covina,
CA
91724
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Now Vista Pointe apartments. Please update.
Its Actually Located On 978 Arrow, Not 978 East Arrow, Since Covina Had 2 978 Arrows, One Listed As East Arrow, But The Actual Address Is 978 Arrow. It Was Closed In The 1980s.
Saw a few movies there, growing up between 67 and 78. The two I remember the most were The Love Bug, with the whole family. And Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, with a babysitter. I also remember being in Boy Scouts and we had our meetings at the VFW next door. My friends and I would sit on the wall over there and watch the movies without any sound!
Boxoffice, March 19, 1962: “Mat Appleman & Associates has taken over the Covina Drive-In from J. E. Poynter and partners”
Two screens on May 23rd, 1965
From BoxOffice, Jan. 4, 1960: “C. E. Langford opened the new Covina Drive-In, a 400-car situation, December 18. The drive-in is on Arrow highway and Grand avenue and has a large playground and a self-service snack bar. RCA equipment for the Covina was furnished by John C. Filbert Co. John Reynolds is manager of the new drive-in and Film Booking Service is doing the booking and buying.”
The Vista Pointe apartment complex was later built on the site. I lived there From September 2001 to June 2003.
Please update address to:
978 E Arrow Hwy, Covina, CA 91724
If you’re trying to figure out the layout from the aerial picture, both screens faced east. The little shack in the east lot was the projection booth for Theatre 1. The snack bar, guard shack, restrooms and offices were in the long building between the two theatres and the projection booth for Theatre 2 was atop the snack bar. All traffic entered from Arrow Hwy. on the north side. It was owned by SRO (Sterling Recreation Organization) of Seattle as were several other theatres,race tracks and swap meets in the general area at the time.
I worked there from 1973-1974 or so. One of my job duties included what we called being the “late man”. The late man was last to leave and was tasked with turning off the speakers as people left in order to minimize complaints from neighbors. It was amazing just how far the sound from relatively few speakers left on would carry in the wee hours toward closing.
Nevermind, I found it. On the corner of E. Arrow Highway and N. Grand Ave.
Anyone know roughly when this drive-in closed down?
Where was this theater located, I cannot seem to find it on historicaerials.com. Is the address correct? What is in it’s place now?
I remember going this one, taking some of my “dates”.
It was a great place to see some flicks..I recal seeing Casino Royale there, Witchfinder General, Georgy Girl, and many others..
The 40’s 50’s and 60’s was a great time to go to drive ins..WIth the mal behavior of the public these days, I don’t think the drive in
is a viable thing…Sadly, nostalgically speaking – they died out, but again, I don’t think I would go to one in these times!
Here is an October 1960 item from the Los Angeles Times:
COVINA-Three elementary schools, a proposed school site, the Covina Drive-In Theater and the Los Angeles County Flood Control District settling basin have been annexed to the city, along with nine acres for a proposed housing development.
The initial acquisition, covering 105 acres, is the second largest annexation in the city’s history. The site is bounded by Covina Blvd., Citrus Ave., Arrow Highway and Grand Ave.
Carload prices, my girlfriend’s trusty VW Van filled with kids and a triple feature of Andy Warhol’s Dracula, Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein and Texas Chainsaw Massacre… Warm So. Cal. Summer night. Those were the days!
The Covina Twin didn’t have the playground, that was the Azusa Foothill Drive-In, had a feeling I had mixed the two up.
The status should be changed to closed/demolished.
Oh man, do I remember going here! It was the local “hot spot” for the kids when I was a teenager. I remember going here as a kid with my parents…it had a playground I think, though I may be confusing it with the drive-in in Azusa, CA, which wasn’t too terribly far from this one.
Sadly, either condos or townhomes sit on the drive-in’s site today.
Here is a page of memories of the Covina Twin Drive-In.