Westlane Auto Movies
County Road 32B and Road 105D,
Davis,
CA
95618
County Road 32B and Road 105D,
Davis,
CA
95618
3 people
favorited this theater
Located in a rural area off of Chiles Road, the Westlane Auto Movies was opened on September 9, 1966 with Annette Funicello in “How to Stuff a Wild Bikini”, George Hamilton in “Your Cheatin' Heart” & Robert Mitchum in “Mister Moses”. It was a single-screener showing first-run mainstream films through the mid-1970’s, when it switched to XXX features.
Closed in 1982 and demolished in 1992, the site is now home to soccer fields. The only remains are the original fence surrounding the property, and the marquee base about a half mile up the road near Highway 80.
Contributed by
JasonBalch
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Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
United Artists operated this drive-in until 1975, when it switched to XXX films.
The westlane, was originally called the Hammer Drive In, as it was off of Hammer Lane. It was renamed the Westlane in the mid 70’s when it became porn, and remained so until its closure. The drive in was closed in the early 80’s because of porn going on to vhs tape and no longer being distributed in 35mm format. It sat there closed until someone set the projection booth, which housed the snack bar and a residence, on fire. It never reopened.
There should be an aka of Hammer Drive-In, per the 6/7/07 post.
I lived in a trailer in the back of Westlane Auto Movie for seven years from the late sixties into the seventies when my father was the manager and my mother worked behind the candy counter in the snack bar. This was before the drive-in went porno. I have fond memories of dusk to dawn screenings of James Bond films and Roger Corman’s Poe series. During the time I lived onsite, we played many first run features including 2001: A Space Odyssey, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Midnight Cowboy, and The French Connection.
A problem for this theater during the porn days was that there was a back road where people could park and watch the screen without paying. This theater is particularly mourned by drive-in aficionados since it was one of a very few to show porno movies.
Approx. location for this drive-in was County Road 32B & Road 105D. Actually at the end of 105d.
Saw the Bond films, always tried to peek in on the porn! GOOD TIMES!
This opened on September 9th, 1966. Grand opening ad posted.
Sorry, robertgippy, but this Westgate is not the same as the “West Gate” in distant Stockton, a town that also had the Hammer Drive-In.
As rivest266’s Grand Opening clipping in the photo section shows, the Westgate was a new drive-in when it opened in September 1966. The grand opening’s month argues strongly against it being merely a season opener.
Also, Google Maps likes 26375 County RD 105D, Davis, CA 95618 as the address for the old Westgate site.