Lake Air Drive-In
8335 NW 39th Expressway,
Bethany,
OK
73008
8335 NW 39th Expressway,
Bethany,
OK
73008
2 people
favorited this theater
Showing 15 comments
It was donated to the Billboard Museum Association by the McFarland family. The City of Bethany wanted it removed.
The marquee, which last appeared in an April 2019 Google Street View was removed by March 2021.
Grand opening ad posted.
Motion Picture Herald, April 29, 1950: “The city’s newest drive-in theatre, Lake-Air, at the old Lakeside golf course, opened last Tuesday with “Francis” on the screen. Built and to be operated by R. E. and C. B. McFarland, it is one of the three drive-ins to have its projection booth at the rear of a 600-car lot instead of in the center of the parking area.”
By “last Tuesday,” the MPH meant April 18, 1950:
I lived and worked there in the 50’s & 60’s
The June 10, 1950 issue of BoxOffice reported that the “Lake-Air, owned by R. E. and C. B. McFarland, a 600-car situation at Oklahoma City,” opened in April.
The projection booth/concession stand that is shown in the photos and appears in a 2015 Google Street View appears to have been demolished from the latest overhead Google Map view.
The Okie Mod Squad web site has a couple of photos of the ruins, posted in August 2018, as well as more notes about the Lake Air.
The site says the golf range morphed into the drive-in in 1950. “According to one expert, ‘It was built by Robert and Charles Mc Farland and sold to local theater magnet, Robert Lewis Barton in 1959.’ … The drive-in closed after the 1967 season and became a go-cart track then a golf range again and maybe even a church before being abandoned altogether in the early 2000s.”
The Motion Picture Almanacs listed the Lake Air under Oklahoma City.
MPA drive-in list summary:
The May 19, 1951 Daily Oklahoman reported a recent storm that “tore up the screen of the Lake Air drive-in theater on the site of the old Lakeside golf course.”
Shown on this informative link are recent snapshots of the former LakeAire Drive-In Theatre …
http://www.abandonedok.com/lakeaire-drive-in/
This link labels this as Lakeside, but these are actually images of the once lovely Lake Air Drive-In, OKC.
http://www.roadsideoklahoma.com/node/26
Boy,TLSLOEWS,I bet it was.
Was it by the Lake Mike?
In 1956 it was owned by R.E.&C.B. MacFarland.
Located at 8335 NW 39th Expressway, Bethany (westside of Oklahom City), I’ve been told by a reliable source that the Lake Air Drive-In was once a beautiful facility. The entrance drive was lined by lattice fencing, with baroque trim, topped by Victorian gaslight fixtures. Manicured landscaping was exceptionally lush with a vast array of varied foliage.
Below the screentower was a small playground park surrounded by royal gold cannas, boardered by hostas plants. There was a candy cane striped swingset, candy striped teeter-totters, spiral slide, and a round trampoline housed inside a white gazebo.
The concession stand had a brick patio enclosed by an iron picket fence. The enterior was Victorian styled with flocked foil wallpaper and gingerbread trim. It offered the usual hot dogs, popcorn, candy, and pop, but its popular specialty was a breaded mutton steak sandwich, topped with mayo and onion rings (this sandwich was also a favorite across town at the Ice Cream Parlor inside Frontier City Amusement Park).
Time passes swiftly, after the Lake Air closed for the last time the lush foliage was no longer cared for, and began to take over the grounds. Standing in ruin today, one can still observe that this was once a special place in which to view a movie or two.
On the below link the Lake Air is erroneously listed as the Lakeside. Recent photos are posted of what the Lake Air looks like now -
View link