Los Altos Drive-In
2800 N. Bellflower Boulevard,
Long Beach,
CA
90815
2800 N. Bellflower Boulevard,
Long Beach,
CA
90815
7 people
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Opened with 3 screens on 28th May 1972 on screen 1 with “Conquest of the Planet of the Apes” and “THX 1138”, screen 2 with “The War between men and women” and “How sweet it is”, and screen 3 with “What’s up doc” and “How to commit marriage”.
The Los Altos Drive-In closed for the final time on September 9, 1996 with “The Stupids” and “Escape From L.A.” at Screen 1, “Tin Cup” and “Carpool” at Screen 2, and “A Very Brady Sequel” and “Alaska” at Screen 3.
The Kmart opened two-and-a-half years later on November 17, 1999. It closed on April 18, 2021, and AtHome now currently occupies both the former Kmart and drive-in.
3 movies i saw here as kid with my fam that were pretty good was Three Men & A Baby, Beverly Hills Cop 2, Multiplicity
Unfortunately just like the Bridgehead D/I in Antioch, the dreaded KMart has closed for good!
From 1996 to 2001, the Los Altos Drive-In served as the location for actor Bruce Dern’s hosting of cable channel Speedvision’s “Lost Drive-In” movie program, which featured movies related to driving in one way or another. Look up “Lost Drive-In Los Altos” on YouTube; there are a few clips of the theater in its final days, as seen on the show, to be found there.
Three screens on June 28th, 1972. Another ad posted.
I Have Some Trailers That Came From The Los Altos Drive-In From February 1989-August 1990.
Closed in 1996. Site is now a K-mart.
Opened with “Son of Sinbad” and “Rage at dawn”.
I went here as a kid. Grew up on Fairbrook street basically….memories getting blurred tho between this and The Circle Drive in…good grief…I was Just watching an episode of Ace of Cake and it was about the original Star Wars….which started me thinkin as to where I saw that..myself, my mom and my little sister did but it came out May 77' which throws me because in the end of 76' after my first semester of 9th grade we moved to Sacramento area….over christmas break…it doesnt compute!!! LolI remember Oscars ( for pattymelts n shakes) , The christmas tree place that my gramma always got her trees flocked near by, I remember a wierd little beach called The Lagoon, of couse A n W, Big Boy ( my daughter has worked for big boy for 11years ironically), sees candy, woolworths, tastee freeze, McKinney shoes, Disco fair, Sav on drugs, sterns park…I had the best kite in the neighbor hood as my biological father worked for McDonnell Douglas…lol
I went here with my wife alot in the mid 70’s. We were there on 17Dec76 when the S.S. Sansinena blew up in Long Beach harbor the shock wave rocked our VW bug back and forth.Last movie I remember seeing there was the Bo Derek Tarzan remake.
June 3rd, 1955 grand opening ad uploaded here
Went here once to see “Sleepless in Seattle” and “Jurassic Park” in the summer of 1993…and didn’t make it through the double feature due to a brisk and passionate makeout session. Aaaah…
:o)
Was mentioned in the documentary “Drive-In Movie Memories” in 2001.
Here is a 1959 ad from the Press-Telegram:
http://tinyurl.com/2hhzgg
I used to frequent the Drive-in (almost everynight, we used to sneak in the exit, covering the spikes using phone books or carpet from Carpeteria across the street. Now I work for Cal Worthington Ford
(when the drive-in was demolished in 1998 they built us a brand-new dealership, opened in 1999) right now on the property is; CAL WORTHINGTON FORD, CHAMPION CHEVROLET (formerly Beach City Chevrolet), LOWES, K-MART, KFC & DENNYS
among others
I went to this drive-in frequently during the sixties, but only once after it was tri-plexed in the 70’s, where a friend and I took a Japanese visitor who wished to see an American drive-in to see “That’s Entertainment.”
Big problems started for the Los Altos when Cal Worthington Ford had bright lights to show off their cars, and it dimmed the picture quality.
Scroll down for before and after photos:
http://www.cajaeir.com/portfolio/photos.html
Listed as a Pacific Drive-In triplex in the L.A. Times Calendar section, Sunday August 24, 1986.
This drive-in was near the 405 freeway. Back in the 60’s we used to get off the Bellflower exit to get to the drive-in to see those beach party films. The last time I went there was to see a double bill, Bronco Billy and Under the Rainbow back in 1981.
So it wouldn’t have opened in 1972, but probably sometime in the 50s.
Well that ad was right, the drive-in was at Bellflower @ Spring. Bellflower & Spring are the cross streets at the north west corner of the property.
There is an ad for the Los Altos Drive-In in the Long Beach Independent dated 9/17/58. Address is given as Bellflower at Spring.
The car capacity breakdown was (1074),(798) & (938) from Pacific Thetare’s company roster.