Palafox Drive-In
4319 N. Palafox Street,
Pensacola,
FL
32505
4319 N. Palafox Street,
Pensacola,
FL
32505
2 people
favorited this theater
The Palafox Drive-In was the first drive-in theatre to be operated by T.G. Solomon’s Gulf States Theatres in Pensacola. In 1949 T.G. Solomon bought ten acres of land for about $8,000.000 and built the Palafox Drive-In. It opened January 4, 1950 featuring the 1949 comedy “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby” starring Donald O'Connor and Gloria DeHaven. The parking ramps could hold 400 cars.
The Palafox Drive-In closed September 1960.
Contributed by
Randy Studer, Dave Bonan
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
The Holiday and The Palafox were two distinct and different drive-ins. The Holiday was north of the Palafox on Hwy 29. (I know because I was a ticket boy at all of the Gulf States theatres in Pensacola during the mid-50’s until 1960.)
TicketBoy – Preston? Bobby? My grandfolks ran the Holiday, my parents ran the Palafox which was demolished for a K-mart type store and a drive-thru liquor kiosk (bread, cigarettes – the basics)then ran the Ranch Drive-In before moving to Baton Rouge and taking the Tiger Drive-in, my Aunt had the The Navy and the Floridian indoor theatres, all staffed with cousins while Johnny Nicholson ran the TwinAir and the Greenhuts filled concessions at all of them. I always got to run the cartoon reels prior to opening because I wasn’t allowed to stay up that late. I think the concession staff was M/M Walls? And it was a huge deal when Teddy Soloman came to town! Good times!
My Mother and Father, Glen and Alice Marble, use to run the Palafox Drive In Theater for 3 years…From early 1954 to 1956. We moved into the home that was right next to the property in 1954. A gentleman from New York, owned several of the theaters..I believe, Twin Air on Navy Blvd, Palafox, and Warrington Drive In (or was it called the Ranch)..We were friends with the managers of the Twin Air..Ermma and Gino DiFilo(?)and then Johnny Nicholson… I am now 63and my sister Glenda is 70.. We had so many good times at the palafox…Ticket takers were many…David Fish… Billy Stafford….Edward Holland..Fred Stafford etc…My Mom, Alice, ran the ticket booth and dad, Glen Marble, Managed the theater..Anyone have a photo of the Neon Lady on the front of the Theater screen? I have been searching everywhere…Please do a search on facebook for me, Debbie Marble, if you have any photos of the Palafox..
Aerial views of the theater and the site as it looks today from the air can be seen here.
The above photo is NOT of the Palafox. This is a photo showing where the Showtown theater use to be on N. Hwy 29 and W…The palafox was right next to where Palafox Hwy.intersects with Pace Blvd.