Knoxville Drive-In
128 Forrest Park Boulevard,
Knoxville,
TN
37919
128 Forrest Park Boulevard,
Knoxville,
TN
37919
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Fotomac, The movie playing on July 15, 1977 was “Barbara”
Can anyone remember what the feature was for the week of 15 July, when Star Wars came to town?
The last movies shown were on October 19, 1980. The last newspaper ad is posted in the photo section.
Closed with “Starhops” and “Girls for hire”.
Opened with a cartoon(not named), first run news, and “Jimmy steps out”.
A 3 Minute Reel Of Local Merchants Was Discovered On Vimeo, That Came From The Knoxville.
Mike Rogers, the Laurel and Hardy movie you mentioned, might be “Laurel and Hardy’s Laughing 20’s”(by Robert Youngson). I have it on video tape.
According to to newspaper adds, the Knoxville Drive-In opened on August 11, 1948. I have posted this add in the photo section.
The April 2, 1949 date that was reported by Boxoffice Magazine appears to be a reopening date with new owners.
REMEMBERING PLITT THEATRES is on FACEBOOK , check it out..
Great story tntim.knoxville had some Great Drive-ins.I thought RIVER BREEZE was one of the best.
According to Boxoffice magazine, the Knoxville Drive-in opened April 2, 1949. It was designed by Park In Theatres Inc. in Camden, NJ and had a capacity of 512 cars.
The projectionist there had to be at his daytime job in the early morning, so my dad would finish at the Capri Cinema and then go to the Knoxville and cover the midnight show for him so he could go home and get some sleep.
I grew up only three blocks from the drive-in and vaguely remember them adding the “wings†to the screen tower for cinemascope. This would have been in the very early 60’s. I also remember when my dad would take me over there in the daytime to shoot off model rockets.
There was a shopping center on the other side of the RR tracks that had a bowling alley in it. When they put in the sodium vapor lights in the parking lot in the late 70’s, they would cast a shadow of a telephone pole on the screen. This was not a problem for the bright scenes, but on the dark scenes it was a big problem. I think light pollution was a big problem for the drive-ins that where built on the outskirts of town in the 50’s but found themselves in the middle of suburbia in the 70’s.
Now showing Oct 20 1964 “THE CHALK GARDEN” and “THE SECRET PASSION” these features are playing the same time at Four area Drive-ins!
Thank you Tlsloews for checking out one of your fine state’s old Drive-ins.Still waiting on Robin and your pictures.
Thanks Mike.
It’s Sept. 24 1967 and the KNOXVILLE DRIVE-in is playing Craig Stevens in"GUNN" and a First run double feature with"THE HIRED KILLER"
Coming Next was"FORT UTAH" and Michael Caine in “GAMBIT”
NOW SHOWING AT THE KNOXVILLE DRIVE IN Sept. 18 1967
“IRMA LA DOUCE” and “TOM JONES” this was also playing at the FAMILY DRIVE IN Knoxville. Plus color cartoon.
I REMEMBER GOING TO THE KNOXVILLE DRIVE IN OR THE FAMILY DRIVE WITH MY COUSINS ONE NIGHT WHILE VISITING FROM GEORGIA. I CAN REMEMBER THE FILM BUT IT WAS A LAUREL AND HARDY FEATURE LIKE THEY EDITED A BUNCH OF FILMS FROM THE 30’S FOR A MOVIE. I ALWAYS WANTED TO GO TO THE TWIN AIRE DRIVE IN I SAW IT FROM THE ROAD ONE TIME. I HAD NEVER HEARD OF A TWIN DRIVE IN EVER!
The site of the Knoxville Drive-In was cleared and a shopping center built there in the mid-1990’s. The shopping center now stands almost completely empty with no anchor and only one or two small store-front tenants. There is a commemorative plaque mentioning the drive-in and the brick yard which preceded it.
The drive-in’s south edge bordered the busy Southern Railroad main line. Wonder what it was like to be sitting in the back seat of an un-airconditioned 1955 Chevy, not watching the movie, as a mile of heavily laden coal cars thundered past every half hour?