San Gabriel Drive-In

In the mid 60s, my mom, dad, and I, and friends of theirs & their toddler (I was about five) went to see “Dr. Zhivago” there, and they sold out! I still recall an employee out front waving his hands in the air, gesturing they couldn’t allow more cars. We then went the following week, still packed, but we got in. A few years later we returned to see “Krakatoa, East of Java” (1969).

http://www.drive-ins.com/gallery/catsang

Thanks Ken, at least we have a aerial view of what the lot looked like, since no one else posted one. Quite a distance from the back row….

Items in various issue of Boxoffice Magazine from 1955 indicate that the Edwards San Gabriel Drive-In opened early that year. The architect of the 1100 car theater was J. Arthur Drielsma. The project included a 2,400 square foot building at the base of the screen tower, on the street side, which was designed as an office for the Edwards Theatre Circuit, and the company’s headquarters remained there from 1955 until it was moved to Orange County in the 1970s.

The February 4, 1956, issue of Boxoffice featured a photo of the Edwards San Gabriel Drive-In, about a year after it had opened.

Though Edwards opened the theater in partnership with Pacific Drive-Ins, and for many years it appeared in the Pacific Drive-Ins listings in the Los Angeles Times, by the mid-1980s it was being listed in the Edwards Cinemas section, along with the Edwards Drive-In and the Azusa Drive-In.

Along with the old Starlight Drive-In in El Monte, the San Gabriel was truly our local neighbourhood Drive In. I recall the first film I saw there was “Goldfinger” in 1964 at the age of 5. Taken with my older brother Michael and his mates, I felt like one of the guys. My bro and his mates proceeded to get totally pissed on beer and what not and I have a vivid memory of him having to pull his big Ford over to the side of the road after the films let out so his mate could puke. Good times! Of course I did the same thing 10 years later with my friends too. Saw lots of good stuff there including “The Omen” and a bunch of other stuff I can’t rememeber. But they had a pretty good snack bar and I recall the pizza was not half bad! Hard to belive now that there were ever things like drive-Ins.

From socaldriveins.com:

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My Father, Chalie “Gods gift to Women”, Myself & My Brother Chuck Murphy all worked as ushers at This Drive-In From 1965 until thr Mid 1970’s! We were paid a hefty 95 cents an hour! Plus got to watch Movies free! This Was an Edwards Movie Theaters at that time, And the big boss himself Mr Edwards had his office in the building right below the screens!
We have hundreds of interesting stories from working at this Drive-in, but one of the most memorable ones was when a couple drove up to the ticket both with a chimp (Monkey) sitting up on the back of the front seat! The Women asked if there was a charge for him (the Chimp)?
I said uhh… no! She turned to the Chip & said “Honey you get in free”!
After collecting the $3 total for two adults, I rembered We were showing……Planets of the Apes!