Webster Drive-In
536 N. Broadway,
Clay,
KY
42404
536 N. Broadway,
Clay,
KY
42404
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By 1982, the drive-in had been completely demolished.
Today, there are no traces visible anymore.
Opened as the Twilite Drive-In on March 5, 1954 with Gregory Peck in “Captain Horatio Hornblower” and Roy Acuff in “Smoky Mountain Melody” along with the Three Stooges short “Three Dark Horses” and an unnamed Tom And Jerry cartoon. It was renamed the Webster Drive-In in 1959.
At approximately 9:30 PM ET on May 6, 1967, during a showing of Clint Walker in “Maya” as part of a double feature with Doris Day’s “The Glass Bottom Boat” beforehand, the whole audience witnessed a confirmed tornado crashing through the drive-in, toppling the severely-damaged screen down and destroying the entirety of its concession stand. This likely happened during the beginning of the movie and not during intermission. No serious injuries were reported, and the drive-in never reopened afterward.
An Associated Press story, run on the front page of the Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph on May 8, 1967, included in a tornado roundup: “Seven homes were destroyed Saturday night [May 6] at Clay, Ky., by high winds that hit a corner of the community. Trees were felled and a drive-in theater screen was toppled as an audience watched. There were no serious injuries.”
A somewhat closer address (at least for Google) is 536 North Broadway, Clay, KY. The drive-in was located just to the south and on the east side of the road.
Today, it is an empty field, but you can still see the faded outline and ramps. http://tinyurl.com/j77892f
Kentucky 109, .25 mile south of Henry Dr
Clay, KY 42404
The above address will map correctly to the location of the drive-in, which was on the east side of Kentucky 109, south of Clay.