Clervue Drive-In

50sSNIPES on September 23, 2023 at 2:13 pm

The Clervue opened its gates on July 7, 1953, and was first operated by Mr. and Mrs. Edwin G. Calhoun of Montrose, Colorado. Later in the 1950s, it was operated by MCM Theatres.

Later operated by Sheldon Wimpfen of Winter Garden, the Clervue became local headlines in 1983 with its showing of explicit and foreign material during the very late hours. Wimpfen was interviewed by the Orlando Sentinel in February 1983 that they show the same average R-rated films that you can see anywhere in the state. He said that theater owners have difficult times to show G-rated features such as Disney stuff. He would rather show all Disney movies but they don’t make that many anymore which at the time instead shows special reissues. Wimpfen also recommend that foreign features were also screened since earlier that same year but were not sexually explicit, calling the films more tame. Clermont’s mayor, Charles Beals, sent a complaint letter to the owners asking that they would not show anymore explicit features.

Later that same year, citizens were tired of the explicit features they’ve shown, despite the direction of the screen it faced as people can witness the stuff from U.S. Highway 27 and Hooks Street. On November 10, 1983, city officials decided not to take legal action against the theater for showing nudity that are visible from nearby highways but they left open the possibility of future actions if more complaints continue.

The Clervue closed in 1988.

Kris4077 on June 10, 2023 at 10:16 pm

I think the address should be “2780 Hooks St Clermont, Fl 34711.” Hooks not Hook and the zip code was wrong.