Samuell Boulevard Drive-In
4617 Samuell Boulevard,
Dallas,
TX
75228
4617 Samuell Boulevard,
Dallas,
TX
75228
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From Billboard, June 26, 1954: “Triple swimming pools are part of a $50,000 improvement program under way at the Lone Star and Samuel Bolevard (sic) Drive-In theaters at Dallas. Other improvements include picnic patios, panoramic screens, booth equipment and general repainting and renovating. Each of the drive-ins will have three pools, two for kids and one for adults. Use of the pools and picnic patios will be free to patrons.”
As I recall, the area around the Drive-in was referred to East Pike. Samuell Blvd goes east from East Grand Ave. down a steep hill to a valley across White Rock Creek and then up a steep hill at Grove Hill Cemetery. The hill to the West was West Pike and the hill to the East was East Pike. I lived in the East Pike area as a kid on the road that connected Ferguson Rd. and Samuell Blvd. I could be wrong but that is my memory of East Pike.
The theater was located just a little east of the Grove Hill Road on the North side. Just West of the theater there was a Texaco service station on the corner of a road that connected Samuell Blvd and Ferguson Road. The road was demolished when the Interstate 30 was built. A small portion of this road is still there.
I worked at the East Pike (Samuell Blvd) Drive-In as a ticket taker for about a year just after it opened in 1950. I don’t remember the Drive-IN sign as shown in the photo. The sign was near the street.
James Riggs' owned Samuell Boulevard Drive-In kicked off on a Tuesday night, December 12, 1950. It was the second to last new drive-in in what turned out to be one of the Dallas' area’s most busy years in drive-in development. Preceding the Samuell Boulevard were ozoners including: the Hines Drive-In, Jefferson D-I, Hampton Road D-I, South Loop D-I,Garland Road D-I, and Denton Road D-I. And the Cinderella D-I would open just four days after the Samuell. The main decoration theme for the Samuell was listed as “wrought iron.” It had a playground, bottle warmers for infants, and opened with the film “Copper Canyon.” It soon added a swimming pool, a wading pool, and a lighted picnic area with outdoor cooking facilities.
On May 21, 1954, the Samuell went big screen equipping the screen for CinemaScope opening with “The Command.” All advertising and bookings end at the end of March 1959 for the Samuell.
I agree Matt54, the pic is not right. I don’t remember the tall sign or the structure either. I do remember it being called the East Pike, but the official name was the Samuell Blvd.
After carefully studying the Historical Aerials overhead shots from 1957 and 1958, noticing particularly the configuration of the screen tower and its positioning on the property, its “wings” (adjacent fences meant to shield patrons' eyes from ambient light) and the location of the boxoffice, I have concluded that the photo I posted of this theatre…ain’t it.
What theatre the one in the photo might be, I have no idea.
“Chuck 1231 confirms Bob’s statement that this was originally the East Pike (see Casa View Drive-In page), so there needs to be an AKA added above the title, don’t you think?” – I have now found evidence that refutes this claim, namely an announcement in a 1950 Dallas newspaper (link posted below). Samuell Blvd. itself was at one time referred to as the East Pike because it was the old route of US Hwy 67 into Dallas from the east. It’s possible Chuck’s source confuses the theatre with the road. Here’s the link. Scroll about a third of the way down the page until you see an article headlined “New Drive-In To Open Tuesday.”
http://bacougars66.com/index.php/dallas-at-the-drive-in
From correlating views from HistoricalAerials.com from 1958 – 2004 with current GoogleMaps views, it seems the construction of R.L. Thornton Expressway, which also served as a new route for U.S. Hwy 80/67 through the area, doomed this drive-in by taking out a major chunk of its parking lot – can’t have a drive-in movie without a place for the cars.
This would’ve come to pass in the very early 1960’s, confirmed by the fact that, by the date of Don’s ubiquitous 1963 Dallas Drive-In listings, ads for the Samuell Boulevard Drive-In were no longer carried.
SiliconSam, Chuck 1231 confirms Bob’s statement that this was originally the East Pike (see Casa View Drive-In page), so there needs to be an AKA added above the title, don’t you think?
It was located where Oakdale Townhomes are located now, on the North side of Samuell Blvd.
This theatre was located at or near the site of Dallas Metro Care.
Bob, at what time was it called the East Pike?
AKA:
THE EAST PIKE DRIVE-IN.
O.K.
Billy,Billy and Don.It parked 425 cars and in 1956 it was owned by James Riggs.Wish I had more.