Stony Brook Drive-In
3690 E. Market Street,
York,
PA
17402
3690 E. Market Street,
York,
PA
17402
3 people
favorited this theater
The Stony Brook Drive-In was located along the once-famous Lincoln Highway in East York, Pennsylvania. Opened on October 5, 1949 with June Haver in “Scudda-Hoo”, Scudda-Hay!“. It survived for many years operated by Budco, who were taken over by AMC who closed the Stony Brook Drive-In on September 13, 1987 with Peter Weller in "Robo-Cop” & Louise Smith in “Working Girls”. After it closed, I remember walking in and shooting a lot of photographs.
The property was intact but overgrown. The wide screen remained, as did most of the buildings with some old speakers lying around.
My impression was that this had been an emphatically no-frills operation. Most of the buildings were very basic and most seemed to be constructed mostly of wood. (Everything seemed almost 1940’s, or maybe 1930’s, like an old amusement park).
There was a rather garish attempt at color coordination, in primary greens and garish red-oranges that stood out glaringly against the natural greens of the undergrowth.
There was a playground to the rear of the grounds.
There was large structure, made of corrugated metal and almost as big as some drive-in screens, that provided an impressive entrance. Large, stylish black lettering verified that the name was Stony Brook, not ‘Stoneybrook’ as it sometimes cited.
I also remember Playland, a swimming pool and miniature golf course complex down the road (towards York) in this same area. The pool was unique as it built out of the ground (like a huge bowl) and there were observation windows through which you could see people swimming underwater. A trip to Playland and a movie that evening at the Stony Brook Drive-In was a special treat.
According to a website the Stony Brook Drive-In was demolished in 2004, several years after I left Pennsylvania.
I’ll be adding some photos to my Flickr account.
Contributed by
Ross Care
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 28 comments)
Wish I could join you too, but I’m in California. I remember seeing GODZILLA VS THE SMOG MONSTER at the Comet. It had a neat sign at the entrance too.
PS: DennisZ: Great entry. Break your comments into paragraphs & they would make a good entry on the Comet &/or the Sky Vue….
Also hoping to get some more comments on the Lancaster downtown theaters…
I have not been able to find any photos of the Boyd and other theaters.
Stony Brook Drive-In FLICKr album: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39527581@N07/sets/72157626807598271/
thanks for the pics penway14, i’ll try and take some pics of what the land looks like now
This opened on October 5th, 1949. Grand opening ad posted.
Last season: 1986
Closed September 13, 1987 after showings of “Robo-Cop” paired with “Working Girl.”
A young couple died of carbon monoxide poisoning at the Stony Brook on the night of March 21, 1970, according to a report in Boxoffice a month later. A heavy fog obscured the viewing field, so attendants didn’t notice their car in a distant area by a fence until the following morning.
A 1999 aerial photo shows the screen intact. By 2003 it had been demolished. By 2008, it was all gone.