Jet Drive-In
3700 Sherwood Way,
San Angelo,
TX
76901
3700 Sherwood Way,
San Angelo,
TX
76901
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This opened as the Starlite Drive-In on March 25th, 1949, and taken over by Robb & Rowley who renovates the drive-in and reopens it as the Jet Drive-In on September 4th, 1953. Grand opening ad posted in the photo section.
A twin indoor cinema was built for United Artists on the site of the Jet Drive-In in 1970. The Angelo Twin Drive-In was built as a replacement for the Jet Drive-In itself, according to Boxoffice of March 16, 1970.
In a remarkable coincidence, Alana Edgin of the San Angelo Standard-Times wrote yesterday about San Angelo’s drive-in history. Although Edgin has the same open/close dates (and a nice photo of the screen fire) for the Jet, it was rebuilt as the Twin Vue at 1001 W. 29th St.
Rick Smith, columnist for the San Angelo Standard-Times, wrote in 2009 that the Jet was at “3506 Sherwood Way (where the Angelo Bible Church is now).”
“The Jet was built in 1948 and closed 20 years later after a fire destroyed its 80-foot-tall screen.” The fire was so fierce it damaged the fire truck and destroyed “$1,000 worth of fire hose.”
If above is correct, The Jet was at approx. 3700 Sherwood Way. Part of which is now Walgreens.
The Twin would have been approx. 4400 Sherwood Way. The back of the shopping center at the corner of Sherwood & Southwest would have been where the entrance was.
Historic aerial photos from Earth Explorer and USGS indicate there were two drive-ins along Mertzon Hwy (which is now called Sherwood Way) south of San Angelo, that were less than a mile away from each other on opposite sides of the road.
A single screen drive-in shown below in a 1954 aerial photo is on the west side of the road, a little to the south of Arden Rd:
http://flic.kr/p/94rG1c
The second drive-in further south was not visible at the time of the above aerial photo, but is visible as a twin in the 1972 aerial shown below:
http://flic.kr/p/94rG2e
The single screen drive-in near Arden Road I believe was the Jet, and the newer one just to the south of Southwest Blvd was known as the Angelo Twin.
I am in the process of confirming the above information with people who are local to San Angelo.
Thanks for the ads Don.
From 1961 a double feature movie ad from the Jet Drive-In in San Angelo.
Mike Rivest’s site may list this as the Jac drive-in….
Right off Mertzon Hwy (67) and Southwest Blvd looks like the remains of a portion of a drive-in. Look just to the left of the State Farm Insurance label and behind the Cinemark Tinseltown near the center of the screen and you can barely make out some partial rows.
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