Southland Drive-In
3074 Lamar Avenue,
Memphis,
TN
38106
3074 Lamar Avenue,
Memphis,
TN
38106
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Boxoffice, May 11, 1940: “Memphis - Bernard Woolner expects to open Memphis' first drive-in theatre this spring.”
Which illustrates the fallibility of memory. As I posted earlier, Dave Woolner was quoted in the May 30, 1966 issue of BoxOffice saying that the Woolners “built the South’s first drive-in at Memphis in 1937”.
Whats the name of the drive-in theatre seen across the road from the Southland Drive-in site in the above photo?
Reopened on 22/3/1973 with “The graduate”, “Barbarella”, and “Good company”.
Closed as Lamar Drive-In in 1970 and reopened as Southland Drive-In on March 22nd, 1973, showing adult and exploitation films. Grand opening ad posted.
This opened on April 30th, 1940. Grand opening ad posted.
I believe this drive-in opened in 1940 or a year or two thereafter and closed in 1977. It was the first drive-in for Memphis, and it was originally just called Drive-In Movies. I guess that was due to its being the only drive-in for some years. The sign on the entrance had the name Drive-In Movies, and that was how the ads read in the newspaper. I don’t think the sign at the entrance was ever changed. However, the theater was later advertised (starting in the late 40’s or early 50’s) as the Lamar Drive-in once other drive-ins had opened and there was a need for differentiation. Sometime in the early 70’s the name was changed to Southland Drive-In and so it was until its demise. The drive-in was not on the site of the Treasury department store; that was nearby.
Some sources indicate that it also operated under the name Southland Drive-In.