Reseda Drive-In
18441 Vanowen Street,
Los Angeles,
CA
91335
18441 Vanowen Street,
Los Angeles,
CA
91335
10 people
favorited this theater
Showing 16 comments
Following up Valley’s post from 2008, I found that 1951 Boston Blackie episode, partly filmed at the Reseda, at the Internet Archive.
Correction: LOS ANGELES NOT RESEDA! There is no such thing! Reseda is a neighborhood not a city like Hollywood, North Hollywood, Baldwin Hills, Northridge, Westwood, Chatsworth, Marina Del Rey and Van Nuys…It’s like saying Bourbon Street or Dupont or The Bronx are cities…Had to correct the Sherman Oaks situation. Just like Encino and Fallbrook ALL L.A!
Adding a name, Boxoffice, Feb. 12, 1949: “Paul Glick of the Canoga in Canoga Park plans an early opening for his new Reseda Drive-In”
Opened with “The Man from Colorado”, and “John loves Mary”. Closed in 1985. The drive-in screened Spanish language movies part of the time it was operating. Site is now Reseda Business Park.
Wow, neeb, great photos from that Reddit/Imgur post. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Reddit.
http://imgur.com/a/VSvKQ
Approx. address for this drive-in was 18441 Vanowen Street, Reseda, Los Angeles, CA. Part of Canby Ave. was the entrance.
The drive-in itself was further north @ Bassett & Canby.
Here is an August 1973 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/yajhnkr
Here is part of an LA Times article dated 3/25/79:
The site formerly occupied by the Reseda Drive-In will open next Sunday as the Reseda Business Park and Mid-Valley Racque Ball and Athletic Club, according to the owners. The racquetball and athletic club will open in May.
I recently purchased a DVD of old “Boston Blackie” episodes from 1951-1952. There’s an episode titled “High Voltage Murder” that features a terrific gun battle and car chase through the old Reseda Drive-In.
I’ll try to post this to YouTube and report back here when it’s up and available to view
Reseda Drive-in had entrances off Reseda Blvd as well as Vanowen via Darby Ave and was located on the North-East corner across from A&W on the South-East corner…
if you were smart, you snuck out the Darby exit and got right over to the A&W .. the losers went out and got caught in traffic on Reseda BL …. HA HA!
Here is an article from the Van Nuys News dated 4/7/49:
Reseda Drive-In Theatre To Stage Grand Opening Tonight
One of the largest silver screens in the world will light up for the first time tonight when the Reseda Drive-In Theatre stages its gala grand opening. Costing over $250,000 to build, the elaborate
10-acre showplace incorporates modern technical advances and latest refinement in show-going comfort. Located in the heart of Reseda at the intersection of Reseda Blvd. and Vanowen Street, the deluxe “theater on wheels†is designed to serve the recreational needs of the entire West Valley area, parking 500 cars on new style ramps.
Individual sound speakers with adjustable volume control are provided for every ear. The entire ten acre theater plant is completely paved. A central building houses sanitary lounges, and an ultramodern snack bar which will serve a variety of hot and cold refreshments during each show. The new “automobile movie palace” has been built by Pacific Drive-In Theatres, owner-operator concern, and which has several such theaters in the Southland.
This is a better link for more photos:
http://www.garbell.com/drive-ins/drive-in.htm
View link
theater was definitely just north of Vanowen, just west of Reseda Bl., where Mid-Valley athletic Club and the industrial park are now. Used to go there growing up.
About a year ago I moved to the Tarzana area here in the San Fernando Valley and happily discovered that I was residing just a few blocks from where the original Reseda Drive-In once stood. Peter Bogdanovich’s film “Targets” has always been one of my favorite movies so I was quick to investigate the area to see if I could find any traces at all of where a drive-in could have possibly even been, but typically I found zilch.
Also, the map link above takes you to an incorrect location, the drive-in was supposedly off Etiwanda, north of Van Owen near Reseda Boulevard (not off Sherman Way as shown on the map.) I believe this map is where the Reseda Country Club used to be.