Fonda Drive-In
21 S. Bridge Street,
Fonda,
NY
12068
21 S. Bridge Street,
Fonda,
NY
12068
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Located in the Fonda Showgrounds. The Fonda Drive-In was a temporary drive-in theatre which opened on June 8, 1949 with Randolph Scott in “Coroner’s Creek” & Penny Singleton in “Blondie’s Secret”. I discovered an advertisement for it while I was researching other drive-in theaters. It did not last too many years, closing on May 26, 1951 following a fire in the projection box.
Bill Wemple the owner of Ozoner 29 Drive-In and El Rancho Drive-In, had been looking for some projectors for the new Ozoner 29 Drive-In, when somebody gave him the name of a man who used to be the projectionist at Vail Mills Drive In. He was told that this man had the projectors, so he made contact will the man. This man was in his 80’s and he was a treasure trove of knowledge, he asked him about the Fonda drive-In and the man said that him and his father set that on up the field and was in the center of the racetrack and they projected the picture on a large canvass tarp draped over the grandstand, and the sound was via homemade speakers.
Contributed by
Kris Ackerman
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Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
Opened on 8/6/1949 in the Fonda Showgrounds with “Coroner’s Creek” and “Blondie’s secret”. Closed on 26/5/1951 after a fire(at 11.oopm) in the projection booth from an over heated projector during a movie screening(movie being screened unknown?), while 250 people were present. The Fonda Showgrounds are still tnere.
The movies screened on the night of the fire were Destination moon" and “Curtain call at Cactus Creek”.
Operated by Michael Zala.