Johnny All-Weather Drive-In
1001 Sunrise Highway,
Copiague,
NY
11726
1001 Sunrise Highway,
Copiague,
NY
11726
6 people
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The All-Weather Drive-In was opened on April 20, 1957 with Deborah Kerr in “Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison”. This was one of those drive-in theatres that also had an indoor cinema where they ran the same movie. Near the end the 1,500-seat indoor cinema was playing different films, usually grind double features, then closed it totally. UA ran this place into the ground—the last summer the screen was so dirty you could hardly see the film. It closed on September 3, 1984 with Bo Derek in “Bolero” & Clint Eastwood in “Tightrope”.
A Home Depot home improvement store now stands on the site.
Contributed by
RobertR
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my tribute sign that I had painted to Johnny All Weather ! Enjoy
The only drive-in that had matinees! Oh man I saw so many movies there and at the theater at Wellwood Ave & Montauk Hwy Lindenhurst. My earliest memories of being at the movies are confused between the two, but it was probably Swiss Family Robinson which must have been in 1961. How many I watched from the back seat, sitting with my brother. And then (much) later (early ‘70s) drinking beer in the privacy of the car – hey it was 18 then, we were legal.
I found this song which was written about the drive-in: http://menageatune.bandcamp.com/track/johnnys-all-weather-drive-in
I WENT THERE IN THE EARLY 70’S AND SAW A LOT OF FRED WILLIAMSON,JIM BROWN,PAM GRIER,RON O'NEIL,BRUCE LEE KUNGFU’S MOVIES AT THE IN DOOR THEATER AND ONE AT THE OUT DOOR SCREEN IN 1968"HOW SWEET IT IS" A DEBBY REYNOLDS-JAMES GARNER FILM.I LIKED THE CONCESSION AREAS FOOD' THE PLACE WAS FUN.
Why was it called Johnny All Weather?
The overview is not totally accurate. When Prudential built this, and two other All Weather Drive Ins (the Patchogue Sunrise and the Smithtown, the same film played indoors and out, albeit at different times, regardless of the weather. It was only in the 1980s when operated by UA that it was not uncommon for two different films to be shown (actually three since the drive in portion always had a double feature).
According to the April 22, 1957 issue of Motion Picture Daily, the grand opening of the All-Weather Theatre was “Saturday,” making it April 20, 1957.
NeonMichael that assumption is correct as verified by the opening ad which appears in the photo section.
last listing from the new York magazine sep. 3 1984 bolero & tightrope
Home Depot now there.