Island Auto Movie
2001 Bartlett Drive,
Alameda,
CA
94501
2001 Bartlett Drive,
Alameda,
CA
94501
3 people
favorited this theater
The Island Auto Movie opened June 29, 1950 with Walt Disney’s “Cinderella” and Randolph Scott in “The Nevadan”. A storm in 1991 destroyed the screen at this theater. Oddly enough, after the expense and labor of replacing it, the theater never re-opened. The site continued as a weekend swap meet until 1995 when it was closed and abandoned. It was demolished in 1997, and a housing subdivision was built shortly thereafter on the site. Nothing remains of this drive-in.
Contributed by
Jason
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Recent comments (view all 12 comments)
On 11/24/52, the Island was showing “The Thief” with Ray Milland and Rita Gam (?) along with “The Ring”, a boxing movie, as advertised in the Oakland Tribune. The phone number was LA-27205.
i remember this drive inn like it was yesterday i used to go here to watch movies all the time in the mid and late 80s i remember the last time i came here i seen a double feature ghostbusters 2 and indiana jones and the last crusade i remember the area around the drive inn was very dusty and a few abandoned wharehouses and factorys around this area also across the street was a big railroad yard i used to go to the fleamarket here also back then . now everything is gone a apartment complex stands where the drive inn used to be the railroad yard has been gone since 1998 the area is all strip malls and offices it,s really hard to recognize this area today..
heres a link of 2 1983 pictures of the island auto drive in
http://www.flickr.com/photos/daveglass/2955672065/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/daveglass/393028224/
Here is an October 1950 ad from the Oakland Tribune:
http://tinyurl.com/mnyajn
Interesting name.
Alameda is an Island in the San Francisco Bay.
June 29, 1950 Grand Opening Night
Also opened with two colour cartoons(not named). The drive-in had a laundrette open not long atfer the drive-in opened(first drive-in i have heard of having a laundrette on site!!) Was there any drive-in’s with a laundrette?
HistoricAerials shows the drive-in adjacent to Atlantic Avenue north of the wash. The closest address to the Island’s entrance would be 2001 Bartlett Drive.
The actual address while the theatre was open was 791 Thau Way.