Bridgeport Drive-In
600 Cherry Lane,
Lawrenceville,
IL
62439
600 Cherry Lane,
Lawrenceville,
IL
62439
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Frisina Amusement Company
Previous Names: Midway Drive-In
Nearby Theaters
Originally in Bridgeport now part of Lawrenceville on Illinois 250. The Midway Drive-In was opened by the Frisina Amusement Co. chain on June 7, 1957 with Richard Widmark in “Hell and High Water” & “Robert Mitchum in "River of No Return”. It was later renamed Bridgeport Drive-In and was closed by 1985 and was demolished in the early-1990’s.
Now the entrance houses Country Financial Credit Union, Jim’s Gun Shop and the Lawrence Count Animal Shelter.
Contributed by
James Monroe
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
Demolished in the early 1990s.
A 1985 aerial shows the drive-in intact, but overgrown. It looks like it had closed years earlier.
This started life as the Midway Drive-In, opened by the Frisina Amusement Company on June 7, 1957 with Richard Widmark in “Hell And High Water” and Robert Mitchum in “River Of No Return” (unknown if extras added). Its original screen measures 40x80ft. Frisina first planned on the theater exactly three years before its construction started.
The theatre was built by Frisina Amusement in Fall of 1956 as an 8-ramp, 322 car venue with expansion possible to 500 in the future. It opened June 7, 1957 with “Hell and High Water” and “River of No Return” in CinemaScope with a bonus feature of “The Catman of Paris” on June 8th.
The last advertised show was on August 2, 1982 with “Things Are Tough All Over” and “The Blues Brothers.” In January of 1983 article said that Frisna sold the land for redevelopment along with a half dozen other drive-ins as it reduced its ozoner footprint. The entry should be the Midway Drive-In - its name from beginning to end.