Monett Drive-In
621 State Highway 37,
Monett,
MO
65708
621 State Highway 37,
Monett,
MO
65708
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A small single screen drive-in, one mile south of Monett, MO, on Highway 37. It advertised in the Wheaton, MO, newspaper in 1952 and 1954. It was operated by Georgia Kelly and open nightly, charged a 50 cent admission except on Tuesday bargain night when a carload was 50 cents, and made four changes of program weekly. It suffered a fire which put it out of business. No records found after 1954 and by 1959 it had been demolished.
Housing has been built on the site.
Contributed by
John Story
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Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
The Wheaton Journal said on Aug. 21, 1952 that the Monett’s screen had been damaged, apparently in a storm.
The Aug. 30, 1952 Monett Times reported, “Mrs. Georgia Kelley, manager of the Monett Drive-In Theatre, announced that the theatre will re-open tonight as the new screen has been installed.” (per a 50 years ago note in 2002)
The drive-in looked intact in a 1955 aerial photo but was long gone by 1970. A good modern-day address would be 621 State Hwy 37, Monett, MO.
The Monett Drive-In is VERY short-lived. It opened in July 1952, but received a long closure following a fire that destroyed the projection room on June 3, 1953 during a showing of Richard Conte in “The Fighter”. It reopened the following year on May 7, 1954, and closed in 1955.
A 1959 aerial shows the drive-in completely demolished. By 1970, a housing edition was in place. Today, no trace of the drive-in remains.