Star-Lite Drive-In
2624 E. Erwin Street,
Tyler,
TX
75702
2624 E. Erwin Street,
Tyler,
TX
75702
1 person favorited this theater
Located on E. Erwin Street inside of S. SE Loop 323. The Star-Lite Drive-In opened in 1947. Located on Kilgore Avenue (Old Kilgore Highway) it was the first drive-in theatre in Tyler. It was operated by Leon Theatres Ct. (T. Leon and later by C.D. Leon). It was closed in 1958.
Contributed by
MIKE RIVEST
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
Grand opening ad posted.
Google maps exactly to: 2624 E Erwin St, Tyler, TX 75702 There is a Ryder truck rental on the sight now. The Theater shows up on the 1947 and 1965 historic aerials. Could this theater have had a longer run than advertised? Can we get the address above changed?
Opened on 25th February 1949 with a Woody Woodpecker cartoon (not named) and “On an island with you”.
The 1965 aerial does show the drive-in intact. However, there are a couple of things that make me believe it was not operational.
First, the screen is still square as common in the pre-widescreen era. Many drive-ins had converted to widescreen by the late 1950s. However, not all of them had as a few kept their old square screens.
Second, there are a couple of thin ditches on the east side of the property. The lines are not shadows and I’m not sure what they are for. But an operational drive-in would not have such ditches on the entrance side.