Murphy Drive-In
US Highway 64,
Murphy,
NC
28906
US Highway 64,
Murphy,
NC
28906
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Located on US Highway 64, four miles east of Murphy. The Murphy Drive-In was opened on July 26, 1951 with Leon Ames in “No Greater Sin” (aka Social Enemy No 1) a movie about Venereal Disease. It was operated by Grover Maury & Jack Lunsford. By 1955 it was operated by R.C. Saunders. It was still open in 1984.
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Sarah Boucher
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The Exhibitor, July 4, 1951: “The Murphy Drive-In, Murphy, N. C., opened. Owner is W. M. Mauney. Theatre Booking Service will handle buying and booking.”
Boxoffice, July 7, 1951: “Murphy, N. C. - The Murphy Drive-In was opened here recently by Grover Maury and Jack Lunceford.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Feb. 16, 1955: “Max Reinhardt Enterprises had the following exhibitors in talking over their problems: … J. W. Wimpey, Murphy DriveIn, Murphy, N. C., will reopen full time on March 6. He was in making these arrangements with his booker, Theatre Booking Service.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Feb. 22, 1961: “P. J. Henn, owner, Henn Theatres in Georgia and North Carolina, took over the Murphy Drive-In, Murphy, N.C. from Jack Lunsford.”
An August 1980 ad block in the Asheville Citizen-Times was “Compliments of Henn Theater and Murphy 64 Drive-In / Murphy, N.C. / Movies are your best entertainment”.
A 1984 aerial photo showed a small, intact drive-in about four miles east of Murphy on what was then US 64, across the street from Tri-County Community College. By 1998, the drive-in was dormant. The ramps are still visible today; the closest address I could find to the screen tower is 35 Family Church Rd, Murphy, NC 28906.
The Murphy Drive-In opened on July 26, 1951 with the film, “No Greater Sin" (ad in photos).