57 Outdoor Theater
2855 Old State Highway 57,
Grafton,
WI
53024
2855 Old State Highway 57,
Grafton,
WI
53024
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The Feb. 20, 1960 Motion Picture Herald had a short article about Ben Poblocki, patriarch of the Poblocki & Sons sign company of Milwaukee.
“Six years ago … Ben Poblocki … decided to be an exhibitor himself. He bought the 600-seat Plaza in Burlington, Wis., and later added a drive-in at Grafton, the Highway 57, plus a drive-in restaurant adjoining the outdoor theatre. Recently he sold all of those properties … Harry Melcher, who operates the Rivoli theatre in nearby Cedarburg, Wis., bought the Highway 57.”
Uploaded an ad from the days when it was the Port Outdoor Theatre.
A more accurate address for this theater is now 2055 Old State Hwy 57, Grafton, WI 53024. This points directly to Pace Distribution which is where the entrance road was located.
Please update.
Marcus Corp. bought the theatre known as Port Outdoor Theatre, in Xonia on March 9, 1960. At the time of purchase it was a 550 car drive-in. They changed the name to 57 Outdoor Theatre. Not sure about the Hwy part. That isn’t listed in my document.
The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog listed the Port Outdoor, Hwy 57, Exec: Erwin L. Nowak, capacity 550.
The 1959 IMPA listed the Port Outdoor in Grafton, capacity 576, owned by Port Outdoor Theatres, Inc.
The 1963 IMPA said the Hy 57 Outdoor in Grafton, capacity 576, was owned by Ben Poblocki. I guess he renamed it after buying it from the corporation. The 1969-76 IMPAs listed it as just Hy 57 in Grafton.
The 1982-88(!) IMPAs list the Highway 57 Outdoor (capacity 600) in neighboring Cedarburg, even though that’s on the other side of Grafton, with owner “Marcus”.
I was the projectionist there, from 1973-76. They showed X-rated, when there was a severe ‘slump’. The wooden screen was blown down in a freak April snowstorm, featured on Walter Cronkite’s CBS Newscast, and rebuilt as metal. Two projectors (no pancakes) and carbon arcs. Snack area was adjacent to booth, and toilets. PS. The pay was $15 per night, as it was a ‘non-union’ theatre. At the time, all Milwaukee theatres has union deals…this was one of two ‘exceptions’.
I added some photo scans that I took in 1992.
I have it being owned by Port Outdoor Theatres,Inc in 1956.
That is why I have resorted to using historical aerial imagery to obtain accurate, documented address information for drive-in locations. Address information from 50 years ago is frequently outdated, as roads have been renumbered and renamed over time. People’s memories can also get fuzzy, leading to more erroneous addresses.
I should also mention that I vigorously reviewed the 1955 aerial imagery for Hwy 57 in the areas around Thiensville, and there was no trace of a drive-in theatre. My conclusion was that the Thiensville address is not accurate.
Old State Highway 57 & Ulao Pkwy, Grafton, WI 53024
The above address will map to the location of the drive-in.
The 57 Outdoor Theatre was located on the north side of Grafton, which is almost 8 miles further north of Thiensville.
Here is a 1955 aerial photo of the drive-in, located on the west side of Old State Hwy 57, courtesy of Earth Explorer and USGS:
http://flic.kr/p/99Nbsi
Any comments or questions regarding any drive-in theater in Wisconsin, please check out my website at
www.drive-inthruwisconsin.com Or contact me at I will give you complete and accurate information about Wisconsin drive-in theaters, just ask. Thanks, Charles Bruss
Some links about the location of 57 Outdoor Theater.
Topographical map
View link
Aerial view 2000
View link
The projection booth is the small building with a black roof.
Wow, porn at a drive-in! How did they manage that?