Jet Drive-In
500 W. Avenue L,
Lancaster,
CA
93534
500 W. Avenue L,
Lancaster,
CA
93534
3 people
favorited this theater
Showing 19 comments
The Jet Drive-In opened in late 1952. The aerial photo posted at the top of this page is from 1953.
Closed in mid 1990s. Screen demolished in 2003. The snack bar(and bio box?) burned down sometime in the 1990’s.
Jet Drive-In signage photo added credit Karl Peterson.
Ah the Jet theater I remember seeing Alice’s Restaurant in 1969 there along with the Planet of the Apes in 1968. I saw It’s a Mad Mad Mad World in 1965 at the Antelope theater on Lancaster Blvd. Having lived in the Antelope Valley for 52 years
Does anyone remember the great pastrami sandwich from the snack bar? Never have found another one like it. Very fond memories!
@eriejoni…In looking at aerials it was there in 1953.
Well…I also may have a little bit of information someone might find of interest. The Jet Drive-in was built in 1955 by Ted Jones, the owner of Western Amusement Company. Mr.Jones Included towns of Barstow, Victorville, Needles, and Lancaster, amongst others, as choice locations for movie theaters. He built and/or purchased theaters in these locations. The Jet was built, named and managed by Mr. Dump Myatt who worked for Mr. Jones in excess of 50 years. The Western Amusement Co. purchased the Antelope Theater (walk-in) from Mr. Roach in 1948, who, by-the-way, was a shrewd negotiator. They also purchased the Valley theater (walk-in) from Judy Garlands Father, which burned down in 1953. From 1948 until his death in 1981 Mr. Myatt ran the Valley until burning down, then the Antelope, and when construction was completed in 1955,…simultaneously the Jet Drive.
All are now memories of the past.
As a side note. The Lancaster Drive-in (the competitor on the north side of town)was built by Tex Griffith, who was an ex-partner with Mr. Jones.
Map is way off the ramps are still there the Jet Drive-In was on Avenue L near Sierra Highway
here is a street view of the jet
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Lancaster,+CA,+United+States&ll=34.660322,-118.13678&spn=0.004907,0.009645&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=34.660319,-118.137016&panoid=JPYAb5mlYvk4lpHlmxKiYw&cbp=12,228.13,,0,6.48
Here is a satellite view of the jet
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=34.660155,-118.137147&ll=34.660684,-118.136051&spn=0.004907,0.009645&sll=34.659528,-118.136051&sspn=0.004907,0.009645&num=1&t=h&z=17&iwloc=A
I have lived in Lancaster all of my life and have fond memories of the Jet Drive-in I went there allot as a kid seeing such movies like Harold and Maude, 007 Moonraker, Corvette Summer, The Blue Lagoon, Privet Eyes, Harry’s war, The Pirate Movie,and Rocky III
I have recently found a Geocach there with my boys I do withe there were still drive-in movies so my kids could experience the same things i did but they all seem to be gone now but it is nice to have the memories in my past to go back on.
Here is a little bit of information on this Drive-in. The Jet Drive-In was running movies in 1956 with room for 400 cars. It was owned by Western Amusements.
Not much overhead in a drive-in.
Using the 500 W. Avenue L address, I was able to locate the drive-in on this site. This is a 1959 aerial view:
http://tinyurl.com/ygpcnyk
I lived in Lancaster from 1974 to 1979 and visited the Jet on several occasions. The last movie I recall seeing there was the WW2 movie A Bridge too FAR in 1977. The Lancaster Drive In seemed to get the better movies once they made it to Lancaster but if you wanted to see a Summer Blockbuster upon release you had to go down below to see them.
My last visit to Lancaster was 1986 and I am pretty sure the Jet was gone by then as was the Lancaster Drive In.
It’s definitely demolished. (I live locally and often drive past the site on Avenue L.) Only foundations remain. Unless you actually walked over the site, you’d never guess the drive-in theater had ever existed.
The address given in the above link from Lost Memory, and pretty much confirmed by Google Maps, is 500 West Avenue L, Lancaster, CA 93534. And I’m not sure whether it counts as “Demolshed” or “Closed,” although the screen tower and projection hut/snack bar look like they’re gone.
The Jet Drive-In was already closed and the screen demolished by July of 1986 when I first arrived in the Antelope Valley. A small neon sign was still on the site, but have since been either removed or razed. Part of the front concrete-block wall is still there today.
Operated by Western Amusements in the early sixties.
Slight correction, the address was 500 West instead of 500 East Avenue L.
From JJMacCrimmon,
The Jet Drive-In was at 500 E. Avenue L, in Lancaster. The best info I can locate is that it opened in the late 1950’s and closed in 1987. The theater was a single screen operation and had parking for approximately 400 vehicles. On a recent expedition to find and confirm the site, we located the foundation of the concession stand and the base of the screen. The parking area was completely paved, though the desert is trying to reclaim the site.
The Jet Drive-In was a victim of it’s size, location and viewing trends. When a sharp economic downturn affected the nearby communities, the theater simply couldn’t compete according to the info I’ve located. Pictures of the ruins to follow soon.