Jet Drive-In

500 W. Avenue L,
Lancaster, CA 93534

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CRS
CRS on August 21, 2019 at 8:03 pm

The Jet Drive-In opened in late 1952. The aerial photo posted at the top of this page is from 1953.

davidcoppock
davidcoppock on May 14, 2019 at 8:26 am

Closed in mid 1990s. Screen demolished in 2003. The snack bar(and bio box?) burned down sometime in the 1990’s.

DavidZornig
DavidZornig on January 29, 2018 at 5:53 pm

Jet Drive-In signage photo added credit Karl Peterson.

longview62
longview62 on November 25, 2014 at 11:13 am

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

Quinton
Quinton on June 17, 2014 at 2:54 am

Does anyone remember the great pastrami sandwich from the snack bar? Never have found another one like it. Very fond memories!

Drive-In 54
Drive-In 54 on January 17, 2014 at 4:33 pm

@eriejoni…In looking at aerials it was there in 1953.

erniejoni
erniejoni on January 17, 2014 at 2:33 pm

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.

bigbadtrucker
bigbadtrucker on July 6, 2011 at 10:48 pm

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

ang4988
ang4988 on January 28, 2011 at 2:41 pm

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.

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on February 25, 2010 at 8:34 pm

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.

TLSLOEWS
TLSLOEWS on February 25, 2010 at 4:57 pm

Not much overhead in a drive-in.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on December 3, 2009 at 10:18 pm

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

jgfields
jgfields on May 22, 2009 at 10:37 pm

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.

GailMarie
GailMarie on October 10, 2008 at 5:14 pm

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.

drb
drb on October 10, 2008 at 3:49 pm

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.

GailMarie
GailMarie on October 8, 2007 at 1:37 am

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.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on September 21, 2007 at 11:34 pm

Operated by Western Amusements in the early sixties.

jjmaccrimmon
jjmaccrimmon on May 15, 2007 at 11:18 am

Slight correction, the address was 500 West instead of 500 East Avenue L.

jjmaccrimmon
jjmaccrimmon on May 14, 2007 at 8:39 am

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.