The first drive in theater opened in Camden, New Jersey, on June 6, 1933, at an investment cost of $30,000.
Where did Elk County "daters" go to the drive in?
At the height of popularity, there were 4,000 drive in movies operating in the 1950s.
According to AARP, in 2008 there were 388 drive in theaters left.
Kansas – 7
Colorado – 8
Missouri – 13
Oklahoma – 5
Pennsylvania has the most with 34.
Alaska, D.C., and Louisiana have the least with zero.
As a little boy in the late 1940s, my family did not have a car but we often took sightseeing rides with a couple of neighboring families who did have one. One Friday evening we drove past the Highway 40 Drive in Movie. Cars were lined up bumper to bumper at the ticket booth. When I asked what this place was, our neighbor indicated that it was a drive in movie where people watched movies while sitting in their cars. All I could see was a tall, wide, and narrow concrete building with a door in the side (the screen was on the other side and the doorway proved to lead to a stairway that provided access to the back of the screen).
I did not ask any more questions but for several years, I wondered how all those cars I saw lined up could get inside that little building.
Eureka had the closest drive-in movie theater to Howard. I don't think it is still operating.
We have two drive-in theaters in the Oklahoma City area--one near Guthrie and one in south Oklahoma City, I think. We were just talking about this with our son and daughter-in-law last week and plan to take in a drive-in movie this summer.
Unless I am totally blind and deaf, Eureka no longer has a drive in theater.
According to one web site, the Eureka drive in was called the Highway 54 Drive In. It had a capacity of 286 cars--but no information on when it was open.
I am thinking it was open during the 1950's. Daughter remembers what she thinks was Houdini being shown there and Road to Bali, maybe in the 60's.
Road to Bali came out in 1952 and Houdini in 1953.
I vaguely remember a Eureka drive in but cannot recall if it was on the east end or the west end or on the north or the south of highway 54.
Apparently El Dorado still has a drive in open.
Showing 1950s releases in the 1960s would probably have been a big money saver for the theater owner.
When Houdini came out, all the girls wanted to see their heart throb Tony Curtis. I knew who he was and was not impressed. I did not know who Janet Leigh was nor did I know the two were married in real life. Nor, did I know that Curtis was her third husband and that she was first married at age 14.
The drive in at Eureka was on the east side of town and north of 54 highway.
The Eureka Drive In was located on the East side of Town between the present US 54 and old 54 highway just on the south edge of the Cemetery. You could park in the cemetery and then sneak in to see the movie. It was still open in 1962 because that is where I met my wife for the first time. I believe it closed in the late 60's.
I grew up in Arizona and Drive-Ins were very popular. Most of them charged by the carload and my Dad would load up all kids he could get in the car and then we would sit on the benches by the playground because it was cooler than staying inside the car. We never went to the theatres that had the latest releases and they cost more, where we went was usually determined by which one had the best cartoons or was known to show the most Roadrunner cartoons. That was his favorite.
We still have a drive-in here in Atlanta, and it's still going strong. I think it's the biggest drive-in I have ever seen, with 6 seperate screens. I pass it every day on my commute to and from work. If I can make the link work, I'll post a link to it... I think it's pretty cool.
http://www.starlightdrivein.com/ (http://www.starlightdrivein.com/)
I noticed that one has to have a working radio in order to hear the sound from the movie and management encourages you to play the sound as loud as you like. That is a new one on me, but I have not been to a drive in, probably, in almost forty-five years.
The ad said the sound would be as good as your radio--maybe with some of the sound systems they have today, you would have to have a good battery, also.
The owner makes extra money on weekends with a flea market and charges $10 for sellers and 25 cents for buyers.
The six screens must take up a lot of real estate that would seem to be crying out for development.
But, maybe not, the ad says the drive in has been there since 1949.
Waldo, Yeah, the sound plays through your car stereo. Depending on which movie you bought a ticket will depend on where you set the tuner on your radio. Much better sound than the old days of hanging the box on the window. And, this particular area in Atlanta (south Moreland Ave.) is not really crying out for development, trust me. It's pretty industrial. My only issue with going to see a movie there is that it's just a coupla blocks from the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary. That thought makes me uncomfortable after dark, for some reason. LOL
With that kind of neighborhood, it will probably be there for another 50 years.
There is a drive-in theatre in LaMesa, Texas. We used to take the pickup and lawn chairs and take our kids up there to see a movie. The sound was through your fm radio. They built a new one in Midland, TX about three years ago, and I believe it had two screens. It seemed to be pretty popular.
When I was in high school, we often would take two car loads to the Eureka drive in and take up more than two spaces and sit between the cars to watch the movie.
Myrna
I forgot to mention that the most popular item at the concession stand was the Chihauhua sandwich!!
Quote from: frawin on July 14, 2009, 11:34:05 AM
There is a drive-in theatre in LaMesa, Texas. We used to take the pickup and lawn chairs and take our kids up there to see a movie. The sound was through your fm radio. They built a new one in Midland, TX about three years ago, and I believe it had two screens. It seemed to be pretty popular.
When I was in high school, we often would take two car loads to the Eureka drive in and take up more than two spaces and sit between the cars to watch the movie.
Myrna
I forgot to mention that the most popular item at the concession stand was the Chihauhua sandwich!!
The Chihuahua Sandwich was created by R. A. "Skeet" Noret and his wife, Sarah, at the Sky-Vue Drive In at Lamesa, Texas. The sandwich—no chihuahuas are included—contains chili, cabbage, onions, and pimento cheese in corn tostada shells.
Defazio Family Recipes
CHIHUAHUA SANDWICH
Yield: one
Ingredients:
two corn tostada shells
2 Tbsp. chopped onions
1 cup shredded cabbage
1/2 cup chili, no beans
1/2 cup pimiento cheese spread
Directions:
Warm chili in a saucepan or microwave. Spread chili on one tostada shell. Top with onions and cabbage. Spread pimiento cheese on the other tostada shell. Put shells together and serve.
from the Sky-Vue Drive In—Lamesa, TX.
http://skyvuelamesa.com/Snackbar.htm
(http://skyvuelamesa.com/menu.jpg)
We enjoyed a trip to the Beacon Drive-In movie last night in Guthrie, Oklahoma. We hadn't done this for many, many years, and it was a fun time They still had the speaker boxes available or you could listen through your radio. We used the boxes, and the sound was amazingly good. Many sat out in lawn chairs and used the boxes too. The evening was warm but breezy with no mosquitoes, so it was quite an enjoyable and nostalgic adventure for us old "baby boomers". Admission was $5 per person, children $2. I was surprised at the number of patrons attending. It seemed like a nice, safe environment, too.
Does anyone remember a theater in Fredonia? Rex says that is were the Vinette family went. Waldo you need to look that up.
Jane: Done.
The Fredonia Drive-In had a capacity of 300 cars and was on the north end of town on Fillmore Street.
It is long gone along with 72 other deceased drive-ins in Kansas.
Some of the information, below, is suspect as some of the living theaters were also shown as dead.
Some other still living drive-ins somewhat near Elk County:
54 Drive-In, Gas, Kansas. Gas is just east of Iola on US54 and is probably the closest to Elk County? Somehow I cannot see that area still supporting a theater.
Chisholm Trail Drive-In, Wellington
Star-Vu Drive-In, Eldorado
Pageant Drive-In, Medicine Lodge
Some dead Drive-Ins near Elk County
Neocha Drive-In, Chanute
Tal's Drive-In, Coffeyville
50-S Drive-In, Emporia
Sunset Drive-In, Independence
Yates Center Drive-In, Yates Center