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Fort Worth Drive-In Theatres


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#51 Saginaw

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Posted 22 July 2010 - 07:47 PM

QUOTE (waywr @ Jul 21 2010, 07:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I vaguely remember seeing the mural passing by the Mansfield, but can't recall what the picture was. I think the border around it was pink or salmon colored, but I'm not 100%



That's a good piece of information you've provided us, waywr! Depending on when you saw it, the border may have been painted pink or salmon, or may have been a color that faded to pink or salmon. Too bad you can't recall what the Mansfield's mural looked like, but at least you recall seeing something painted on the screen tower. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm betting that the mural had a western theme to it, like the majority of drive-in screen towers had here in Fort Worth. In time, hopefully, we'll know what that mural was. Thank you very much for your info! biggrin.gif


--Saginaw

"If I only had a time machine..."

#52 lcbrownz

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Posted 03 August 2010 - 05:06 PM

This website will show you what you need

http://www.historica...om/default.aspx


QUOTE (Ghost Writer in Disguise @ Jun 5 2008, 01:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
This would be the aerial photo of FW at the central library referenced in my first post, not one of just the Lariat itself. The plaques are on the railroad bridge abutments and have nothing to do with the theater. Sorry if I was unclear on that. And I don't know for sure if this theater was indeed the Lariat; it just seems likely.



#53 801hme

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Posted 06 August 2010 - 02:27 PM

QUOTE (Saginaw @ Jul 22 2010, 08:47 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (waywr @ Jul 21 2010, 07:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I vaguely remember seeing the mural passing by the Mansfield, but can't recall what the picture was. I think the border around it was pink or salmon colored, but I'm not 100%



That's a good piece of information you've provided us, waywr! Depending on when you saw it, the border may have been painted pink or salmon, or may have been a color that faded to pink or salmon. Too bad you can't recall what the Mansfield's mural looked like, but at least you recall seeing something painted on the screen tower. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm betting that the mural had a western theme to it, like the majority of drive-in screen towers had here in Fort Worth. In time, hopefully, we'll know what that mural was. Thank you very much for your info! biggrin.gif


--Saginaw


Hey Saginaw-

Sorry haven't replied to your e-mail but been beyond busy...I don't know if this will help, but in the archived Star-Telegrams on micro-fiche at the dwntwn library, the movie ads sometimes had hand-drawn (I guess) artwork depicting the theatre screen towers for the different theatre listings. I'm pretty sure this was true for the Underwood-Ezell Theatres in the '50s. You might see if the Mansfield Hwy was ever advertised as such. I know the depictions of the Bowie Blvd & Belknap were pretty accurate. Just a thought. You might check it out if you haven't tried that already...

#54 Jim444

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Posted 20 August 2010 - 01:52 AM

<!--quoteo(post=46863:date=May 31 2008, 11:10 AM:name=801hme)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (801hme @ May 31 2008, 11:10 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=46863"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I've seen and participated in some topics here about Ft. Worth Drive-in Theatres. This has been a subject of interest for me for several years, and I've done some research on the subject in hopes of building a website or some-such. What memories/information do you have about these Drive-Ins? At my age, I was fortunate to experience the last "mainstream" years of drive-ins (in my case the Twin and the Meadowbrook), and in the last few years my family has become semi-regulars at the Brazos in Granbury. What a geat experience. It's like a step back in time. Kids play ball, throw frisbees, footballs, and just hang out on the lawn in front of the screen tower before the feature starts, it's always very clean and family oriented, you can bring your own food or eat from the snack-bar (which is another time warp in itself), and its a very affordable way to take a family to see a movie. Okay, now that I've plugged the Brazos (no, I don't have an affiliation other than being a fan), what do you remember about these drive-ins?

Fort Worth Twin-Riverside and East Lancaster-gas wells now
Meadowbrook Drive-in-Riverside and East Lancaster-holding area for Waste Mangement
Riverside Drive-in-Just East of North Beach on Belknap, now a driving range
Belknap-5709 East Belknap, now the site of the Desert Sands Apartment complex.
South Side Drive-in-4800 block of I-35, now the site of a Carnival Food store.
Southside Twin-Just south of I-20 on Old Hemphill Rd.-now Treasure Island Flea Market
Bowie Blvd Drive-in-7100 Camp Bowie, now a car dealarship. I believe this to be Ft. Worth's first drive-in theatre.
The Corral/Jacksboro Drive-in-199, just west of 820, now an Albertsons, some of the ramps are still visible in back.
The Pike Drive-in-7500 East Lancaster-some ramps still clearly visible.
Parkaire Drive-in-on University just south of I-30, where the shopping center with the Blue Mesa Grill is now (remember the go-cart track next door?)
Downtown Drive-in-On Henderson just north of the intersection of White Settlement Rd.-is a flea market now.
Cowtown Drive-in-on 199-now an Auto Salvage/Auction house I think?
Westerner-on River Oaks Blvd-Now a 7-11 and apartment complex.
Cherry Lane-on (really?) Cherry Lane just north of 30-Now a Wal-mart (wouldn't it be great to tear down a Wal-mart to build a Drive-In?)
Mansfield Highway-future home of a church according to sine-age
Lariat Drive-in-On East Rosedale nesr 820- This is an interesting story I'd like to know more about. I've seen old business listings for this drive-in refer to it as a "colored" drive-in, and in Don & Susan Sanders book "The American Drive-In Theatre", it is refered to as being "built near a new sub-division for the African-American community". However, people I know that grew up right down the road from there in the 40's and 50's have no memory of it. I don't think it lasted very long.


Not Fort Worth, but nearby:
Mid-Cities Drive-in-In Euless on Highway 10
Arlington Drive-in-On division just east of Bowen
Eagle Drive-In-Azle drive-in

Did I overlook one? What are your memories of these Drive-in's?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Love this topic! I'm pushing 50 and remember (and went to) a number of these drive-ins. Being from Alvarado and not being of the age to drive, I had to rely mostly on my sister and her husband and/or boyfriend to take me along. Some of the memories:
Fort Worth Twin: This is where I saw "The Exorcist." I'd waited a whole year to see this because the walk-ins would not allow kids 12 or under in, even if they were accompanied by a guardian. This was truly unheard of for a mainstream movie but such was the sensation surrounding "The Exorcist." I went in on my 13th birthday to the Twin and watched the movie and, probably because of my age, was underwhelmed, having heard the hype for a full year. Funnily enough, years later, as a young man, I watched it in edited form on television and was truly unnerved by it because by then, I understood the implications of the story. Go figure. Saw "True Grit"/"The Undefeated" double-feature, then "True Grit"/"Paint Your Wagon" double-feature. Loved John Wayne! Also saw "Ben" and fell in love with rats for a short time. What can I say? I was a kid.

Southside Twin: This drive-in was probably the one I visited the most, being the closest in Fort Worth from Alvarado. This one felt like home. Watched many a double-feature here. I remember seeing "Evel Knievel" with George Hamilton and "The Born Losers" with Tom Laughlin on the same bill. Years later, my brother-in-law's family owned a diner and we brought a whole box full of greasy cheeseburgers and fries with us (sorry concession stand!) and watched "Billy Jack," which was a great memory. Saw "American Graffiti" and "Close Encounter of the Third Kind." Lots of times we took a pickup truck and backed it up on the hump by the speaker and sat in the bed watching the movie. Good times.

The Cherry Lane: I think I only went there once and that was to see "Star Wars" for the umpteenth time. I liked the drive-in well enough but I can't remember a whole lot about it.

Mansfield Drive-In: Went there many times, but can 't remember what exactly I saw. It was an okay drive-in as I recall. But the two "Twin" drive-ins where the ones that meant the most to me.

Does anyone remember The Westside Drive-In? It seemed so far out of the way to a kid like me, and at the time, there was practically nothing out there by it, except for some sort of small cement plant or something of that sort, that stood in a field not far from it. I loved this drive-in. They had dusk-till-dawn movies and 99-Cents-A-Carload nights. Saw horror movies starring Boris Karloff in his later, not-so-great years ("Curse of the Crimson Cult"), one with Frankie Avalon! ("Horror House"), alongside better movies like "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." I tried for years to get anyone to even remember this drive-in, with only blank stares as replies, until I learned from another drive-in enthusiast that it stood somewhere near the intersection of 1-30 and 1-20, near old Hwy. 80. Anyone know what suburb of Fort Worth is nearest this spot?

I remember most of the others you mentioned, but never went there. Rode by several of them, though. Growing up in Alvarado, we had the Chisholm Trail Drive-In that I saw a lot of great movies at when I was young. Being a small town, we got a lot of newer movies later in the year. The projectionist wasn't the greatest either, as he put the first reel of "The Swiss Family Robinson" in upside down! Neighboring Cleburne had a drive-in, The Chief, that I went to a few times before it closed down.

I would love to see pics of any of those Fort Worth drive-ins, even the ones I never patronized, if anyone has access to them. Long live the drive-in!

#55 Saginaw

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Posted 20 August 2010 - 01:10 PM

Thank you very much for sharing your memories here, Jim, and welcome to the boards! smile.gif

Of the drive-in theatres you mentioned, I've been to the Mansfield Twin (saw 'Conquest of the Planet of the Apes' on the east screen in '72) and the Southside Twin (saw 'The Neptune Factor' on the west screen in '73). But above all, the Fort Worth Twin was my absolute favorite to visit, and I saw many, many movies there, including 'Ben' (the scenes where the rats attacked the people really freaked me out then!). About the Mansfield, I'd like to ask you if you went to it when it was a single screen theatre or when it was converted to a twin? I'm trying to find out what mural was painted on the screen tower before it burned down in '69.

I never visited the Westside, and for some reason, it fascinated me to the point of trying to find out about it. I can tell you what I know from information I've gathered about it and also extrapolated from other theatres. According to Boxoffice magazine, it was opened on August 11, 1966 by the Stanley Warner Theatres circuit, which also operated the Fort Worth Twin and Corral Drive-In locally at that time. At the time of it's opening, the Westside was touted as one of the most modern drive-in theatres designed, with a dust-free ramped lot (i.e. asphalt), a "Star Dome" concession stand/projection booth, which was described as resembling the Houston Astrodome, a "prism screen", and a choice of receiving the movie's sound either through traditional in-car speakers, or through the car radio, which I'm guessing was revolutionary at that time. The first movie shown on opening night was 'Nevada Smith'.

Historic Aerials has a bird's eye shot of the theatre, circa 1970 (it's best view) and 1979, and it was definitely located "in the boonies" at the convergence of I-30 and I-20, just a short distance from the Tarrant-Parker counties line. I have the aerial pic of it from '70, and I can send it to you if you'd like; just IM me. Also, it appears that Stanley Warner Theatres erected some very distinctive-looking roadside drive-in marquees, which I'm guessing the Westside also had. Two visual examples that I found online are from the Fredericksburg Road Drive-In in San Antonio, which was another SW theatre. They can be seen at the following links:

Stanley Warner Theatres drive-in marquee I

Stanley Warner Theatres drive-in marquee II

It wasn't very long afterward that the Texas Southwest Theatres circuit bought out the SW theatres, and they were rebranded as such, as can be seen at the Circle Drive-In in Waco:

Texas Southwest Theatres drive-in marquee

Thank you again for your post, Jim. Enjoy your visits here at the Fort Worth Forum!


--Saginaw
"If I only had a time machine..."

#56 Jim444

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Posted 23 August 2010 - 05:40 PM

Thank you very much for sharing your memories here, Jim, and welcome to the boards! <img src="http://www.fortworth...IR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Of the drive-in theatres you mentioned, I've been to the Mansfield Twin (saw <i>'Conquest of the Planet of the Apes'</i> on the east screen in '72) and the Southside Twin (saw <i>'The Neptune Factor'</i> on the west screen in '73). But above all, the Fort Worth Twin was my absolute favorite to visit, and I saw many, many movies there, including <i>'Ben'</i> (the scenes where the rats attacked the people really freaked me out then!). About the Mansfield, I'd like to ask you if you went to it when it was a single screen theatre or when it was converted to a twin? I'm trying to find out what mural was painted on the screen tower before it burned down in '69.

I never visited the Westside, and for some reason, it fascinated me to the point of trying to find out about it. I can tell you what I know from information I've gathered about it and also extrapolated from other theatres. According to <u>Boxoffice</u> magazine, it was opened on August 11, 1966 by the Stanley Warner Theatres circuit, which also operated the Fort Worth Twin and Corral Drive-In locally at that time. At the time of it's opening, the Westside was touted as one of the most modern drive-in theatres designed, with a dust-free ramped lot (i.e. asphalt), a "Star Dome" concession stand/projection booth, which was described as resembling the Houston Astrodome, a "prism screen", and a choice of receiving the movie's sound either through traditional in-car speakers, or through the car radio, which I'm guessing was revolutionary at that time. The first movie shown on opening night was <i>'Nevada Smith'</i>.

Historic Aerials has a bird's eye shot of the theatre, circa 1970 (it's best view) and 1979, and it was definitely located "in the boonies" at the convergence of I-30 and I-20, just a short distance from the Tarrant-Parker counties line. I have the aerial pic of it from '70, and I can send it to you if you'd like; just IM me. Also, it appears that Stanley Warner Theatres erected some very distinctive-looking roadside drive-in marquees, which I'm guessing the Westside also had. Two visual examples that I found online are from the Fredericksburg Road Drive-In in San Antonio, which was another SW theatre. They can be seen at the following links:

<a href="http://www.captainch...ED_MARQUEE.jpg" target="_blank">Stanley Warner Theatres drive-in marquee I</a>

<a href="http://www.drive-ins...txtfred004.jpg" target="_blank">Stanley Warner Theatres drive-in marquee II</a>

It wasn't very long afterward that the Texas Southwest Theatres circuit bought out the SW theatres, and they were rebranded as such, as can be seen at the Circle Drive-In in Waco:

<a href="http://www.flickr.co...n/photostream/" target="_blank">Texas Southwest Theatres drive-in marquee</a>

Thank you again for your post, Jim. Enjoy your visits here at the Fort Worth Forum!


--Saginaw

Forgot to say that I went to the Astro Drive-In in Grand Prairie once. I believe I got to it by driving down Loop 12 0r 183. Can't remember. Saw "Arachniphobia" with the sound coming in through the AM radio dial. There were storms off in the distance and as they got closer, the sound started dropping in and out. My wife and I left before the second feature. I think I read on here that it's torn down now, isn't it?



#57 Giraffe

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Posted 28 August 2010 - 10:55 PM

Read in today's _Star-Telegram_ that an aerospace company is going to move into the old abandoned Wal-Mart that's located on the property where the Cherry Lane Drive-In used to be. They'll make cable harnesses and other wiring parts for planes and such there. It'll take some minor interior remodeling, but that shouldn't take long. Nice to see someone using that building for _something_.

#58 Giraffe

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Posted 18 September 2010 - 09:29 AM

Many of us aren't old enough to have enjoyed the drive-in theater experience in its prime. Even when I was a little kid, most of the drive-ins around Fort Worth were already falling apart, or showing X-rated movies, or were "todos en Espanol."

I know there are a couple of open drive-ins within driving distance of the Metroplex, but I still, to this day, have never been to a drive-in. It's on my "Someday..." list, probably yours, too. Until then, however, you can see what it was like by watching a fun movie called (creatively enough) _Drive-In_.

_Drive-In_ was filmed in and around Dallas and Terrell in 1975, and the drive-in exteriors were shot at the Terrell Drive-In. When the film was made, that drive-in was in pretty good shape, though starting to show its age a little. But at least people still went to it and the parking lot was full. We get to see the projection booth, the snack bar, some intermission cartoons, the ticket booths, the employees, and some of the sneaky tricks people tried to get in free (usually seminary students!). It's also fun to see the cars everyone drove back then (a van with a water bed?). One time-marker for me is the fact that there were no arcade games in the snack bar (they weren't widespread yet).

There are no stars in _Drive-In_, but it's fun to watch. There are also several scenes in and around the small-town roller-skating rink. The film makes use of a lot of good country & western songs popular in the mid-'70s, including hits by the Statler Brothers. The plot of the film tells several stories of various folks, young and old, living in a small Texas town (it's fiction, BTW).

Sadly, the Terrell Drive-In no longer exits. It was demolished and a bank now sits on the property.

I got my copy of _Drive-In_ from a friend who recorded it onto DVD from a cable channel that shows movies a lot (I don't know which one). But you can probably order your own copy on Amazon or some such.

#59 stevee

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Posted 18 November 2010 - 08:14 PM

I came across a cool website that has some Drive-In Movie Ad's

#60 Saginaw

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Posted 07 February 2011 - 06:22 PM

I passed by the old Southside Twin Drive-In Theatre site today, which is now Treasure Island Trade Days, and the original concession stand is still there, albeit surrounded by metal sheds and lean-tos. Any idea when they open? Thanks!


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#61 vowell

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Posted 12 February 2011 - 12:18 PM

I've seen and participated in some topics here about Ft. Worth Drive-in Theatres. This has been a subject of interest for me for several years, and I've done some research on the subject in hopes of building a website or some-such. What memories/information do you have about these Drive-Ins? At my age, I was fortunate to experience the last "mainstream" years of drive-ins (in my case the Twin and the Meadowbrook), and in the last few years my family has become semi-regulars at the Brazos in Granbury. What a geat experience. It's like a step back in time. Kids play ball, throw frisbees, footballs, and just hang out on the lawn in front of the screen tower before the feature starts, it's always very clean and family oriented, you can bring your own food or eat from the snack-bar (which is another time warp in itself), and its a very affordable way to take a family to see a movie. Okay, now that I've plugged the Brazos (no, I don't have an affiliation other than being a fan), what do you remember about these drive-ins?

Fort Worth Twin-Riverside and East Lancaster-gas wells now
Meadowbrook Drive-in-Riverside and East Lancaster-holding area for Waste Mangement
Riverside Drive-in-Just East of North Beach on Belknap, now a driving range
Belknap-5709 East Belknap, now the site of the Desert Sands Apartment complex.
South Side Drive-in-4800 block of I-35, now the site of a Carnival Food store.
Southside Twin-Just south of I-20 on Old Hemphill Rd.-now Treasure Island Flea Market
Bowie Blvd Drive-in-7100 Camp Bowie, now a car dealarship. I believe this to be Ft. Worth's first drive-in theatre.
The Corral/Jacksboro Drive-in-199, just west of 820, now an Albertsons, some of the ramps are still visible in back.
The Pike Drive-in-7500 East Lancaster-some ramps still clearly visible.
Parkaire Drive-in-on University just south of I-30, where the shopping center with the Blue Mesa Grill is now (remember the go-cart track next door?)
Downtown Drive-in-On Henderson just north of the intersection of White Settlement Rd.-is a flea market now.
Cowtown Drive-in-on 199-now an Auto Salvage/Auction house I think?
Westerner-on River Oaks Blvd-Now a 7-11 and apartment complex.
Cherry Lane-on (really?) Cherry Lane just north of 30-Now a Wal-mart (wouldn't it be great to tear down a Wal-mart to build a Drive-In?)
Mansfield Highway-future home of a church according to sine-age
Lariat Drive-in-On East Rosedale nesr 820- This is an interesting story I'd like to know more about. I've seen old business listings for this drive-in refer to it as a "colored" drive-in, and in Don & Susan Sanders book "The American Drive-In Theatre", it is refered to as being "built near a new sub-division for the African-American community". However, people I know that grew up right down the road from there in the 40's and 50's have no memory of it. I don't think it lasted very long.


Not Fort Worth, but nearby:
Mid-Cities Drive-in-In Euless on Highway 10
Arlington Drive-in-On division just east of Bowen
Eagle Drive-In-Azle drive-in

Did I overlook one? What are your memories of these Drive-in's?

Cherry lane drive in! two screens, one for the kids and the other at times for adults. if my dad caught us looking out the back window he would smack us in the back of the head.

#62 detail larry

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Posted 19 February 2011 - 03:21 PM

I've seen and participated in some topics here about Ft. Worth Drive-in Theatres. This has been a subject of interest for me for several years, and I've done some research on the subject in hopes of building a website or some-such. What memories/information do you have about these Drive-Ins? At my age, I was fortunate to experience the last "mainstream" years of drive-ins (in my case the Twin and the Meadowbrook), and in the last few years my family has become semi-regulars at the Brazos in Granbury. What a geat experience. It's like a step back in time. Kids play ball, throw frisbees, footballs, and just hang out on the lawn in front of the screen tower before the feature starts, it's always very clean and family oriented, you can bring your own food or eat from the snack-bar (which is another time warp in itself), and its a very affordable way to take a family to see a movie. Okay, now that I've plugged the Brazos (no, I don't have an affiliation other than being a fan), what do you remember about these drive-ins?

Fort Worth Twin-Riverside and East Lancaster-gas wells now
Meadowbrook Drive-in-Riverside and East Lancaster-holding area for Waste Mangement
Riverside Drive-in-Just East of North Beach on Belknap, now a driving range
Belknap-5709 East Belknap, now the site of the Desert Sands Apartment complex.
South Side Drive-in-4800 block of I-35, now the site of a Carnival Food store.
Southside Twin-Just south of I-20 on Old Hemphill Rd.-now Treasure Island Flea Market
Bowie Blvd Drive-in-7100 Camp Bowie, now a car dealarship. I believe this to be Ft. Worth's first drive-in theatre.
The Corral/Jacksboro Drive-in-199, just west of 820, now an Albertsons, some of the ramps are still visible in back.
The Pike Drive-in-7500 East Lancaster-some ramps still clearly visible.
Parkaire Drive-in-on University just south of I-30, where the shopping center with the Blue Mesa Grill is now (remember the go-cart track next door?)
Downtown Drive-in-On Henderson just north of the intersection of White Settlement Rd.-is a flea market now.
Cowtown Drive-in-on 199-now an Auto Salvage/Auction house I think?
Westerner-on River Oaks Blvd-Now a 7-11 and apartment complex.
Cherry Lane-on (really?) Cherry Lane just north of 30-Now a Wal-mart (wouldn't it be great to tear down a Wal-mart to build a Drive-In?)
Mansfield Highway-future home of a church according to sine-age
Lariat Drive-in-On East Rosedale nesr 820- This is an interesting story I'd like to know more about. I've seen old business listings for this drive-in refer to it as a "colored" drive-in, and in Don & Susan Sanders book "The American Drive-In Theatre", it is refered to as being "built near a new sub-division for the African-American community". However, people I know that grew up right down the road from there in the 40's and 50's have no memory of it. I don't think it lasted very long.


Not Fort Worth, but nearby:
Mid-Cities Drive-in-In Euless on Highway 10
Arlington Drive-in-On division just east of Bowen
Eagle Drive-In-Azle drive-in

Did I overlook one? What are your memories of these Drive-in's?



#63 detail larry

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Posted 19 February 2011 - 03:26 PM

how about the boulevard drive in ,7401 camp bowie blvd,e l powell was the manger in 1958.

#64 Saginaw

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Posted 21 February 2011 - 11:43 AM

how about the boulevard drive in ,7401 camp bowie blvd,e l powell was the manger in 1958.


Detail larry, here's a pic of the old Boulevard Drive-In Theatre at the time of it's demolition:

Boulevard Drive-In Theatre, circa 1962

And here's what the screen tower looked like when it began life as the Bowie Boulevard back in the 1940s:

Bowie Boulevard Drive-In Theatre, circa 1942

I've surmised that the name of the theatre changed between 1949 and 1953, based on the scant evidence I have, and that it was changed to simply "Boulevard" to avoid confusion with the Bowie Theater a few miles up Camp Bowie Blvd. Thank you very much for the name of the manager, larry. I'm wondering if Mr. E.L. Powell was it's very last manager before it closed?


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#65 Ghost Writer in Disguise

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Posted 21 February 2011 - 10:22 PM

How sure are we that it was there in 1942?

#66 801hme

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Posted 23 February 2011 - 08:40 AM

How sure are we that it was there in 1942?



Not speaking for Saginaw or his extensive research, circa 1942 would seem to be a likely opening time frame for the Bowie Boulevard. I'm pretty sure the Underwood-Ezell built/owned Northwest Highway Drive-In in Dallas was the first in the area, and I've read time-line information for that theatre on various websites as being from 1941-1963. U-E's next theatre was likely the Chalk Hill Drive-In (also Dallas), which according to Don Sanders "American Drive-In Theatre" opened July 4, 1941. The Bowie Boulevard (also Underwood-Ezell) opened around the same time, and was Tarrant County's first Drive-In, according to newspaper & city directory info I've researched (while Drive-In theatres are usually associated with the 1950's, the first was actually Richard Hollingshead's Camden New Jersey Drive-in which opened way back in 1933). I'm not sure the exact date the Bowie Blvd. opened, but U & E were pretty much pioneering the building of Drive-Ins in this area in the early 40's; mid 1941 to early 1942 would be a somewhat logical approximate timeline.

#67 Saginaw

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Posted 15 March 2011 - 08:55 PM

:excl: FRIDAY, JULY 18, 1941! :excl:

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram archives at the Central Library, today I've discovered that the official opening of the Bowie Boulevard Drive-In Theatre is the above date.

For about a week before (possibly more), there appeared ad space in the newspaper's Amusements section announcing the theatre's imminent grand opening. This date would be completely logical, since Underwood & Ezell Theatres opened Dallas' Chalk Hill Drive-In two weeks before, on July 4th; the Northwest Highway Drive-In (Dallas' very first "ozoner") opened two weeks before that, on June 20th, which shows that they kept a brief regular grand opening schedule here in the Metroplex.

The movie shown that evening was the 1940 comedy 'One Night in the Tropics', which was the vehicle that launched the careers of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. In addition, there was also shown a Walt Disney cartoon and a Universal newsreel. The Bowie Boulevard would also show two other Abbott and Costello pictures later on in the year: 'Buck Privates' and 'In the Navy', before shutting down for the season sometime in November. I don't know exactly when they closed that year, but I was able to find out that it was well before the Japanese Navy's attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th.

The Bowie Boulevard was advertised as located "out (on) Camp Bowie Blvd., past Ball's Trading Post", which was a business situated next to the theatre on the east side, and that it could be entered "on Brownwood Highway". It's admission price was 30¢ for adults, 10¢ for children, and "no charge for cars".

So, we now have an official starting point for Fort Worth's drive-in theatre experience. Hopefully, more information will follow soon on what was an historic local venue.


--Saginaw
"If I only had a time machine..."

#68 lcbrownz

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Posted 04 May 2013 - 09:35 AM

I've seen and participated in some topics here about Ft. Worth Drive-in Theatres. This has been a subject of interest for me for several years, and I've done some research on the subject in hopes of building a website or some-such. What memories/information do you have about these Drive-Ins? At my age, I was fortunate to experience the last "mainstream" years of drive-ins (in my case the Twin and the Meadowbrook), and in the last few years my family has become semi-regulars at the Brazos in Granbury. What a geat experience. It's like a step back in time. Kids play ball, throw frisbees, footballs, and just hang out on the lawn in front of the screen tower before the feature starts, it's always very clean and family oriented, you can bring your own food or eat from the snack-bar (which is another time warp in itself), and its a very affordable way to take a family to see a movie. Okay, now that I've plugged the Brazos (no, I don't have an affiliation other than being a fan), what do you remember about these drive-ins?

Fort Worth Twin-Riverside and East Lancaster-gas wells now
Meadowbrook Drive-in-Riverside and East Lancaster-holding area for Waste Mangement
Riverside Drive-in-Just East of North Beach on Belknap, now a driving range
Belknap-5709 East Belknap, now the site of the Desert Sands Apartment complex.
South Side Drive-in-4800 block of I-35, now the site of a Carnival Food store.
Southside Twin-Just south of I-20 on Old Hemphill Rd.-now Treasure Island Flea Market
Bowie Blvd Drive-in-7100 Camp Bowie, now a car dealarship. I believe this to be Ft. Worth's first drive-in theatre.
The Corral/Jacksboro Drive-in-199, just west of 820, now an Albertsons, some of the ramps are still visible in back.
The Pike Drive-in-7500 East Lancaster-some ramps still clearly visible.
Parkaire Drive-in-on University just south of I-30, where the shopping center with the Blue Mesa Grill is now (remember the go-cart track next door?)
Downtown Drive-in-On Henderson just north of the intersection of White Settlement Rd.-is a flea market now.
Cowtown Drive-in-on 199-now an Auto Salvage/Auction house I think?
Westerner-on River Oaks Blvd-Now a 7-11 and apartment complex.
Cherry Lane-on (really?) Cherry Lane just north of 30-Now a Wal-mart (wouldn't it be great to tear down a Wal-mart to build a Drive-In?)
Mansfield Highway-future home of a church according to sine-age
Lariat Drive-in-On East Rosedale nesr 820- This is an interesting story I'd like to know more about. I've seen old business listings for this drive-in refer to it as a "colored" drive-in, and in Don & Susan Sanders book "The American Drive-In Theatre", it is refered to as being "built near a new sub-division for the African-American community". However, people I know that grew up right down the road from there in the 40's and 50's have no memory of it. I don't think it lasted very long.


Not Fort Worth, but nearby:
Mid-Cities Drive-in-In Euless on Highway 10
Arlington Drive-in-On division just east of Bowen
Eagle Drive-In-Azle drive-in

Did I overlook one? What are your memories of these Drive-in's?

There is very little history on the Downtowner Drive on Henderson. Can anyone enlighten me on it?



#69 Saginaw

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Posted 07 May 2013 - 04:33 PM

 

I've seen and participated in some topics here about Ft. Worth Drive-in Theatres. This has been a subject of interest for me for several years, and I've done some research on the subject in hopes of building a website or some-such. What memories/information do you have about these Drive-Ins? At my age, I was fortunate to experience the last "mainstream" years of drive-ins (in my case the Twin and the Meadowbrook), and in the last few years my family has become semi-regulars at the Brazos in Granbury. What a geat experience. It's like a step back in time. Kids play ball, throw frisbees, footballs, and just hang out on the lawn in front of the screen tower before the feature starts, it's always very clean and family oriented, you can bring your own food or eat from the snack-bar (which is another time warp in itself), and its a very affordable way to take a family to see a movie. Okay, now that I've plugged the Brazos (no, I don't have an affiliation other than being a fan), what do you remember about these drive-ins?

Fort Worth Twin-Riverside and East Lancaster-gas wells now
Meadowbrook Drive-in-Riverside and East Lancaster-holding area for Waste Mangement
Riverside Drive-in-Just East of North Beach on Belknap, now a driving range
Belknap-5709 East Belknap, now the site of the Desert Sands Apartment complex.
South Side Drive-in-4800 block of I-35, now the site of a Carnival Food store.
Southside Twin-Just south of I-20 on Old Hemphill Rd.-now Treasure Island Flea Market
Bowie Blvd Drive-in-7100 Camp Bowie, now a car dealarship. I believe this to be Ft. Worth's first drive-in theatre.
The Corral/Jacksboro Drive-in-199, just west of 820, now an Albertsons, some of the ramps are still visible in back.
The Pike Drive-in-7500 East Lancaster-some ramps still clearly visible.
Parkaire Drive-in-on University just south of I-30, where the shopping center with the Blue Mesa Grill is now (remember the go-cart track next door?)
Downtown Drive-in-On Henderson just north of the intersection of White Settlement Rd.-is a flea market now.
Cowtown Drive-in-on 199-now an Auto Salvage/Auction house I think?
Westerner-on River Oaks Blvd-Now a 7-11 and apartment complex.
Cherry Lane-on (really?) Cherry Lane just north of 30-Now a Wal-mart (wouldn't it be great to tear down a Wal-mart to build a Drive-In?)
Mansfield Highway-future home of a church according to sine-age
Lariat Drive-in-On East Rosedale nesr 820- This is an interesting story I'd like to know more about. I've seen old business listings for this drive-in refer to it as a "colored" drive-in, and in Don & Susan Sanders book "The American Drive-In Theatre", it is refered to as being "built near a new sub-division for the African-American community". However, people I know that grew up right down the road from there in the 40's and 50's have no memory of it. I don't think it lasted very long.


Not Fort Worth, but nearby:
Mid-Cities Drive-in-In Euless on Highway 10
Arlington Drive-in-On division just east of Bowen
Eagle Drive-In-Azle drive-in

Did I overlook one? What are your memories of these Drive-in's?

There is very little history on the Downtowner Drive on Henderson. Can anyone enlighten me on it?

 

 

The Downtown Drive-In Theatre was located at 1000 N. Henderson Street, across the bridge heading north from downtown on the same side as the Mexican Inn Restaurant. It opened in 1957 and showed mostly "second-run" and B-movies, similar to what the old Meadowbrook Drive-In Theatre featured at that same time. It was owned by Gulf States Theatres either for its entire operational history or for a limited time, as it was no longer listed in the Star-Telegram after late-1973. From that point onward until it closed for good (sometime around '74 or '75), it began to show Spanish language movies, and it was the first local drive-in to do so.

 

I personally remember this as my now-sainted Mom, her boyfriend at the time, and I went there on a cold, drizzly night early in 1974. There weren't very many cars parked out there that evening (probably no more than 10-12), and I didn't get a chance to go to the snack bar as I fell asleep during the first feature. Another thing I definitely remember about it was its unique roadside marquee, which was very tall and spelled "DOWNTOWN" vertically. In looking at the photographs on the Historic Aerials website, it would seem that there was a small, separate projection building located on the very first ramp, six ramps ahead of the concession stand. The traffic that traveled up and down N. Henderson always had an unobstructed view of what was showing!

 

After it closed, the theatre was torn down, and the property sat unused for years until it was bought and converted into the Henderson Street Bazaar (sometime during the '80s). I wish that someone had a photograph of the old marquee. Hope this helps to "enlighten" your curiousity!

 

 

--Saginaw


"If I only had a time machine..."

#70 electricman

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Posted 03 January 2017 - 02:20 PM

This is not exactly about a drive-in in Fort Worth, but it was an outdoor theater. In the early 50`s In Ridglea on Camp Bowie was a vacant lot right next to Camp Bowie, around the 6000 block. The Ridglea Merchants built a plywood movie screen and would show old movies and advertisments of the different stores in the area. The shows were free, you just needed to bring a lawn chair. Later a Hudson filling station was built on the lot and now there is a Jack In The Box in it`s place.



#71 Ghost Writer in Disguise

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Posted 03 February 2018 - 11:15 PM

The theater in the photograph is south of the T&P tracks, between them and Rosedale/Tension and wedged against the underpass, which is to the east. The screen faces south or southeast. I'll bet it was mighty entertaining for moviegoers when trains went by.

I once noticed on each side of the underpass plaques by the TX highway dept. indicating that it had been built in, I think, 1942. Or '43. WW2, anyway.

Kind of OT but I was burrowing through the UTA Library collection and found this pic of that underpass from 1940: http://library.uta.e...da8f12f859f.jpg



#72 Ghost Writer in Disguise

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Posted 21 November 2019 - 05:17 PM

Glad to meet another drive-in theater afficionato, 801hme! I hope we can chat more about it soon.

Ghost Writer, I also read the brief passage in the Sanders' book about the Lariat Drive-In. I find it fascinating that practically nothing is known about it, let alone generally referred to. In referencing an image on Google Maps, I've located Tension Dr., which snakes it's way from E. Rosedale St. up to East Loop 820, and must have connected to E. Lancaster Ave. before this part of the Loop was completed in 1963. Any idea if the Lariat was located on the northern or southern side of the tracks, or possibly wedged in the area bordered by Tension, Rosedale, and the tracks?


--Saginaw

Re the Lariat, here is a comment from one Ronny Taff in a thread about drive-ins in the Facebook group 'Fort Worth , Texas, History': "my uncle Joe parker during the 50s owned an ran the lariat dr. In at that time it was a black dr.in. also in the summer he would bring a truck of water melons an give it away it was packed every weekend the admission was 80 cents a carload I had alot of at that place . We lived on wiler Blvd just across tracks"



#73 Mtuggle76

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Posted 29 June 2022 - 05:35 PM

I remember going to the drive in on cherry lane in White Settlement.  My memory recalls some sort of geometrical red and blue structures at the entrance of the drive in that light up.  Holes in them where the lamp light would shine thru.  Then for a time I remember driving by it, especially the behind the drive in on the spur seeing the back side of the screens, just sitting there.  Then, as later came to feel, the worst store in the world moved in an tore them down.  Walmart!!!! then Sams!!!!!! Sams was at the back of the old drive in property and Walmart at the front.  Then off to the side went in a Ryans steak house. I remember being with my parents driving by the drive in at night getting a glimpse of what was playing on those big screens.  My neighbor, well over twice my age, used to tell me how they’d sneak their friends in hiding them in the trunk.  One of them hid a cooler full of beer in the floor of his old 55 ford truck.  



#74 Nitixope

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Posted 29 June 2022 - 09:11 PM

Driving east on 30 from downtown, the Meadowbrook drive-in on Riverside is still there, well the screen is still up. I think they store dumpsters or trash cans there now.

http://cinematreasur.../theaters/12507

I remember going to the drive in on cherry lane in White Settlement.  My memory recalls some sort of geometrical red and blue structures at the entrance of the drive in that light up.  Holes in them where the lamp light would shine thru.  Then for a time I remember driving by it, especially the behind the drive in on the spur seeing the back side of the screens, just sitting there.  Then, as later came to feel, the worst store in the world moved in an tore them down.  Walmart!!!! then Sams!!!!!! Sams was at the back of the old drive in property and Walmart at the front.  Then off to the side went in a Ryans steak house. I remember being with my parents driving by the drive in at night getting a glimpse of what was playing on those big screens.  My neighbor, well over twice my age, used to tell me how theyd sneak their friends in hiding them in the trunk.  One of them hid a cooler full of beer in the floor of his old 55 ford truck.  


Heres some more details of Cherry Lane Drive-in:

http://cinematreasur.../theaters/23710

#75 Mtuggle76

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Posted 30 June 2022 - 09:10 AM

Oh great, thanks!






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