A new drive-in theatre coming soon?
#1
Posted 20 February 2012 - 12:28 PM
Drive-in theater proposed for site near LaGrave Field in Fort Worth
For those of us who grew up attending the local drive-in theatres, this is significant news! My mental caveat, though, points to the potential issues of security, constantly evolving technological costs, and the continuing advancement in gas prices, which threatens to climb up to $5.00 per gallon in the foreseeable future. Still, it's a very bold announcement, one that, hopefully, will become reality. Like the old radio announcers used to say, "Stay tuned"!
--Saginaw
#2
Posted 20 February 2012 - 07:50 PM
Surprised no one posted this sooner, saw it over the weekend and thought it was going to get beat to death.
I'm just curious which direction the screen is going to point...
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#3
Posted 20 February 2012 - 10:34 PM
#4
Posted 21 February 2012 - 08:55 AM
#5
Posted 21 February 2012 - 10:43 AM
So, if this proposed project becomes reality, is it a portent for emergence of the Drive-In theatre industry? It also begs the question, why did the industry die? I always thought it was because of daylight savings time. Any other guesses?
Daylight Savings Time was an initial factor, but a more dramatic cause was the accessibility of enhanced home entertainment, such as cable television and video recorders and tapes. Another factor was the rising popularity of the multiplex indoor theaters that were located in suburban shopping malls, which offered convenience and comfort. Combined, they dealt a major negative blow to an already weakened drive-in theatre industry, which began to see it's waning after the late-'50s.
In the 1986 PBS documentary 'Drive-In Blues' there was an elderly gentleman interviewed who ran a drive-in in West Texas. He lamented the end of the drive-in's run, but predicted that there would be some survivors that would be located "few and far between", mostly so that the children and grandchildren of those who were past patrons could show their offspring what the experience was like. His words couldn't have been more prophetic.
--Saginaw
#6
Posted 21 February 2012 - 12:11 PM
#7
Posted 21 February 2012 - 03:27 PM
Saginaw, thanks for that information. But I've re-read the ST article and was reminded that this proposal is a response to the city's call for "10-year" leasing with an early termination possible. So...invest mucho money to build a drive-in, only to have to tear it down at some uncertain future date? Whoa!
Don't think it's going to be much of an investment, just using land that's currently vacant, they said something of a moveable screen(s) and sound is via phone apps and low freq FM, and with digital projection all they'll have to deal with is places for cars, concessions and gates.
Plus they want to come up with day time uses for the spot, so swap meets or ...?
Better Business Bureau: A place to find or post valid complaints for auto delerships and maintenance facilities. (New Features) If you have a valid gripe about auto dealerships, this is the place to voice it.
#8
Posted 22 February 2012 - 01:33 PM
Saginaw, thanks for that information. But I've re-read the ST article and was reminded that this proposal is a response to the city's call for "10-year" leasing with an early termination possible. So...invest mucho money to build a drive-in, only to have to tear it down at some uncertain future date? Whoa!
Don't think it's going to be much of an investment, just using land that's currently vacant, they said something of a moveable screen(s) and sound is via phone apps and low freq FM, and with digital projection all they'll have to deal with is places for cars, concessions and gates.
Plus they want to come up with day time uses for the spot, so swap meets or ...?
Project Approved:
...but this is what caught my eye.
I've lived downtown for 7 years now, they blew the smoke stacks up right after I moved down here and they've been talking about the TRV project ever since, but we still have a decade before permanent improvements are started. WTHeck!The lease would be for 10 years, about how long it will take the water district to begin permanent development in the $909 million Trinity River Vision flood-control and economic development project.
Read more here: http://www.star-tele...l#storylink=cpy
Better Business Bureau: A place to find or post valid complaints for auto delerships and maintenance facilities. (New Features) If you have a valid gripe about auto dealerships, this is the place to voice it.
#9
Posted 22 February 2012 - 02:33 PM
I'm currently looking at the area in question on Google Maps. Seems like the feeder street/entrance coming off N. Main St. will be NE 5th St., which eventually dead ends. Three ample-sized parking lots straddle either side of NE 5th, bisected by Calhoun St., which would make an excellent exit street back onto traffic. The Star-Telegram article says that one screen will face north (which means it will be situated at the southern end of the property); that looks like it will be erected on the southern-most (and largest) parking lot. I'm going to guess that the other two screens will face south (erected on the northern end of the property), which is exactly like the way the multi-screen drive-ins were designed.
This is FANTASTIC news all-around! My only complaint is that there won't be any classic B-movies (like 'Them!' and 'Earth vs. the Flying Saucers') shown there. Oh well, can't win the lottery all the time, right?
--Saginaw
#10
Posted 22 February 2012 - 02:36 PM
I've lived downtown for 7 years now, they blew the smoke stacks up right after I moved down here and they've been talking about the TRV project ever since, but we still have a decade before permanent improvements are started. WTHeck!
Yeah, big projects move kind of slow when there's not money to pay for them. (Or anywhere near all of it.)
#11
Posted 22 February 2012 - 07:09 PM
#12
Posted 23 February 2012 - 12:39 AM
I've lived downtown for 7 years now, they blew the smoke stacks up right after I moved down here and they've been talking about the TRV project ever since, but we still have a decade before permanent improvements are started. WTHeck!
Wow, I definitely know what you mean... What is up with that?!
Yeah, big projects move kind of slow when there's not money to pay for them. (Or anywhere near all of it.)
The North Fort Worth portion of this project should be financed already.. yes?
#13
Posted 23 February 2012 - 10:40 AM
#14
Posted 23 February 2012 - 11:02 AM
I am kind of curious what the view from Cats field will be of the screens starting in 2013. One of 3 screens will face them I believe. Should be reserved for G rated movies. (Gives them a selection of like 3 movies to loop.)
#15
Posted 23 February 2012 - 11:42 AM
I surmise the issue of showing pornography on an open-view screen was resolved long ago when drive-in theaters were in their heyday. Just think of the traffic jams!I bet zoning would not allow that. Could be also the TRV people wrote that into their lease agreement.
I am kind of curious what the view from Cats field will be of the screens starting in 2013. One of 3 screens will face them I believe. Should be reserved for G rated movies. (Gives them a selection of like 3 movies to loop.)
#16
Posted 23 February 2012 - 09:25 PM
Nothing like a few high powered projection systems right next to slow moving water, they're really going to be thankful they've made accommodations for bat habitats. ;-*
Better Business Bureau: A place to find or post valid complaints for auto delerships and maintenance facilities. (New Features) If you have a valid gripe about auto dealerships, this is the place to voice it.
#17
Posted 23 February 2012 - 10:58 PM
I surmise the issue of showing pornography on an open-view screen was resolved long ago when drive-in theaters were in their heyday. Just think of the traffic jams!
In historical context, the Eagle Drive-In Theatre in Azle and the Riverside here in Fort Worth permanently converted into XXX movie outlets later in their operational lives, but a couple of other local drive-ins flirted with showing adult fare, albeit for a very brief time. According to a conversation I had with a one-time projectionist a few years ago, one theatre that attempted to do this was the Fort Worth Twin, back around '70 or '71. The titular enterprise was immediately shut down by the vice squad, and the manager was arrested on a public lewdness charge. Once he was released on bail, his theatre resumed showing movies more suited to a general audience (G, GP/PG, and R). Another drive-in was the Westside, which was located near the Tarrant-Parker County line. In retrospect, I can see how they probably could've gotten away with it more than the Fort Worth Twin ever could, since their screen faced away from the highway, and they were "out in the boonies".
Anyway, I highly doubt that this new drive-in theatre will take a chance at showing "inappropriate" material, since in the Star-Telegram article, they're quoted as saying they will be "family-friendly".
--Saginaw
#18
Posted 24 February 2012 - 10:34 AM
#19
Posted 24 February 2012 - 10:41 AM
#20
Posted 24 February 2012 - 11:01 AM
For the record the last movie I saw in a drive-in was Red Dawn.
Stepping off-topic for a sec, the last movie I saw at the drive-in was 'Warlords of Atlantis', back in 1978 on the west screen of the Fort Worth Twin. It was one of my favorite "ozoners" to visit back in the '70s, and I have many fond memories of my time there.
--Saginaw
#21
Posted 24 February 2012 - 06:10 PM
#22
Posted 25 February 2012 - 08:12 AM
Considering all the speculation here about porn movies, I have to ask, are there any porn theaters around anymore? I may lead a genteel life out in the burbs, but I can't recall seeing a XXX theater for ages. I'm sure the new drive in's will occasionally have some R rated movies, which sometimes can be racy. I like the idea of outdoor seating, but I wonder how they will handle the sound for the folks in lawn chairs.
I highly doubt that there are any X-rated drive-in theatres in existence anywhere, since anyone can find that stuff on the Internet 24/7. As to the "folks in lawn chairs", since I haven't been to a drive-in since '78, and since I've never experienced it with the sound coming through a car radio, I can only guess that it's possible that one could also receive the sound through a portable radio.
--Saginaw
#23
Posted 25 February 2012 - 09:13 AM
*Be sure to start your engine between movies or you may find yourself with a dead battery when it's time to go home.
#24
Posted 25 February 2012 - 04:10 PM
Most folks just crank up the sound and roll down the windows or open the tailgate, then you can hear the sound while sitting outside.
*Be sure to start your engine between movies or you may find yourself with a dead battery when it's time to go home.
They have cell apps for it now, so a USB jumper and you're good to go.
Better Business Bureau: A place to find or post valid complaints for auto delerships and maintenance facilities. (New Features) If you have a valid gripe about auto dealerships, this is the place to voice it.
#25
Posted 27 March 2012 - 06:58 AM
The obligatory "men reading plans on the pickup hood" shot.
#26
Posted 16 May 2012 - 12:55 PM
#27
Posted 16 May 2012 - 01:35 PM
#28
Posted 16 May 2012 - 03:13 PM
Hear my original music (and other stuff) at RPQx2 Music
#29
Posted 16 May 2012 - 05:16 PM
#30
Posted 17 August 2012 - 11:15 AM
#31
Posted 17 August 2012 - 06:13 PM
Have seen no activity for 2 weeks outside of truck spraying water for dust one day. At this point it is just a level area. (Like Texas needs another level area.)
#32
Posted 20 August 2012 - 01:14 PM
#34
Posted 21 August 2012 - 09:44 AM
#35
Posted 21 August 2012 - 10:00 AM
It still seems to be closer to reality than the ski resort in the Alliance area.
No doubt about that.....
#36
Posted 11 October 2012 - 04:58 PM
#37
Posted 11 October 2012 - 07:02 PM
#38
Posted 11 October 2012 - 11:35 PM
#39
Posted 12 October 2012 - 07:06 AM
#40
Posted 12 October 2012 - 07:53 AM
#41
Posted 10 November 2012 - 08:16 PM
--Saginaw
#42
Posted 12 November 2012 - 10:21 AM
Hear my original music (and other stuff) at RPQx2 Music
#43
Posted 16 November 2012 - 08:55 PM
I think I saw 3 screens up - is that correct? I don't know why, but I had the impression it was a one-screen deal, so 3 will be nice!
Yes, there are three screens up, Ron. You can clearly see them as you're traveling along N. Main St., especially coming from downtown. They remind me of the old Downtown Drive-In Theatre, a single screen "ozoner" which was located on N. Henderson St. many, many years ago. You could definitely see what was playing when you drove past it, so much so that I'm surprised that there weren't more automobile accidents while trying to see the movie!
--Saginaw
#44
Posted 15 February 2013 - 10:00 AM
Been a while since I showed an update pic of the drive in. Amazing amount of work has been going on there for months with little to show for it (Visually) Now all the sudden some structures are being built...
#45
Posted 15 February 2013 - 10:46 AM
Been a while since I showed an update pic of the drive in. Amazing amount of work has been going on there for months with little to show for it (Visually) -@Brian Luenser
I was really starting to worry about this project. I mean I know that development can progress pretty slow in Fort Worth, but aaaaaaaam...
#46
Posted 15 February 2013 - 12:40 PM
I am so ready for this to open up. Thanks for the pictures.
#47
Posted 15 March 2013 - 07:27 PM
Coyote Drive-In Now Hiring
When: March 21, 22, 23 (3pm to 7pm daily)
Where: Coyote Drive-In Site (223 NE 4th St. Fort Worth, TX 76164)
- RD Milhollin likes this
#48
Posted 07 May 2013 - 06:39 AM
S-T covers Coyote Drive-In Theater opening in Near-Northside:
http://www.star-tele...adlines-default
#49
Posted 08 May 2013 - 09:06 AM
They're have a bike-in on Friday, May 31. The charge for two movies, popcorn & drinks is $20 per person. For a grand-opening promotional thing, that seems a little steep to me. Does anyone know what the normal cost of the drive-in is? Is it based on carload, or per person?
#50
Posted 10 May 2013 - 11:20 AM
My wife and I went the Coyote last night for the pre opening and saw Grease and American Graffiti. The place is nice. Hopefully the pricing will be realistic or they'll go under pretty fast.
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