37 replies to this topic

[Saginaw]

Since the weather is getting warmer, I'd like to visit this topic and reminisce a bit, too.

As long as I can remember, I've always been fascinated with the drive-in theater. As a kid, I saw it as a gigantic television screen outdoors, and I liked the fact that on the Friday nights my Mom and I went, I could stay up as late as I could stay awake (I'd usually conk out around midnight). I still have cherished memories of the cheap pizza cheese and burnt popcorn aromas wafting from the snack bar, the feel the cool night breeze under a starry sky, and yes, even the sound of those annoying mosquitoes buzzing around my ears!

My favorite drive-in theater to haunt back in the '70s was the old Fort Worth Twin. To me, it felt "comfortable" there, like it was home. I saw some cool movies there, too, such as the original 'Rollerball', 'Zardoz', and many others. I even remember seeing 'The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat' there, which was nothing like any cartoon I ever saw! What I didn't know at the time was that Fritz was voiced by actor Skip Hinnant, who portrayed "J.J." on 'The Electric Company', which I watched back then. If I only knew!

Across I-30 (the old Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike) and the Trinity was another drive-in theater, the Meadowbrook. My Mom and I visited the Meadowbrook several times, a couple of times with our neighbor's kids. The Meadowbrook seemed a bit "rougher" than most of the other theaters in town, and during the summer, when the wind would come from the south, the odor of the rotting weeds and algae from the river permeated the theater. At the time I went the main fare shown there were kung-fu flicks, which was during the time when Bruce Lee was popular. After his death in 1973, the Meadowbrook gradually switched to Blaxploitation pictures. I remember seeing such classics as 'Foxy Brown', 'Coffy', and 'Blacula' there.

Two other theaters I visited then were the Southside Twin, which was located on Old Hemphill Rd., and the ABC Mansfield Twin, on E. Seminary Dr., both in south Fort Worth. The Southside Twin I definitely remember because of the east screen, which fronted the entrance off the road. I remember that the girders and the screen they supported were painted a distinctive medium blue, and along the top edge of the screen were 13 individual lighted yellow blocks, with a red letter superimposed upon each one, spelling out "SOUTHSIDE TWIN". I also remember that there were train tracks that ran behind the west screen, so sometimes the movie would be interrupted by a passing train. As of a few years ago, the site was home to a flea market, and I was pleased to see that the old snack bar/projection booth was still around.

The last drive-in theater I visited was the Belknap Drive-In, located on Belknap St. in Haltom City. It was memorable because of the large buffalo-kicking-a-football mural painted on it's screen tower, which commemorated Haltom High School's mascot. I really envied the lucky people that lived behind the theater, who could see a free movie every single night during the season! Back in the summer of 1977, it was the theater that I saw the somewhat laughable 'The White Buffalo', along with 'Logan's Run', on the night that I could have seen a little known film called 'Star Wars'. I did notice that the Belknap was different from the other theaters I knew in that two structures occupied the center of the lot, divided by a roadway. The forward structure housed the projection booth, while the rear structure contained the snack bar and restrooms. That summer was pretty much the last time I was ever at a drive-in theater.

Now, after all this reminiscing, I'm wondering if the time is right for Fort Worth to be home to a drive-in theater again? IMHO, I think it is. It's been a generation since the last ones closed shop, and many young people haven't experienced the wonder that is a drive-in movie. I know that the closest one to Fort Worth is the Brazos Drive-In in Granbury, but with the cost of gas these days, it would be nice to have a theater right here in the Metroplex. As to where in the area, I'm think a perfect area would be somewhere in the northern part of Tarrant County, where there are still unincorporated areas up for grabs.

Well, that's all I have for now. I invite anyone who shares my passion for the drive-in and have their own memories to come and share them here. I look forward to reading them!


--Saginaw

[Birdland in Handley]

Welcome Saginaw!
How is the experiment in Granbury doing? I know some people I work with planned to visit it the first summer it opened.
Springtime is perfect for going to a drive-in movie. Alas, I bet when hot summer comes, which used to be bigtime drive-in season, most kids reject anything not air-conditioned. Didn't t Six Flags' admissions suffer for the last few years because kids say that they don't want to be in the not air-conditioned outdoors? (Though they had record admissions recently during this beautiful weather.) And lazy boomers (me) who might enjoy the drive-in experience don't attend movies in the same numbers as the demographic that summer movies are aimed at.
Enough of my buzzkill pessimism--here's my local history input: the only drive-in I (well, with Mom) ever patronized was the ParkAir on University Drive. For example, I saw "Thunderball" there. Great bulb-laden entrance sign, but I don't remember the back of the screen having a mural. Was there a mural?
I do remember riding in the parents' car on trips down I-35 , passing all sorts of great drive-in murals in the country between here and Austin.
And in Cedar Hill, Southwest Dalllas, there's still a derelict mural for a Clown drive-in. And clowns are scarey, so 'nuff said.
Blackula is a really underrated movie. Too bad about its early '70s homophobia. Yikes, better submit before I get all IMDB.

[safly]

Yes.

In the Lake Worth or TCU area. University Dr. by the train tracks.

[gdvanc]

Say, isn't your avatar from the old test patterns they used to broadcast on tv at the end of the broadcast day?


I don't think drive-ins are going to come back in any substantial way. Then again, I didn't think a chain of stores selling little more than $5 coffee was going to be a viable business, either. It could be entertaining to brainstorm a 21st century spin on drive-ins, though.

My drive-in memories are of the Lake Worth Twin (?). I remember seeing The Groove Tube and Brewster McCloud when I was pretty young. My step-brother and his girlfriend took me. It was so nice of them. And they even let me sit up in the front seat by myself during the whole movie!

[txrdside]

Here are a couple of photos for your memories. The Meadowbrook is now a junkyard, it's neighbor across the river, the Twin gone, now a drilling site. So sad, lots of memories at the Meadowbrook. Oh well some things are better left unsaid. In the late 50's , we could get in for 80 cents a carload. The Twin always cost per person making the Meadowbrook a better deal. At a flea market years ago, I picked up a speaker used at one of the drive-ins here in Fort Worth. I believe these days at drive-ins you listen to the movies over your radio.

[Saginaw]

Thank you all for your input!

Birdland, I've yet to visit the Brazos Drive-In in Granbury. I found out about it in 2001 via a news report by Macie Jepson on WFAA Channel 8. The next year, when the Brazos's screen tower was damaged by a wind storm, I literally cringed at the thought that another precious outdoor theater would be lost forever. Thankfully, they recovered. I remember the old Corral Drive-In on Jacksboro Hwy. (originally the Jacksboro Drive-In) also featured a circus mural with a gigantic clown head smack in the center. I would always pass by it when my family and I went to the old Twin Points beach/resort on Eagle Mountain Lake in the '70s. I missed visiting the Parkaire Drive-In (just down the street from Forest Park and the Fort Worth Zoo), as it was already closed when I became interested in drive-ins.

gdvanc, yes, my avatar is the Indian head from the old tv test patterns so fondly remembered by those of us over 40. I didn't know there was a Lake Worth Twin Drive-In. You've got me curious!

txrdside, THANK YOU very much for sharing your two pics with us! What memories, indeed! Your picture of the Meadowbrook is the first I've seen on the web that shows what the sign looked like before it was painted over. Would you happen to remember what year you took the photo? By the way, another thing I remember about the Meadowbrook concerns the snack bar/projection booth. I recall there was permanent seating in front of the structure, facing the screen. Nothing fancy or large; just three rows of metal seating with retractable seats, which were mounted on a concrete slab, and there were probably about 5-6 seats per row. I vividly remember this because one time, when coming out of the snack bar with my Mom, there were some young people and kids talking back at the movie that was shown, and yes, they were loud.

I look forward to sharing more memories with all of you about the good ol' days at the drive-in theater!


--Saginaw

[mother earth]

I, too, grew up spending Friday nights at the Twin on E Lancaster. My most vivid memories of movies there consist of every Elvis Presley movie ever made (my father was a big fan) and The Alamo (John Wayne, not Billy Bob Thornton). It is my understanding that the advent of daylight savings time killed the drive in movie industry (for families anyway) since movies don't even start until 9PM in the middle of the summer.

[cbellomy]

I remember watching "Cactus Flower" at the old Cherry Lane Drive-In in White Settlement, between Cherry Lane and 341 where all the big box retail is now.

I think Mother Earth is spot-on about Daylight Savings Time. If we could kill that in Texas, it would make night baseball and drive-in movies enjoyable again. Not to mention July 4 fireworks before 10:00.

[Saginaw]

mother earth and cbellomy, I seem to remember from my childhood (back in the '70s) that Daylight Savings Time wasn't adhered to so rigidly as it is now. A shame, since the sun setting at a later time during the peak of DST today would definitely push back a first feature's showing to around 9 p.m. or a little after. Given this fact, contemporary drive-in theaters would have to modify their schedule by showing just two features, instead of the three shown in the past. As such, two back-to-back movies with an intermission between them should complete the night's schedule by around 1:30 in the morning or so.

cbellomy, I always wanted to visit the Cherry Lane Drive-In Theater, but never got the chance to. How was it?


--Saginaw

[cajunmike]

I remember in the mid to late sixties seeing shows at the Fort Worth Twin like.............

The Good , The Bad and The Ugly
The Odd Couple
Planet of the Apes
Rosemary's Baby

Can you remember the sound from the little speakers that hung in your car window and compare that how we are spoiled today with all the high tech sound? Remember seeing people pull off and the speaker was stilll in the window.

[Papaw]

I don't know if I am showing my age or just admitting my younger personality, but I don't recall any movie that was showing at the drive-in as I used it mostly as a motel in the cooler months. In the summer the bugs and insects were thick and the car was stuffy and you needed the windows rolled down and everybody could see in. I liked the cooler weather as the heavy breathing fogged up the windows and no one could see in and the moans and groans were contained. You normally arrived and departed in the dark using no lights. The parking lot was built like a motocross track as it had steep hills and valleys lined with posts to hit and boxes with cords attached to pull off and people - which you couldn't see - were walking all over the place.
On top of that, all of the cars now have all these lights that come on automatically as soon as you turn your key on and nearly all have bucket seats in front and I am too old to crawl over to the back and you probably would be mugged on the way to the popcorn stand.
However, maybe dating has changed since then.

[Saginaw]

cajunmike, I certainly remember the window speakers and the "tinny" sound from the movie through them, which was part of the drive-in theater's charm. Without those iconic speakers and the posts they rested on, a drive-in theater of today with through-the-radio sound would just seem like a plain ol' parking lot with a large, blank screen facing it.

Papaw, from what you've just posted, I can imagine you've got some VERY interesting stories relating to your visits at the local drive-in! (like maybe the XXX Riverside?)

Gentlemen, it would seem that technology and safety concerns have made the "passion pit" a relic of the past glory of the drive-in theater, but think of the many families that got started in all those back seats!


--Saginaw

[cbellomy]

Saginaw, the Cherry Lane was, to my memory, pretty no-frills. Kinda like the defense-industry community that surrounded it. It was probably the most average drive-in experience anywhere.

What's interesting to contemplate today is the fact that audio could be supplied over low-wattage FM directly to car stereos, so the sound could be nearly as good (or bad) as the car's sound system. I'm sure this already is being done somewhere -- it would mark a huge advancement over the 1970s technology we had at the old drive-ins.

[Saginaw]

cbellomy, from what you're telling me, it would seem like I probably didn't miss anything special about the Cherry Lane Drive-In, other than a nostalgic experience. I'll have to direct you to a blog from a local about his "adventures" at the Cherry Lane.

I do seem to remember two other theaters that I saw as I passed by their old locations. One of them was in east Fort Worth, on E. Lancaster Ave. Wasn't it called the Pike, and didn't it's screen tower survive until about the 1980 or so? The other one was the Mid-Cities Drive-In, in Euless. Ads from the '70s list it's location on Highway 183, but I remember seeing an old, rusty marquee on what's presently known as Highway 10 (Euless Blvd. in Euless, Hurst Blvd. in Hurst, and Baker Blvd. in NRH), until the property was cleared for the Texas Star complex. Was Hwy. 10 known as 183 back then?

If anyone's interested in the above mentioned blog, I can provide a link for it from this thread.


--Saginaw

[cbellomy]

Yes, SH 10 was designated as SH 183 back then, up until August 1979 when TxDOT rearranged the furniture.

[Saginaw]

Thanks, cbellomy. I had a gut feeling about that one. By the way, it sounds like the Cherry Lane was your favorite drive-in theater to haunt, as the Fort Worth Twin was mine.

I went to the FWPL this evening to make some more copies from the old Star-Telegram archives, specifically from 1960, 1965, and 1976. Back in '60, there was a drive-in theater listed called the "Boulevard", and it's address was 7100 Camp Bowie Blvd. I had no idea that this theater even existed, and I used Google Maps to find the location. Even though there's no evidence of it ever being there, I can see where that theater could have existed by it's dimensions bordered by Camp Bowie Blvd., Weatherford Hwy.-Camp Bowie W., and Alta Mere Dr. Anyone here have any recollection or information about the Boulevard Drive-In?

And here's a "blast from the past". Back in '76, the notorious Riverside wasn't the only outdoor screen showing adult films in Tarrant County. There was another one in existence at the time, called the Eagle Drive-In, and it's location was listed as "15 minutes out (from) Jacksboro Hwy.". From its vague directions, it sounded like a perfect place for a little privacy, way out in the boonies.


--Saginaw

[cbellomy]

Oh, I remember the Eagle. It was still operating in the early 80s when I was in high school. And, uh, they didn't check ID's very closely.

The Boulevard Drive-In, I do not remember. This would have been about where the old Putt-Putt used to be, at the corner of Irene. If anybody remembers *that*.

[Saginaw]

cbellomy, I talked with someone today who also remembers the Eagle Drive-In. He told me it was located pretty close to Azle. Can you provide any info on which side of Jacksboro Hwy. it was on? I'm trying to pin down it's approximate location through Google Maps.

I'm guessing the snack bar at the Eagle didn't do much business. And I won't even explore the question of using their bathrooms!


--Saginaw

[JOCOguy]

Does anyone remember the Ridglea Drive In?
I can remember seeing movies there with my family, it was before I started school and I must have been quite young.
It was where the Neiman-Marcus In-The-Square was on Camp Bowie, behind the old Buddies/Winn Dixie. The screen was made of brick with neon lights "Ridglea" on it.

[cbellomy]

The Eagle was on the south side of 199, very close to Azle. I believe its old footprint is easily visible here.

[Saginaw]

cbellomy, THANKS! So that bare spot on the corner of Southeast Parkway St. and Porter Dr. was where the elusive Eagle Drive-In once stood? Amazing! And it definitely was out in the boonies, so no problem at all with wanting a little privacy there!

Thanks for chiming in, JOCOguy! I've never heard of the Ridglea Drive-In before, but I have heard of and been to the old Ridglea Theater on Camp Bowie Blvd. Here's a couple of pics of what it looked/looks like:





As you can see, it wasn't a drive-in theater, but a traditional walk-in theater. I remember the first time I went there was in 1972, when my Mom took me to see 'What's Up, Doc?'. Before it's run was completed at the Ridglea, I wound up seeing it about 5-6 times, the first day seeing the movie twice! I can tell you that it's still one of my favorite movies to watch for the sheer goofiness of it.

JOCOguy, I'm wondering if you're thinking about the Boulevard Drive-In, which I mentioned earlier? I have no idea when it closed, but maybe that's the one you've recalled.


--Saginaw

[Saginaw]

Lookie what I found!

This pic comes from a website commemorating Paschal High School's Class of 1956 (www.PHS56.com), of which I've obtained permission to link here:



I seem to remember the colors of the Parkaire Drive-In's marquee consisting of a forest green base with a golden yellow arrow. Does anyone else remember that as well, or were the colors different? Also, notice its design, which looks very similar to the Meadowbrook Drive-In's marquee. The signs must have been manufactured by the same factory, and it's quite possible that the theaters were designed by the same architect.

By the way, would anyone have any idea what kind of car the young ladies are riding in? I'd appreciate the info.

I'm finding some really good information about Fort Worth's drive-in history, but there's still much more to unearth. I'll keep everyone apprised.


--Saginaw

[Dr Quest]

Growing up in Lakeside and going to school in Azle I always knew about the Eagle Drive In, we passed it twice a day for over 15 years. Since it was always there we really didn't think anything about it although there were a few times in high school we would drive behind the theater to watch....the grooming issues haunt me to this day.

I don't see a drive in making it nowadays. The majority of revenue for a move theater is in concessions. A family can bring in a bucket of chicken and a pizza for the price of popcorn and a coke at a theater. Consider the price of land, other movie and entertainment options and the fact that you can't even start the first movie until after 9 pm in the summer...thats barely 3 or 4 hours you're actually generating revenue. The Brazos in Granbury http://www.thebrazos.com/home.htm has managed to stay open for over 50 years - $18 bucks per car and they are currently showing Ironman. If anyone is feeling nostalgic it's only a 40 minute drive (which by the way will cost another 18 bucks a carload).

I thought I had a good memory but there are a lot more drive ins in this area then I ever remember. This site shows a total of 14 drive ins in the Fort Worth area. http://www.drive-ins...amp;search.y=14

[JOCOguy]

cbellomy, THANKS! So that bare spot on the corner of Southeast Parkway St. and Porter Dr. was where the elusive Eagle Drive-In once stood? Amazing! And it definitely was out in the boonies, so no problem at all with wanting a little privacy there!

Thanks for chiming in, JOCOguy! I've never heard of the Ridglea Drive-In before, but I have heard of and been to the old Ridglea Theater on Camp Bowie Blvd. Here's a couple of pics of what it looked/looks like:





As you can see, it wasn't a drive-in theater, but a traditional walk-in theater. I remember the first time I went there was in 1972, when my Mom took me to see 'What's Up, Doc?'. Before it's run was completed at the Ridglea, I wound up seeing it about 5-6 times, the first day seeing the movie twice! I can tell you that it's still one of my favorite movies to watch for the sheer goofiness of it.

JOCOguy, I'm wondering if you're thinking about the Boulevard Drive-In, which I mentioned earlier? I have no idea when it closed, but maybe that's the one you've recalled.


--Saginaw

I talked to my brother (who is five years older than me) it was the Boulevard Drive In. And it was where the old Neiman-Marcus - Ellison Furniture now some sort of a school was/is.
Funny thing we (here in Kansas City) have a Boulevard Drive In that still works showing Ironman currently. I may have to check it out.

http://www.boulevarddrivein.com/

[Saginaw]

Dr Quest, would you happen to know when the Eagle Drive-In turned XXX? Also, any idea when it opened? It's funny, how most of us who remember them took the sight of the drive-in theater for granted, thinking they'd be around forever. But with the advent of cable, satellite, and the Internet, not to mention outrageous concession prices, the desire for comfort (i.e. air conditioning), and the advent of Daylight Savings Time, it's a wonder that the drive-in theaters of today can turn a profit. Still, I'm confident that, slowly, drive-ins will dot the landscape again, although not as many as in it's heyday, and quite possibly in a different format.

JOCOguy, if you don't have to travel very far to reach the Boulevard, I'd say it's worth your time to visit it at least once. The Brazos is the closest to me, and that's just over 54 miles one way. I mean, I'd love to visit it, but it's not possible at this time. I will, though.

In the meantime, I'm still gathering information on the drive-ins of Fort Worth. I can say that, by my count, there were a total of 19 drive-ins that operated in Tarrant County during a 40 year period. Now that's history!


--Saginaw

[bailey]

Many of the old drive in's had living quarters at the base of the screens. In fact, the majority of the ones in Fort Worth did. The operator lived at the theater in that space below the screen.

[Saginaw]

bailey, I personally remember that the Belknap Drive-In's screen tower in Haltom City was built in such a way, and photographic evidence shows that the Pike on E. Lancaster Ave. was another example. I suspect that there may have been a few others in the area that had the same configuration, until the conventional beam-and-truss designs took over.

Can you imagine the excitement of a kid living at the drive-in theater, with a playground at the base of the tower? Almost like Disneyland, I guess.


--Saginaw

[bailey]

The Parkaire in Forest Park also had living quarters at the base of the screen. As a kid, I always thought that was a neat deal.

[Saginaw]

Thank you very much for the info on the Parkaire, bailey!

I have some additional information. Based on a photograph, the Jacksboro Drive-In on Jacksboro Hwy. (later renamed the Corral) was another combination screen tower/house, and I suspect that Fort Worth's very first drive-in theater, the Boulevard (or Bowie Boulevard) was constructed as such, too, although no photographic evidence exists of it so far.

That would make four so far, and possibly five at the most. Good job!


--Saginaw

[Birdland in Handley]

That's a great pic of the Parkaire sign, thanks a mil.
Was that drive-in sign converted to promote Spencer's Palace when the Farmer's Daughter steakhouse became a strip club, or was it the fairly elaborate Farmer's Daughter restaurant sign only that was adapted? Or were both signs adapted to promote Spencer's Palace?

[Fort Worthology]

A resurgence of small, single-or-handful-of-screens places in the vein of the Ridglea and other neighborhood places I could see, but I doubt drive-ins are ever coming back. Beyond all else, the car is just not going to be as big a part of our lives in the future as it is now. There won't be demand for drive-ins. And they consume so much land...

[Saginaw]

Birdland, I have no idea about the sign. Sorry about that, but maybe someone else here may know.

Atomic Glee, you're probably right, but I do envision a modern or future permanent drive-in theater's maximum capacity at 100 vehicles, with a screen about half the size as they were back in it's heyday (about the same size screens as the ones used at Texas Stadium). I can also see the projection equipment built into a screen tower (rear projection), with the snack bar built into it's base, too. I've also been thinking about how maybe....just maybe...fast food restaurant chains (like Sonic or Dairy Queen) could participate and become the snack bars for the modern drive-in theater.

It's wishful thinking on my part, I'll admit, and I do and will miss the "classic" drive-in theater. Still, any new wrinkle to help preserve and pass on this icon of Americana is worth exploring.


--Saginaw

[courtnie]

They could always tear down the walmart and sams buildings in White Settlement and put the drive in theather back there...It would look better then a bunch of empty buildings...

[Saginaw]

I found the following article this morning:

http://cityguides.ms......2178>1=24000

This perfectly illustrates the slowly growing evolution from the classic drive-in theater. For example, the city of North Richland Hills has taken this concept and incorporated it into both it's NRH2O water park, with it's "dive-in movies", and their "My Side of Town" outdoor screenings. I've been to a couple of the outdoor showings, and they're pretty neat. Still, I think there's a way to bring back the drive-in theater, even though it won't look the same as we remember it.

It's better than nothing, I guess.


--Saginaw

[Recyclican]

Sundance Square offers their "Stars under the Stars" movie nights on Thursdays, on one of their parking lots: http://www.sundances...ts/default.aspx

Haven't been to one yet, so I can't vouch for how cool/uncool it might be.

I also know UTA offers an outdoor movie in the summer, on Thursdays: http://www.uta.edu/s...s/stuact/excel/

I grew up going to these, as well as the outdoor pool movies they used to do. In my opinion much more enjoyable to sit out on a lawn than an asphalt parking lot!

[McHand]

They could always tear down the walmart and sams buildings in White Settlement and put the drive in theather back there...It would look better then a bunch of empty buildings...

Also, that place on North University that used to be a drive-in would be a good spot, IMO. Easy to find and lots of parking.

[cheermom]

Since the weather is getting warmer, I'd like to visit this topic and reminisce a bit, too.

As long as I can remember, I've always been fascinated with the drive-in theater. As a kid, I saw it as a gigantic television screen outdoors, and I liked the fact that on the Friday nights my Mom and I went, I could stay up as late as I could stay awake (I'd usually conk out around midnight). I still have cherished memories of the cheap pizza cheese and burnt popcorn aromas wafting from the snack bar, the feel the cool night breeze under a starry sky, and yes, even the sound of those annoying mosquitoes buzzing around my ears!

My favorite drive-in theater to haunt back in the '70s was the old Fort Worth Twin. To me, it felt "comfortable" there, like it was home. I saw some cool movies there, too, such as the original 'Rollerball', 'Zardoz', and many others. I even remember seeing 'The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat' there, which was nothing like any cartoon I ever saw! What I didn't know at the time was that Fritz was voiced by actor Skip Hinnant, who portrayed "J.J." on 'The Electric Company', which I watched back then. If I only knew!

Across I-30 (the old Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike) and the Trinity was another drive-in theater, the Meadowbrook. My Mom and I visited the Meadowbrook several times, a couple of times with our neighbor's kids. The Meadowbrook seemed a bit "rougher" than most of the other theaters in town, and during the summer, when the wind would come from the south, the odor of the rotting weeds and algae from the river permeated the theater. At the time I went the main fare shown there were kung-fu flicks, which was during the time when Bruce Lee was popular. After his death in 1973, the Meadowbrook gradually switched to Blaxploitation pictures. I remember seeing such classics as 'Foxy Brown', 'Coffy', and 'Blacula' there.

Two other theaters I visited then were the Southside Twin, which was located on Old Hemphill Rd., and the ABC Mansfield Twin, on E. Seminary Dr., both in south Fort Worth. The Southside Twin I definitely remember because of the east screen, which fronted the entrance off the road. I remember that the girders and the screen they supported were painted a distinctive medium blue, and along the top edge of the screen were 13 individual lighted yellow blocks, with a red letter superimposed upon each one, spelling out "SOUTHSIDE TWIN". I also remember that there were train tracks that ran behind the west screen, so sometimes the movie would be interrupted by a passing train. As of a few years ago, the site was home to a flea market, and I was pleased to see that the old snack bar/projection booth was still around.

The last drive-in theater I visited was the Belknap Drive-In, located on Belknap St. in Haltom City. It was memorable because of the large buffalo-kicking-a-football mural painted on it's screen tower, which commemorated Haltom High School's mascot. I really envied the lucky people that lived behind the theater, who could see a free movie every single night during the season! Back in the summer of 1977, it was the theater that I saw the somewhat laughable 'The White Buffalo', along with 'Logan's Run', on the night that I could have seen a little known film called 'Star Wars'. I did notice that the Belknap was different from the other theaters I knew in that two structures occupied the center of the lot, divided by a roadway. The forward structure housed the projection booth, while the rear structure contained the snack bar and restrooms. That summer was pretty much the last time I was ever at a drive-in theater.

Now, after all this reminiscing, I'm wondering if the time is right for Fort Worth to be home to a drive-in theater again? IMHO, I think it is. It's been a generation since the last ones closed shop, and many young people haven't experienced the wonder that is a drive-in movie. I know that the closest one to Fort Worth is the Brazos Drive-In in Granbury, but with the cost of gas these days, it would be nice to have a theater right here in the Metroplex. As to where in the area, I'm think a perfect area would be somewhere in the northern part of Tarrant County, where there are still unincorporated areas up for grabs.

Well, that's all I have for now. I invite anyone who shares my passion for the drive-in and have their own memories to come and share them here. I look forward to reading them!


--Saginaw

[djold1]

Could Ft. Worth use a drive-in theater?

NO