Michigan Drive-Ins

NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS

National Amusements/Redstone Drive-In's

CONNECTICUT

1. Milford Red & Blue Drive-In Milford, CT (CLOSED) 1950s?-1980s

Status:Now a Showcase Cinemas parking lot

IOWA

2. Bel-Air Drive-In Davenport, IA (closed) 1948-1986

Status:n/a

3. Oasis Drive-In Davenport, IA (CLOSED) 1961-1987

Status:Now a Showcase Cinemas

INDIANA

4. New Albany Drive-In New Albany, IN (CLOSED 1994)

Status:n/a

ILLINOIS

5. Memri Drive-In Milan, IL (CLOSED) 1948-1986

Status:Now an empty lot adjacent to Showcase Cinemas

6. Semri Drive-In Silvas, IL (CLOSED) 1951-1982

Status:Now an empty lot (Justin West 4-14-2004)

7. Corral Drive-In Moline, IL (CLOSED) 1950-1982

Status:Now an empty lot

KENTUCKY

8. KENWOOD DRIVE-IN (OPEN)

7001 Southside Dr. Louisville, KY 40214 (502) 368-6454

Status:Open in April 2004 - One screen

9. Dixie Gardens Drive-In Ft.Wright, KY (CLOSED) 1950s?-1988

Status:Now an empty lot

10. Riverview Drive-In Dayton, KY (CLOSED) 1948-early 1980s

Status:n/a

11. Florence Drive-In Florence, KY (CLOSED) 1947-1988

Status:Now condos

12. Pike 27 Drive-In Ft.Thomas, KY (CLOSED)

Status:Now an empty lot

13. Parkway Drive-In Louisville, KY (CLOSED) 1950s?-1980s

Status:Now an empty lot

MASSACHUSETTS

14. Dedham Drive-In Dedham, MA (CLOSED)

Status:n/a

15.Neponset Drive-In Dorchester, MA (CLOSED)

Status:now a park

16. Starlite Drive-In N. Reading, MA (CLOSED)

Status:Now a shopping center

17. Revere Drive-In Revere, MA (CLOSED)

Status:Now a Showcase Cinemas

18. Suffolk Downs Drive-In East Boston, MA (CLOSED)

Status:n/a

19. Natick Drive-In Natick, MA (CLOSED)

Status:n/a

20. V.F.W. Parkway Drive-In W.Roxbury, MA (CLOSED)

Status:n/a

MARYLAND

21. Carlin Drive-In Baltimore, MD (CLOSED)

Status:n/a

The only drive-in ever built within Baltimore city limits, and the second-largest in Maryland, it was located on the site of the former Carlin's Amusement Park, which operated as early as the 1920s and closed in the mid-'50s. Built at a $1,000,000 cost, it featured a 5-lane entrance, an entirely paved lot and a 10,000-square-foot concession building containing a six-lane cafeteria, with a patio for dancing out in front. Other amusements onsite included an elaborate kids' playground, and a roller rink and Olympic-size pool; those last two were the only surviving features of the original amusement park. In the beginning, early arrivals on Monday thru Thursday nights were given free use of the pool until 8 pm. The opening feature on Carlin's giant 64-by-142-foot screen on June 20, 1958 was The Bridge On the River Kwai. In 1961 its owners, a group headed by William J. Fischer, sold it to the Redstone chain (later National Amusements). ( Drive-In Theatres of the Mid-Atlantic)

22. Queens Chapel Drive-In Hyattsville, MD (CLOSED)

Status:now a metrorail station

MICHIGAN

23. MIRACLE TWIN DRIVE-IN (OPEN) 1973-2004

6383 E. Court St., Burton, MI 48509 (810) 744-3800

Status: Open in 2004, a twin with "blue/red" screens

24. M 78 Twin/Triple Drive-In East Lansing, MI (CLOSED) 1968-1992

Status: Abandoned, ticket booths & snack bar remain, was a

twin with "blue/red" screens, third "green" screen added later

25. Cascade Twin/Triple Drive-In Grand Rapids, MI (CLOSED)

Status: Now an empty lot, adjacent Showcase now closed also, was

a twin with "blue/red" screens, third "green" screen added later

26. Bel Air Drive-In Jackson, MI (CLOSED)

Status: Now an empty lot

27. Jackson Drive-In Jackson, MI (CLOSED)

Status: Now an empty lot

28. Auto Drive-In Saginaw, MI (CLOSED)

Status: Now an empty lot

29. Bel-Air Drive-In Saginaw, MI (CLOSED)

Status: Now an empty lot

30. Twilite Drive-In Saginaw, MI (CLOSED)

Status: Now an empty lot

31. Blue Sky Drive-In Pontiac, MI (CLOSED) 1948-1987

Status:Now a closed Showcase Cinemas

32. Miracle Mile Drive-In Pontiac, MI (CLOSED)

Status: Now an empty lot

33. Pontiac Drive-In Pontiac, MI (CLOSED)

Status: Now an empty lot

34. Sunset Drive-In Midland, MI (CLOSED)

Status: Now an empty lot

35. Waterford Drive-In Waterford, MI (CLOSED)

Status: Now an empty lot

36. University Drive-In Ann Arbor, MI (CLOSED)

Status: Now an empty lot

NEW JERSEY

37. Route 35 Drive-In Hazlet, NJ (CLOSED) 1957-1991

Status:Now a Costco, & Showcase Cinemas, last DI to close in NJ Route 35, Hazlet�This single-screen drive-in opened around 1957 and closed down in '91. The closing brought the press from every radio and TV station in the area including CNN. It was New Jersey's last drive-in. On closing night, the theater ran The Fly and The Girl Can't Help It, the first two movies they played back in '57. The site now contains a 12-screen multiplex owned by the same company, National Amusements.

38. Amboys Drive-In Perth Amboy, NJ (CLOSED)

Status:Now a Showcase Cinemas

39. Atco Drive-In Atco, NJ (CLOSED)

Status:Now a Showcase Cinemas

40. Starlite Drive-In Gloucester, NJ (CLOSED)

Status:n/a

41. Newark Drive-In Newark, NJ (CLOSED)

Status:

42. Tacony-Palmyra Bridge Drive-In Palmyra, NJ (CLOSED)

Status:

NEW YORK

43. Lakeshore Drive-In Greece, NY (CLOSED)

Status:The Lakeshore was built as an 1100-car theater at 189 Ling Road in the Town of Greece, New York in 1950. It was the 5th drive-in to open in Monroe County and was reported in the Rochester Times-Union to have had a 100-foot tall screen. Grand opening night was July 1st, 1950 with "Bagdad" and "Down Dakota Way" as the first double feature shown. By the early 1980s, nearly all of the RCA in-car speakers were gone or no longer functioning, so AM radio sound was introduced on channel 650, and the in car speaker system was no longer used. I have been told that the theater closed for some time during the 1970s, but I have yet to confirm this. I do know for sure that the theater was owned by Redstone Theatres in 1972, and in the 1980s until its closing, was owned by National Amusements of Dedham, Massachusetts. The theater closed after showing its last double feature of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Unlawful Entry" on Saturday, September 5th, 1992 (the night I was there). There was no indication to anyone that the theater was not going to reopen in the spring. Lakeshore was the last remaining drive-in in Monroe County until its demolition on May 5th, 1993. A local radio station sponsored a "Save The Drive-In Night" in 1991 where admission was only $1. Cars were lined up for almost a mile both ways trying to get in. Despite this effort, the theater lasted only one more season. No one knew of the closing of the theater until we saw its screen going up in flames on the 6 o'clock news. It can be assumed that National Amusements decided not to reopen the theater for the 1993 season, and to tear it down due to the need for many repairs to the theater, and the rapid decline of business. The biggest complaint was the faded and weathered screen that was aluminum gray in spots rather than white, and the poor channel 650 AM sound. It was reported that a demolition crewman's blow torch "accidentally" ignited a pile of wood behind the screen causing a rapidly spreading fire. Accident or not, it sure made knocking the screen down much easier. I hope to soon find out what is slated to be built on the former theater's land. It was zoned for industrial use by the Town of Greece, but there are many residential developments that could easily be spread into the Lakeshore property if the price is right. I will update this page when I find out. Currently the driveway is fenced off with no other signs of development inside the property.
JOE BOB'S ADVICE TO THE HOPELESS - Supernatural Alert! The Lakeshore Drive-In in Greece, N.Y., last remaining drive-in in Monroe County, was doing just fine, hanging in there after 40 years of continuous operation, with a $4.50 admission price for each double feature. And during a radio promotion in 1992, organized by manager Walt Frank, the Lakeshore filled every one of its 1,115 parking spots. Then, suddenly, it was closed, with no explanation, and the National Amusements Company of Dedham, Mass., sent a wrecking crew to knock down the 100-foot screen. As soon as the demolition began, the screen spontaneously burst into flames. Bradley Grinnell of Rochester and John Vane of Pittsford remind us that we shouldn't mess with God's creations. ( Trav Beav's NY Drive-In Theatre Site)

44. Bayshore Drive-In Brentwood, NY (CLOSED)

Status: Gone, Now a Home Depot

45. Whitestone Bridge Drive-In New York, NY (CLOSED 1982/83)

Status:Now Whitestone Cinemas multiplex, was a twin with "blue/red" screens

46. Sunrise Drive-In Valley Stream, NY (CLOSED)

Status:n/a

47. Salina Drive-In Nedrow, NY (CLOSED)

Status:n/a

49. Salina Drive-In Nedrow, NY (CLOSED)

Status:n/a

49. Washington Drive-In East Rochester, NY (CLOSED)

Status:n/a

50. Washington Drive-In East Rochester, NY (CLOSED)

Status:n/a

OHIO

51. OAKLEY DRIVE-IN (OPEN)

5033 Madison Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45227 (513) 271-4600

Status:Opened in 1952, still open in 2004, screen rebuilt after 1993 tornado

52. Maumee Drive-In Maumee, OH (CLOSED)

Status:A indoor multiplex is on the site now was a empty field for long time torn down in late 80s

53. Franklin Park Drive-In Toledo, OH (CLOSED)

Status: Now a Target store

54. Miracle Mile Drive-In Toledo, OH (CLOSED)

Status:n/a

55. Academy Drive-In Loveland, OH (CLOSED)

Status:Now an empty lot, closed in 1988 or 89, National Amusements planned to build a multiplex on the site

PENNSYLVANIA

56. Starlite Drive-In Easton, PA (CLOSED 2001)

Status:Still standing as of Feb.2004

57. Bethlehem Drive-In Butztown, PA (CLOSED 1995)

Status:Now an empty lot

58. South City Drive-In Philadelphia, PA (CLOSED)

Status:n/a

VIRGINIA

59. Lee Highway Drive-In Merrifield, VA (CLOSED) 1954-84

Status:Closed in 1984,site now a Showcase Cinemas

The Washington area's largest drive-in was opened August 26, 1954 by the Massachusetts-based Redstone Drive-Ins chain. There were two separate entrances, at Lee Highway and Gallows Road. The theatre, which boasted a 50'x120' CinemaScope screen as well as a unique rotunda-style dining area, was set well back from the highways, its blacktopped lot surrounded by large trees; in fact, the ticket booth itself was around a thousand feet from either entrance, about at the farthest corner of the present multiplex building. The screen tower, emblazoned with the drive-in's name, was visible from nearby Arlington Boulevard in the years before that corridor was developed with office buildings. After the 1984 season, Redstone, which is now called National Amusements, closed both of its Northern Virginia drive-ins (this and the Mount Vernon) to replace them with multiplexes which at the time were the largest in the area. National Amusements, which continues to operate the theatres, is also known as the parent company of the vast Viacom media empire, with properties including Paramount Pictures, CBS, MTV, Showtime and Blockbuster Video. ( Drive-In Theatres of the Mid-Atlantic)

60. Mt.Vernon Drive-In Alexandria, VA (CLOSED) 1938-84

Status:Closed in 1984, site now an indoor theatre

The Washington area's first drive-in, built by Massachusetts-based E.M. Loew Theatres, debuted August 15, 1938 as E. M. Loew's Mt. Vernon Open Air Theatre; opening feature was the Claudette Colbert/Gary Cooper comedy Bluebeard's Eighth Wife. Originally rather primitive -- no in-car speakers before at least 1946, and the original snack bar was a candy and soft-drink stand set up next to the projection booth -- it was modernized in 1962 by new owners Redstone Drive-Ins (now National Amusements), which constructed a new screen tower and entrance. Twinned ("Red" screen, 371 cars, and "Blue" screen, 598 cars) in 1978. ( Drive-In Theatres of the Mid-Atlantic)

CANADA

61. 400 Drive-In Woodbridge, Ontario (CLOSED)

Status: Closed 1997, now a Famous Players indoor theatre