Star-View Drive-In Theater on U. S. 20

Drive-in movie theaters have experienced a renaissance in this age of the Coronavirus.

It’s pretty ironic. An anachronistic entertainment venue, struggling to survive in the era of the multiplex, suddenly becomes the perfect solution to the problem of how to safely watch a movie with hundreds of other people without the risk of getting sick. It’s all outside, and you’re safe in your own car, enjoying your own refreshments (assuming you purchased a bring-your-own food permit from the theater operators).

I’m happy for the drive-ins that have managed to stay in business until now to enjoy this renewed popularity.

One of them is Aut-O-Rama out in North Ridgeville; it’s actually made the national news with its surprising success showing packages of old movie classics (no new movies are available).

But there’s another, older drive-in that is often overlooked by those of us near the lake: the Star View Drive-in, on U.S. Route 20 between Norwalk and Monroeville.

It’s been out there since 1949, seemingly out in the middle of nowhere. But the Star View is a survivor, and is doing business creatively during the current pandemic. (Here’s the link to its website.)

Here are a few recent photos.

And here are a few vintage ads.

June 17, 1950 Sandusky Register ad

June 18, 1955 Sandusky Register ad

June 20, 1955 Sandusky Register ad

Click here to visit the Cinema Treasures website, which has a history of the Star View and a great photo of its original wooden movie screen – when it was on fire!

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Back in the early days of this blog, I featured a lot of old Ohio drive-in theaters that I had photographed or visited.

These included Lorain Drive-in, Aut-O-Rama Drive-in in North Ridgeville, Tower Drive-in, Midway Auto Drive-in, Madison Skyway Drive-in, Sandusky Drive-in and Carlisle Drive-in.