As I wrap up this series on local (and regional) drive-in theaters, I thought I would do a little more on the Lorain Drive-in.
Last night at the library, I decided to try and find out the exact date when it actually opened. I was pretty sure it opened in 1946, so I popped in a microfilm reel from June, reasoning that it probably opened after school was out.
Lo and behold, I had only scrolled a little bit through the reel when I hit pay-dirt and found this ad on the movie listings page of June 19, 1946:
This kind of thing makes you happy when you don't feel like sitting and staring like a zombie at microfilm for hours! It was only a few days later when this article appeared on Friday, June 28.
The clipping's kind of nice in that it provides a little information as to who was behind Lorain's 'first' (and only) drive-in theater, namely Wilbur F. Ptak.
And so, on Saturday, June 29, this huge ad appeared in the paper, promoting the grand opening of the Lorain Drive-in Theater with a double feature of Guest Wife (with Claudette Colbert and Don Ameche) and A Thousand and One Nights (with Evelyn Keyes and Phil Silvers). Click on the ad so you can read it!
I like the ad a lot, because it does a great job of introducing what was probably a foreign concept to Lorainites back then.
To close out this online collection of my old drive-in theater photos (unless I can dig out some more), here's one of the Madison Skyway Drive-in. (Click on it for a closer look.) I know it's not in Lorain County, but I'm casting a wider net on this topic – plus I like seeing all my drive-in photos in one place!
According to this website, which is an index of Ohio's forgotten drive-ins, it was located on Route 20, two miles west of Geneva. I shot it back in August of 1995, a mere fifteen years ago, during a road trip to Geneva on the Lake.
Unlike the Carlisle and Sandusky Drive-ins, the Madison Skyway is still there apparently. When I photographed it, it was already getting obscured by foliage; it's even worse now. If you're interested, this website has some more recent shots, an aerial shot and a few vintage ads. And some nice color shots of the overgrown marquee are on thisflickr site.
As long as I've wandered out of the confines of Lorain County with my photos of long-gone drive-ins, I might as well keep going. This photo is of the Midway Auto Drive-in, which was located on US 42 about, uh, midway between Ashland and Mansfield in Richland County. I shot it during the summer of 1987.
There's not much information about this drive-in online. The official address was 3124 Ashland Road in Mansfield.
I was driving by it fairly regularly for a few years in the late 1980's as I was driving up and down US 42 a lot. Each time it looked a little worse until finally there was some kind of "gentlemen's club" located in what was probably the refreshment stand.
Here's a link to the Cinema Treasures website, which has a little information about the drive-in’s history, including its opening on September 18, 1947.
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UPDATE (June 1, 2021)
Here’s a Google Maps view dated Sept. 2019 of the property, as seen from U. S. 42.
And here’s a Google Maps 2021 Aerial View. That’s Bowen Road running alongside the property.
Staying with my drive-in theme for a while, here's another photo of a late, great drive-in (although technically it's not in Lorain County, as the name of this blog would have you believe.) The photo is of the Sandusky Drive-in, which was on US Route 6 along the eastern approach to the city. I took the photo back in June 2007.
By that time, the drive-in had closed and I believe it was for sale (I managed to compose my shot without the unsightly 'For Sale' sign.)
Back in the summer of 1991, I had also snapped a shot of it (at left). The theater was still open then, as the marquee was promoting The Perfect Weapon as well as The Flight of the Intruder. The screen tower was in slightly better shape than it was sixteen years later. (Click on either photo for a closer look.)
Looking at these photos, I wonder: Why I was out shooting on such crummy days? Somehow, though, the dismal weather in each of the photos seem appropriate, kind of a visual metaphor for the state of the drive-in industry.
Anyway, I have no memory of ever seeing a movie at this theater. It was just something that my family drove by on the way home from Cedar Point, along with the Lorain Drive-in, which was further east and along the final stretch before getting home.
Here are a few links with a little information. The Agilty Nut, always a great source of information and photographs when it comes to classic roadside Americana, can be found at this link.
A little more information can be found here, and some great photos shot by someone on a sunny day can be found here.
As long as I'm talking about drive-ins, here's a photo of one in Lorain County that I shot back in the spring of 1990 – 20 years ago. It's the old Carlisle Drive-in on Oberlin - Elyria Road in Carlisle Township. It was located out in the country, just west of the Elyria Country Club.
According to several articles in the Chronicle-Telegram at the time, the 550-car drive-in was built on 62 acres back in 1949 for the sum of $200,000. It closed in 1985, mainly due to competition from cable TV and the growing popularity of video rentals. It was the second drive-in theater in Lorain County, after the Lorain Drive-in.
Eventually, Browning-Ferris Industries, the company that owned the property, deemed the old drive-in to be an eyesore and decided to tear it down around late June 1990.
I had stumbled upon the old drive-in while shooting around Lorain County, and really liked the lettering on the 18-foot-high marquee. I was planning to go back and try to get a better shot (the late afternoon sun made it difficult on the day I was there) and I was disappointed to read that it was being demolished.
I'm sorry I never had an opportunity to see a movie there.
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UPDATE (February 5, 2015)
I received an email in October 2015 from Dennis Thompson. Dennis wrote, "I know you did a couple of stories about the old Carlisle Drive-in, torn down in 1990. I happened to be driving by when they started to demolish it, and I snapped a few last photos."
Here is Dennis' photo (below).
Thanks for sharing, Dennis! It's good to see it in color.
Well, on Friday night we made it out to the Aut-O-Rama Drive-in in North Ridgeville for the first time this season. It was a good night to go. A little brisk, but with no chance of rain and it being too early for mosquitoes, it was too good to pass up. (Plus I wanted to see Iron Man 2.)
The Aut-O-Rama is a place that I don't remember ever going to as a kid. I remember seeing it from the Ohio Turnpike while on the way to or from something else, but my drive-in memories are pretty much limited to the long-gone Lorain Drive-in (on US 6) and the Tower Drive-in (on Lake Avenue in Elyria).
It has only been since the late 1980's that I have made it a point to go as many times as possible each season. The biggest problem has been finding a movie worth seeing, and believe me, my wife and I have seen some real cinematic dogs at the Aut-O-Rama through the years. (Space Balls, anyone? How about Howie Mandel in Walk Like a Man? My wife still hasn't forgiven me for making her sit through that one!)
Part of the fun of going to the drive-in for me is the preparation. Even though I'm a cub scout drop out, I believe in the motto: be prepared. Indeed, getting ready for a night at the drive-in is like going on a camping trip. I bring along chairs, a small folding table (to hold the goodies), a radio, flashlight, bug spray, several big blankets, a few small blankets, rain coats and an umbrella. I'm sure watching us set up 'camp' is a source of amusement for people parked next to us – especially when we bail out halfway through the movie due to the cold and head for the car!)
Oh I forgot to mention: I also bring Pic when I remember! I have yet to ever light one, but after watching the 'animated' commercials for years on the big screen there (saw it again Friday night) I felt obligated to buy this fine product! Any commercial that uses an animated mosquito that drops dead and immediately produces a lily in his hands is okay with me! (Watch the cartoon below!)
I really don't mind the Aut-O-Rama's restriction on bringing in outside food (no food can be brought in unless you purchase a special permit for five bucks.) The foodstuffs are part of the fun! It's the only time that I eat Snowcaps (nonpareils) with no guilt. And this time, we purchased the biggest size popcorn they had at the concession stand ("Glutton size, please," I told the concession worker.) To our surprise, we discovered that the huge plastic bucket with handy handle comes with a free refill. You merely bring it back whenever – even next season – and they will refill it once for free. So we have that going for us.
We still seem to have trouble tuning in the right FM station to get the sound. Even though the workers tell you the channel when you come in (91.9 FM for screen one, 90.7 FM for screen two), when the Star Spangled Banner starts playing and the 1940's era flag footage is projected onscreen, it's never the right channel!
I still prefer the old speakers that hung on the windows - it was part of the ambience. The Aut-O-Rama actually has a few of them in the parking spots close to the concession stand and they seem to be in pretty good shape. (See photo at left.) But most of them are just rusted relics.
All in all, it was fun sitting under the stars watching the flick, and there weren't even as many trains as usual going by to obliterate the sound temporarily (although Iron Man 2 was so confusing it really didn't matter!) For me the best part is that timeless feeling that you get when you're there. You forget that it's 2010 and you start to believe that you're back in high school again – which is a nice feeling when your carefree youth is rapidly vanishing in the rear view mirror.
See you at the drive-in! And don't forget the Pic!
I'm planning on hitting the Aut-O-Rama Drive-insoon, so this ad caught my attention.
It's a newspaper ad for the old Lorain Drive-in on US 6 that ran on Thursday, March 24, 1955 for the upcoming opening weekend for the season. (Click on it for a larger view.) Considering it was only the end of March, I'll bet it was a wee bit chilly at the Drive-in that weekend!
Looks like it was a pretty good double feature, though. If you're a Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall fan (like I am), then you might enjoy seeing the trailer for Jungle Gents! Here it is – and see you at the drive-in soon!
