Drive in movie and movie houses OT

[Rodney Bullock]

As you guy's may know I have been doing a time line on my Car club for the historic society. A club member suggested we take some Black and white pic's of our cars in front of some theaters. I started doing a search on theaters and drive ins hoping I could get some shots next to some run down building like snack bars or movie house fronts. They call them fasades, these partial buildings are all over DC and Maryland. There are some staores that I have shopped that are former movies houses that I knew nothing about.

My aunt lives in DC and a couple of doors down from her is a big church, you guessed it. The building was a big movie house in the 30' 40's. I have been so preoccupied with this it's taking up all my time. These hidden treasures are so interesting. I looked up the drive ins my wife and I used to go to, they seem to have closed about the same time. In 1982-83 the owner of these drive ins just got tired and closed them. This was around the time my first child was born. I looked up and all the drive ins were gone. There is one movie house that is still there in DC it's called the Atlantic theater I will try to get a pic in front of it. Some of the movie houses my wife went to as a girl are gone. The Langston theater which I would walk to had the biggest screen I ever saw was demolished. The Republic theater in DC was one of the most extravagent movie houses I ever saw was demolished along with the Booker T theater to make room for the Reed building. Here is the link I guess anyone from where ever you are can look up movies that where. I am so amazed that they were just here and now not. Click here: http://cinematreasures.org/location/country=181&state=9&start=75

[Joe Flanagan]

Rodney, just a block from my office is a beautiful 19th century building that was once a big porn theater. I remember it as a porn theater when I first moved down here in the early 1980s. Then it changed ownership and showed only martial arts movies. Now it has been completely restored and is the National Museum of Women in the Arts. But you're right, a lot of them are gone. They're like old churches. It's sometimes hard to find another use for them.

I can still hear those intermission announcements from the Drive-In in my home town back in the 60s and 70s.

[Merle Coggins]

It was a porn theater, now it is a museum for Women in the Arts. Any connection?

[Plymouthy Adams]

It was a porn theater, now it is a museum for Women in the Arts. Any connection?

only if showing vintage films...

[PatS....]

This old lady survived and was turned into a huge sports bar. The balcony, stage and lobby are intact as is the original sign outside. All they did major inside was level the floor. Originally opened in 1920 I think. I have a pic somewhere of opening day I'll post when I find it.

I spent many a Saturday there watching such clasics as Matt Helm, Annette Funicello and best of all...Bullit.

The street outside was turned into a pedestrian mall in the early 70's. Cars were allowed back just recently but just one lane each way and no parking.

1924

1956

Present day

Edited February 23, 2010 by PatS....

[Young Ed]

Merle I noticed that great irony of the building changing from porn to the museum. You can't make this stuff up. We are lucky to have 2 functioning drive ins here. As part of back to the 50s you can go to the drive in movie and see a modern movie and then american graffetti. There is also a 1 screen movie theatre down the street from me that is totally restored. Its next to a very old DQ. I would love to get a picture of my old cars in front of that building but its on a very busy street with no parking.

look here for pics of the theatre http://www.heightstheater.com/photos.cfm

[Joe Flanagan]

I never made the connection with "women in the arts." Ha ha. What a dope I am. It's hard for the old one screen cinemas to compete with those nasty multiplex theaters. There is one in Old Town Alexandria that is still showing first run films, which I'm glad to see. It's undergone a couple of "remodels" so it's not as nice as it used to be. Pat, I like the picture of the place you showed. Nice old building.

[Rodney Bullock]

This theater was my favorite This place blew my mind as a child. http://dckaleidoscope.wordpress.com/2009/05/14/lost-washington-the-republic-theatre/

[Joe Flanagan]

Yeah, that was a classic. I think there were architects that specialized in theater design during that period. Going out to a movie was intended to be a big deal, so they designed the place accordingly. It was an experience, building and all, not just some box in a strip mall where everything looks the same. Then you have to search in the parking lot for your car because they all look the same. Then you get to your subdivision and you have to look for the number on your house because you can't tell it from the one on either side of it. They all look the same.

[Rodney Bullock]

The ABC drive in was right down the street from me. As a young kid coming to visit my Grand parents. I remember when we got to Fort Washington and saw the drive in I was almost home. We could see the movie for a short time looking out the back window of my parents 1957 Ford fairlane. It's funny what you remember as a model A ford was at the entrance of the dog grooming place just before the turn down my grand parents street.

http://www.driveins.org/md-oxonhill-abc.htm

[Rodney Bullock]

The wife and I went to school right accross the street from the Langston theater. It was demolished for a fried chicken joint. I once walked there in the summer of 1975 to see the Chinese Connection. I could not go with my friends as they would have made to much noise. I needed to study. My wife said she walked there was well to see the same movie. Yeah I know nice story however we did not meet there that day. I would have not noticed her anyway. http://tinyurl.com/cjnfy3

Edited February 23, 2010 by Rodney Bullock

[Rodney Bullock]

This drive in theater was the last one the wife and I attended. Take a look at these cars. WOW unbelieveable. They are stuffed in there ain't they:) Those were the days. My wife and friends are all different however I look the same:D

http://www.driveins.org/md-coralhills-hillside-6.jpg

[Don Coatney]

This theater was my favorite This place blew my mind as a child.

You have a mind:D

My wife and friends are all different however I look the same:D

Are you sure?????

[eric wissing]

Rodney, The Langston was a good looking building. http://www.shorpy.com/node/2307

http://www.shorpy.com/node/5701

Here are a couple of Theatres from the DC area. The last one has a snow story, Geez I guess it has snowed there before!! Do a search at Shorpy's under "DC Theatre"

[Buford Solomon]

What I remember from my childhood was the number of movie theaters. I lived outside of Reading PA. I could walk 4 blocks to the Penn Theater in West Reading--always had a kid's matinee with the feature, a travelogue, a cartoon or two, a serial episode, and of course, previews. A suburb over was the Shillington (one that the late John Updike talked and wrote about).

I could take a bus into Reading to see movies at the Lowes, the Aster, the Paramount, the Warners, and the Park. And nearby Mt. Penn had the Majestic.

I know I saw movies in all of them. Most of them are gone--demolished--and the Penn was "repurposed" decades ago. The Shillington might still be showing movies.

BS

[Rodney Bullock]

Merle I noticed that great irony of the building changing from porn to the museum. You can't make this stuff up. We are lucky to have 2 functioning drive ins here. As part of back to the 50s you can go to the drive in movie and see a modern movie and then american graffetti. There is also a 1 screen movie theatre down the street from me that is totally restored. Its next to a very old DQ. I would love to get a picture of my old cars in front of that building but its on a very busy street with no parking.

look here for pics of the theatre http://www.heightstheater.com/photos.cfm

ED, back in the early days of cable and "Supertv" the movie industry fell on very hard times. There was a block in DC that had all these theaters and they went porno when the fee's for theaters went up. the only way they could stay afloat was with the 'dirty movies" with the competition. alot of them folded because they were owned by the same guy.

[Rodney Bullock]

Rodney, The Langston was a good looking building. http://www.shorpy.com/node/2307

http://www.shorpy.com/node/5701

Here are a couple of Theatres from the DC area. The last one has a snow story, Geez I guess it has snowed there before!! Do a search at Shorpy's under "DC Theatre"

Eric, I know the knickerboker to well. it is now a condo building in NW WAshington. I asked the caretaker what this building was and he almost started to cry:eek: he told me the story and I never forgot it that was 15 years ago. Yes the roof came in on all those people. The builder was to blame, there were two guy's they both killed themselves. The designer was cleared because they did not follow his plan. I am glad you found shorpy they have pic's when others don't.

[Rodney Bullock]

Don your back:D and not a moment to soon. That was a bad hair day the wind was blowing so hard and it was hot. Yes that was our first meeting only one missing was Greg. That was a real nice day. We saw a model A assembled in what 10 min. drove away. Nice summer day WOW bring those days back, warm sunny. My Plymouth didn't look to bad either.

There is a stadium in Bowie, Maryland called the Baysocks stadium. They have a drive in there and in the summer they show films on the wide screen. I am going to contact them to see if they are having it again this year, We also have a drive in called bengie's it is where "My one and only" filmed their movie drive in scene. I will get some of the guy's and girls out with the old cars and have some fun. Infact I think I will have a car show there if they will have me. It's beginning to look alot like spring time everywhere you go:cool: right

[Rodney Bullock]

Yeah, that was a classic. I think there were architects that specialized in theater design during that period. Going out to a movie was intended to be a big deal, so they designed the place accordingly. It was an experience, building and all, not just some box in a strip mall where everything looks the same. Then you have to search in the parking lot for your car because they all look the same. Then you get to your subdivision and you have to look for the number on your house because you can't tell it from the one on either side of it. They all look the same.

You know Joe, most of the movie houses in DC were designed by a guy named John J Zink. This guy must have been good because when you look at some of the most exstravagant houses he the designer. All the movie houses I went to had this guy's stamp on em. You and I drove past atleast two drive ins on our way down to the garage. Yes it was a big deal going to the movies, seeing all that velvet and the door man opening the door and tearing your ticket. You felt very important. I know everyone has checked out the old cars in front of these picture houses. I did a show a while back at the opening of the Lincoln Theater in Washington DC. They had a play there and wanted some old cars to park in front. http://sirismm.si.edu/archivcenter/scurlock/618nl0010383-01bp.jpg

[Joe Flanagan]

Wow, that's the Lincoln? Now it's surrounded by tall buildings.

[BobT-47P15]

We still have a former theater, the Fox Theater, on Main Street.

It's now used as a church.

The local drive-ins were closed several years back.

However one, the Route 66 Drive In at Carthage, MO....about 15

miles from us.....has been rejuvenated. It was used as an auto

salvage yard for several years, the good news was they left the

screen and concession stand in place.

[Joe Flanagan]

In the last years of my local drive-in we used to sneak through the woods and watch the dirty movies they were showing there all the time. You had to crawl all the way because they had a cop sitting out on the road watching for that kind of stuff. Not clanking your beer bottles together was tough. We'd sit in the brush just on the outside of this white split rail fence that surrounded the lot. We saw all the Russ Meyer movies: Vixen, Supervixen, etc. I remember one with a Canadian Mountie in it. Weird.

[1950 Special Deluxe]

We saw all the Russ Meyer movies: Vixen, Supervixen, etc. I remember one with a Canadian Mountie in it. Weird.

The story goes that the Mounties always get their man, maybe their women too?

[Joe Flanagan]

This one did, that's for sure. I'll bet if you googled it you could find the scene I'm talking about. Just occurred to me how funny the term "Mountie" is in this context.