Video: Santee Drive-In has closed

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As I work my way through drive-in events that happened while I was occupied, that includes sad milestones such as this one. The Santee Drive-In Theatre, which opened in 1958, ran its final movies on Dec. 31, 2023. The Times of San Diego reminded me this week that I need to note the Santee’s passing.

As I wrote during my 2017 Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, the Santee’s neon letters and star looked great after dark. What I uncharacteristically overlooked was the drive-in’s history. The Times wrote that John Forte and Walt Long opened the place in 1958. “With experience operating drive-ins in Stockton and La Verne, the duo built the original 50×100-foot screen by hand, hammering it together with wood and nails.” The Times claimed the Santee’s capacity was over 1000 cars, but the Motion Picture Almanac reported it at the time as 700.

Based on aerial photos, I can say that the Santee added a second, smaller screen between 1971 and 1978. The Times wrote that it was 1972. The drive-in also ran a popular swap meet, or flea market, or whatever you want to call it, that operated for decades and continued for a few months after the Santee stopped showing films.

Although the drive-in was profitable (probably), there’s usually a more lucrative use for a big chunk of land like that. It sure is a shame when we lose another historic drive-in to economic progress.

Bryan TX hosts drive-in event Saturday

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photo from the City of Bryan TX web site

Bryan TX is hosting a Valentine’s Day weekend drive-in showing of “Top Gun: Maverick” at the soccer lot of the Bryan Regional Athletic Complex on Saturday, Feb. 15. You’ve got to be a grown-up (18+), and you have to bring cash ($10 per vehicle). The City of Bryan web site has more details, including the promise of a family-friendly “Lilo & Stitch” drive-in double feature on May 16.

That’s all good news, though it has stirred my old existential question – what is a drive-in theater? Should this qualify? Bryan has been doing this since at least 2022, apparently always in the same place. The photo from its announcement appears to be an inflatable screen, which isn’t a surprise given the multipurpose uses of its location. It’s running multiple drive-in nights per year, though less often than once a month.

That’s a pretty good argument in favor of including what I’d call the Bryan Drive-In as part of my list of active drive-in theaters. For example, the Blue Starlite in Austin just two hours down the road uses inflatable screens…

(Oh dear. When I went to get a link, I found that the Blue Starlite, which had shown movies as recently as January 2025, is on “extended hiatus from public showings so the creators can focus on their family during a difficult time.” Good luck and hurry back.)

Anyway, if inflatable screens aren’t disqualifying, how often does a location have to show movies to be on the list? The Highway 2 in Manistique MI scheduled only four nights last year. Heck, the Roadium in Torrance CA is mostly a flea market that shows movies once or twice a season to satisfy its zoning or something.

To include as many drive-ins as possible while omitting the once-a-year pop-ups, I’ll try to define it this way: If you’ve got a permanent screen like the Roadium or the Highway 2, any regularly scheduled showings are sufficient to remain an active drive-in theater. If it’s a temporary screen, then maybe four nights a year should be the minimum? I’ll need to consider where to draw the line. What do you think?

Video: Jesup Drive-In reopens after hurricane damage

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Last fall, Hurricane Helene mangled the tin fences and dented both screens at the Jesup Twin Drive-In Theatre in Jesup GA. After $350,000 in repairs, the Jesup is reopening for a couple of community days March 14-15, followed by a grand reopening the following weekend.

That’s all according to a report by WTOC, the Southeast News Leader. (Yes, I know that I claim that every TV station with a drive-in story is its local News Leader; WTOC really means it. But I digress.)

Jesup Drive-In owner Ralph Hickox, who also happened to be mayor of the city of Jesup, told WTOC that his main reason for rebuilding was because of what the drive-in means to the locals. “The love of the community and what it means to people… I just couldn’t be the one that let it shut down,” he said.

The Jesup is the oldest drive-in in the state, opened in 1948, although it was closed for about 10 years in the 1960s. Atlanta’s Starlight Drive-In Theatre, which opened the following year, is Georgia’s oldest continuously operating drive-in.

Hickox said that his drive-in is still profitable, which is great to hear considering how much it cost to rebuild it. Here’s hoping that it stays a beloved institution for generations to come.