Author Archives: mrdrivein

May 10: Calvert Drive In, Calvert City KY

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It’s Day 69 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. I knew I had a bit of a haul again, driving just over five hours from Mountain View AR to Calvert City KY. But I knew this would be worth it, getting a chance to actually watch a movie for the first time in a week, this time at the Calvert Drive In. Coming in from the west on I-24, I had to pass the Calvert, hit a cloverleaf, and then drive an extra couple of miles to get to its entrance on state highway 95. Its sign has improved a bit since the photo I’ve got on this post.

According to a story in The Christian Chronicle, Paul and Evelyn Harrington opened the Calvert in 1953. Drive-in Theatre. Now grandson John Harrington runs the place with his wife, Paula. They’re proud of their family atmosphere and the absence of R-rated movies on its screen. And of the great prices and food at the concession stand. “Granny’s hamburger has always been something people came out to get, and we sell a lot of hamburgers to people who don’t even stay for the movie,” John Harrington said. “The hamburger saved the drive-in.”

One thing I found most impressive about the Calvert sounds simple – the Upcoming Movies page on their web site. Most drive-ins barely know what movies they’re going to get week to week. The Calvert has every film planned for over three months. Some of them include a “subject to change” note, but that’s still handy and cool.

For a classic Friday night at the drive-in, I finally got around to seeing Rock Dog. It wasn’t unpleasant, but I don’t think the creators of this film need to work on their Oscar acceptance speeches.

Miles Today / Total:  274 / 8954 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Rock Dog / 39

Nearby Restaurant: Okay, I ate at the Cracker Barrel. I admit it. I’ve always been a sucker for this place, with its aggressively homespun gift shop and warm helpings of comfort food in the dining room. There aren’t a whole lot of choices in Calvert City, and although I eyed the Waffle House, I’ve found the experience at the Cracker Barrel to be even more dependable.

Where I Virtually Stayed: As I’ve written before, when the Super 8 is the best place in town, that means there’s not much competition or that particular location is really great. In Calvery City, it was a little of both. I always appreciate the mini-fridge in the room, and the hot breakfast was better than the average Super 8. And the only other place I saw was a Days Inn.

Only in Calvert City: Just a few miles away from the Calvert Drive-In, on the west side of Calvert City, you’ll find the Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden and Toyland along US 68. This place is in the dictionary under “quirky.” Lots of found art, reshaped into such pun-inspiring objects as the “Valley of Lost Soles.” A shed full of a visual cacaphony of vintage toys. And it’s all free, but they’d love it if you dropped a little something into the donation can.

Next Stop: Birdsong Drive-In Theater, Camden TN.

Video: IL’s Skyview’s Sign Looks Better In Neon

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The Belleview (IL) News-Democrat posted a nice little article about the Skyview Drive-In there, which will reopen for its 68th season on March 17. Although it contains a lot of tasty trivia, the article’s best feature is its accompanying video, embedded here, that shows several superb vintage photos of the Skyview and its iconic sign.

The rocket ship marquee appeared in 1950, one year after the drive-in opened. It had flashing lights until the early 1980s, when a city ordinance outlawed flashing signs. Since then, the Skyline has kept the lights off, but the photos in this video provide a wonderful glimpse into how they used to look.

To find out the ticket price in 1949, what the Skyline keeps locked up near the concession stand, and plenty of other fun facts, you really need to go read it!

Mar. 9: Stone Drive-In Theatre, Mountain View AR

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It’s Day 68 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. Actually it was the night before when I drove a bit less than an hour from Marshall AR to the Stone Drive-In Theatre in Mountain View, home of more hotels than Marshall. This wraps up the third of the three active drive-ins of Arkansas.

The Cinema Treasures page on the Stone says that it opened in 1965, holds 300 cars, and runs from March to October. My Motion Picture Almanacs suggest the date was right but maybe it only holds 200 cars. According to the Stone Facebook page, they closed in early September 2016 to convert to digital projection. On February 27, they posted, “It’s all coming together and I promise I will let y’all know as soon as we get it going and set a date for opening!” A positive sign, but not for my visit.

What else can I tell you? How about a CNN Money article from 2003? That story profiled people in “old-fashioned jobs,” including Stone owner Bobby Tompson. It mentioned that time in the 1960s when his father “came home one day with a used Ford truck, small popcorn machine and two movie projectors. He drove the Ford throughout Arkansas, stopping in towns to sell tickets to films that he projected on the sides of churches and school buildings.” Eventually, Dad built the Stone, and the family keeps it going to this day.

Miles Today / Total:  40 / 8680 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 38

Nearby Restaurant: It was just a short drive to the middle of Mountain View to reach PJ’s Rainbow Cafe. I chowed down on some chicken fried steak and green beans, being careful to save room for coconut pie for dessert, and everywhere I looked in there, I saw more Elvis stuff.

Where I Virtually Stayed: It’s not often on this odyssey that I get to stay two nights in the same place. The Econo Lodge rescued me the night before with an older, clean room with a decent continental breakfast and a low price. It was nice to have had one day where I didn’t have to pack everything up and hit the road again.

Only in Mountain View: Every October, the Mountain View Area Chamber of Commerce hosts the Annual Bean Fest & Great Arkansas Championship Outhouse Races, which happens just about as it sounds. The family event features beans and cornbread, music, dancing on the courthouse square, handmade crafts, and “outrageous outhouse races.”

Next Stop: Calvert Drive In, Calvert City KY.