Category Archives: Texas

Tyler drive-in asks for conversion help

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According to KLTV, Tyler TX’s news leader, the Sky Vue Drive-In there is asking for help in converting from its vintage film projector to new digital equipment. Skyvue is offering future advertising space and long-term passes to earn the remaining $64,000 it needs for the conversion. Ominously, the Sky Vue’s web page features a clock counting down to August 31.

As you’ll see in the embedded video, the Phillips family opened the Sky Vue in 2006. “My husband’s the guy in the ticket booth, my son does the projection, Tracey does the cash register, and I’m back in the kitchen making pizza,” said Rhonda Phillips, one of the owners.

As KLTV’s Summer Dashe put it, the conversion process would mean the drive-in’s “five foot tall film player will be replaced by a server about the size of a small box.” I’d never heard it described that way, but it makes perfect sense. Servers are the size of a small box, as long as your idea of a small box matches the size of a server. And coining the term “film player” is a great advancement; I hope they also call pay phones “standup corded money phones” in Tyler.

One interesting part of the story is what KLTV didn’t mention: Tyler has a second drive-in. That drive-in stopped using film a long time ago, and it’s unlikely to ask the community for help. I’ll tell you the story of that second Tyler drive-in tomorrow.

Blue Starlite concept about to spead

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A few months ago, I had to admit that I wasn’t sure whether the Blue Starlite in Austin TX is a real drive-in. I’m still sure that “drive-in nights” in the park with temporary screens and no cars definitely aren’t drive-ins. The Blue Starlite’s screen still looks pretty temporary, but they play movies every week in season and folks really drive in to watch them, so I guess I’ll have to say that it qualifies.

Which is important, because now there’s a report that the Blue Starlite’s founder, Josh Frank, has moved to Miami and plans to start another “mini urban drive-in” there. The Miami New Times has the story of what Frank did in Austin and what he hopes to do in Miami. I hadn’t realized that he bought real drive-in speakers and restored them to use at the Blue Starlite. Cool!

This is a very intimate experience,” Frank explained to the New Times. “Having a drive-in that catered to so few people, where each car feels like it’s their night, that was a big lightbulb.”

There’s no opening date yet, but Frank said he wanted it ready by October. He’s hoping for a location in the Wynwood Art District, but hasn’t zeroed in on any one in particular. For more details if and when they arrive, check out the Blue Starlite Miami web site. For much more story about Frank’s reasons for spreading his vision to Miami, go read it!

Revamped Mission sits, waiting

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I was in San Antonio TX last week for reasons that, for a change, weren’t very much about drive-in movie theaters. But of course I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to revisit the locale that essentially inspired the creation of this web site. Plus, I got tired of grabbing other folks’ photos of the place.

The site of the old Mission Drive-In Theatre is in a depressed neighborhood in the middle of the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park. I never saw its sign look as good as it looked last week, with bright colors and faux neon lights on the lettering.

The drive-in screen on the other side was also restored to its original appearance, a framed white screen with two long arms at its base extending to the sides of the viewing area. Where the projection stand used to be, there was a fresh little building with rest rooms and storage. But it was all fenced off, quietly resting in the warm Texas sun. The drive-in site was meant to be seen, not enjoyed, at least not that day.

I had been encouraged by reports of a new library on the site, and there it was. When I went in, I looked for anything that celebrated the history of the Mission, but there was nothing. I asked the guy behind the counter whether there were any movies or activities planned, he shook his head and said, “We don’t have anything to do with that.” Then he reached into his drawer and handed me a pre-cut scrap of paper with the phone number and web address of the city agency in charge. Not only was he indifferent to the drive-in next door, his indifference was premeditated.

Its nice that this touchstone of drive-in history has been restored to remind us all what it was like. Let’s hope that someone in San Antonio does something with it now.