Drive-Ins of Route 66

Updated and expanded with more photos, more stories, and more drive-ins!

In the 1930s, two new trends took root in America. US 66's promoters, led by Cyrus Avery, worked to pave and popularize their new highway. In New Jersey, inventor Richard Hollingshead Jr. built the first modern drive-in theater, a novel way to enjoy the new talking movies.

After World War II, America's new car culture caused Route 66 and drive-ins to explode in popularity. Decades later, new challengers pulled their customers away. Enjoy the New Millennium's fresh appreciation for both.

The foremost drive-in theater historian of the West, praised by the Library of Congress and Joe Bob Briggs, takes readers on a tour of the 116 ozoners that were within a few miles of Route 66. Experience the often quirky, bite-sized stories of the drive-ins and the people who built and ran them.

Packed with dozens of historic and modern photos, Drive-Ins of Route 66 is the perfect gift for any drive-in enthusiast or historic highway fan.

Corrections, Updates, and Bonuses

Page 22
WanderDisney is one of many places on the web where you can find that gorgeous Radiator Springs Drive-In screen shot. I disagree with its belief that the 66 in Carthage MO inspired it; the neon mural on the screen tower was more like what was found on several other Mother Road ozoners. For now, you can also watch the whole clip on YouTube.

Page 32
Kenneth Phillips bought the Pontiac in May 1955, then upgraded and renamed it the Star Chief later that year.

Page 48
The commenter who mentioned the tornado might have been remembering Sept. 21, 1955, when a tornado knocked down the Sunset’s screen tower and forced it to close for the season. Odorizzi rebuilt and reopened the Sunset, probably the following spring.

Page 54
You can download the PDF of James R. Powell's amazing 1996 article, "History of U.S. Highway 66 in St. Louis" here.

Page 90
The Skyline Drive-In's exact opening date was April 28, 1952. That was revealed in a Boxoffice note three years later when Dwight Cantrell purchased it.

Page 118
Oklahoma drive-in historian Wesley Horton wrote that the 11th Street closed in June 1983 after Video Independent Theatres was sold to Martin theaters.

Page 173
The Tascosa originally had a mural on its screen tower, as shown in a circa 1959 photo that I found and uploaded to CinemaTreasures.org.

Page 196
Mrs. S. E. Allen opened a small drive-in theater in Hatch, NM in late October 1946. Although Albuquerque's Cactus stayed active much longer, it wasn't the first to open in the state.

Page 200
The Sunset ran ads in the local newspaper in 1989 and 1990, so it stayed open at least that long.

Page 231
The life-sized statue of Spike was moved from the Shell station to the Needles Regional Museum in September 2021.

Page 252
Flickr user "NOMAD ETERNUS" posted a nice photo of the Big Sky's screen tower. You can see it here. The pattern of orange stripes was typical for Pacific-owned drive-ins of the 1980s.

Please let me know if you find anything else we need to add to this page. Thanks!