A humble drive-in theatre in a small coastal town, but with a short life. The Terrace Drive-In was in Brookings, Oregon, a coastal town in southern Oregon, roughly a 20-minute drive north of the California border. The theatre opened on September 26, 1956, just north of the South Coast Saw Mill1. Owners Dave Irwin and Raymond Pope had to delay the grand opening after their sound equipment didn’t arrive on time1, 2, and after only 35 days of operation, the theatre was forced to close.
The Terrace Drive-In had a fulfilled life, showing a total of 20 films along with selected shorts and cartoons. None of the films were first showings and dated as far back as 19463. The theatre would only show double-features, which changed twice a week, and a few even included some familiar names, such as Marlon Brando, Humphrey Bogart and Lucille Ball. The price of admission is unknown, however there were $1-a-car nights once a week on Friday3, 4! And not to worry, if bad weather happened to ruin your viewing experience (as is common on the Oregon Coast), the theatre issued fog passes to ensure you get your money’s worth5, 6. Most films were western or comedies, but the occasional romance, crime drama, musical, or thriller was not uncommon. There were two more films scheduled to be shown that never had the chance, as the theatre closed before their time due to severe weather conditions.
On October 25, 1956, just about one month after the opening date, a notice was published in the local paper, The Brookings-Harbor Pilot, that announced the closing of the theatre for only two days (October 31 and November 1)7. The reasoning for this closure is undisclosed; however, I believe there are two possibilities: Halloween festivities or the weather forecast. After what was meant to be temporary closure, the drive-in was closed for good. Whether the owners were prepared or not, a storm came through the town and flooded the lot, leaving the road into and out of the theatre along with portions of the fence washed away8. Irwin and Pope decided the damage was too severe to be repaired within the season and decided it was time to shut the gates9.
While the Terrace Drive-In’s lifespan was brief, the space itself lived on. On June 27, 1957, the Ace Drive-In theatre opened under new management: Larry Musil and Patrick Tappan became the new owners alongside Richard Willis as the local manager (8). Years later the theatre would be bought out again and become Reds Drive-In before its final closure10. Ask a community member – do they remember Reds or Ace Drive-In? What about the lovely Terrace Drive-In? So much history on one plot of land, a plot that’s still there to this day as a reminder of the theater’s past lives. And who knows, maybe another theater will take form in coming years in the same place.