The ways theater owners promoted their programs and venues to audiences
One thing has become clear to me while researching the Sunset Drive-in Theater, and that is how important community was. A common theme popping up with this theater is the collaboration between the entertainment venue and other local businesses or community engagement opportunities.
Right next to the Prices page for The Kennedy School Theater, immediately standing out under the banner "Movie Specials" lay details for the theater's notable and unique approach to children at the movies. The theater's "Baby Blockbusters" advertise lower volumes and brighter interior lighting, as well as a relaxed attitude towards what would usually be socially unacceptable moviegoing practices, like breastfeeding or loud, unruly babies.
In 1920, the theater later known as the Beaver Theatre briefly operated under the name Pacific Theatre during a period of expansion and renovation. Two newspaper articles from September and December 1920 show how the theater's owner, N. G. Freeman, presented the theater not only as a place for entertainment but also as a symbol of Beaverton’s growth and modernization.
Promotional strategies -
On February 11, 1950, Hollywood’s showtimes were listed at the very bottom of the newspaper, under the Orpheum Oriental, Paramount, Music Box, Playhouse, Liberty, and Newsreel.1 The Saturday double feature included Bob Hope in
The Old Trail Drive-In commonly offered two different showings per night. They had two family nights a week, Tuesday and Wednesday, and advertised the different types of accommodations for families, like a bottle warming service, and showing cartoons for children.