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.

This piece of text comes from a newspaper from Thursday, April 30th 1953. Exactly 79 years ago from the day of writing this. Same day of the week too! The text is about an interview between Mrs. Lucille Townsend and Mr Morelock (The owner of the Drive-In movie theater). The text is interesting because it goes into detail about a situation where people are unhappy with the quality of movies that are being shown at the drive-in. In the interview it is stated that people should not be blaming Mr. Morelock due to the fact that he shows the movies and does not create them himself.

The building that houses the Granada Theatre constitutes a representative example of the architectural evolution of American movie theaters throughout the twentieth century. Its origins date to the 1910s, when it opened as the Star Theatre on September 18, 1917. At that time, its design reflected the functional and restrained aesthetic characteristic of early cinemas.

The Eugene Drive-In, located on 2860 Willamette St. Eugene, OR, opened in 1948 and pictured an array of popular films for the whole family to enjoy.

The Harbor Theatre opened in 1938 as the Florence Theatre. The theatre was located at 1377 Bay St, Florence, Oregon, and the building remains there today. It features a classic art deco style that was reminiscent of classic American theatres built in the 1930’s. The building offered modernity for the time, and the style mirrored those of small town American cinemas across the country.

The Tower Theatre opened on March 6, 1940, which was a Wednesday. Managers Ken Hodkinson and Frank Blount focused on showing movies during Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays at first. Even though opening night was not on this schedule, it was still very successful with the showing of Four Wives. The film was made by Warner Bros, where there were ties with these big companies because Ken Hodkinson was the son of W.W. Hodkinson, one of the founders of Paramount Pictures.

From the research I have done so far for the Oregon Theater Project, I have noticed a pattern: drive-ins in Oregon were most successful in rural and suburban areas rather than in the hearts of big cities like Portland. These smaller areas offered vast, affordable acreage necessary to support the popularity of cars during the 1950s (mid-century), allowing theaters to act as hubs for families outside the urban center. 

I am currently doing research on the Rhododendron Drive-In Theater which operated in Florence from April 30, 1953 until some time at the end of 1979.