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. According to cinematreasures.org, the theater had 1 screen and spots for 350 cars. I am currently interested in finding details about its amenities and screenings, as well as finding some general dates related to its ownership, closure, and site revivals since.
The theater was opened by Mr and Mrs Morrill E. Ritter Jr., who had come to Florence from Roseberg in 1937. The theater was also owned at some point in the 60s by Len Swain and Lloyd Claver, before being changed hands again to Don Hicks, who also operated the Harbor Theater on Bay Street. However, the specific dates of these changes as well as any details of the theater itself changing remain vague. By 1978 the property was city-owned and highly valuable, the final lease being approved just before that year’s season, paying either $1200 per year or 5% of the gross, whichever was greater, with the terms to be renegotiated in two years time. There would not be another lease, and by 1980 the area was being developed into a city park, which it remains to this day as softball and baseball fields.
At some point during the 2000s, Hicks’ son started doing annual “Return to the Rhody” nights at the site, though information about its duration seem scarce. I would love to find more information related to the theater’s ownership and revival attempts, as well as their exhibition deals with any notable distributors. I would also like to find more photos of the site itself, as all of the ones I have found so far have been on the cinema treasures website.
