In 2020, with indoor theaters closed, many moviegoers rediscovered drive-ins — or discovered them for the first time. It’s a lucky thing that a few have hung on to be discovered, since rising property values and changes in moviegoing habits spelled the end of the majority of our drive-ins in the 1980s.
Three local drive-ins still operate: the Mission Tiki in Montclair, the Van Buren in Riverside and the Rubidoux in Jurupa Valley, plus the Skyline in Barstow.
Pre-pandemic, Michael Kilgore sent me his book, “Drive-Ins of Route 66,” which reports that only seven of more than 100 documented theaters have survived. A few of the goners lay along our stretch of that fabled route.
• The Mt. Vernon in San Bernardino: Opened in 1948, it was originally called the Mt. Vernon Motor-In Theater. Owner Byron Congdon poured 100 tons of sand to open a beach-like playground and, continuing the theme, dug a 35-by-105-foot swimming pool for members only, plus lockers, and called it the “Cinema Surf Club.” In 1972, Pacific Theatres razed the whole operation, pool and all, and erected two new screens plus a playground. The Mt. Vernon screened its last movie in 1989.
• The Foothill in Rialto: Also opened in 1948 on Foothill Boulevard, the owners were William and Lucille Tharp, parents of future choreographer Twyla Tharp. “For a while,” Kilgore writes, “they had a policy against admitting any car driven by a single male without passengers.” Hey, single males are people too! Pacific Theatres likewise ran the Foothill from 1972 until its closing in 1988.
• The Mt. Baldy in La Verne: This one opened in 1960 and closed in 1984. I’ve written two columns on the Mt. Baldy, attempting to clear up some confusion about its exact location — it was replaced by a new post office, not by the nearby Target as many believe — and sharing fun stories from readers about watching movies for free, but without sound, from a park, front yards or balconies.
Why was it called the Mt. Baldy? Its marquee featured three neon skiers who lighted up in sequence. (To my knowledge, Mt. Baldy itself never had a drive-in named the La Verne. Or even the Shirley.)
The Inland Empire was home to other drive-ins, ones that weren’t on Route 66.
The Tri-City in Loma Linda was one. According to the website Cinema Treasures, the Tri-City operated from 1947 until 1993. Presumably it was called the Tri-City because of its location between Redlands and Colton before Loma Linda incorporated.
The Bel-Air in Fontana was another. (If there was a Fontana drive-in in Bel-Air, history again leaves no record.) It operated from 1956 to 1989, opening with Elvis Presley in “Love Me Tender” and closing with John Candy in “Uncle Buck.”
The Valley Drive-In in Montclair, built in 1948, is still held in awe for its massive, elaborate neon mural of a Spanish mission scene, said to have incorporated 2,500 feet of tubing.
Reader Tammy Woodman of Upland remembers its construction. Ontario Neon assembled the pieces over weeks at her church, First Baptist in Ontario, because its basement floor was large enough to accommodate the layout. Imagine constructing a jigsaw puzzle bigger than a tennis court and you’ll get the idea.
Alas, the mural and the drive-in came down in 1977 for what must have been a desperately needed Dodge car lot.
Reader Charles Bentley grew up in Ontario and recalls most of these drive-ins and more besides. His family saw a lot of drive-in movies through the 1960s, especially family-friendly films and westerns, because a carload of five got in cheaper than at a traditional theater.
Typically they went to the Valley, the Mission and the Bel-Air, but they were willing to drive farther for a good movie. So the Bentleys visited nearly every drive-in in the area, even small ones like the Baseline in San Bernardino, off Base Line Avenue and north of today’s San Bernardino Airport. They went only once to the Magnolia in Riverside, where that night’s showing was sold out.
The Rubidoux was the oldest-looking drive-in, the Van Buren the nicest and priciest. Bentley recalls such “side attractions” at the Van Buren as a playground, a small train and a zoo.
As the youngest in the family, Bentley said he often fell asleep during the second feature and woke up the next morning at home in bed. Still, through his boyhood and beyond, drive-ins left a lasting impression.
“The drive-in was such a perfect fit here in Southern California,” Bentley reflects. “Between the nice weather, the devotion to the car culture, and the small number of ‘family’ entertainment experiences out here east of L.A., it is understandable why so many of us fondly recall a night out at the drive-in.”
That seemingly bygone experience was enjoyed by another generation or two during 2020, a year that’s been full of surprises.
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Arguably the most deteriorated major street in Upland was the block of Second Avenue between C and D streets. Every time I’m on it, which is frequently, I wondered: How is downtown ever going to revive when its primary street is rutted like a washboard? Happily, crews in orange shirts were out last week grinding down the old pavement and laying new asphalt. The City of Gracious Living is now one block more gracious.
How is the newspaper ever going to revive when David Allen writes Sunday, Wednesday and Friday? Email dallen@scng.com, phone 909-483-9339, like davidallencolumnist on Facebook and follow @davidallen909 on Twitter.
-on December 13, 2020 at 01:00AM by David Allen
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