North Star Drive-In Theatre
The North Star was “the most elaborate, ultra modern drive-in theatre you have ever laid eyes on” according to the theater’s grand opening ad. Architect Robert Stevens designed the 1,050 car capacity drive-in to offer the very best that was available at the time of its opening on April 18, 1956.
The North Star’s projection room was designed with an all glass front so that patrons of the theater could view the projectors and RCA sound equipment. High powered Dyn Arc Projection lamps enabled the theater to show CinemaScope, Superscope and Vistavision films on its 100 foot wide screen. Fifty foot wide entrance and exit lanes allowed plenty of room between cars, while the four lane, 500 foot long entrance ramp insured that there would be no traffic problems. Each speaker post was lit so that you could easily find a parking space.
The refreshment building included a 70 foot ‘U’ shaped, all stainless steel cafeteria. A separate hot bar served chicken, pizza, hamburgers and other taste thrills. Finding your way back to the car was made easier by the ‘Simulated Moonlite’ lampposts that illuminated the parking lot.
John Parker, one of the owners and manager of the North Star, was famous for his showmanship and imagination when it came to drawing patrons to the drive-in. In 1976 two dozen people lined up at the theater to be ‘buried alive’ and remain in a casket six feet underground, without food or water, over the Halloween weekend.
“I have been utterly amazed how many have applied,” Parker said at the time.
Dayton Daily News columnist Dale Huffman took the opportunity to interview some of the applicants.
April Wyatt, then 18 years old, wrote in big letters on her application ‘Very much interested’.
“It’s just something different,” she explained. “It sounds neat. I can tell everyone that I meet the rest of my life, ‘Hey, back in 1976 I was buried alive’.”
Vondol Moore claimed to have previous experience, having been buried alive once before in Texas in 1965.
“I would hate a life that is ho-hum. A person must do something a little bit exciting, different and dangerous once in awhile. I mean, if you never take any chances you have a dull existence.”
William (The Amazing) Shaner was hired to manage the promotion. Shaner, who, with his wife Sandy, owns the Abracadabra Costumes and Jewelry Boutique on East Fifth Street in Dayton, remembers how important it was to choose the right person for the stunt.
“The person I selected had to be in good health all the way around, both physically and mentally fit. I also had to make sure they weren’t claustrophobic.”
Fifteen year old Dave Schock, from Lewisburg, Ohio was picked for the stunt. Shaner placed the young man in a trance before putting him in the coffin, which was then lowered into a six foot hole.
“The worst part is the sound of hearing the dirt hitting the coffin. That was the main reason for the hypnosis,” says Shaner.
An eight inch tube ran from the coffin to above the ground.
“People coming through the line, they cold look down there and get spooked out. They cold laugh and joke with the person who was buried.”
Two days in the ground was nothing compared to a stunt Shaner pulled at a county fair.
“I once buried my oldest son, Steve, for thirteen days at the Hillsboro County Fair. He had a CB in his coffin and truckers came from all around to see the crazy guy.”
North Star’s final season was in 1985. A shopping center, with a Kroger’s Sav-On as the key store, is now located on the site.
Sidebar comments in book about the North Star Drive-In Theatre:
Cotton candy seemed to be a popular item at the North Star. An hour before show time, employees working in the concession stand would begin swirling the cotton candy onto bright, red striped cones, then place them into see-through plastic bags that had a clown face printed on it. The bags were tied to the canopy above the counter where kids were sure to see them.
When international Magician Bill Shaner isn’t attending a live burial, he is escaping from a strait jacket while hanging upside down from a helicopter, picking his way out of locked chains, or being electrocuted (as seen in the picture on the left). Shaner’s unique and unusual acts include live rabbits and birds, pickpocketing, comic rope escapes, balloon sculptures, hypnosis and The Houdini Needle Illusion.
The North Star’s marquee was a beautiful beacon during the night. One patron described it as a landmark that he loved to see as he came home from second shift. “Even though the neon colored arrow actually pointed towards the theater, it also meant that I was only a few blocks from my home in Northridge. It was a welcome sight during the summer months.”
North Star also offered a small miniature gold course, called ‘Golfland’, with “18 tricky and challenging holes!” The course included miniature versions of the Brooklyn Bridge, Nathan Hale Schoolhouse, a wind mill and a New England covered bridge.
North Xenia Drive-In Theatre
As sometimes happened, this theater had trouble with its neighbors before it was even built. Paul and Jessie James leased a 12 acre plot of land on Old Route 68 in Xenia to Sundown Cruise-In, Inc. for ten years for the purpose of building and operating a drive-in. Terms of the lease were $500 rental the first year, $750 the second and $1000 a year thereafter.
The James family owned 61.4 acres of land, part of which had been subdivided for new home construction, called Oak Hill Estates. The nineteen plaintiffs included people who lived neat the site, owned homes in Oak Hill Estates or had purchased land there. They claimed that both Paul and Jessie had agreed that the remainder of the land would not be used in any manner that might damage the value of their investments. The plaintiffs believed that the construction of a drive-in theater would cause heavy traffic noise and commotion into late hours. Evidently the judge did not agree, for permission to continue building the theater was granted.
The Sundown Cruise-In was finally completed on June 14, 1950. The concession stand offered a full line of snack items, including hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, baked beans and barbecues. It also served lunch during the weekends. Bottle warmers were offered to heat up the baby’s formula.
The following autumn a ‘Find A Name’ contest was held to rename the drive-in. First prize was a Gold Season Pass good for two people. The name chosen as the winner was Oldtown Auto, the theater opening under the new title on September 10, 1951.
On May 18, 1962 the theater opened its season as the North Xenia Drive-In, after being purchased by Chakeres Theatres. Over $70,000 was spent renovating the theater. The ‘all new’ North Xenia offered the best in sound and projection equipment, a giant new screen, a rebuilt concession stand, new lighting, a special kiddies park and modern tiled restrooms.
That same year the First Methodist Church, of Xenia, began holding services at the drive-in on Sundays, services were also held on Thursday nights at 7:30 p.m.
The North Xenia’s last season was in 1985. The marquee was taken to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan for display purposes.
Sidebar comments in book about the North Star Drive-In Theatre:
Many drive-ins showed intermission clocks between movies to boost sales at the snack bar. The film kept patrons informed on when the show would begin by counting down the minutes until show time. In between these announcements the audience would be tempted with pictures of cold soft drinks and sizzling hot dogs. An announcer would come on exclaiming ‘Two minutes to go to the Snack Bar for a quick refresher before Showtime! No crowds to buck... Just go get it!
The yellow arrow in front of Park Layne still points the way to where families can find a delightful evening of fun, food and entertainment.
Unlike most drive-ins around the Greater Dayton area, the projection booth sits on top of the concession stand, where the light from the projector shines out into the might like a beacon.
The ticket booth welcomes patrons to Park Layne with a sign stating that the movie’s soundtrack can be picked up over the car’s radio.
Park Layne 69
Park Layne 69 opened in Park Layne, Ohio on June 29, 1962. Built by Chakeres Theatres, this 600 car capacity theater is still in operation and is a favorite place for parents to take their kids on a summer night. The 100 foot wide screen is large enough to show any type of movie, and is easily viewed from anywhere on the theater’s grounds. The projection room is unusual for this area since it sits on top of the concession stand. Unfortunately, this does not allow kids to go by and make the traditional fifty foot high hand puppet or peace sign suddenly appear on the picture screen.
A fire extensively damaged the concession stand on August 21, 1965. Although firefighters from New Carlisle and Medway-Crystal Lake responded quickly, not much could be done to fight the blaze since the concession stand was locked. The fire was thought to have been caused by a popcorn popper with faulty wiring. Of course, the concession stand had long been remodeled and offers the finest in foods and beverages. And speaking of refreshments…
In many of the early drive-ins concession stands were built almost as an afterthought. It didn’t take long, however, for the owners to realize that the refreshment stand was a gold mine. Some drive-ins boasted that concession sales made up thirty percent or more of their gross take each evening. Drive-in owners began trying to find ways to sell even more. Some used carhops to take and deliver food orders so that patrons didn’t have to leave their automobiles. Others changed over from a single station type concession (much like fast food restaurants are today), to a self-serve layout, with a cashier at the end of the line to collect the money. Not only did this cut down the number of employees needed to run the cafeteria, it also proved to be a quicker way for patrons to be served.
Another method to bring in more business was to show food trailers during intermission. These trailers were made as appealing and entertaining as possible, so that patrons would be tempted to ‘Enjoy an ice cold drink’, yet not be irritated while waiting for the show to start. Many drive-ins across the country still use this method to whet the appetite of their patrons.
Sidebar comments in book about Park Layne 69:
The yellow arrow in front of Park Layne still points the way to where families can find a delightful evening of fun, food and entertainment.
Unlike most drive-ins around the Greater Dayton area, the projection booth sits on top of the concession stand, where the light from the projector shines out into the might like a beacon.
The ticket booth welcomes patrons to Park Layne with a sign stating that the movie’s soundtrack can be picked up over the car’s radio.
Salem Drive-In Theatre
The Salem Drive-In Theatre, located at 3815 Salem Avenue, opened for business on August 15, 1946. S. Herbert Taylor of Park-In Theatres, Inc. designed the 13 ½ acre, 400 car capacity theater. The owners spared no expense, buying the best picture and sound equipment available at the time, including a DeVry prize-winning motion picture projector, which had won first prize at the New York Museum of Science and Industry for outstanding advancement in motion picture equipment in the last five years. Individual speakers were offered for each car.
“It was a nice theater,” remembered Fred White. The projection booth was a separate building from the refreshment stand. “The picture screen was right straight back from the projection booth towards Salem Avenue. There was a playground there in front of the screen.”
Robert Gump, with his brother Richard, were the original owners of the Salem.
“I was a fiscal officer in the army,” says Robert, who originally came up with the idea to open the Salem. “The post commander wanted a movie theater. The postal commander wanted a movie theater. Since I was the fiscal officer and controlled the money he said ‘I want a theater on the post in thirty days. You take the money and use it and don’t bother me.’ He gave me half of a warehouse. So that’s where I got interested in the theater business.”
By the end of 1946 more than twenty-five percent of the nation’s total drive-ins were located in Ohio. Ten years later the Dayton area had more drive-ins per capita than any other city in the world.
Drive-ins had a reputation for being ‘passion pits’ almost from the very beginning. The ones in Dayton were no exception. In 1946 Herbert Ochs denied that his theater on Valley was in the ‘park-and-pet’ class.
“We have promoted our place as a family theatre and, if you watch the cars as they come out, you will see that it is the family trade we are getting,” stated Ochs. “We keep plenty of attendants on the lot (it took forty-two employees to run the theater), and the cars are parked from the front in the order they enter. There is no such thing as parking in isolated spots.”
In 1957 a bill was introduced to the Ohio General Assembly by two Montgomery County delegates to ban unmarried persons under eighteen years of age from attending movie theaters after midnight unless accompanied by parents or guardians.
The measure was sponsored by then State Representative Jesse Yoder and Charles W. Whalen, Jr. Yoder told the committee he had introduced the bill because “people are disturbed by the goings-on in drive-in theaters after midnight.”
In addition, two prosecutors from Montgomery County testified before the committee, stating that drive-in theaters were “passion pits” that contributed towards juvenile delinquency.
Harold B. LeCrone, assistant county prosecutor, told the house judiciary committee that “illegitimate births in the county are stemming primarily from one drive-in.” He did not name the offending theater.
“We know it must be happening,” LeCrone continued. “They’re called passion pits now. The bars close and the dregs are using the places. They go off in a corner of the drive-in and park. It’s a little cheaper than renting a motel.”
Yoder agreed, saying he knew of people ashamed to go to the drive-ins. “And I’ve heard of others that go to the drive-ins to watch the goings-on in other cars and not watch the show.”
Herbert W. Jacobson, first assistant Montgomery County prosecutor, was also concerned. “I’d like to see something started to get the kids back into the home,” he told the committee. “After midnight, there’s nothing for them to do downtown, but they will go to the drive-ins. Juvenile gangs hang around outside and there’s bound to be trouble. One drive-in manager said he’s not so concerned about what goes on inside the theater as he is about what goes on outside.”
Robert Wile, representing the Theater Owners of Ohio, testified against the bill.
“You can’t blame the illegitimate birthrate on the drive-ins because we are cheaper than motels, Wile commented. “You should also keep eighteen year olds out of motels.” He also stated that enforcing the law would be difficult since it would take theater operators “hours to check all the cars after midnight to see if there were any minors in them.”
Part of the problem was due to the fact that during the early 1950’s some of the local drive-ins began having all night movie marathons. The last movie of these ‘dusk to dawn shows’ sometimes didn't end until 4 a.m. or later.
Drive-in theater owners as far away as Troy, Miamisburg, Eaton and Springfield met at the Belmont Auto Drive-In to discuss the problem. They agreed to drop the dusk to dawn shows after November 2, 1957.
“When we saw they (dusk to dawn shows) were hurting the community, we decided to stop them,” said Edward Parker, then owner of the North Star Drive-In. “One of the theater operators had been holding out because he felt he was catering to a number of second shift factory workers, but we changed his mind.”
The house judiciary committee decided to shelve the bill after hearing that the number of films being shown would be reduced from five to three, which meant the box office closed at midnight, with most shows ending before 2 a.m. The owners also agreed to patrol the theater grounds for “unacceptable” activity, such as lovers and drinkers.
Parker stated that drive-ins actually benefited from the decision.
“We have obtained a saving in the cost of our product and improved our public relations,” he stated.
As the years passed by, patronage to the Salem began to slow down according to Robert Gump.
“I came back (from the war) and decided that the theater business was pretty good. However, one thing I didn’t know was that in the army we played to a full house, but that didn’t happen around here.”
The last owner of the Salem Drive-In was Levin Theatres. Although the theater was well maintained, nothing could stop the attendance from slowly declining. Where once the Salem Theater was the only place to go in the area, by the early 1980’s there were a dozen indoor screens to chose from as well. Salem’s last season was in 1983.
Sidebar comments in book about the Salem Drive-In Theatre:
A typical night at the Salem Drive-In in 1963. Patrons watch in suspense as Alfred Hitchcock’s motion picture film “The Birds” fills the screen.
Although the ticket booth is in disrepair, it isn’t hard to imagine when this blue and white building, with its glass front, beckoned patrons for a night of entertainment under the stars.
The concession stand and projection room each had their own building. The concession stand stood at the back of the drive-in, while the projection room was located only a few rows away from the front.
Almost all traces of the picture screen and playground are gone now, with just a few concrete posts and a merry-go-round left as reminders of happier days.
Sherwood Twin Drive-In Theatre
The Sherwood Drive-In, located at 5327 West Third Street, opened on July 12, 1946. The 750 car theater was built by Levin Theatres. Although the drive-in was originally opened with a single ‘central speaker’, the bullhorn was soon replaced with individual speakers for each car.
Sherwood changed it name to Sherwood Twin Theatre, and earned the distinction of being the only ‘double-theater of its kind’, with the installation of a second drive-in screen on June 27, 1954. This lot also had a 750 car capacity, but offered in-car heaters as well. The screen, which measured 100’ x 65’, was installed to show CinemaScope movies. It was the largest CinemaScope screen in the country at the time.
When Twentieth Century Fox began releasing CinemaScope movies the public clamored to see them. Unfortunately, Fox refused to allow drive-is to show C-Scope movies unless they installed stereophonic sound equipment. Unlike the Belmont Auto Theatre, owners of the Sherwood decided not to invest in the expensive sound equipment. Lou Levin predicted that Twentieth Century Fox would eventually allow theaters without the new sound system to run the films. It wasn’t long before he was proven right.
In the summer of 1959 the Sherwood Twin showed a movie called ‘Diary of a High School Bride’, a moving story of a girl wanting to get married while still in high school, and the opposition she faced from her parents and friends. Along with the ad for the movie, the Sherwood pleaded to the public to ‘Help Daredevil Paul Win a High School Bride’. According to the ad, Paul Allen had asked Rebecca, whose last name was not given, to be his bride. She refused. Paul then climbed to the top of the 100 foot high Sherwood screen tower, where he vowed to stay day and night until Rebecca changed her mind. To help win Rebecca over, area merchants offered the couple several wedding gifts if she consented, including $100 from the Sherwood, a bedroom set from Furniturama and a diamond ring from Marcy’s Jewelers in the Arcade. Food during Paul’s stay was furnished by Hasty-Tasty.
Paul might still be up there. Rebecca still hadn’t changed her mind by August 22, 1959, the last light that ‘High School Bride’ was shown. No mention was made in future newspapers to what happened to poor Paul.
On September 7, 1978 a fire caused more than $40,000 worth of damage to the theater.
“The front screen, up next to Third Street, it burnt down,” says Fred White. “The electric shorted out on it. The marquee used to be up o the front of the screen. It had one on each side of it, to tell you what each screen was playing. When the screen burnt down, it burnt the marquee and everything down with it.”
The screen was rebuilt, but the drive-in was nearing the end of its glory days. Attendance slowly declined in the 1980’s, as was happening at most of the drive-ins across the country, and the Sherwood Twin closed at the end of the 1989 season.
Sidebar comments in book about the Sherwood Twin Drive-In Theatre:
When patrons entered they were given a brochure which advertised coming attractions. It also offered the chance to win a free 3 moth pass to anyone who filled out the “007” questionnaire on the back which asked, among other things, what radio station you listened to, if the car heater worked, if the picture and sound quality was good and if you had tried the Smithville Barbequed Beef or Spanish hamburger at the concession stand.
The front screen of the Sherwood as seen from West Third Street. The ticket booths and screen are still in good condition and look as if a movie could be shown that evening. Patrons would find it hard to enter the drive-in however, since a sidewalk and new curb have been built in front of the theatre since its closing, effectively stopping anyone from entering the grounds.
As with most drive-in theaters, the Sherwood was no exception when it came to running trailers between films to entice patrons to go to the concession stand to load up on food and drinks. The owners of the Sherwood also went to the extra expense of having the theater’s name added to the trailers, as shown by the film cel on the right.
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