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Historic Houston Drive-In Theaters


Ashikaga

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Sure wish someone would slap in photos of The GULFWAY DRIVE-IN THEATER.

It was over off of Old Galveston Road & Shaver? I think? right near the RR tracks. This was another local for us kids in East End. It used to get packed on Monday dollar nights too. By the early 80's it started getting too much of a party crowd they eventualy had to close it and I am sure there must have been so rowdy ones that only added to the headaches. They had to have security gaurds at the entrance so we knew the end was near. After they closed it stood like a silent pyramid for a good while then Hurricane Alicia came along and literally bent over the huge screen which added more of a dramatic effect to it.

Good by drive ins, was nice knowing ya. :closedeyes:

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Sure wish someone would slap in photos of The GULFWAY DRIVE-IN THEATER.

It was over off of Old Galveston Road & Shaver? I think? right near the RR tracks. This was another local for us kids in East End. It used to get packed on Monday dollar nights too. By the early 80's it started getting too much of a party crowd they eventualy had to close it and I am sure there must have been so rowdy ones that only added to the headaches. They had to have security gaurds at the entrance so we knew the end was near. After they closed it stood like a silent pyramid for a good while then Hurricane Alicia came along and literally bent over the huge screen which added more of a dramatic effect to it.

Good by drive ins, was nice knowing ya. :closedeyes:

If anyone does come up with some pictures of drive-in theatres, try to post them on the individual entries on Drive-Ins.Com

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If anyone does come up with some pictures of drive-in theatres, try to post them on the individual entries on Drive-Ins.Com

That reminds me, I was viewing that cite yesterday and can you believe we actually used to have a Drive-In theater called The Pussycat Drive-In! Thats a scream! Imagine telling your friends "Hey last night we went to the Pussycat"...... My ribs are hurting! :lol:

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That reminds me, I was viewing that cite yesterday and can you believe we actually used to have a Drive-In theater called The Pussycat Drive-In! Thats a scream! Imagine telling your friends "Hey last night we went to the Pussycat"...... My ribs are hurting! :lol:

Well, there was a James Bond movie called "Octopussy." Imagine telling your friend: "Hey, last night we went to the Pussycat to see Octopussy."

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Yes Northbeaumont, very sad but true. And every time I think of Alberts or Dot Coffee Shop or the Telephone Drive In I smile. ...No no.. they can't take that away from me.

When I lived in Houston over 40 years ago, I remember us going to the Winkler Drive-In Theatre. My mom said that she thinks that we also went to the Red Bluff Drive-In Theatre in Pasadena. She said that she doesn't recall us ever going to the Telephone Road Twin Drive-In. If you'll look on Drive-Ins.Com, you'll see where someone took and posted some fairly recent photos of the remnants of it.

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When I lived in Houston over 40 years ago, I remember us going to the Winkler Drive-In Theatre. My mom said that she thinks that we also went to the Red Bluff Drive-In Theatre in Pasadena. She said that she doesn't recall us ever going to the Telephone Road Twin Drive-In. If you'll look on Drive-Ins.Com, you'll see where someone took and posted some fairly recent photos of the remnants of it.

I thought the Red Bluff drive in was just xxx porn. The Town and Country drive in was on Red Bluff Rd and was old fashioned entertainment as was the Pasadena drive in on Shaver and the Gulf way on Shaver close to 45. I never went to the winkler but my mom and brother did.

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I thought the Red Bluff drive in was just xxx porn. The Town and Country drive in was on Red Bluff Rd and was old fashioned entertainment as was the Pasadena drive in on Shaver and the Gulf way on Shaver close to 45. I never went to the winkler but my mom and brother did.

I read that several theatres such as the Red Bluff and the Santa Rosa spent their last years showing adult movies before closing up for good. There used to be a comment about the Red Bluff on Drive-Ins.Com that said that it had a tall fence around it so that the screen couldn't be seen. But someone on this forum in another thread said that you could see it.

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I read that several theatres such as the Red Bluff and the Santa Rosa spent their last years showing adult movies before closing up for good. There used to be a comment about the Red Bluff on Drive-Ins.Com that said that it had a tall fence around it so that the screen couldn't be seen. But someone on this forum in another thread said that you could see it.

yes it had a very tall fence all around the drive in but....if you were on hwy 225 going over the red bluff overpass you could catch a quick glimpse of....well...you know. lol.

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yes it had a very tall fence all around the drive in but....if you were on hwy 225 going over the red bluff overpass you could catch a quick glimpse of....well...you know. lol.

If you were driving, it was a very quick glimpse. Luckily your glimpse didn't cause you to get into an accident. You probably passed by it during a scene that wasn't "climactic."

There's two photos on Drive-Ins.Com on the Red Bluff. Both of them just show where it was. One is a shot from the air, the other an open field. Have you been by there recently?

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If you were driving, it was a very quick glimpse. Luckily your glimpse didn't cause you to get into an accident. You probably passed by it during a scene that wasn't "climactic."

There's two photos on Drive-Ins.Com on the Red Bluff. Both of them just show where it was. One is a shot from the air, the other an open field. Have you been by there recently?

I used to work right down 225 from it but now I'm over off Dixie Farm rd so I don't pass by very often. The last time I looked it was a very big truck stop.

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I used to work right down 225 from it but now I'm over off Dixie Farm rd so I don't pass by very often. The last time I looked it was a very big truck stop.

I have mostly pleasant memories of drive-in theatres. The only bad memories I have are having to swat mosquitoes and the windshield fogging up when it would rain. One time back in the 1970s, I passed gas during the movie. When my girlfriend smelt it, she sarcastically "thanked" me.

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Proably the last time I went to a drive in Movie was to see a double feature of Slap Shot and Young Frakenstien at the Gulfway Drive in off Shaver and the Gulf Freeway. About thirty minutes into the first movie fog so dense rolled in that you could not see the screen. We waited about thirty minutes and it never let up so we left and they refunded our money. One of the many disadvantages of the old drive ins. As a kid my parents used to put me in my pj's in the back seat of the family car and take me to the old drive in on Winkler by Gulfgate. I remember it had a huge clown on the back of the screen and my parents would watch the movie while I fell asleep in the backseat.

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Undated photograph of the Epsom drive-in. It would make sense if were built on the site of the old race track.

epsom.jpg

Yes, the drive-in was built on the site of the ract track. From family legend, going to the Epsom Downs Race Track on Sunday afternoons was a popular "outing" for wealthy Italian families from "downtown" areas during the depression [30s]. Seems as though there was a lot of gambling in the area & probably why track was closed & Drive-in built. I remember hearing that families in the area would cook great meals & serve in their homes before/after the races. That was before health inspectors :) . What was left over would be given to needy families in the area.

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Proably the last time I went to a drive in Movie was to see a double feature of Slap Shot and Young Frakenstien at the Gulfway Drive in off Shaver and the Gulf Freeway. About thirty minutes into the first movie fog so dense rolled in that you could not see the screen. We waited about thirty minutes and it never let up so we left and they refunded our money. One of the many disadvantages of the old drive ins. As a kid my parents used to put me in my pj's in the back seat of the family car and take me to the old drive in on Winkler by Gulfgate. I remember it had a huge clown on the back of the screen and my parents would watch the movie while I fell asleep in the backseat.

My experience exactly! My parents and I went to the Winkler Drive-In theatre back in the early 1960s. I would always fall asleep in the middle of the movie. I remember my dad carrying me into the house when we got home. I've been trying to find out information about the Winkler for at least the past two years. It would be great if someone had a picture of the clown screen. If you find out anything about the Winkler, let me know (I'm now 49).

Proably the last time I went to a drive in Movie was to see a double feature of Slap Shot and Young Frakenstien at the Gulfway Drive in off Shaver and the Gulf Freeway. About thirty minutes into the first movie fog so dense rolled in that you could not see the screen. We waited about thirty minutes and it never let up so we left and they refunded our money. One of the many disadvantages of the old drive ins. As a kid my parents used to put me in my pj's in the back seat of the family car and take me to the old drive in on Winkler by Gulfgate. I remember it had a huge clown on the back of the screen and my parents would watch the movie while I fell asleep in the backseat.

You mentioned "Slap Shot"? Wasn't that the movie about an ice hockey team which starred Paul Newman? I went to see it back in the 1970s. When my parents went to see it, they were so disgusted with all of the foul, gutter language that they got up and left before it was half over. I remember my dad saying: "If I wanted to hear that, I would just go to the parking lot of a shipyard at quitting time. I wouldn't have to pay to hear stuff like that."

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  • 4 weeks later...
I'm now 47. When I was between 4 and 6 years old I lived in Houston. I remember my parents and I going to the Winkler Drive-In Theatre, which closed down many years ago. I found out that it was located at 205 Winkler Drive at Telephone Road. Does anyone out there have any information about it?

Chet Cuccia

From this aerial photo of Gulfgate you can see exactly where the Winkler Drive-In was:

Gulfgate.jpg

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IMG_0023.JPG

Here is a pic of the former site of the Bayou Drive In, south of Houston in La Marque (I-45 near 1764).. It seems like yesterday that I saw "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" from the bed of my Dad's 67 Dodge pick-up.

The locations of the screens, entry and concession stands are very obvious.. If you Google Earth the location you can get real close.

There is an article in todays Galveston Daily News (04/30/07) on the possible fate of this site:

"Garden grows: Readers are asking about activity on land along the Interstate 45 feeder road in Texas City, just north of Kelley's Country Cookin'. In 2005, City officials said Houston Garden Centers had purchased the land with the intent to build a distribution center. Houston Garden Centers couldn't be reached for comment last week. Buzz isn't sure, but understands the land once was occupied by a drive-in movie theater"

While growing up in Galveston, going up to this Drive-In was one of the big "adventures" of our weekend. Of course the Motor Speedway up the road came in a close second.

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From this aerial photo of Gulfgate you can see exactly where the Winkler Drive-In was:

Gulfgate.jpg

Wow! That is one of the rarest photos I have ever seen of the area! So The Winkler Drive-In truly existed!

It looks like it was smack where that blasted Home Depot now sits. There is that church we always used to see on the way to the mall too! Even the big 610 interchange is absent! Much too, much! You can see the bridge that linked the mall to the theater (I assume that's it so small). Bridge still stands today just needs a good paint job. I used to work in that store on the left as soon as you came back from the movies, Wilson's Jeweler's this was around 1978 though. :P All near East Ender's need to see this photo!

Thank you for sharing!

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Wow! That is one of the rarest photos I have ever seen of the area! So The Winkler Drive-In truly existed!

It looks like it was smack where that blasted Home Depot now sits. There is that church we always used to see on the way to the mall too! Even the big 610 interchange is absent! Much too, much! You can see the bridge that linked the mall to the theater (I assume that's it so small). Bridge still stands today just needs a good paint job. I used to work in that store on the left as soon as you came back from the movies, Wilson's Jeweler's this was around 1978 though. :P All near East Ender's need to see this photo!

Thank you for sharing!

On YouTube.Com, I saw a video someone took at night of the freeway traffic. I think that it was taken from that pedestrian bridge. There was another video someone took driving through the parking lot of Gulfgate.

Wow! That is one of the rarest photos I have ever seen of the area! So The Winkler Drive-In truly existed!

It looks like it was smack where that blasted Home Depot now sits. There is that church we always used to see on the way to the mall too! Even the big 610 interchange is absent! Much too, much! You can see the bridge that linked the mall to the theater (I assume that's it so small). Bridge still stands today just needs a good paint job. I used to work in that store on the left as soon as you came back from the movies, Wilson's Jeweler's this was around 1978 though. :P All near East Ender's need to see this photo!

Thank you for sharing!

On the entry for the Winkler on Drive-Ins.Com, you'll see the aerial photo of that Home Depot.

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That was Woodridge Baptist Church. My family went to that church.

I cannot even recall about what year it disappeared, what a waste :angry2: That church attracted such big crowds as the parking area was always quite full on Sundays. Seems almost like yesterday I would see the pretty huge steeple and the well dressed folks. I hope they tried to salvage as much as possible. -_-

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I cannot even recall about what year it disappeared, what a waste :angry2: That church attracted such big crowds as the parking area was always quite full on Sundays. Seems almost like yesterday I would see the pretty huge steeple and the well dressed folks. I hope they tried to salvage as much as possible. -_-

I think the church stopped being Woodridge Baptist Church in 1993. It continued on under another name and then was sold and torn down when they redeveloped the Gulfgate property. I think that was around 2000-2001. There is still a Woodridge Baptist Church...they took the name from the church on Woodridge and moved the name to Kingwood. Our old German family bible was in a display case in that church library and dissapeared around the time they sold the building.

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From this aerial photo of Gulfgate you can see exactly where the Winkler Drive-In was:

Gulfgate.jpg

I've been staring at this photo for the last 30 minutes . What a time capsule! 1957 ? 58 ? . So much space . So much green . What a nice livable city !

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I've been staring at this photo for the last 30 minutes . What a time capsule! 1957 ? 58 ? . So much space . So much green . What a nice livable city !

Ah, the good ol' days! Yes, walking through Gulfgate Shopping City and Globe Department Store. What memories!

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  • 4 months later...
You can log onto DriveIns.Com. Click on Search Database and enter any Houston zip code. You'll see a long list of theatres. I'm interested in your book. Let me know when you've finished it. I'm also trying to find out about a closed-down drive-in theatre called the Winkler. It was located on the corner of Winkler Drive and Flowers Street. If you come across anything about that one I would appreciate it if you would let me know. My parents and I went to that drive-in theatre when I was a little kid. Someone said that there is still an old sign on Winkler Drive that points to where it was. I read that the physical address was 205 Winkler Drive. I think that a Home Depot store now occupies that spot of land.

Here's a screen image from yesteryear.

post-3393-1190066355.jpg

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Drive%20In%20Ads2.jpgDrive%20In%20Ads11.jpg

Drive%20In%20Ads7.jpgDrive%20In%20Ads9.jpg

Cool website of Drive In commercials! The music was always hip and upbeat, some were like cartoons of Beatnik's munching out on hot dogs, etc. I recall how vast, modern and space age the interior of the snack areas were. Fresh popcorn!

http://www.qualityinformationpublishers.co...&ProdID=315

Some in the hill country had playgrounds with swing sets and jungle gyms, etc. Remember?

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South Main Drive-In Theater - South Main and Stella Link.

They had a small area for sitting outside your car. They had a small train that ran around the area in the front of the screen. They had a few mosquitos and (this is Texas) lots of bats. It was hard to hear the movie when the train passed behind on the theater. When the mosquito fogging truck drove up and down the rows of cars, the kids would chase it and play in the fog. Ah, my lungs throb just tinking about it.

Sharpstown Drive-In - Bisonnet(?) and Voss - Had huge fence to block out the shopping center lights across the street - Voss(it wasn't Hillcroft yet). Has a time capsule.

Thunderbird - Northwest Houston - Dollar Night was all the people you could jam in a car Monday evenings.

Winkler - You covered this one, but in its waning days one of its two screens showed adult films you could see from the 610 Loop. Something of a safety hazard.

I don't remember the name of this one, but it had 4 screens. - Located just east of where S. Main turned west toward Sugar Land. You could, for a while, drive from one screen to another to watch several movies.

La Marque Drive-In - you can still see the rows and entrance gate area.

Red Bluff Drive-In

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I don't remember the name of this one, but it had 4 screens. - Located just east of where S. Main turned west toward Sugar Land. You could, for a while, drive from one screen to another to watch several movies.

McClendon Triple

There are several topics where all of these have been discussed. The dollar night deal ran for a good long time until the drive ins became too wild.

On the East side we had :

The Telephone Road Drive-In

Gulfway Drive-In (Hurricane Alicia bent over the screen)

best part was meeting other kids from other local high schools which could be good or bad at times. >:)

There was nothing like seeing a gigantic JAWS splashing around in a boodfest or Linda Blair spitting green pea soup on a huge panaramic screen though!

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South Main Drive-In Theater - South Main and Stella Link.

They had a small area for sitting outside your car. They had a small train that ran around the area in the front of the screen. They had a few mosquitos and (this is Texas) lots of bats. It was hard to hear the movie when the train passed behind on the theater. When the mosquito fogging truck drove up and down the rows of cars, the kids would chase it and play in the fog. Ah, my lungs throb just tinking about it.

Sharpstown Drive-In - Bisonnet(?) and Voss - Had huge fence to block out the shopping center lights across the street - Voss(it wasn't Hillcroft yet). Has a time capsule.

Thunderbird - Northwest Houston - Dollar Night was all the people you could jam in a car Monday evenings.

Winkler - You covered this one, but in its waning days one of its two screens showed adult films you could see from the 610 Loop. Something of a safety hazard.

I don't remember the name of this one, but it had 4 screens. - Located just east of where S. Main turned west toward Sugar Land. You could, for a while, drive from one screen to another to watch several movies.

La Marque Drive-In - you can still see the rows and entrance gate area.

Red Bluff Drive-In

I thought the Winkler had only one screen. Yes, I can see how an X-rated movie can be a safety hazard for a rubbernecking driver on the freeway. I would think that the screen would have been crystal clear from the Gulf Freeway. Someone on another topic said that he remembered being able to see X-rated movies through the tall fence at the Red Bluff.

If you go out and take photos of what those pieces of land look like now, you can post them on Drive-Ins.Com. Someone did that about the Telephone Road Drive-In Theatre. Then and now photos appear on the Bayou 3 Drive-In Theatre in LaMarque. Someone posted some good nostalgic photos of the Sharpstown Drive-In Theatre. The page on the IH-45 Drive-In Theatre said that it had eight screens, but the photo of the marquee shows six.

post-3393-1190129986.jpg

post-3393-1190130036.jpg

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