Highrise Tower Posted October 2, 2022 Share Posted October 2, 2022 I was browsing The Citizen dated November 14, 1947 and came across a business listing for Underwood and Ezell Drive In Theatres - The Main Drive In located at 9900 South Main St. and Winkler Drive In located at 205 Wrinkler Dr. A little confused. I thought the South Main Drive-In Theater was located at 11510 South Main St. You also had the McClendon Triple Drive-In Theater located At 11991 South Main St. Was this an earlier location of the South Main Drive-In Theater? Pretty cool find! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 We moved to the area in 1950, and the South Main Drive-In at 11530 was already in operation. I believe it opened before WWII. I don't remember this one at all, maybe it was closed by 1950. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkultra25 Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 16 hours ago, Dave W said: We moved to the area in 1950, and the South Main Drive-In at 11530 was already in operation. I believe it opened before WWII. I don't remember this one at all, maybe it was closed by 1950. The South Main Drive-In opened June 7, 1940 and was Houston's first drive-in, according to Cinema Treasures. South Main Drive-In There's no listing for the Main Drive-In. However, the book "Cinema Houston" says the South Main Drive-In was originally called the Texas Drive-In, and the address given is 9900 South Main. Google Books link You can see ads showing the original Texas Drive-In name at the Cinema Treasures link, but they don't list an address, just general directions ("drive out South Main highway - near the underpass"). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 4 hours ago, mkultra25 said: The South Main Drive-In opened June 7, 1940 and was Houston's first drive-in, according to Cinema Treasures. South Main Drive-In There's no listing for the Main Drive-In. However, the book "Cinema Houston" says the South Main Drive-In was originally called the Texas Drive-In, and the address given is 9900 South Main. Google Books link You can see ads showing the original Texas Drive-In name at the Cinema Treasures link, but they don't list an address, just general directions ("drive out South Main highway - near the underpass"). Very interesting. My guess is that this portion of South Main must have been renumbered in the late 1940s. Keep in mind that this was definitely the outskirts of town back then. It was so far out that the first two years after we moved to the area, the only available residential phone service was an eight-party line. In the recent Brochstein's thread, a poster raised that possibility, and I have to agree. There wasn't a Brochstein's at what is currently 10002 South Main, and their factory further out near Stella Link was built in 1940. There was only one Texas/South Main Drive In and only one Brochstein's factory. I haven't looked for any proof of renumbering, but that has to be what happened. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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