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Author Topic: Search For The Largest Drive-In Screen Don Furr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 509 From: Sun City, Ca USA Registered: Nov 2002 posted 05-09-2008 06:48 PM                     Just wondering what is the largest drive-in screen you've seen. Back in the 70's I worked for the Fiesta Drive-In (Malco operated) in Columbus, Ms. That screen was 120' X 60' and the face was all marine plywood. That is the biggest I've seen.  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 05-09-2008 06:53 PM                       Largest I've ever heard of was 140' (maybe 145'), the "Cinerama" drive-in out in CA (there were pictures here somewhere many moons ago). Bengies in Baltimore is 120'. So was one of my last theatres as a projectionist... South Park D/I at Louisville. Beware, however. There are lots of theatres with 100' screens (or less!) that claim to have the "world's largest"!  |  IP: Logged Mark Lensenmayer Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1605 From: Upper Arlington, OH Registered: Sep 1999 posted 05-09-2008 10:49 PM                     According to Roland Lataille's excellent Cinerama site, the screen was 180' x 62.5' CINERAMA at the Century Drive-In  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 05-09-2008 11:15 PM                       Oh, jeepers, I was WAY off! I'd venture that was probably the record-holder - even though it was probably temporary. Here's a later shot, taken of the same theatre. BTW: I'm just noticing Don asked what was the biggest d/i screens we've actually SEEN... 120' would be it for me, then. Several theatres had that size that I've seen.  |  IP: Logged Paul Mayer Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under! Posts: 3836 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Feb 2000 posted 05-09-2008 11:43 PM                        Cool! And it would be cool to see the roller coaster sequence while seated in your car.  |  IP: Logged Christopher Crouch Expert Film Handler Posts: 128 From: Holywood, ca, usa Registered: May 2006 posted 05-10-2008 04:13 AM                  One of the largest (aside from the Century Drive-In Cinerama set up) would have to be the Fountain Valley Drive-In, in Fountain Valley, CA.; something like 140' X 90'. Unfortunately, it was torn down long before I had the chance to see it.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 05-10-2008 06:03 AM                        In the 50's "screen wars" were common in this industry. New Albany (Indiana) Drive In and Kenwood Drive (Louisville) about 10 miles apart had a real good p...ing contest going. I think both ended up at 115 feet.(My guess is that 4-6 screens were ultimately built between the two of them.) New Albany "throw" was in excess of 1200 feet. Louis  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-10-2008 09:53 AM                     The NorthStar Drive Inn outside of Denver had a 150 foot wide screen. They also had DP-70's and Jetarc Lamphouses! There was also a Drive Inn located in Rhode Island that had just about as large of screen also with Jetarc Lamphouses but I believe VIC-10's for projectors. Both of these booths are shown in ads in International Projectionist Mags.  |  IP: Logged Ron Funderburg Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 814 From: Chickasha, Oklahoma, USA Registered: Nov 2007 posted 05-10-2008 10:06 AM                        Mark I remember the NorthStar well it was a Commonwealth I think but I wasn't friends with the manager. Some of the DI guys were full time and would rotate in to indoors as assistants in the off seasons others were just seasonal employees. The screen was really big at the Northstar but the surrounding area grew up around it and the lights got to hurt the place really bad. I can't remember if it was 84th or 86th, 84th I think that was an exit on I-25.  |  IP: Logged Don Furr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 509 From: Sun City, Ca USA Registered: Nov 2002 posted 05-10-2008 10:19 AM                     The Fiesta Drive-In that I first mentioned opened as a first run with LOVE STORY....had traffic backed up for a couple of miles on hiway 82 east out of Columbus, Ms. If I remember correctly it was about a 650 car field. The booth, located about 3/4 back on the field in a two story brick tower had a pair of AA's with SuperCore (very large) lamps. That was one beautiful drive in theatre. It was a drive-in done right!!  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-11-2008 07:51 AM                     quote: Louis Bornwasser New Albany "throw" was in excess of 1200 feet. And we thought we had the longest focal length lens of any Drive Inn here in SLC at the Redwood Drive Inn.... perhaps its still the longest focal length still in use today. One screen there is 800 feet back resulting in a 21 inch focal length lens(Gold 4" diameter Kollmorgen). It weighs a ton! This lens is just over 2-1/2 feet long! Do you remember what the focal length was out there in New Albany? Don, Not many are aware and I'm not even sure if Thomas Hauerslev is aware but Phillips made factory drive in shutter blades for the DP-70. You couldn't just cut the edges off those shutter blades for a drive in. Not only is there a leading and trailing edge air scoop but they are also dynamically balanced. Our DP-70 customer bought a pair fomr a fellow in Colorado a few years back and low and behold they had those Drive Inn shutter blades on them. These weere not the pair from the NorthStar though as they would have been modified to lower the lamphouse table to accomodate those huge Jetarcs. Yes... The big Ashcrafts were my favorite lamphouses, I still think they had the best light of any lamphouse ever built! Mark  |  IP: Logged

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