Porterville Drive-in Theatre (Closed)
Porterville, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Porterville Drive-In Theatre had a marquee worth a detour from Highway 99. Check out the unusual vertical arrangement, which looked almost like an oversized brochure holder. Not the typical sweeping arrow or towering neon display found at other drive-ins, but this curious sign had a roadside personality all its own.

The theatre opened on May 18, 1950, with Humphrey Bogart in Tokyo Joe. For much of its long run, Vern Schwin and his family operated the place, giving the community a spot to catch a movie without leaving the car. On a warm Central Valley evening, an outdoor double feature sounded like a pretty good way to spend a few hours.

If you travel up Route 99 to Porterville, stop by the Porterville Drive-in Theatre. This place is worth a visit, especially for a look see at the strange marquee. A second screen was added here in 1990.

Porterville Drive-in Sign
Porterville, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Originally a single-screen theatre, Porterville added a second screen on the west side of the property in 1990. The expansion turned it into a twin with room for about 550 vehicles. While other drive-ins were losing their screens to redevelopment, this one was adding another.

The ticket booth finally closed after the 2004 season, but the screens remained standing for years afterward. An empty drive-in can be a strange sight. Everything is still arranged for an evening at the movies, only there are no cars waiting for the show to begin.

In May 2009, a fire broke out in a storage building beneath the west screen. Flames climbed the screen’s face before firefighters brought the blaze under control, leaving the closed theatre with another round of damage.

Porterville Drive-in Screen
Porterville, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

UPDATE: According to the Porterville Drive-in website, the theatre showed its first movie on May 18, 1950. The theatre remained open for the most part through the end of the 2004 season. The drive-in is now closed. 01-09

UPDATE: A fire burned a storage building that was located just below the west screen of the old Porterville Drive-in Theatre. According to the Porterville Recorder, the small fire destroyed half the storage area and the case is under investigation for suspicious behavior. Flames had risen up the movie screen at one point before the fire was put out. 05-09

UPDATE: Burton School District purchased the former drive-in grounds, and demolition crews brought down the screens in October 2016. The theatre and its unusual marquee are gone, with the property cleared for school-district use. 09-26

Starlite Drive-in (Demolished)
Merced, CA
Photo courtesy Jimmy Bowman

The Starlite Drive-In in Merced had gone quiet by the time this view was photographed. Its weathered marquee still marked the old movie grounds near Childs Avenue and Highway 99, but there was no double feature waiting beyond the entrance.

Reportedly opened in the early 1960s, the United Artists theatre showed movies until 1987. The screen came down during the mid-1990s, leaving the rusty marquee to keep watch over the empty lot. Even without a movie playing, it could still make a roadside explorer stop and look.

UPDATE: This marquee was the last remnant of this old drive-in until it too was sent up to the big signpost in the sky in late 2005. 07-06

UPDATE: The remaining sign was removed in late 2005, and the property was redeveloped for housing. Neither the screen nor the marquee survives at the site. 09-26

Madera Drive-in Theatre
Madera, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

A little north of Fresno, the Madera Drive-In Theatre offers another reason to wander off Highway 99. No towering neon arrow was found here when these photos were taken. The theatre’s name appeared on the back of the screen, while a classic water tower nearby helped complete the scene. The ticket booth and entrance were worth a closer look, even if the screen itself was a little plain. Not every drive-in needed a Space Age marquee to make the trip worthwhile.

The theatre opened in 1948 as the El Rio, later becoming the Park-Vu and eventually the Madera Drive-In. That puts it among California’s oldest surviving outdoor movie theatres. Plenty of cars have passed through this entrance since the days when a window-mounted speaker supplied the evening’s soundtrack and getting comfortable meant moving a few things around the back seat.

Madera Drive-in ticket booth and water tower
Madera, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Gran family acquired the drive-in in 1972, with Bobby Gran Jr. helping renovate it that summer. More than five decades of family involvement have kept the movies going while many neighboring outdoor theatres disappeared. Keeping a place like this working takes more than changing the titles on the sign, especially when the screens and grounds spend every day out in the weather.

A second screen eventually joined the original, giving the property its Madera 2 Drive-In name. The exact year of that addition is uncertain, but it brought another choice of features to the old lot. The grounds have also served as a Sunday swap meet, giving the parking rows something to do before sunset.

Just 20 minutes or so above Fresno is Madera County and the Madera Drive-in Theatre. No marquee for the drive-in other the then one on back of the screen could be found and the screen tower was relatively nondescript. At least a classicwater tank was nearby. Check out the ticket booth and the entranceway to the drive-in theatre that was originally named the Park Vu.

Madera Drive-in ticket booth and water tower
Madera, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Today, sound comes through the car radio rather than one of those little metal speakers. The basic arrangement remains familiar: find a space, visit the snack bar and settle in while the sky darkens. A few modern conveniences, but no need to trade the night air for an enclosed auditorium.

UPDATE: Madera Drive-In remains open seasonally, with two screens and its familiar ticket booth still welcoming moviegoers. The screen-side signage survives, and the nearby water tower continues to share the skyline. No need to imagine a double feature here. There is still one to see. 09-26