I stumbled across this photo recently on the state archives web site. Since I grew up in Huntsville [you can read about that here and here], it naturally captured my interest. The Whitesburg Drive-In Theater was an iconic place in Huntsville for many years; so what's going on here?
The Whitesburg opened on June 16, 1949 with room for 400 cars. Admission was 40 cents for adults and 10 cents for children over five. The first film shown was the 1947 release The Senator Was Indiscreet, a comedy also known as Mr. Ashton Was Indiscreet. The film starred William Powell and Ella Raines and was the only one directed by playwright George Kaufman.
On September 30, 1979, the drive-in closed. By the next summer the owner asked the city to burn the 60-foot screen, fearful that deterioration made the structure unsafe. Thus in June 1980 the fire department did just that in front of about 100 onlookers, including the boys seen in the photo.
My brother Richard and I remember going with our parents to this drive-in during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Mom would get us dressed in our pajamas so we would be ready for bed when we got home.
The location remained an open field on Whitesburg Drive for many years. A row of cedar trees along that road identified the spot. The last time I was by there earlier this year something was being built on the property.
Also included below are some other photos of the Whitesburg Drive-In.
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