Photo: Charles Pratt, Jr.
- Aurora (Lawrence County) Missouri
Sunset Drive-in: 417-678-6609
located at 1601 East Church Street
The Sunset marked it's 50th anniversary last season,
having first opened in 1951 as a solo-screen venue
with a capacity for just over 300 cars. They are
open seasonally, April thru September, lighting
the screen with two first-run features each nite.
Admission: $4 per person (free if under age 6).
- Buffalo (Dallas County) Missouri
Highway 65 Drive-in:
GONE
formerly located on Rural Route 2
- Butler (Bates County) Missouri
Sky-Vue Drive-in:
CLOSED
formerly located on Highway 71 South
- Cadet (Washington County) Missouri
Starlite Drive-in: 314-438-4974
located on Highway 21 (RR2), south of I-270
Twin-screen venue that opened in 1952, which has a
capacity for up to 700 cars; audio system: FM radio;
screening a double feature each nite on each screen.
Admission: Adults (age 12 and up) $5; children 5-11 $2.
Flea Market Swapmeet held here every weekend, on
Saturdays and Sundays, from 8:00am to 4:00pm.
- Carthage (Jasper County) Missouri
66 Drive-in: 417-359-5959
located at 17231 Old 66 Boulevard
Originally opening in the early days of America's
postwar Drive-in boom, in 1949, the 66 went dark
as eventually most Drive-ins did, after the boom
had gone bust. But the story of the 66 didn't end
in darkness. In one of the most ambitious efforts
of the dozens that have succeeded in resurrecting
abandoned Drive-ins (one that involved excavation
even more than restoration), the old 66 was brought
back from the brink, and reopened in 1997. Now open
seasonally, the big screen is lit with double features
and the audio is provided by local FM radio broadcast.
Admission: Adults (age 13 & up) $5.00; children- $1
(12 & under); no charge if the child is in a car seat.
Photo: Justin West
- Cuba (Crawford County) Missouri
Highway 19 Drive-in: 573-885-7752
located north of intersection of I-44 & Route 19
Solo screen with a grass field that has been lit
since 1954, and has a capacity for up to 250 cars.
Some traditional speakers remain, plus radio sound.
Photo: Justin West
- Houston (Texas County) Missouri
Sunset Drive-in: 417-967-4142
located at 16657 Highway B (¼mi east of Hwy.63)
The big screen at the Sunset Drive-in was first lit-up on
May 10th, 1951, at the beginning of the Drive-in boom ..
but eventually, like so many others, the screen went
dark. It's story however didn't end there. The Sun also
rises .. it was restored, revived, and reopened in 2001.
Open seasonally, May thru October, with a capacity for
up to 150 cars. Audio: traditional speakers & FM radio.
Admission: Adults (12&up) $5; age 10 & under free;
Wed: CramEm and JamEm Night ($10 per Carload).
- Independence (Jackson County) Missouri
Twin Drive-in: 816-257-2234
located on Highway 291 @ Kentucky Road
aka: 110 W. Maple Avenue (metro Kansas City)
Screening a double feature on each of 2 screens.
Late show presented on Fridays & Saturdays, with
a repeat 2nd screening of the first movie scheduled.
Admission: $6 for adults; ages 11 and under free.
- Jennings (St.Louis County) Missouri
see: Saint Louis
Photo: Justin West
- Kansas City (Jackson County) Missouri -
I-70 Drive-in Theatre: 816-861-0500
located at 8701 E. Highway 40 (adjacent to I-70)
This is Missouri's largest Drive-in, with four big
screens showing double features on each, and
an overall capacity for up to 1200 cars. Their neon
marquee, mounted atop a scaled-down replica of the
famous St.Louis arch is really one of the great Drive-in
marquees, but in several respects, management here
has a good thing going, and despite the expansion,
makes an obvious effort to remember 'small' things
that help to inject and maintain the nostalgic flavor
at the I-70 Drive-in; ranging from screening classic
intermission trailers, to playing vintage field tunes.
In fact, there are still working Dr'in speakers here,
an option to audio provided by FM radio broadcast.
- Kansas City (Jackson County) Missouri
63rd Street Drive-in:
DARK
located at 8200 East 63rd Street
- see also:
Kansas City, Kansas
Photo: Butler Felts
- Lamar (Barton County) Missouri
Barco Drive-in: 417-682-2434
located on Highway 160 East - aka -
also known as: 57 South East 25th Lane
Originally: the Barco StarVue Drive-in when it
opened, in 1951, with a capacity for 200 cars.
Currently, the Barco has half of the name and
double the capacity, and is open seasonally,
April thru October.
Photo: Dan Arnold
- Macon (Macon County) Missouri
Macon Drive-in: 660-385-3417
located at 32506 Highway 63 South
(1 blk south of Macon city limits on Hwy 63)
The Macon Drive-in has been operated continuously by
the Arnold family since it opened on October 1st, 1952.
The movie projectors that are in use at the Macon and
the 56' wide screen are the same ones that have been
providing the picture show here for almost 50 years.
All of the Macon's 306 speakers, and the marquee,
are true originals. The less nostalgically inclined
also have the option of listening to their movies
by tuning to 103.5 FM on their car radios. The old
screen is lit with double features, weekends only.
Admission: Adults $4; Children $2; 3&under free.
- Moberly (Randolph County) Missouri
Moberly Five-and-Drive: 660-263-8100
located at 3000 North Morley (Highway 63)
Originally the Highway 63 Drive-in opened at this
location in 1950, and had a run of 35 years, before
going dark for 12 years. Original buildings are gone,
but the screen from the Highway 63 remains, and it
was re-lit in the spring of '97, so a Drive-in continues
to operate on the site of the original 65, and shares a
projection booth with a multi-screen cinema that was
constructed on the property. This is also one of the few
instances of a "MoPed" operation- where a Drive-in is
in operation in conjunction with a pedestrian walk-in
movie theatre on same premises. Indoors: 5 screens;
Drive-in has 1 screen, and a capacity for 300 cars.
Admission: Adults $6.25; Children $4.25
Photo: Darren Snow
- Piedmont (Wayne County) Missouri
Pine Hill Drive-in: 573-223-2420
located on Highway 34
The rural setting and grass field, lushly bordered
and framed with lots of trees, combining with the
lingering presence of traditional Drive-in speakers
(there is FM here too if you prefer), allows a sense
of somewhere else in Time at this sweet little Dr'in
which has been in operation since 1953. They have
a capacity for up to 300 cars; are open seasonally,
May - September, with 1 movie nitely; weekends only.
Photo: Norman Plant
- Saint Louis (St.Louis County) Missouri
North Twin Drive-in: GONE
formerly located at 9425 Lewis & Clark Blvd.
No family operating a Drive-in had been in the
movie theatre business longer than the family
which owned & operated St.Lou's last Drive-in.
They had been running picture shows since great
grandad Fred set out 96 kitchen chairs in front
of the projector in a vacant hall nextdoor to his
saloon in 1906 (the saloon doubled as a sort-of
snackbar for his Cherokee Theatre), and 'audio'
for the otherwise silent movies was provided by
Fred's wife, Gertrude, at the piano. They went on
to open Missouri's first outdoor cinema, called
the Airdome, and later were to construct the 1st
building in St.Louis built exclusively as a cinema.
In 1948, Fred Wehrenberg, together with his son-
in-law, Paul Krueger, built the first of the family's
several Drive-ins, and named it Ronnie's Drive-in,
after Fred's grandson, Paul Krueger's 6year old.
The North Drive-in followed, and 26 years after it
opened, a 2nd screen was added. 26 years after
that, amidst Bankruptcy proceedings coinciding
with the closing of their several walk-in cinemas,
the family's only remaining Drive-in (as well as the
last outdoor Picture Show in St.Louis County) was
destined to be sold-off to real estate developers.
- Sedalia (Pettis County) Missouri
Sedalia Drive-in: 660-829-4000
located on Highway 50
Solo screen Dr'in that had gone dark, but which
was restored & resurrected, and reopened in 1990.
Photo: Justin West
- Seymour (Webster County) Missouri
Owen Drive-in: 417-935-2232
located on Owen Drive (off Hwy 60) east of town
Missouri's smallest Drive-in is an old solo screen
grass field venue with a capacity for just about
80 cars, which has hung in there since 1950. The
Owen is open seasonally, April thru September.
- Springfield (Greene County) Missouri
Holiday Drive-in:
DARK
located at 2829 East Kearney Street
- Van Buren (Carter County) Missouri
21 Drive-in: 573-945-2121
located on Highway 21 North
This is a large solo screen Dr'in with a capacity
for over 700 cars, which had gone dark, but was
restored and resurrected, and reopened in 1997.
Currently screening double features; wknds only.
- Webb City (Jasper County) Missouri
Webb City Drive-In Theatre: GONE
formerly located at 1104 South Madison
now the site of a Wal-Mart Supercenter.
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