On June 6, 1933 eager motorists parked their cars on the grounds of the Camden Drive-In, the first drive-in movie theater in the country. Originally referred to as park-in theaters, it was the idea of avid movie-goer and sales manager Richard Hollingshead who was inspired by his mother’s struggle to sit comfortably in traditional movie theater seats. More than 5,000 drive-in theaters were built across the country over the next 30 years.
Even though Lake Manawa and Krug Park played outdoor movies, Omaha didn’t get its first drive-in theater until 15 years later in 1948. Originally named The Drive-in, the 20-acre theater was located at 76th and Dodge. With a 50’ x 60’ screen that was three times larger than indoor screens at the time, the theater provided 500 movie goers with individual speakers and access to a refreshment stand. The first movie played was the 1946 film “Tars and Spars” featuring Janet Blair. Adults paid a sixty-cent admission while children were allowed free entry. An advertisement for the drive-in appealed to moviegoers by stating that you could “Enjoy the show in the privacy and comfort of your own car… dress as you like… smoke, talk, take refreshments, all without disturbing others! And there are no parking worries at the Drive-In. Parents with youngsters will find it solves the Babysitter Problem.”
The Grand View Drive-in was the second theater to open in the area. It also opened in 1948 and was located on the NE corner of Fort Crook Rd and Harvell Dr in Bellevue. What made this theater unique from the one on Dodge was that it was built into the side of a hill. Instead of individual speakers, it had a speaker perched atop a central tower. This theater had twice the capacity with room to accommodate 1,000 cars. Its owner later added picnic grounds, baseball diamond and a dirt race track to complete this entertainment complex.
Council Bluffs opened its drive-in two years later in 1950. It boasted that it was just three miles east of the “free” South Omaha Bridge. The fact that it was free was a big deal considering the only other bridge that crossed the Missouri was the Aksarben Bridge which required a toll. With enough room to accommodate 600 cars, the theater eventually provided audio through the radio.
Just a few miles from The Drive-In at 76th and Dodge was The Golden Spike which at the time it opened in 1952 had the largest screen in the area at 62’x52’. Unique for its railroad theme, the theater projected railroad scenes on the back of its screen which faced the highway. Even the concession stand was designed to resemble a country railroad station. In order to differentiate it from The Golden Spike, The Drive-In renamed itself 76 West Dodge Drive-in.
Outside the city limits when it opened in 1953, the 84th and Center Drive-in could accommodate 600 cars. The wooden screen tower came down due to a storm that rolled through as its first movie played on opening day. It took 10 days to repair the screen.
Also in 1953 Carter Lake leveled 30 acres of garbage and covered it with 700 truckloads of dirt in order to open the Airport Drive-in at the SE corner of 11th and Locust. The theater had a 70’ curved screen and enough space to accommodate 750 cars and even offered walk-ins the ability to sit down and watch.
Sky View Drive-in was said to have the largest curved screen in the country at 90’ when it opened in 1954. Located north of 72nd and Military Ave, it had enough room to accommodate 1,122 cars in addition to seating for another 500 on the patio and the roof of the concession stand. It even provided electric car heaters that allowed movie goers to watch movies year-round.
The last theater to open during this era was the Q-Twin Drive-in at 120th and Q in 1961. The well-designed drive-in was configured so that its two screens could be viewed from the east and west sides. It had a capacity of 1,600 cars with individual speakers for each and a playground for kids.
Drive-in movie theaters hit their peak in the 1950’s and 1960’s with more than 40 opened across Nebraska alone. Many of the theaters closed the following two decades due to increased competition for the entertainment dollar, not to mention increasing land values as the city continued to move west. The increases made it exceedingly difficult to turn a profit. The Airport Drive-in in Carter Lake closed in 1972 and was converted to an industrial site. Two years later the 84th and Center Drive-in closed and was turned into a strip mall. The oldest drive-in at 76th and Dodge closed in 1983 and was also replaced with a strip mall. Miracle Hills Plaza was built on top of the Golden Spike in 1984. Sky View became a practice range for Benson Golf Course in 1985. The last drive-in to open, Q-Twin, closed in 1987 to make way for a subdivision and to expand Oak Hills Country Club. The last of the drive-ins to close was Council Bluffs in 2006. Today a Google data center is on a part of the land.
In recent years, drive-in theaters have made a bit of a comeback. In 2016 Falconwood Park in Bellevue opened a drive-in theater on its grounds which also allows for camping, concerts and weddings. In 2021 Quasar opened in Valley and is more reminiscent of a traditional drive-in. Other drive-ins include Sandhills in Alliance and Starlite in Neligh. Perhaps we’ll see even more in the future!
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