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The following is a list of many sources for information about drive-in theaters:
Start out by going to your nearest main library and looking
up the old movie ads from the 
1940s
and '50s in your areas largest newspaper. Most newspapers are still archived
on microfilm, so look for the big room with a big filing cabinet and a bunch
of big ugly projector screens. Keep going back in time until you no longer see
an ad for the particular 
theater
you're looking for. Then work your way back into the future and find the grand
opening ad of your theater. Congratulations! You now have the opening date of
your theater. Now, do the exact opposite for finding the closing date. As you
look through the old papers, you may find other interesting articles published
about the theaters around the area. Make sure to also check with the nearest
librarian and ask him/her if your library keeps a "snippet" file of
articles relating strictly to drive-ins or movie theaters around the area in
general. That's where I started out. The ad above to the left is from April
12, 1951 when Lakeshore reopened for '51. To the right is the last ad to ever
run in the paper for the Lakeshore (September 1992).
Well,
if you're interested in color, you have some other options. I happened to take
pictures of Lakeshore just after demolition of the screen. A picture of the
marquee is below. If you don't have any pictures of a theater, ask your friends,
neighbors, relatives, anyone! I even have an ad out to the public asking if
anyone has any types of media or stories about the theaters to share to contact
me. I've found that newspapers are not a good source since photographs in newspapers
are printed on recycled and dull paper. Also, I've noticed that very few pictures
of drive-ins actually appear in the papers. A good source of photographs would
be neighbors living near or next to the old site of the theater you're researching.
Probably your best source would be an actual past owner. I bet you would be
able to get a lot of information from that person. Also, try your local TV stations.
I was able to record most of the news clip for our 6 o'clock news when the Lakeshore
was demolished.
Finally, for those of you who are interested in the politics,
history, and legal "stuff" that went along with the theaters, you
will want to head right for your local town hall or city hall. Look up the tax
records of all the past
owners of the land. You might even be able to find old surveys of the land,
and architectural diagrams of the site when they applied for permits. From the
business aspect of the theaters, try an article like this one that detailed
the lawsuit over the motion picture 'The Godfather' and which theaters had the
exclusive rights to play it over another.
I've just named a few sources of information about drive-ins. I know there are many more, but these are the ones that got me started. Once you get into the research of these structures you can't help but be overwhelmed by the vast amounts of history encapsulated in each one. It makes you want to go on and on and on in your research - hearing more stories, seeing more pictures, and reading more facts.
I hope this has been at least somewhat helpful in your search for facts about your favorite drive-ins. Drop me an e-mail at travbeav@rochester.rr.com if you would like more information. Before you go, take a look at the brief drive-in tribute I did below in QuickTime. You will need the QuickTime plug-in to view it. It is over 6MB in size, so if you're a dial up user, please be very patient.
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