Colonial Beach Drive-In
Few remember the Colonial Beach Drive-In where folks could park their cars (this was before golf carts) and take in the latest motion pictures, some of them in color.
It used to be located in the big field where the horses are now, across from the Beachgate Shopping Center. It is said to have been in operation from 1951 - 1952 and was known as Beach Drive-In.
An aerial picture from 1952 can be seen at this link.
Pictured are Shirley Green McKenney and her mother in approximately 1951-52.
An entry in the Potomac Interest newspaper listed the following in June of 1951:
BEACH DRIVE-IN THEATRE
Colonial Beach, VA
Two Shows Every Night at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.
Thursday - Friday, May 31 - June 1
Alice Fay Tyrone Power Don Ameche in
"ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME BAND"
Saturday June 2
Forrest Tucker Rod Cameron in
"THE PLUNDERERS"
(In Technicolor)
Sunday - Monday June 3 - 4
Abbott & Costello in
"THE WISTFUL WIDOW OF WAGON GAP"
Tuesday - Wednesday June 5 - 6
Yvonne DeCarlo Dan Duryea Rod Cameron in
"RIVER LADY"
(In Technicolor)
Thursday - Friday June 7 - 8
- BIG DOUBLE FEATURE -
Mae West W.C. Fields in
"MY LITTLE CHICKADEE"
-PLUS-
Sunset Carson in
"DEADLINE"
Admission: $1 per car full, plus tax
An entry in the Potomac Interest newspaper listed the following in June of 1952:
BEACH DRIVE-IN THEATRE
Colonial Beach, VA
2 Shows Every Night, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.
June 12 & 13 (Thursday and Friday) James Stewart, Barbara Hale in "Jackpot"
Saturday, June 14 - Errol Flynn in "Santa Fe Trail"
Sun. & Mon. June 15 and 16 "Red Stallion In The Rockies" In Cinecolor with Arthur Franz and Jean Heather, Jim Davis, Ray Collins
Tuesday June 17 Dave O' Brien in "Return of the Rangers" -PLUS- East Side Kids in "'Neath Brooklyn Bridge"
Wednesday, June 18 Jack LaRue in "Gentleman from Dixie" -PLUS- Gene Autry in "Strawberry Roan"
In August of 1951 a small snippet appeared in that same newspaper stating:
On August 1st the ownership of the Beach Drive-In Theatre at Colonial Beach, changed.
The current owners are L.A. Frank of Monroe Hall, Malcolm (Mack) Coates of Colonial Beach, and E.M. Toft and T.E. Campbell.
N.P. Worman, the original manager, has returned to his home in Ohio.
An entry in the Potomac Interest newspaper listed the following on Thursday, June 19, 1952:
Beach Drive In Theatre
2 Shows Every Night
7:30 and 9:30 p.m.
Thursday and Friday June 19 & 20
Donald O' Connor, Jimmy Durante in
"The Milkman"
Saturday, June 21
June Haver, Gloria De Haven in
"I'll Get By"
Sun. & Mon. June 22 & 23
"KANSAS RAIDERS"
color by Technicolor
starring Audie Murphy, Brian Donlevy, Marguerite Chapman, Scott Brady
Tuesday June 17
Ken Maynard in "Hell Fire Austin"
PLUS
William Bendix in "Don Juan Quilligan"
Wednesday June 25
Ken Curtis in "Over the Santa Fe Trail"
PLUS
Lum and Abner in "Dreaming Out Loud"
On some Saturdays there was a midnight show at 11:30 p.m.
Admission was $1.00 per car plus tax.
The location to this day remains a large flat field. It has some fencing around it and horses graze on the grass. It would be pretty neat to have this feature here in town again, as there are only about seven of those facilities left in the entire state of Virginia from what I've read.
Return from Colonial Beach Drive-In to History
Connect with us:
