The Drive-In Movies of Citrus County
By: Ken Marotte, Citrus County Historical Society
Did the sight of dancing hot-dogs and boxes of popcorn entice you to leave your car and run to the snack bar during a movie’s intermission? Did you ever ride around the Drive-In parking lot on a horse-drawn wagon while wearing your pajamas? Did you jam as many friends as possible into your car to avoid paying full ticket price for everyone? If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, then you may remember the Drive-In movie theaters of Citrus County.
The Golden Age of Drive-In Movie Theaters
In the post-war boom, teenagers and young families were looking for affordable entertainment. At the same time, Americans were freed from wartime rationing and were buying automobiles in record numbers. The advent of Drive-In movie theaters in the late 1940’s and 50’s capitalized on both trends. Drive-In theaters thrived across the county and every county boasted at least of couple outside entertainment venues. In Citrus County, the Crystal Drive-In in Crystal River and the Citrus Drive-In in Hernando prospered during this period.
Crystal Drive-In
The Crystal Drive-In was the first outdoor theater in the county. It was owned by Walter Bunts and was part of his gas station/cafe business. He didn’t advertise which movies would be showing each night so we know very little about his establishment other than it was located a half-mile South of Crystal River. It was not listed in the national Motion Picture Almanac so this Drive-In was a sidelight business.
Citrus Drive-In Opens
The planned construction of the Citrus Drive-In was announced in early 1952. It was located about two and one-half miles North of Inverness on Route 41 in the village of Hernando. J.D. Wagoner and A. King purchased ten acres of land for their theatre. Construction called for the building of masonry buildings for the projection booth, snack bar and rest rooms. The site is reportedly occupied by a U-Haul business today (near the “pink elephant” on North Florida Avenue – Route 41).
Since the location was wooded, the land had to be cleared and graded to accommodate an estimated 250 cars. Some of the wood was repurposed as the projection screen. The new entertainment complex opened to great fanfare in August 1952.
Less than a year later, the projection screen was the victim of a windstorm and the Citrus Drive-In had to close for repairs. It didn’t reopen until April 1953 under the leadership of a new manager, Clem Whittenbeck. He instituted a revised pricing policy that dropped the admission fee to forty cents per person every night – except the Thursday special of one dollar per carload.
Bringing in the Crowds
The management of the Citrus Drive-In knew that they had to provide audiences a reason to watch movies in the cars. In addition to reasonably-priced fast food, “unorthodox” live entertainment was offered to moviegoers.
When a movie was released about the lives of Daisy and Violet Hilton – two conjoined sisters – the Citrus Drive-In featured a special engagement with the stars on screen and live on the stage of the Hernando theater. The event was billed as “a show for the entire family”.
Another live show featured fancy riding cowboy Bob Cavanaugh and his trick horse Dottie, billed as “the worlds most educated mare”. Cavanaugh and Dottie had served as stunt doubles in some recent Western movies and were riding the circuit to take advantage of their fame. They performed trick riding routines in front of the projection screen.
What child could resist a ride on a pony stagecoach before the night’s movie presentations? Like many other Drive-In’s, the Citrus theatre offered rides on stage coaches and other vehicles. Kids would board the stage and then disappear as they rode around the park. Attractions such as this made a trip to the movies a special treat for children – who would beg their parents to see the next show.
Let’s Go To the Movies
The Citrus offered the usual fare of movies. Most of the time the featured films would have been in the first-run movie theatres months ago. In some cases there would be a lag of months or years between initial release and arrival at the Drive-In. For example, Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock” was released in November 1957 but was not shown at the Citrus until the following February.
The owners of the Citrus managed to provide a full roster of offerings that was rotated frequently so people would always be a guaranteed a new movie every few days. A sample of their January 1954 schedule for the month lists a wide variety of movies for differing tastes. A viewer could see Westerns, Square Dancing, Crime Mysteries and more during the month.
Part of the Community
The Citrus Drive-In became more than a movie venue. For example, the Inverness Independence Day celebration was held at the theatre. The Inverness Jaycees sponsored a display of historic documents replicas and a special showing of a patriotic movie titled “Down Freedom Way” . The Hernando Lions Club sold barbecue dinners during the afternoon (only $1 per plate for adults).
An hour-long fireworks display consisting of 89 aerial and 12 ground displays was provided to the public free of charge. Local dignitaries used the occasion to make speeches to their constituents,
Benefit performances for local organizations were frequently held. Groups such as the Future Farmers of America (FFA) and the Future Homemakers Club of Dunnellon sold tickets and were given a portion of the proceeds for that night’s performance.
Changes at the Drive-In
The management of the Citrus Drive-In changed over the years. J.W. Mullen bought the theatre in 1955 and made a number of improvements to the facility, such as installation of a expanded screen that could handle the latest Cinemascope format.
It was common practice for any vendor associated with a business opening or improvement project to congratulate the owner of the business but also make readers aware that they played an important role in the endeavor.
The Citrus Drive-In prospered under Mullen’s leadership. However, changes were in the wind that led to demise of Drive-In theatres across the country. Competition from television and more “second run” movie houses had an impact on their business. The novelty of outdoor theatres diminished and the cost of maintaining the facility increased. The extensive land required for a drive-in became cost prohibitive as developers sought to build houses or utilize for industrial development.
Henry Kochne, a veteran Drive-Inn owner, purchased the Citrus theatre in 1961. The new facility was renamed the “Sunset Drive-In”. Kochne had opened the first drive-in theatre in the United States in 1928. He also owned other theatres in Florida, including Orlando. In spite of his business acumen, however, the Citrus/Sunset suffered the same fate as many other drive-ins and was forced to close.
A Look Back
For many readers of a certain age, attending a drive-in as a child was a magical experience. Many teenagers had their first dates at the drive-in which undoubtedly led to subsequent marriages. There are still a few drive-in movie theatres in Florida and couples enjoy nostalgic trips into the past while enjoying a movie.
A Final Request
Please – remember to remove the speaker from your window and replace in the basket before driving away! Take it from me, it’s not a pleasant experience if you forget…
Ken Marotte writes for the Citrus County Historical Society. He can be reached via email at kenmarottejr@gmail.com if you have any comments, questions or suggestions Contact him if you’d like to participate in the ongoing CCHS Oral History Project.