Drive-In Theater Movie Screen Towers have long had a history of being susceptible to weather, and fire.
Most early screen towers were constructed from wood, or a combination of wood and steel. They weren’t always durable, and most of them
certainly weren’t designed for longevity. Here we will examine some of the screens that didn’t make the cut here in Michigan.
CARO DRIVE-IN ~ CARO ~ 1987
The Caro Drive-In in Michigan's "thumb" lost it's way on Monday, July 20, 1987. High winds swept
through the small town that evening and took the aging screen tower down. The storm sealed the
theater's fate, as the owners decided to not rebuild. Sadly, a Wal-Mart was built on the site.
COLDWATER DRIVE-IN ~ COLDWATER ~ 1949
The rustic Coldwater Drive-In was built in the spring of 1949, and it's screen tower was hit by a storm before it opened.
The newspaper report on the storm damage is a bit stange. The article says the screen was "wrenched from it's
supports and deposited in a heap on the ground." Meanwhile, the accompanying photo shows the screen tower is clearly still
standing, with what appears to be moderate damage. Regardless, the screen was either repaired or replaced, and the drive-in
eventually opened. The actual opening date has yet to be discovered.
Click To Enlarge
ECORSE DRIVE-IN ~ TAYLOR ~ 1980
The Ecorse lost it's original enclosed screen tower in a big windstorm on July 16, 1980.
A news article has yet to surface on the destruction of the Ecorse Drive-In screen. The screen was
replaced and the theater continued on through the 1980s.
HASTINGS DRIVE-IN ~ HASTINGS ~ 1980
The infamous Hastings Drive-In lost it's screen to a fire on November 6, 1980, solving a big problem
for many Hastings residents. The problem was, the theater was part of a chain of X-Rated drive-ins
owned by porn pioneer Harry Mohney. The Hastings was under fire (no pun intended) for showing "dirty"
films when the fire occured. There were rumblings of arson, but that was never proven. Mohney's lawyers
spent 2 years in court trying to get the theater reopened. They failed, and the property was sold. And
with that, the theater just faded away. The brick marquee and ticket booth remain on the site today.
HI-WAY DRIVE-IN ~ CARSONVILLE ~ 1996
The screen at the Hi-Way was blown down in an April 1996 storm. Father and son owners Stanley and Larry Fetting
contracted Selby Screens in Ohio to build them a new screen.
The all-steel screen was erected by Selby in July 1996. The first movie that lit up the new screen was, you guessed it,
Twister! The Hi-Way is 1 of only 10 drive-ins remaining in the state of Michigan. Find them all
on our Open Michigan Drive-Ins page.
IONIA DRIVE-IN ~ IONIA ~ 1957
The Ionia Drive-In’s screen, ticket booth, and several speaker poles were destroyed by high winds in the early morning hours of June 17,
1957. Owner Arthur Chipman initially estimated the damage amounted to $40,000. A couple of days later, the theater’s marquee was pictured
in the local newspaper with the “Gone With The Wind” movie title. A new screen was erected, and the Ionia Drive-In was back in business.
LAKES DRIVE-IN ~ BRIGHTON ~ 1982
The Lakes Drive-In's original enclosed screen tower was knocked down by a storm on March 24, 1982. Oddly enough,
the added-on Cinemascope "wings" remained erect. A new Selby Screen was installed, and the Lakes was back in business.
The theater's new all-steel screen couldn't save the Lakes, it was in use for only 8 seasons.
LAKES DRIVE-IN ~ LAKE LINDEN ~ 1966
Michigan had a pair of Lakes Drive-Ins, and they both lost their screens to storms.
This Lakes Drive-In was located in the Upper Pennisula town of Lake Linden, and it was the northernmost ozoner in the state.
An undated news story tells us an early winter storm dropped the 120-foot screen at the Lakes.
We are assuming this event occured in the late-1950s, or the early-1960s. The screen was
replaced and the show when on.
Click To Enlarge
NILES DRIVE-IN ~ NILES ~ 1965
Under a fill moon, a crowded lot of movie-goers witnessed the 17-year old Niles Drive-In movie screen erupt in flames around 9 p.m.
on Sunday, July 11, 1965. Fortunately no one was injured, but the 112 by 52-foot screen was turned into a pile of rubble in the end.
The blaze was blamed on an electrical box inside the tower. The theater announced a "new and bigger screen" in their grand re-opening
ad on Friday, July 30, 1965.
NORTHSIDE DRIVE-IN ~ LANSING ~ 1978
The Northside Drive-In's original screen tower was destroyed in an early morning fire
on Monday, September 4, 1978. The DeWitt Township fire chief suspected an electrical short may have
caused the fire. The screen was replaced, and the theater resumed operations on September 22. In an
ironic twist, one of the movies playing that night was Saturday Night Fever. The Northside's ad for
movie included the tagline "America's Burning Up With a Fever."
OTTAWA DRIVE-IN ~ SPRING LAKE ~ 1963
As reported in the newspaper, the Ottawa's screen was destroyed in an October 1963 storm. It was
replaced, and the theater continued on. It was eventually renamed the M-104 Drive-In, and then
the M-104 Twin when a second screen was added.
Click To Enlarge
PAUL BUNYAN DRIVE-IN ~ HUBBARD LAKE ~ 1956
Not much is currently known about the Paul Bunyan, an obscure short-lived drive-in in Northern Michigan.
We do know the screen was destroyed by a twister on a Sunday afternoon in the summer of 1956. A local news
article tells us the 70-foot metal screen was peeled away by a tornado on July 1, leaving the twisted
wooden pole supports in it's wake. The owner Lou Kramer, planned to erect a new screen immediately.
Click To Enlarge
SUNSET DRIVE-IN ~ MIDLAND ~ 1977
The screen at the Sunset Drive-In in Midland was totally destroyed by an early morning fire on June 21, 1977. The snack bar was slightly
damaged in a separate fire. Officials suspected arson in the $50,000 blaze. The theater was owned by the East coast-based Redstone Theaters
(National Amusements) chain. A Redstone representative indicated the screen would be replaced.
TRAVERSE DRIVE-IN ~ TRAVERSE ~ 198O
Not much is known about the demise of the Traverse Drive-In screen at the present time. Apparently it burned circa 1980,
and the theater never reopened. If you have any news articles or information, please let us know.
US-23 DRIVE-IN ~ FLINT ~ 1997
The US-23's original wood and steel tower stucture was lost in an arson fire in March, 1997. Apparently some teenage kids
broke into the vacant living quarters in the screen tower and started a fire that consumed the entire screen.
The screen was quickly replaced, and fortunately the "23" carries on in 2022. More details and a video of the fire can be
found on the Outdoor Moovies interview with owner Lou Warrington on
the
MichiganDrive-Ins.com YouTube Channel.
