Chimps, arson and the birth of splatter films: Rise and fall of Peoria drive-in theaters
Ask Dean is a Journal Star column focusing on all things Peoria: its history, mysteries, quirks and culture. Send your questions to dmuellerleile@pjstar.com.
Question: Warm summer evenings in the mid-'50s would find my family at the Peoria Drive-In Theatre. My little brother and I would be in our pj's and Mom would have fixed a brown paper bag of popcorn and Dad had a cooler full of soft drinks (or maybe a beer or two).
What special evenings they were. Usually a double feature, cartoons, the animated concession stand ads and, of course, the guys who had spotlights on their cars playing chase with their lights on the screen at intermission.
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When I finally had my own car, not many weekends went by without a trip to the drive-in with buddies or with that special girl. The Thursday Peoria Journal Star listed the "Now Showing" of indoor and outdoor theaters. We routinely visited the Peoria, Holiday, Pioneer, Bellevue and Starlite drive-in theaters.
I would be interested to know the history of these theaters and if something other than TV and cable caused their demise. — David Beachler
Answer: Bags full of popcorn, coolers full of beverages — and trunks full of friends — are fond, common memories of many Peoria drive-in patrons.
Less known might be the birth of a gory film genre, a history of natural and manmade disasters, and a live, "trained" chimpanzee.
Outdoor movie screenings date back to the 1920s, while the drive-in theater was patented in 1933. The concept took off after World War II, with rising car ownership and a boom in babies. At one time, there were more than 4,000 drive-ins across the United States.
A handful operated in the Peoria area:
Peoria Drive-In
Peoria's first outdoor movie venue, the Peoria Drive-in Theatre, opened Oct. 2, 1947, on Glen Avenue near University. It had a capacity of nearly 1,000 cars. The grand opening feature was the musical "The Time, the Place and the Girl."
By 1949, the venue boasted its own publication, Peoria Drive-In Theatre News. Volume 1, No. 3 promised "wholesome entertainment" via "motion pictures under the stars." The concession-stand menu offered popcorn, hot dogs, and Roszel's Sealtest "Laddie Bars" and other frozen treats. The back of the rather handsome booklet touted a "new taste thrill" — lemon-lime Kool-Aid ... in a bottle.
Commenters on social media recall smuggled popcorn and patrons, the venue's playground, "foggy windows" and Glen Avenue traffic jams. The neon sign and the intermission song were fondly remembered.
The Peoria Drive-In closed in the late 1980s. A 1989 arson fire at the shuttered property at 1631 W. Glen Ave. led to its razing.
Bellevue Drive-In
The area’s second drive-in opened Aug. 29, 1948, three miles west of Peoria on Illinois Route 116. The Bellevue Drive-In Theatre was enlarged over time and was reportedly the biggest drive-in in downstate Illinois, with an ultimate capacity of some 1,400 cars. Advertisements boasted its “towering mammoth screen.”
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In addition to movies, the Bellevue screened "fight films" of professional boxing matches.
In 1963, the Bellevue hosted the world premiere of "Blood Feast," considered the first splatter film.
In April 2002, the Journal Star looked back at that screening in a story headlined, "Birth of the Gore." It credited the film with paving the way for such later scare fests as "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Friday the 13th." The film's producer, David F. Friedman, told the paper, "You can truly say that Peoria was the birthplace of the 'splatter' film." The film's $24,500 budget, the story said, was financed by a co-owner of the Bellevue, by then "known for lurid movies."
The promotional campaign included vomit bags for attendees. Journal Star ads leading up to the premiere promised that "You'll gasp! You'll shudder! You'll recoil!" Apparently, the efforts were successful. The Chicago-based director and producer drove to Peoria and encountered a traffic jam a few miles from the theater. The drive-in was full.
The Bellevue Drive-In later controversially screened a number of X-rated films. It closed in the early 1980s.
Pekin Drive-In
The Pekin Drive-In Theatre operated briefly in the 1950s at North Eighth Street and Illinois Route 29. It advertised itself as "Pekin's first and finest" drive-in theater, curiously touting "perfect entertainment for the invalid." A 1952 notice in the Peoria Journal said, "Due to a small tornado Wednesday wrecking our screen we will be unable to serve the public tonite." A 1955 Journal ad promoted "New Kiddieland" at the former drive-in site, promising "fun for all with rides of all kinds."
Starlite Drive-In
The Starlite, on Illinois Route 98 north of Pekin, opened in 1950 and was the last drive-in to operate in the Peoria area.
At a time when indoor theaters advertised air conditioning, the Starlite billed itself as the venue "Where the Cool Breezes Blow!"
After the Starlite closed for the 1991 season, a fire destroyed its concession stand and projection booth building. A body was found in the ruins.
Pioneer Drive-In
In September 1964, the Pioneer Drive-In opened near University Street and Pioneer Parkway. Ahead of its debut, a Journal Star story reported the new theater would accommodate 1,000 vehicles using a "double car ramp for parking," with electric heaters installed on each speaker post to allow year-round screenings. The concessions building was to feature a 75-foot counter.
In April 1982, high winds "mangled" the screen at the drive-in. By 1984, the Pioneer Drive-In was no longer screening movies.
Holiday Drive-In
In July 1965, a Journal Star story previewed the upcoming grand opening of the Holiday Drive-In Theatre, "northwest of Peoria on U.S. 150." The venue was to have a 1,200-car capacity, with the majority of the ramped area "wired for in-car electric heaters." Official greeters were to be "Teen Queens" from various high schools, offering gifts for each attendee. "Bob Cavanaugh with his trained horse and chimp" was to entertain youngsters before the first movie.
To avoid confusion, the new venue — "across from the Orange Motel on Rt. 150 and 91" — included a series of maps in its advertisements. An August 1965 ad detailed access via the "new Interstate 74 and War Memorial Drive" and boasted its location was "now convenient to all Peorialand."
In May 1986, a tornado demolished the viewing screen of the Holiday Drive-In, uprooted trees and resulted in a missing $700 cow, a Journal Star story said. No human injuries were reported.
A JS photo captured the aftermath: The drive-in's marquee read "TORNADO" and "CLOSED TILL FURTHER NOTICE."
No such notice was ever reported in the Journal Star.
The decline of the drive-in
With television’s rise in popularity, the rising cost of land, and the birth of the multiplex, many drive-ins met their demise. Other factors included cable TV, VCRs and video rentals, and the oil crisis and high gasoline prices. Even daylight saving time played a role, as it caused drive-in movies to start an hour later.
Only a handful of active drive-ins remain in Illinois, including the Route 66 Drive-In in Springfield and the Harvest Moon Twin Drive-In in Gibson City.
Memories online
But the beloved drive-in lives on in the hearts of fans. Recollections of Peoria-area drive-in theaters can be found at the Retro Peoria and Memories of Peoria Facebook pages.
Whether it's a person, place or product, send your "Whatever happened to ...?" and "Wasn't there a ...?" questions, comments and suggestions to dmuellerleile@pjstar.com. Please put ASK DEAN in the subject line.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Drive-in theaters' colorful history in Peoria, Illinois, area
