![]() In addition to movies, the Bellevue screened "fight films" of professional boxing matches. Related: Way Way Back: Old entertainment is new again with drive-ins Advertisements boasted its “towering mammoth screen.” 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. 29, 1948, three miles west of Peoria on Illinois Route 116. At one time, there were more than 4,000 drive-ins across the United States.Ī handful operated in the Peoria area: Peoria Drive-In The concept took off after World War II, with rising car ownership and a boom in babies. Outdoor movie screenings date back to the 1920s, while the drive-in theater was patented in 1933. Less known might be the birth of a gory film genre, a history of natural and manmade disasters, and a live, "trained" chimpanzee. David BeachlerĪnswer: Bags full of popcorn, coolers full of beverages - and trunks full of friends - are fond, common memories of many Peoria drive-in patrons. I would be interested to know the history of these theaters and if something other than TV and cable caused their demise. We routinely visited the Peoria, Holiday, Pioneer, Bellevue and Starlite drive-in theaters. The Thursday Peoria Journal Star listed the "Now Showing" of indoor and outdoor theaters. 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. ![]() ![]() 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.Īsk Dean: Tucked along the Illinois River near Peoria, this man-made island helps nature thrive 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). Send your questions to Warm summer evenings in the mid-'50s would find my family at the Peoria Drive-In Theatre. Ask Dean is a Journal Star column focusing on all things Peoria: its history, mysteries, quirks and culture. ![]()
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