CIRCLE DRIVE-IN

Location:Pacific Coast Highway at the Traffic Circle, Long Beach.
Year built:Opened April 4, 1951
Operated by:Eagle Theatres Corp.; Pacific Theatres.
Vehicle Capacity:1000
Notes:Closed on January 31, 1985. No trace of this drive-in remains.
The Circle Drive-in Theatre, operated by Eagle Theatre Corporation, opened to a capacity crowd on a rainy night on Wednesday, April 4, 1951. Opening features included Dennis Morgan and Steve Cochran in "Raton Pass" along with Rod Cameron and Wayne Morris in "Stage To Tucson." $300,000 was spent to build the Circle on 15 acres of land and it included all the amenities of a state of the art drive-in theatre. Capacity was 1000 cars. Projection was provided by the latest in equipment from RCA and the snack bar boasted 85 feet of counter space. No time would be spent missing any part of the movie as two large 16 foot windows and piped-in sound allowed for viewing the movie while in line to purchase delicious snacks and goodies. The Circle lasted until the dark days of the drive-in theater industry -- the mid-80s, and closed on January 31, 1985. The Cirle was torn down to make way for commercial development.


Images and information from Long Beach Press Telegram, 04/05/51.

Added 04/18/02. Photo below courtesy Gary Ciriello Local 521 Long Beach, relief projectionist at all of the drive-ins in the Lakewood,Long Beach and Compton areas.