Opened: June 16, 1938 for a preview with the public opening on the 17th with Donald Duck as the master of ceremonies. The initial film was "Who Killed Gale Preston." It was a project of Seth D. Perkins. The 1938 photo is from an Arcadia Publishing book. Thanks to Wes Clark's Burbankia for including it in a San Val Drive-In album.
Ron Strong, on his Bijou Memories page about the San Val, notes the opening festivities included Walt Disney and his brother Roy there for a presentation to Perkins of a "Best Theatre Owner" mock Oscar that resembled Mickey Mouse. This was the second drive-in to open in California. The Pico Drive-In had opened in 1934 with Perkins soon taking that one over. Perkins got his start in the 1910s at various Downtown L.A. theatres including the Woodley/Mission, the Optic and the Garrick.
Architect: Clifford A. Balch
Screen size: 38' x 58' initially. Later it was 45' x 65'.
Capacity: 618 cars initially. A 1952 remodel increased the capacity to 813.
A news story about the opening. Thanks to Wes Clark's Burbankia for including it in a San Val Drive-In album.
An opening week ad with the film title mangled. The ad appears in the Burbankia album about the San Val Drive-In.
Jim Rowe comments: "I remember riding with my P.J.’s and pillow in the package tray of our ‘36 Ford with Mom and Dad … Dad worked at lockheed and we couldn’t wait until he came home on Friday’s or Saturdays for 'Movie Night.' The only problem was during 1943 – 1945 when the air-raid sirens would go off, the screen went dark and everybody was told to stay in their cars … kinda scary … and it usually happened during the Cartoon … DARN!"
Beginning in 1946 the San Val was operated by Pacific Theatres.
Closed: June 1975.
1938 - Thanks to Wes Clark's Burbankia for including this shot in their San Val Drive-In album. They give a shout out to Barry Epstein for finding it. The door to the theatre office can be seen in the screen tower. The photo originally appeared in an issue of Motion Picture Herald.
1938 - The screen tower at night. It's a photo that appeared in Motion Picture Herald.
1938 - Looking through the grape fields toward the screen. It's a photo from the UCLA Library collection. Thanks to Ron Strong for including it in his Google Photos album of the theatre.
c.1938 - The original boxoffice. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.
c.1938 - The projection booth and restrooms. Later a larger restroom and snackbar building was added farther from the screen. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo. Other early views in the collection include: another view down from the screen | field and murals on fencing |
1942 - Camouflage painting around the screen. The theatre was about a mile from Lockheed Aircraft and the Lockheed/Burbank Airport. It's a view in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Note the early speakers. There was no individual volume control. It wasn't until 1946 that RCA started producing speakers with individual volume controls that were designed to hook on a window.
1942 - Camouflage painting around the screen. The theatre was about a mile from Lockheed Aircraft and the Lockheed/Burbank Airport. It's a view in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Note the early speakers. There was no individual volume control. It wasn't until 1946 that RCA started producing speakers with individual volume controls that were designed to hook on a window.
1949 - Filming Raoul Walsh's Warner Bros. film "White Heat." On the marquee are "South of St. Louis" and "Siren of Atlantis." It's a photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for three more drive-in shots as well as a view of the back of the El Portal.
1962 - A Howard D. Kelly photo looking northeast from the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Also see a 1962 view looking west.
1972 - Looking west along Winona. It's a photo appearing in the Burbankia San Val Drive-In photo album on Google.
1972 - The boxoffices. It's a photo appearing in the Burbankia San Val Drive-In photo album on Google.
1972 - Looking northeast. It's a photo appearing in the Burbankia San Val Drive-In photo album on Google. The album also has additional 1972 views.
1973 - Running "My Name is Nobody" with Terence Hill and Henry Fonda along with "The Stone Killer" starring Charles Bronson and Martin Balsam. Thanks to the Valley Relics Museum Facebook page for sharing the photo in 2024. There had also been a 2018 post of it with many comments.
1975 - Demo begins. Some speaker posts have already been removed. It's a photo appearing in the Burbankia San Val Drive-In photo album on Google. Thanks!
The San Val in the Movies:
Jimmy Cagney, with his mother and girlfriend in the car, drop into the San Val to elude the cops in Raoul Walsh's "White Heat" (Warner Bros., 1949). It also stars Virginia Mayo, Margaret Wycherly and Edmond O'Brien. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for five more drive-in shots as well as a view of the back of the El Portal.
Jimmy Cagney, with his mother and girlfriend in the car, drop into the San Val to elude the cops in Raoul Walsh's "White Heat" (Warner Bros., 1949). It also stars Virginia Mayo, Margaret Wycherly and Edmond O'Brien. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for five more drive-in shots as well as a view of the back of the El Portal.
More information: Visit Ron Strong's fine San Val Drive-In page on the site Bijou Memories. Also see his separate photo album about the theatre on Google Photos.
The site Cinema Treasures also has a page about the San Val.
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