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Starlite Drive-In

2540 Rosemead Blvd. South El Monte, CA  91731  | map | 
 

Opened: June 15, 1950. The address has also been listed as 2559 N. Chico Blvd., El Monte. The location is just south of Garvey. The 1978 photo is by Elisa Leonelli. It's on Calisphere as well as on the website of the Claremont Colleges Digital Library. It's in the Claremont's collection.
 
Architect:  J. Arthur Drielsma. Joe Vogel did the research:

"Although Southwest Builder and Contractor announced in the issue of June 13, 1947 that Clifford and William Balch were preparing the plans for this theater, it appears that the owners decided to go with another architect. The March 25, 1950 issue of Boxoffice Magazine said that the Starlite was scheduled for a May opening, and that it had been designed by Los Angeles architect J. Arthur Drielsma. The magazine said that the theater could accommodate 850 cars. The original owners and operators of the Starlite were Ford Bratcher, his brother Carl Bratcher, and Byron Congdon. mm

Capacity: 860 cars 
 


A booth shot showing Motiograph AA projectors, Motiograph soundheads and amplifiers. The lamps were Ashcraft Core-Lites. Thanks to Rainbow Angeles Ensemble for locating the shot for a post on Cinema Treasures. Also see a shot of the DC generator.

In 1951 the Starlite became a Pacific Theatres operation.
 
Closing: As a theatre, it closed in the 1990s. The screen was demolished in 1997. The lot was used as a swap meet until 2020. It didn't reopen after the Covid pandemic restrictions were eased.
 
The property is being redeveloped for houses by KB Home and is to be called "Astaire at Starlite." KB bought the site in 2023 for $24 million. The marquee is being rebuilt by Signmakers, the firm headed by Paul Stoakes.  



1950 - A pre-opening shot located by Rainbow Angeles Ensemble for a post on Cinema Treasures. A watermarked version can be seen on the site Historic Photo Archive.

 
1950 -"Free Boat Ride and Playground." The Alan Ladd film "Whispering Smith" was a December 1948 release. Thanks to Rainbow Angeles Ensemble for locating the shot for a post on Cinema Treasures.
 
 

1950 - A shot from the February 3, 1951 issue of Boxoffice. "A dramatic arrangement of theatre name and flashing stars combines theatre name and current attraction panel at the Starlite Drive-In Theatre near El Monte, Calif." Thanks to Michael Kilgore for sharing it on Cinema Treasures. "My Blue Heaven" was a September release.
 
The photo appearance with "These sign makers are restoring LA to its neon glory, one display at a time," the December 2024 article for LAist by Fiona Ng. The story is about Signmakers, a firm headed by Paul Stoakes. Fiona comments about this job: 

"Currently, Stoakes and his team are working to restore the Starlite Drive-In marquee in South El Monte. The plot of land where it sits will be the site of a new community of condos built by KB Homes. Stoakes said the company loved the drive-in sign so much they decided to restore it. 
 
"The vintage display was in such a dilapidated state that only the I beams were intact. So the plan now is to rebuild it to its original likeness — using as much as the same process as before. Stoakes said the new sign is expected to go up in early 2025. The building of the sign itself takes months, but it's a project that's been a couple years in the making, involving tons of research."

 

2008 - A marquee detail by Monica Seitz Vega appearing on the Cinema Tour page about the Starlite. 



c.2010 - A shot of the marquee taken during the property's swap meet era. Thanks to Arnold Darrow for sharing this one on a Lost Angeles Facebook group post in 2024. 
 
 

c.2010? - An undated shot by John J. Wilson. Thanks to Davis Zornig for sharing this on Cinema Treasures.  
 


2017 -  The back of the marquee. It's a shot from "Visiting and Remembering the Starlite," a six-minute video from The Graveyard Channel on YouTube. 

 

2017 - Looking in toward where the screen had been. It's another shot from the Graveyard Channel's video.
 
 

2024 - A shot from the collection of Signmakers.  
 
 

2024 - A photo from a Chris Nichols Facebook post that also features a November video of Paul Stoakes of Signmakers talking about the rehab project.
 
 

2024 - Taking it apart. Photo: Signmakers


 
2024 - Later in the process. Photo: Signmakers
 
 

2025 - Looking south toward the remains of the sign. As Paul Stoakes had noted: the only components worth saving were the beams. Photo: Bill Counter - January 7



2025 - The new "Starlite" development. Photo: Bill Counter - January 7
 
More information: See the Cinema Tour and Cinema Treasures pages about the Starlite. 

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