Los Angeles Theatres: Reseda Drive-In

18441 Vanowen St. Reseda (Los Angeles) CA 91335 | map |

It was on the north side of Vanowen, just east of Reseda Blvd. The 1978 photo by Elisa Leonelli appears on Calisphere from the Claremont Colleges Library, Special Collections. The Reseda was an operation of Pacific Theatres.

Opened: April 7, 1949 with Glenn Ford in "The Man From Colorado" and Ronald Reagan in "John Loves Mary." Thanks to David Coppock for researching the titles.

Capacity: 740 cars

Architect: unknown

Screen size: 60 feet wide originally.

Projectors and sound: Motiograph. Later they replaced the Motio AAAs with Simplex XLs but kept the Motio SH-7500 soundheads.

Lamps: Strong

"No need to dress up!." This pre-opening ad from a Van Nuys paper was located by Dallas Movie Theatres for a post on Cinema Treasures.

A 1949 article from the West San Fernando Valley Sun. Thanks to Hankslapsaddle for locating it for a post on Cinema Treasures. Also see additional articles from the Sun profiling manager Paul W. Glick and assistant manager Tom McCormick. And the Sun even had a poem "Ode To Reseda Drive-In Theatre" by Moe, the Movie Mogul.

An illustration from the West San Fernando Valley Sun article.

An opening day article in the Van Nuys News that was located by Ken McIntyre:

"Reseda Drive-In Theatre To Stage Grand Opening Tonight. One of the largest silver screens in the world will light up for the first time tonight when the Reseda Drive-In Theatre stages its gala grand opening. Costing over $250,000 to build, the elaborate 10-acre showplace incorporates modern technical advances and latest refinement in show-going comfort. Located in the heart of Reseda at the intersection of Reseda Blvd. and Vanowen Street, the deluxe theater on wheels is designed to serve the recreational needs of the entire West Valley area, parking 500 cars on new style ramps.

"Individual sound speakers with adjustable volume control are provided for every ear. The entire ten acre theater plant is completely paved. A central building houses sanitary lounges, and an ultramodern snack bar which will serve a variety of hot and cold refreshments during each show. The new “automobile movie palace” has been built by Pacific Drive-In Theatres, owner-operator concern, and which has several such theaters in the Southland."

A Pacific match book cover. Thanks to Terrence Butcher for spotting it.

Closing: 1978

Status: It's been demolished. Ken McIntyre located this item that appeared in the L.A. Times on March 25, 1979:

"The site formerly occupied by the Reseda Drive-In will open next Sunday as the Reseda Business Park and Mid-Valley Racquet Ball and Athletic Club, according to the owners. The racquetball and athletic club will open in May."

More photos:

1950s - The Reseda's playground. It's a photo located by Robert Juzefski. Thanks to David Zornig for sharing it as a post on Cinema Treasures.

1960s? - An undated photo from the Valley Relics Museum collection that appeared as a 2017 post about the theatre on their Facebook page. There was also a 2024 repost. It was also shared on Cinema Treasures in 2014 by a contributor going by the handle Drive-In 54.

1962 - A photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection that was taken by Howard D. Kelly. Their caption:

"Aerial view of Reseda Drive-In Theater, view is looking north. Reseda Boulevard is vertically at left; Canby Avenue, Darby Avenue and Etiwanda Avenue are mid-photo (behind the drive-in) to right; Vanowen Street is horizontally at extreme bottom; Hart Street is horizontally at middle; Sherman Way is horizontally at top."

1980s - A marquee shot that was located by Ken McIntyre.

2025 - A look down from Google Maps. Reseda Blvd. is running up the left side, Vanowen is across the bottom.

The Reseda in the Movies and on TV:

The Reseda appears in a Boston Blackie episode titled "High Voltage Murder." Thanks to Cinema Treasures contributor Valley for noting that it "features a terrific gun battle and car chase through the old Reseda Drive-In." Michael Kilgore later added: "Following up Valley’s post from 2008, I found that 1951 Boston Blackie episode, partly filmed at the Reseda, at the Internet Archive."

There's six minutes at the Reseda starting 8:20 into the episode, a scene that includes a murder in front of the projection booth that Blackie witnesses from the roof, a car chase around the ramps, and a fistfight with Blackie getting clobbered with a speaker.

Boston Blackie and his girlfriend Mary are back for another scene at 15:40 to look for evidence. The Ziv Television Productions show had 58 episodes running from 1951 to 1953. This third episode of the initial season aired December 3, 1951. Kent Taylor, Lois Collier and Frank Orth were featured. Paul Landres directed.

We see lots of the Reseda in Peter Bogdanovich's "Targets" (Paramount, 1968). The film stars Boris Karloff as an aging Hollywood star named Byron Orlock. He's doing an appearance at the drive-in. Nancy Hsueh plays his assistant and Bogdanovich, of course, is the director of Karloff's last several films. Tim O'Kelly is the shooter. The cinematography was by László Kovács.