Tri-City Drive-In (Demolished)
Redlands, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Tri-City Drive-in Theatre near Loma Linda is another of the great screens with fantastic murals. The image of the skier depicts the area which is near the mountains. A Roadside Peek contributor claims that the skier riding down the ski slope is actually a depiction of him. Fact or fiction? You know the drill.

Unfortunately the Tri-City drive-in has been demolished.

For more information, see Roadside Peek's Lost Treasures tribute to the Tri-City Drive-in Theatre.

Bel Air Drive-In (Demolished)
Fontana, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The old grounds of the Bel-Air Drive-In in Fontana looked more like a storage yard than a movie destination when photographed. Beyond the scattered reminders, it took a little imagination to picture rows of cars waiting for the evening’s double feature. The coming attractions had certainly changed.

Opened by Pacific Theatres on November 21, 1956, the Bel-Air welcomed customers with Elvis Presley in Love Me Tender and The Desperados Are Back in Town. Its single-screen grounds accommodated roughly a thousand cars, making this stretch of Valley Boulevard a busy place after sunset.

Bel Air Drive-In (Demolished)
Fontana, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

For more than three decades, the theatre offered the familiar combination of movies, snacks, and an evening in the family automobile. Its final program paired Uncle Buck with K-9 on September 14, 1989.

The screen, ticket booths, and concession building were subsequently demolished. Storage and automotive uses took over the grounds, leaving the photograph to record an in-between chapter when traces of the theatre could still be found among a very different collection of vehicles.

The razed over empty lot
Fontana, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Then came the 2000 photographs showing the new Bel Air Swap Meet, reportedly occupying the same lot. Compare the views and check out the change. The property that looked largely forgotten in 1998 had gained another reason for customers to pull in.

The familiar Bel Air name carried over, although the attraction had moved from evening pictures to daytime shopping. Instead of checking which movies were playing, visitors could wander through the merchandise and see what turned up. The entertainment now involved a little more walking.

New Bel Air Swap Meet?
Fontana, CA
Photos( 2000) courtesy Ralph Ishmael

Like other former drive-in grounds across Southern California, the site found a second use as an outdoor marketplace. The photographs capture that transition, giving the old theatre’s story another chapter after the screen disappeared.

UPDATE: The Bel Air Drive-in and Bel Air Fontana Swap Meets are on the sites of the Thorp family Plymouth dealerships. My late parents bought a couple of cars from them. The dealerships folded about 1970 & the buildings were used for selling Blue Haven Pools, but the drive-in in Rialto continued. Starting about 1960, most businesses on Foothill Boulevard began suffering greatly when Hwy-66 traffic moved to the newly opened US-10 freeway. Many thanks to John Bennett of Colton for update. 08-06

New Bel Air Swap Meet?
Fontana, CA
Photos( 2000) courtesy Ralph Ishmael

UPDATE: Bel-Air Drive-In closed in September 1989 and was subsequently demolished. Its screen and signage are gone, and the former Valley Boulevard property passed into industrial and commercial use. 10-26

Rubidoux Drive-in Theatre
Riverside, CA
Photos (2000) courtesy Ralph Ishmael

Check out the colorful paint at the Rubidoux Drive-In Theatre near Riverside. The 2000 photographs show a different look from the 1998 views, giving the old outdoor movie house another chance to brighten up the roadside. Fortunately, the changes involved fresh colors rather than a bulldozer.

Opened on November 4, 1948, Rubidoux retains its distinctive original Art Deco screen tower. The broad structure gives the grounds a recognizable landmark, recalling the early days when a single giant screen was enough to gather a parking lot full of moviegoers.

Rubidoux Marquee
Riverside, CA
Photos (2000) courtesy Ralph Ishmael

Two additional screens arrived during a 1983 remodeling, bringing more choices to the evening lineup. Updated projection and car-radio sound later carried the movies forward while keeping the familiar outdoor setting.

The swap meet gives the property a busy daytime life, with shoppers browsing where cars settle in for pictures after dark. A morning bargain hunt and an evening double feature can bring two quite different crowds through the same entrance.

UPDATE: Rubidoux Drive-In continues operating with three screens and a swap meet at 3770 Opal Street in the Rubidoux area of Jurupa Valley. Its historic screen tower survives. 10-26

Rubidoux Drive-in Screen Tower Riverside, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com	Rubidoux Drive-in Marquee Riverside, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com