Malta Drive-in
Malta, NY
Photo courtesy Andy Callahan

Welcome to the Malta Drive-In Theatre of... Malta, NY. And before you even make it through the entrance, check out that marquee. With MALTA spelled out in different colored blocks, flashing lights and those little balls perched across the top, it looks like somebody raided a giant box of childhood alphabet blocks and turned them into a drive-in sign. Definitely not your everyday movie marquee.

The Malta has been showing movies along Route 9 since 1949, and the first night sounds like something right out of the old drive-in days. On July 1, cars rolled in to see Abbott & Costello in “The Noose Hangs High,” followed by Roy Rogers and Trigger in “On the Old Spanish Trail.” Not a bad double feature to get things started.

Screen Tower
Malta, NY
Photo courtesy Andy Callahan

Back then, though, the entrance looked quite a bit different. That wonderfully strange marquee didn't arrive until 1968, when original owners Sarto and Leona Smaldone gave the place a futuristic makeover. The new entrance brought the colorful Googie-style marquee along with neon-topped arches over the entrance lanes. More than half a century later, both are still here.

And what a sign.

Those colored MALTA blocks almost look like toys stacked along Route 9, while the balls on top and flashing lights give the whole thing just enough space-age personality. You can almost imagine a big station wagon full of kids spotting it through the windshield and knowing the movies couldn't be far away. The marquee and entrance have become landmarks themselves, which isn't surprising. The sign alone is worth pulling over for.

Once through the entrance, the Malta was classic drive-in territory. Find a parking spot, hang one of those little metal speakers on the window and wait for the sky to get dark enough for the picture to begin.

Ticket Booth
Malta, NY
Photo courtesy Andy Callahan

There was another old drive-in tradition here too. Families sometimes brought the kids already dressed in their pajamas. They could pile into the back seat with pillows and blankets, watch Abbott & Costello or whatever else was playing, and probably be asleep long before the second feature ended. Years later, longtime customers still remembered coming to the Malta that way.

For nearly 60 years, the Malta remained a single screener. Then in 2008, a second screen went up, nearly doubling the possibilities for movie night. The old 35mm projectors lasted a few more years before the theater finally switched to digital projection in 2013. The window speakers eventually disappeared too, replaced by FM radio sound.

The screen tower
Malta, NY
Photo courtesy Andy Callahan

Somehow none of that seems to have changed the basic experience very much.

Show up before dark and there’s still time to grab something from the snack bar, throw a couple of lawn chairs outside the car and watch the last bit of daylight disappear. Then the headlights go out, the screen comes alive and Route 9 traffic carries on somewhere beyond the fence.

The Malta has picked up a few other tricks along the way. The grounds have hosted flea markets and special events, and the snack bar has moved beyond popcorn and candy to such drive-in delicacies as funnel cakes and deep-fried Oreos. Nobody said a night at the movies had to be healthy.

Projection Booth
Malta, NY
Photo courtesy Andy Callahan

Still, the best part may be arriving around sunset. Before you see either movie screen, there are those giant colored letters flashing beside Route 9. Follow the MALTA blocks, pull through those old entrance arches and find yourself a good spot.

More than 75 years after opening night, cars are still doing exactly that.

UPDATE: The Malta Drive-In remains open seasonally from spring through fall, with double features playing on two screens. The theater still advertises itself by that large flashing marquee, and the old 1968 Googie sign continues lighting the way from Route 9. Pack the pillows, tune the radio and wait for the sun to go down. 08-26

Grand View Drive-In Theatre (Demolished)
Angola, NY
Photo courtesy Steve Felder

Need a haircut before the movie? The Grand View Drive-In Theatre in Angola had you covered. Take a look at that unusual screen tower. Businesses were built right into the front of it, including a beauty salon. Stop in, get your hair done, then pull around back and catch a movie. Now that's making good use of a drive-in screen.

The Grand View first welcomed cars on April 21, 1950, with June Haver in “Oh, You Beautiful Doll.” Its official grand opening followed on May 27 with “Streets of Laredo” and “Free for All.” There was room for about 600 cars facing the single screen. And that wasn't just an ordinary screen tower. Besides the businesses tucked into its base, the tilted screen had a mural of the familiar comedy and tragedy theater masks painted on the back. Between the mural, storefronts and giant screen looming overhead, there was plenty to catch your eye before the sun even went down.

For more than 50 years, cars continued pulling off Lake Street for a night at the movies. The Grand View finally closed in the fall of 2006, but the old screen and buildings remained standing for a few more years. There was even an effort to save and relocate the screen tower when demolition threatened.

Grand View Drive-In Theatre (Demolished)
Angola, NY
Photo courtesy Steve Felder

Unfortunately, the 'dozers arrived in March 2009 and the Grand View came down. A Walmart had been planned for the property, but that development never happened.

UPDATE: The Grandview Drive-in closed up back in October of 2005 after the 2005 drive-in season. The drive-in was torn down in March of 2009 to make way for a new Walmart Super Center which is open now. Many thanks to David Hughes for update. 12-10

UPDATE: Yes it was torn down, NO NO WAL-MART! they got shot down in court and were'n't allowed to build! The owner of land tore down the drive-in to spite everyone who wanted it saved. He passed away over a year ago, and we are hopeful to be REBUILDING! Non Profit Corp. being formed now to purchase the land and rebuild it! The screen and Snackbar will have to be rebuild but all else is ready, foundations all still there. Many thanks to Tony for update. 03-12

UPDATE: The Grand View Drive-In is gone, although traces of the old drive-in layout could still be spotted on the property years after demolition. The screen tower, beauty salon and those comedy and tragedy masks disappeared in 2009. 08-26