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FeedOct 14, 201210:13 PM
Lost Memphis: The Bellevue Drive-In
Photo by Vance Lauderdale
In the November issue of Memphis magazine, I tell the dramatic story of the original Summer Drive-In — not the Summer Twin that most of you remember.
Just as a tease for that — a prelude to the glories you can expect — is this wonderful old image of the long-gone Bellevue Drive-In. I took this myself, sometime in the early 1970s, with my trusty 35mm Canon FTb, and if you notice the graininess and blurriness of the photo, I want you to know that I did that on purpose, for sheer artistic effect. Lovely, isn't it?
The Bellevue opened in the early 1950s. I could look up the exact year, but really — must we mire down in such trivial details? I'm trying to tell a story here.
As I was saying, the Bellevue opened in the early 1950s at 2350 South Bellevue. Typical of many drive-ins of that era, the back of the screen served as a highly decorated and highly visible billboard for the theatre — essentially the marquee for the establishment. The Bellevue's sign was especially nice because that cursive script and the floral decorations were all in neon, and the wide vertical bands are a nice touch. The Summer Drive-In, by the way, did not have a decorated screen, but you'll have to wait until November to find out why, exactly.
A fellow named William S. Scott was the manager of the Bellevue, and what's really interesting about these old drive-ins is that the manager often lived inside the screen! It's true; often they would have a nice little apartment installed at the base of the screen, and that's where Scott lived. It must have been a rather surreal existence. He probably had every line and every scene in every single movie memorized.
The fine-looking Bellevue stood like this, abandoned and neglected, for years. I want to say a windstorm later blew down what was left of the screen, but I may have that confused with the Lamar Drive-In, which suffered a similar fate as this one.
New Hope Missionary Baptist Church stands on the site today. Sometimes if you use Google or Bing to look at aerial views of old drive-in theatres, you can still see traces of the fan-shaped rows where the cars parked, but not here. Whoever built the church did a nice job grading the lot level. Not a trace remains of the old theater.
Ask Vance is the blog of Vance Lauderdale, the award-winning columnist of Memphis magazine and MBQ: Inside Memphis Business. Vance is the author of two books: Ask Vance: The Best Questions and Answers from Memphis Magazine's History and Trivia Expert (2003), as well as Ask Vance: More Questions and Answers from Memphis Magazine's History Expert (2011). He is also the recipient of quite a few nice awards, the creator of several eye-catching wall calendars, and the only person we know with a vintage shock-treatment machine in his den. 
I loved the small playground down front below the screen they had there. Whenever I was bored with the movie, I could skip down front & play on the swingsets & monkey bars with the other children gathered there. I watched many an Elvis & John Wayne movie at that wonderful drive-in!
Kinda sad really. Lots of happy times were spent at these theaters...still one on summer...don't know how they are staying open. Filed now with things of the past I guess.
I lived in the Prospect neighborhood around 56-58 and went to Prospect
Elementary School for the first and second grade. One of my classmates
lived in the drive-in behind the screen he said. Don't remember if I ever visited
him there or not. I also had a friend that lived behind the drive-in, his backyard
bordering the theater. His father had a speaker from the drive-in on their back
porch with wires running off toward the fence and you could sit on his back porch
and watch AND listen to the movie playing.
You don't have any pics of the Lamar Drive-in do you? I remember that one had the underground consession stand. Got to see "Jaws" there before it closed. God Bless!