Chalk Hill Drive-In

Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection

Just north of the “T” at the intersection of Cockrell Hill Rd. and Fort Worth Avenue,
Chalk Hill Drive-In opened in early July of 1941 and was the second outdoor drive-in built in Dallas. The setup was identical to its sister, the Northwest Drive-In, which opened two weeks earlier; a huge screen faced a 12 1/2 acre field arranged in graduated ramps. 204 loud-speakers were set in the ground with space for two cars between all speakers with a capacity for 408 cars. The opening attraction was “The Invisible Woman” with Virginia Bruce, John Barrymore, and John Howard.
The theater was in operation as late as 1976 but was later razed. The area is now part of or adjacent to Pinnacle Park, an area of retail centers and modern warehouses.

photographer unknown

COMMENTS FROM READERS

Jim Hanley - August 29th, 2009 at 22:50 | #1
My older brother and I both worked at the Chalk Hill Drive-In in the 60’s. Ray Trojahn was the Manager and Leverit Carpenter was the projectionist.

Randy Felts - September 23rd, 2010 at 00:30 | #2
Warehouses are now on the the old Chalk Hill Drive-in site. My brother Jerry Felts used to work there in the early 1960’s.

Matt Schaffer - November 17th, 2010 at 16:08 | #3

Great site, pix & commentary – thanks so much!

Just an FYI, but you refer to the Chalk Hill’s sister drive-in as the Northwest – it’s proper name was Northwest Highway. I may be wrong about this next comment but I don’t believe the owners ever installed a wide screen at the Northwest Highway, as the one time I was there (with my parents in 1963, just before it was closed and torn down) We were watching a widescreen western and the square screen could not contain the ends of the picture. No harm, though, because few of the other customers seemed interested in the movie. It was a hangout for Hillcrest High kids and their dates.

Glenda Allen - February 5th, 2011 at 01:34 | #4
@Jim Hanley
Jim Hanley, would love to chat with you about Chalk Hill and the 1960s. Thanks. Please contact me via email.

geneva richards - August 10th, 2011 at 04:16 | #5
my first job at 16 was at the chalk hill drive-in. i lived in walking distance. my cousin debra elliott and her boyfriend mario medelis also worked there at the time.

Larry Martinez
December 4th, 2011 at 20:21 | #6 -
@Matt Schaffer
Matt, the Chalk Hill and Northwest Highway drive-ins had another sister theatre, the Bowie Boulevard in Fort Worth. Like the Northwest Highway, the Bowie Boulevard (later shortened to just “Boulevard”) also didn’t upgrade to accommodate a wide screen, and was closed in 1961. A Neiman Marcus store was later built where the (Bowie) Boulevard once stood.