Comments on Orange County Memories: Hi-Way 39 Drive-in Movie Theater

Does anyone recall what the song track (loop) was ...

2011-02-02T12:21:02.510-08:00

Does anyone recall what the song track (loop) was in the mid-70s? There was this one song, like "Snow/Spell Blind/Bound" it was spacey, slow, male vocal that I have been trying to find but can't. Peace. My dad used to take us there all the time - we'd get there really early and that song track would loop over and over

I grew up in Santa Ana, so my parents took me to t...

2010-04-13T16:31:58.337-07:00

I grew up in Santa Ana, so my parents took me to the Orange drive-in a lot. Later; in high school when I could drive and date, we went to the '39 more because it was new and had the biggest screen. Finally; when I married and had children (2 girls) we still went to the drive-in. The baby would not go to sleep, so we had to pull out of our spot and drive around the place for a few minutes, and then come back to the same place. She would be "out" by then.

We now live in South Carolina, and there is a drive-in here. We haven't gone because you can't really see anything from the back seat these days because of the head rests (not to mention the bugs in the summer.)

Ohhhh the memories. I'm wondering how difficu...

2010-04-12T14:33:15.540-07:00

Ohhhh the memories. I'm wondering how difficult it would be to build a new drive-in using wireless technology. One can dream!

ooooh the memories. I'm so sad that overcrowdi...

2010-03-12T12:33:24.632-08:00

ooooh the memories. I'm so sad that overcrowding and greedy developers caused this place to go, it would have made a come back if it just hung on long enough. Could you imagine how fun that would be now? They could have updated it and it would be a blast to go to now, in 2010. But alas, its a Walmart. ug.

i saw live and let die and the mechanic when...

2010-03-08T17:37:48.978-08:00

i saw live and let die and the mechanic when i was 10 years old,as i got older i went with friends and later with starting dating

Like most of you here I grew up going to Hwy 39 Dr...

2009-12-04T14:57:40.621-08:00

Like most of you here I grew up going to Hwy 39 Drive-in from the 60's through the 80's. My little brother brought up an interesting thing that I had long forgot about. If you got to the movies early you could go play on the playground or if you stayed in the car there was this music that played over and over on a loop. Does anyone know what music was played on there?

Many children were (almost) conceived at this plac...

2009-12-03T03:33:18.293-08:00

Many children were (almost) conceived at this place. Certainly a great many memories.

Do you know how many chicks I boned there? That...

2009-07-19T01:10:01.122-07:00

Do you know how many chicks I boned there? That's where I lost my virginity. Now it's a Wallmart Lowes debacle. Like the world needs more of THOSE places. We lost part of the American culture to MONEY...

I to was a part of the Hi-Way 39 Drive In. Being ...

2009-06-27T12:50:32.200-07:00

I to was a part of the Hi-Way 39 Drive In. Being a part of the management team at Pacific Theatres for years was a great experience for me. I greatly enjoyed the movie experience, working with the other managers, upper management staff; Mr. Collins was the best. All of this will be remembered for a life time. Well, I guess there is one thing left to say, See you at the movies.

I to miss the drive in theaters, I miss the fact y...

2009-06-15T14:24:40.881-07:00

I to miss the drive in theaters, I miss the fact you were able to sit in the comforts of you car and enjoy the peace and quietness and you were able to adjust the sound. The walk ins are way to loud with the sound and you sometimes have children kicking the back of your seat and talking during the movie. My parent would take us to the drive in when we were children and you would be able to play on the playground till the movie started and play during the movie that you did not want to watch. Two movies, cartoon, and a news reel.

What a shame the drive-in has all but been erradic...

2009-05-09T14:45:00.000-07:00

What a shame the drive-in has all but been erradicated in today's society. Such a great part of our culture in the 50's, 60's and 70's. A great part of a simpler time.

Does anyone remember in the 70's when the Stanton ...

2009-04-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

Does anyone remember in the 70's when the Stanton Theater was taking over by some dudes and they allowed the patrons to smoke pot, drink and whatever while watching rock movies?

My brother and friends would lock us girls in the ...

2009-04-04T17:28:00.000-07:00

My brother and friends would lock us girls in the trunk and drive inthe exit...then we would have to beg him to let us out when he parked in the first row...remember that great pizza at the snack bar and having a date and swinging on the swings instead of necking...

Let's not forget the Warner Drive-in. I remember s...

2009-03-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

Let's not forget the Warner Drive-in. I remember stuffing my friends in the trunk of my car because we were too cheap to pay to get in.

I remember going there one night with my sister. ...

2009-03-05T15:27:00.000-08:00

I remember going there one night with my sister. She had already graduated, but I was going to Orange High. It was summer and I got tired so got in the back seat and went to sleep. My sister fell asleep too and we didn't wake up for hours. I woke my sister up because we were going to be in "big" trouble when we got home. No one believed we fell asleep and thought we were at some wild party. The one time we really did nothing wrong.

I was born at the now torn down Westminister hospi...

2009-02-18T14:16:00.000-08:00

I was born at the now torn down Westminister hospital in 1971. All my family went to Westminister HS and my mom use to work at the Mobile gas station accross the street. We use to load up on Slurpees and snacks at the 7-11 by the rail-road tracks and head to the 39 for many a summer movie. In the late 70's during the oil crisis we'd park one of our cars on the street outside the gas station to save a spot for the next days fill up and then we'd take another car over to the movies. Good times!

Both Hwy 39 and La Mirada have a special place in ...

2008-07-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

Both Hwy 39 and La Mirada have a special place in my heart. Kissed my first girl at Hwy 39 and steamed up the windows of my old Plymouth in the back row of La Mirada many of times. It is a shame that we have to loose such wonderful parts of ourpast

-Danny

I used to live in Huntington Beach and my family u...

2008-06-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

I used to live in Huntington Beach and my family used to go every month or so in the 70's and early 80's. I loved the mural on the front of the drive in very 'California' like. Unfortunately, like everything else, they tear down another piece of history...long live the Hi Way 39

The "Lemon St" or Anaheim Drive-In, was ...

2008-03-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

The "Lemon St" or Anaheim Drive-In, was the first one I ever went to. Went in my pajamas, would swing on the swings until the cartoons started, and of course could never stay awake long enough to see the whole feature. I started going to the Hi-Way 39 in my teens and have lots of fond memories of it. I was so upset when I learned they were tearing it down to make room for Wal Mart. We even spent every Fri & Sat nite at the old Palm Springs & Cathedral City Drive-Ins when we lived in the desert in the mid-60's. The Palm Springs location even had a place to ride your horse in, hitch it to the hitching post and watch the movie! Last year I drove by that location and all that's left is the concrete where the speaker posts were, and they built a big WalMart next to it. I guess WalMart is now the new entertainment for today's families. How sad.

How about the Anaheim drivein, on Lemon next to th...

2008-02-09T12:01:00.000-08:00

How about the Anaheim drivein, on Lemon next to the old Zody's! Or the Stadium Drive. I think it was like 4 drive-in theaters. You could go to one and "peek" at the other one for free!!

Yep, I had a 1970 Fleetwood Caddy and that worked...

2008-01-04T15:53:00.000-08:00

Yep, I had a 1970 Fleetwood Caddy and that worked great for getting friends in the trunk! Now that I look back, I dont think they really cared that people were in the trunk.
...Leo

I worked there for about 2 weeks. I was in the sna...

2007-12-31T08:46:00.000-08:00

I worked there for about 2 weeks. I was in the snack bar when the asst. mgr threw the keys down on the floor after locking the doors for the last time. We all laughed and thought that was the end of a crappy job. We all didn't really know how much it affected us until we left and couldn't come back. We all took something from High39 exit signs, tables and a huge piece of our childhood.

i remember the huge metal speakers you had to hang...

2007-12-23T22:27:00.000-08:00

i remember the huge metal speakers you had to hang on your window to hear the movcie! the kiddie park and sandbox was right under the mainscreen...the whole family used to go in our wood paneled station wagon and eat kentucky fried chicken, under those scratchy plaid wool picnic blankets.

Didn't the drive in become a swap meet for a while too?

I moved out to Fountain Valley in the late '70s.
2007-11-10T10:50:00.000-08:00
I moved out to Fountain Valley in the late '70s.
My mom was dating a man who owned a condo there.
He ended up moving out and some months later we heard police sirens and shots fired on Brookhurst.
Turns out that the Warner (HWY39) drive-in was robbed and the guy who did it was my mom's ex. We watched him get shot by FVPD from the window of his old condo.

What memories this brings back of me and my girlfr...

2007-10-04T22:58:00.000-07:00

What memories this brings back of me and my girlfriends going to the drive-in and hiding in the trunk or under covers in the back seat. We would all get as much food as we could at the snack bar and then go back, talk and just have a great time at the drive in on a hot summer night. I remember going on a double date there once with my friend and when I came back from the bathroom I accidentally got into the wrong car! Boy, was the guy I sat next to in shock! I guess his girlfriend decided to go at the same time and I took her place. My friends were watching me the whole time, while laughing their heads off at me. Good times!!