These movie-going motorists snaking all the way to the street (and probably beyond) were waiting to get into California’s very first drive-in theater on September 9, 1934. Because there weren’t any others, it was simply named Drive-In Theater. Located on the corner of Pico Blvd and Westwood Blvd, it was later renamed the Pico Drive-In. That night, patrons were treated to Will Rogers in Fox’s “Handy Andy.” (Not to be confused with MGM’s Andy Hardy series starring Mickey Rooney from the late 1930s.) The Westside Pavilion shopping mall now occupies that site.
Moviegoers wait to get into the grand opening of Pico Drive In, the first drive-in theater in California, at Pico Blvd and Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, September 9, 1934
I never knew there was a drive-in theater there! On the opposite (eastern) end of that block (Pico and Overland), there was a pony ride that I went on when I was really small. My dad said that Sonja Henie had an ice skating rink there before that. Maybe you can find pictures of that!
Wow, Paula, I never knew that Sonja Henie even had an ice skating rink. But, of course, if anyone would, she would have, so I’ll keep my eye out for a photo of it.
Great picture, Martin. I wish some car buff could name the clearly visible autos in the line
Yes, Rich – this photo is a vintage car buff’s dream!
Wonder if the following was what Ms. Carr’s father was relaying on Sonja Henie’s ice rink? Mainly from Calisphere: “The Tropical Ice Gardens, at Gayley & Weyburn Avenues, in Westwood Village opened in November 1938. It had a seating capacity for 10,000 spectators and could accommodate 2,000 ice skaters on its year-round outdoor rink. There were conflicting reports that Norwegian ice champion Sonja Henie had acquired the arena sometime in the 1940s and renamed it Sonja Henie’s Ice Palace, but her actual affiliation with the establishment remains uncertain.”
Info update on location is that the Westside Pavilion Shopping Center went bankrupt quite a while ago. Google bought (or leased) it & is in the process of converting into office space for their use.
It could well be the same place. After all, how many ice skating rinks has LA had???
Sounds like that could be it. Although it’s farther north than my dad remembered. Gayley and Weybourn would be in Westwood Village.