Cape Drive-In Theater

The Cape Drive-In Theater is seen in this aerial photograph which G.D. Fronabarger took in the early 1960s.

It is in the upper right corner of the photo. The location is on the east side of Interstate 55 at Nash Road, south of Cape Girardeau on Highway 61 and north of the Cape Girardeau airport.

The theater opened Aug. 12, 1949 with the movie "Red River." The show had a capacity of 500 automobiles. Adult admission was 50 cents with children under age 12 free.

The Rhodes City Truck Stop would be built later across from the theater property, on the left in the photo.

from Out of the Past:

May 18, 1949

Construction has begun on 13-acre tract on east side of Highway 61, between

Municipal Airport and Little River Diversion Channel of drive-in type

theater; Pueblo, Colo., and St. Louis men recently purchased land from Dr.

R.R. Hicks; theater will have 600-car capacity, with each car stall to be

equipped with individual in-car speakers.

Star Vue Drive-In Theater

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May 15, 1958 Southeast Missourian

The Bloomer Amusement Co. Inc., of Belleville, Ill., operators of a number of indoor and outdoor theaters in Illinois and Missouri, has purchased and taken over management of the Star Vue and Cape Drive-In theaters here.

[Editor's Note: The new owners of the Cape Drive-In apparently operated the theater for one season, closing with "Giant from the Unknown" and "She Demons" on Aug. 10, 1958.]