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ENLARGE
Olivia Newton John, as Sandra Dee, waves good-bye as the movie ‘Grease’ ends at the Starlite Drive-In Theatre in Friday night. It was a final show before the screen is torn down.
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ENLARGE
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Under the light of the projector, Johnny Walters, 13, Olivia Golemon, 15, K’Dean Ramos, 17, and Rachel Walters, 16, watch as ‘Grease’ plays at the Starlite Drive-In Theatre in Green Friday night. The teens had never seen a movie at a drive-in before. The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians held a private screening of ‘Grease’ at the theater before the screen is torn down because it is structurally unsafe. The Starlite opened July 23, 1954.
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ENLARGE
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Pairs of speakers and their stands were available for sale during the Friday night event. The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians held a private screening of ‘Grease’ at the Starlite Drive-In Theatre in Green Friday night before the screen is torn down. The Starlite opened July 23, 1954.
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ENLARGE
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Kids run from one end of the Starlite Drive-In screen to the other Friday before the start of the theater’s final movie.
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Ten years have passed since Interstate 5 motorists last craned their heads for a glimpse of whatever happened to be playing on the old Starlite Drive-In Theatre screen in the Green area.
Ten years since the theater's fields were filled with row upon row of cars, their hoods angled upward toward the 60-by-100-foot screen.
The drive-in movie is a classic American icon, and it returned to illuminate the Central Douglas County skyline for one final encore Friday night. The crowd that turned out for the showing of "Grease" clearly came prepared to bask in the nostalgia of it all. The screen is structurally unsafe and will be torn down.
"Our kids have never been to the drive-in, so we thought we'd better get out before they didn't get to do something like that," said Roseburg resident Pam Morgan, who came with her husband, Phil, and children Natalie, 14, and Chris, 11.
Though Chris was supposed to wake up early the next morning for a football game, he said it was worth staying up late for the show. He also approved of the movie selection for the evening.
"It's a drive-in kind of movie," he said of the classic movie musical starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.
The last showing at the Starlite was more emotional for some than others.
Ten years since the theater's fields were filled with row upon row of cars, their hoods angled upward toward the 60-by-100-foot screen.
The drive-in movie is a classic American icon, and it returned to illuminate the Central Douglas County skyline for one final encore Friday night. The crowd that turned out for the showing of "Grease" clearly came prepared to bask in the nostalgia of it all. The screen is structurally unsafe and will be torn down.
"Our kids have never been to the drive-in, so we thought we'd better get out before they didn't get to do something like that," said Roseburg resident Pam Morgan, who came with her husband, Phil, and children Natalie, 14, and Chris, 11.
Though Chris was supposed to wake up early the next morning for a football game, he said it was worth staying up late for the show. He also approved of the movie selection for the evening.
"It's a drive-in kind of movie," he said of the classic movie musical starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.
The last showing at the Starlite was more emotional for some than others.
Marge Bates of Green managed the theater with her husband, Walt, and their four children, during the theater's first 25 years of operation. Bates' father, Paul Frentress, was a part owner of the theater when it was built in 1954.
Bates didn't learn of the last hoorah planned for the Starlite until she read about it in the newspaper, though the evening's sponsor, the Cow Creek Tribe of Umpqua Band of Indians, had been trying to track her down so she could be invited to the festivities.
Bates said the whole family worked hard to help run the theater, which featured shows every night of the week back then, holidays included. For several years, the family lived in an upstairs apartment at the theater.
Her two sons used to wash the windshields of moviegoers for 15 cents a pop, plus tips. Her two daughters helped run the concession stand. And there was plenty of other work to be done. The family did all the groundskeeping, and it seemed there were always speakers to fix. It was not uncommon for moviegoers to drive off with their speakers still attached to their window.
Bates grew tearful as she thought of the memories she'd made at the drive-in.
"So many," she said, choking up. "So, so many."
Bates didn't learn of the last hoorah planned for the Starlite until she read about it in the newspaper, though the evening's sponsor, the Cow Creek Tribe of Umpqua Band of Indians, had been trying to track her down so she could be invited to the festivities.
Bates said the whole family worked hard to help run the theater, which featured shows every night of the week back then, holidays included. For several years, the family lived in an upstairs apartment at the theater.
Her two sons used to wash the windshields of moviegoers for 15 cents a pop, plus tips. Her two daughters helped run the concession stand. And there was plenty of other work to be done. The family did all the groundskeeping, and it seemed there were always speakers to fix. It was not uncommon for moviegoers to drive off with their speakers still attached to their window.
Bates grew tearful as she thought of the memories she'd made at the drive-in.
"So many," she said, choking up. "So, so many."
After the drive-in sold to Tom Moyer in the late '70s, the Bateses went on to run an Arctic Circle in Roseburg. Walt Bates died in 1989, and Marge eventually found herself in Portland, only returning to this area about six years ago.
Bill Markham of Roseburg had his own sentimental reasons for attending the last show. He and his brother, Jack, built the theater along with Bates' father and former Riddle Mayor Elmer Love.
"This was pretty rural out here when we started this," said Markham, nodding toward the area surrounding the theater.
Markham said the theater took the better part of a year to construct, and was built to accommodate 1,500 guests.
Michael Rondeau, operations officer for the tribe, also felt nostalgic about the theater.
"I've been coming out here all my life, and my wife actually worked out here," he said.
Bill Markham of Roseburg had his own sentimental reasons for attending the last show. He and his brother, Jack, built the theater along with Bates' father and former Riddle Mayor Elmer Love.
"This was pretty rural out here when we started this," said Markham, nodding toward the area surrounding the theater.
Markham said the theater took the better part of a year to construct, and was built to accommodate 1,500 guests.
Michael Rondeau, operations officer for the tribe, also felt nostalgic about the theater.
"I've been coming out here all my life, and my wife actually worked out here," he said.
Rondeau said it didn't take much work to get the theater ready for Friday's performance, in spite of the length of time that has passed since the last show. Since the tribe allowed Umpqua Community College to use the property for its Construction Technology Center, the college has been maintaining the grounds, Rondeau said. The tribe drew upon lists of names provided by Umpqua Community Action Network and the Boys & Girls Club of the Umpqua Valley to invite people to the event. Others included friends of tribal members and other members of the community.
The Boys & Girls Club and UCAN were the beneficiaries of Friday's charitable event. The tribe had to get special permission from Regal Cinemas, the company from which they bought the property in 1999, in order to show the movie. A clause in the sales agreement prohibits them from showing movies on the property for at least 20 years.
The tribe plans to donate the projector from the indoor theater to Wildlife Safari, while the outdoor projector will go to the Douglas County Museum.
"It is an important piece of history," said Bates, the former theater manager. "People going up and down the freeway, they go, 'Oh, there's that screen tower, we must be close to Roseburg."
You can reach City Editor Christian Bringhurst at 957-4201, or by e-mail at cbringhurst@newsreview.info.
The Boys & Girls Club and UCAN were the beneficiaries of Friday's charitable event. The tribe had to get special permission from Regal Cinemas, the company from which they bought the property in 1999, in order to show the movie. A clause in the sales agreement prohibits them from showing movies on the property for at least 20 years.
The tribe plans to donate the projector from the indoor theater to Wildlife Safari, while the outdoor projector will go to the Douglas County Museum.
"It is an important piece of history," said Bates, the former theater manager. "People going up and down the freeway, they go, 'Oh, there's that screen tower, we must be close to Roseburg."
You can reach City Editor Christian Bringhurst at 957-4201, or by e-mail at cbringhurst@newsreview.info.
