YESTERYEAR: Sunset Drive-In Theater by Pat Sides
Evansville’s last surviving drive-in theater was the Sunset, which closed in 1984, marking the end of an era. In 1950, an Evansville Courier entertainment columnist noted that the city had fifteen indoor theaters. In addition to these, local movie fans could patronize at least five outdoor drive-in theaters, all of which opened in the years from 1947 to 1952.
The local drive-ins included the Evansville, Family, Westside, and Sunset, as well as the Mt. Vernon Drive-in. The first of these to open was the Evansville Drive-in (originally named the Air Line Theater) on Morgan Avenue near Green River Road. On the first night of operation, July 15, 1947, cars had to be turned away because of the overflow, despite rain earlier in the evening.
The “golden age†of drive-ins peaked in the 1960s. Their popularity waned as multiplex theaters began to appear, offering a variety of films that could be viewed in dry, air-conditioned comfort.
