Texan Drive-In

5800 W. Highway 80,
Midland, TX 79706

300 cars

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Video Independent Theaters Inc.

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Texan Drive-In

The Texan Drive-In was opened on March 18, 1948 with Larry Parks in “The Jolson Story”.. Today the screen tower is still visible across from the Big Sky Drive-In on W. Highway 80.

Contributed by Don Lewis

Recent comments (view all 8 comments)

shoeshoe14
shoeshoe14 on January 28, 2007 at 7:45 pm

Was owned by Video Independent.

jwmovies
jwmovies on December 19, 2012 at 9:43 am

Above address does not map properly. Use 5800 West Highway 80. The screen is to the east of the open drive-in & west of Midland Powersports.

west_texas_flash
west_texas_flash on July 9, 2013 at 7:41 am

I believe the original location was about one mile east where All American Chevrolet is now located.

projectionist5
projectionist5 on July 7, 2015 at 6:41 pm

This was reopened for a little while as an independent theater then closed again and sold to a Lumber company

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on May 18, 2020 at 11:26 am

The Texan held its grand opening on Thursday, March 18, 1948, per an ad in the previous day’s Midland Reporter-Telegram. The opening program was “The Jolson Story.”

It was described as one mile west of Ranch House (which I can’t find) on the north side of Highway 80. That matches a drive-in shown on a 1963 aerial photo at present-day 4200 W Wall St.

Looking at that 1963 aerial, there are no other likely candidates for a drive-in on the north side of 80 between Midland and Odessa. In particular, whatever was later next to the Big Sky was an empty field in that 1963 aerial. A drive-in there was outlined in a 1975 topo map and was visible in a 1995 photo.

rivest266
rivest266 on May 7, 2024 at 1:28 pm

Closed on November 30th, 1986. Also not open for the 1983 season.

Kenmore
Kenmore on May 7, 2024 at 2:26 pm

A closer address is 4120 W Wall St, Midland, TX.

A 1955 aerial shows a drive-in at that location. By 1963, the drive-in had been demolished.

Today, a Titan Factory Direct and La Quinta Inn sit on the property with no trace of the drive-in remaining.

Kenmore
Kenmore on May 7, 2024 at 2:37 pm

It seems that the Texan Drive-In moved at some point from its original location to winding up next to where the Big Sky Drive-In is today. A 1955 and 1963 aerials shows nothing but open fields where the Big Sky Drive-In would be located.

By 1974, a single screen drive-in is present where San Angelo’s RV is today. That drive-in was still intact in 1995, but had been demolished by 2004.

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