CityBeat
THEN AND NOW
A double feature BY ANGELA STEINMITZ
IMAGINE SITTING BACK IN YOUR CAR,
tuning your radio to that certain station and
watching a movie splashed onto a nine-story-tall movie screen. It may seem like a scene
straight out of the 1950s, but the Admiral Twin
Drive-In is keeping the memory alive.
The Admiral Twin’s history goes back to the
days of sock hops, poodle skirts and a Tulsa
that loved its drive-in theaters. Originally called
the Modernaire, the theater was built in 1951
and consisted of a single screen. The twin
screen was added in 1955 and prompted the
name change to the Admiral Twin.
One of many local drive-ins in its day, the theater now is the only one left in the Tulsa area.
It also holds the title of the largest twin-screen
venue in Oklahoma. The maintenance of the
26-acre parking lot, the twin screens and the
concession stand and box office are ongoing.
The theater has survived Oklahoma’s
weather, the changing film industry and five
owners. Select Cinemas currently owns the Admiral Twin and River Walk Movies, and a second-generation theater family runs the drive-in.
Blake Smith, vice president of Select Cinemas, bought the theater from his father,
Richard Smith, and now runs it with business
partner Steve Peace, CEO of Select Cinemas.
At one time, the longer a blockbuster played,
the more money that came back to the theater.
However, with today’s slew of new releases and
the availability of multiple screens and times at
the multiplexes, the drive-in industry has had to
The marquee for the Admiral Twin
Drive-In has undergone as many
changes as the theater itself.
Regardless, the drive-in has
withstood the test of time.
Photo courtesy of Beryl Ford Collection/Rotary Club of Tulsa.
find a way to compete.
And, Blake Smith says, it has, by finding its
niche market.
“The drive-in business is very Americana,” he
says. “It’s 1950s and it’s nostalgia.” ■
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Admiral Twin is located at
7355 E. Easton St., one block north of Interstate 244 between Sheridan Road and Memorial Drive. Call 838-
3114 for show times.
NUMBERS
The cost of history This month, in honor of the unearthing
of the 1957 Plymouth Belvedere, we take a look at what we paid then.
COST OF A NEW HOME
AVERAGE INCOME
ANNUAL TUITION
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TULSA
MOVIE TICKETS
GAS PRICE PER GALLON
U.S. POSTAGE STAMP
AVG. LIFE EXPECTANCY
1957
$12,225
$4,594
$600
$1
24 cents
3 cents
69. 6 years
IN 2007 DOLLAR AMOUNTS
$88,315
$33, 187
$4,334
$7.22
$1.73
22 cents
ACTUAL 2007 COST
$135,000 (Median price for all average-sized homes on the Tulsa real estate market)
$49, 120 (family)
$20,699
$7.50 (average)
$3 (estimated cost for 2007)
41 cents
77. 9 years
