Chippewa Drive-In
500 W. Chippewa Avenue,
South Bend, IN 46614

The information was gathered from several web sites and is as true as far as I know but I cannot verify anything. The articles from the South Bend Tribune should be taken as verification as much as anything can be.

The theater photo is supposedly a 1954 aerial shot. Car capacity was listed at 600 cars. (One commenter on a South Bend history site said that the parking area was also an 'overflow' parking area for a nearby Chippewa Studebaker dealership.

 

 

The Moonlite Outdoor Theatre opened on July 8, 1951 with Danny Kaye in “On the Riviera.” With a single screen, it was owned by L. Cochovetry. Loew’s took over operations of the drive-in in 1961. It was later twinned, renamed the Chippewa

Twin Drive-In and had it’s Grand Opening on June 4, 1976.

 

The South Bend Tribune
South Bend, Indiana - Sun, July 8, 1951
Page 52

 

The South Bend Tribune
South Bend, Indiana - Fri, June 4, 1976
Page 42

 

In 1884, the theater converted to X-rated and was operated by World Wide Management. Their opening was on May 28,1982 and featured ‘Deep Throat’ and ‘The Devil and Miss Jones.’ The theater also had an adult bookstore and arcade. It continued as an X-rated theater until it closed in 87 or 88. Up until 1986 the booth was staffed by members of Local 187 IATSE.

 

The South Bend Tribune
South Bend, Indiana - Fri, May 28, 1982
Page 17

The Chippewa Drive-In was later demolished. The Showplace 16 was built on the site of the former Chippewa Drive-In.