Smith’s Ranch Drive-In celebrates 70 years with a weekend party

After seven decades of hosting outdoor entertainment in Twentynine Palms, Smith’s Ranch Drive-In is throwing an anniversary party and you are invited! Reporter Heather Clisby talked with the current owners…

In 1956, America was in love with two things – cars and movies. The combo led to a peak of drive-in movie theaters in this country – over 4,000 that year. It was also the same year that Smith’s Ranch Drive-In opened in Twentynine Palms featuring “The Man With the Golden Arm” starring Frank Sinatra. Currently, there are just 280-335 of these precious theaters left in the United States making our local drive-in an especially treasured gem. 

This coming weekend, April 17-18, the original family will host a community party to celebrate seven decades of cinematic joy. On both Friday and Saturday nights, the party begins at 5:00 p.m. with the free movie screening at 8:00 p.m. featuring, once again, “The Man With the Golden Arm.” There will be ponies and mechanical bull rides for $20. For the kids, there will also be face-painting, train rides and sand art. The snack bar will be open. 

It all began with Bill and Thelma Smith, pioneering homesteaders who created Smith’s Ranch and were honored with one of the city’s famous murals on Adobe Road depicting family history. Their granddaughter, Sherry Foose, who now runs the theater with her husband, Steve, does not recall a single day of her childhood that did not involve the drive-in. 

“My whole life. When I came home from the hospital, I went to the drive-in. I’ve been there my whole life. Luckily, I got out a few times but …My grandfather homesteaded Smith’s Ranch, originally, and then my mom and dad actually built the drive-in 70 years ago this month. It’s only 70 years. But 70 years this month is when it opened,” said Foose. “And then my mom and dad ran it for several years. My brother and his wife (Mark & Jen Clemons) ran it for about 25 years or so and then after my brother died and my sister-in-law didn’t want to do it anymore, my husband and I started running it for the last two years or so.” 

Sherry’s mother, Deldee Clemons, age 90, still keeps tabs on the theater that she and her husband, Art, launched 70 years ago and will also be celebrating this weekend. 

There have been changes over the years. The famously heavy metal speaker boxes were replaced in the early 1980s with a car radio broadcast on 89.1FM. As luck would have it, the theater had to close for an extended period during the covid shutdown for repairs on the digital projector. 

“The families love it and we get people from all over the world that – they don’t have drive-ins – so. All the tourists that visit the park like to come and they don’t have ‘em so they just think it’s fantastic,” said Foose. “It’s really fun. It’s fun to run and see people that haven’t had that opportunity – a lot of first-timers.”

For more info, check out their website.