| City/Town: • Oklahoma City |
| Location Class: • Theater |
| Built: • 1975 | Abandoned: • 1999 |
| Status: • Demolished |
| Photojournalist: • Billy Dixon |
The Riviera Drive-In was once one of south Oklahoma City”s flourishing theaters boasting a 700 car capacity.
The Riviera Drive-In closed in 1999 after thunderstorm in which the screen was blown down. The fallen screen, ticket booth, speaker poles, projection booth, concession stand, and marquee all remained vacant and seemingly forgotten for years. All that currently remains are the concession stand and projection building.
Gallery Below
Bibliography
If you wish to support our current and future work, please consider making a donation or purchasing one of our many books. Any and all donations are appreciated.
Donate to our cause Check out our books!
This has now been totall demolished.
If this was the one across from Warehouse Market Grocery then it has been torn down.
Actually, the place is still there. Only the screen was taken down. The building still remains.
no .. the place is torn down now..sadly
Not as of 2018 even
Yes it is no longer there
when i was a kid the front (street side) was a Kentucky Fried Chicken. It (the chicken place) is now just down the street.
$1.50 for popcorn is dirt cheap compared to today.
That was from about ’85 or so.
I am very thankful to this topic because it really gives useful information “`
I like the old popcorn containers, and the Dr Pepper sign. Vintage!
Interesting. According to the sign in photo 50, you can order a "butt red barrel". Sounds delicious.
Use to work there, in the 70s what a shame how it was vandalize. When the Caporals owned it. Demee became a News Reporter for channel 9 for awhile, Sammy is a Lawyer like his dad was..
Anyone know what happened to the equipment that was there?. The speakers?
It is anyone’ guess. I suspect the tweekers took them and sold them for aluminum. . .which is stupid as the speakers would have sold for about $20 to $25 each. . . They probably got .50cents a speaker as scrap.
The date built is wrong "1975; I went there with my parents in the late 60's and it was far from new then.
I was going to point out that I went with friends there all the time in 72 – 74 (HS and before the Army). I know we went there before I could drive too.
Dusk-to-Dawn movies. It’s where we saw the theatrical release of “Godzilla vs The Smog Monster” (1971) with Count Gregor making an appearance.
The Riveria opened in August of 1967.
The Riveria opened for business in August of 1967. The first movies shown were:
They Came from Beyond SpaceTerrornauts and;The Projected Man.
The owner was George Sam Caporal, who also owned the ABC bank on S. Shields, and the Yale Theatre in Capitol hill. He had a brother named Peter who owned the Skyview Drive-in, the Mayflower theatre and a liquor store just East of the Mayflower theatre. Their father was the original builder of the Yale Theatre.
The last remaining bits of this drive-in were unfortunately demolished about 2 to 3 weeks ago. All that is left now is the concrete pad. I know the current owners have wanted to sell this entire parcel of land for years.
Inside story on why it never sold: Apparently at sometime around 1970 or so, A fellow businessman offered George Caporal $1,000,000 (One Million) for the property. Of course, he refused and forever after decided that was what the property was worth. He never took into consideration the depriciation that was happening in near SW OKC. The property was worth considerably less, but because he was making money, he would not part with it. Which is kind of strange because he was a very astute businessman. The man owned the ABC bank for christ’s sake. When George died in January of… Read more »
[…] number of drive-ins throughout the state. But it was that temperamental weather that forced the Riviera Drive-In to shut down in 1999, after winds knocked the screen […]
Actually, that was only part of it. The screen was made of pipe and no one welded caps on the top. After 30 plus years, they rusted through and the wind just pushed it over. Once George Caporal died, the family had no interest in running it any more. .and they just abandoned it. . Tweekers got in and did the damage you see here.
[…] number of drive-ins throughout the state. But it was that temperamental weather that forced the Riviera Drive-In to shut down in 1999, after winds knocked the screen […]
Looks like someone forgot to pick up their nude mags.
Keith Sanders. . .
that's what the red and white striped counters were all about. Kentucky Fried. We would stop in and get a bucket before entering the drive-in.
No. originally there was a plan to attach a walk in theatre to the same concession stand. It was never built, and the colorful, but never used concession stand you saw on the front was NEVER USED.
BTW, The Riveria was built and opened in 1967 Not 1975. . .
A lot of memories here. . . glad you documented the ugly end.
You're an asshole
Up yours. . I worked there as a projectionist in ’85 and ’86. I knew and worked for George Caporal. . .
I showed many a movie here back in 1985 and 86. After George Caproal died, his son, Sam never had much interest in keeping the place alive. After the Screen blew down in a storm (the theater had been closed for a few years then) , Its end was a forgone conclusion. . .
do you know how to get in touch with the owners of this location? I'm interested in shooting a video there.
Gabriel,
The current owner would be attorney Sam Caporal. I believe this is his address:
426 NW 9th St
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
(405) 236-0163
Your right rick, I went there when I was a kid in the early 60's. I'm not sure when it was built but it was before '75. Had alot of good times at this drive-in, can remember alot of good movies watched there. Thanks for the memories Abandoned, I love good history!!!B)
The Riviera Drive-In was built before 1975. I used to go there in the late 60's early 70's.
The theatre opened in August of 1967
Great Job Billy! I like those shots of the soda pop syrup!