Jaxon Drive-In
Memphis, Tennessee1956-1970
Shop Jaxon Drive-In tees, long sleeve tees and hoodies. The Jaxon in Memphis, Tennessee, was a Malco drive-in for about 500 cars on Jackson Avenue, and its name appears to be the avenue's, respelled. A 1961 photograph shows its marquee reminding customers that fire prevention was their job too. Pick a style below, then read the full Jaxon history further down. We are an American small business bringing back the signs and logos of places and teams that are long gone but remembered fondly.
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Jaxon Drive-In History
The Jaxon Drive-In in Memphis, Tennessee, opened on May 30, 1956, with Aldo Ray in Three Stripes in the Sun and four cartoons. It stood at 4302 Jackson Avenue, and its name appears to be the avenue's, respelled. It had one screen and room for about 500 cars, and Malco Theatres ran it. A Motion Picture Herald item in June 1956 gave the capacity as 650 cars and named the owner as Jaxon Enterprises, Inc., headed by M. A. Lightman Jr. of Malco. It said the opening night was a free show, and that people had to be turned away.
The same item praised the playground as one of the newest and most complete in the city. It named Paul Shafer, formerly of New Orleans, as manager.
A photograph in the Memphis Fire Museum collection shows the Jaxon's marquee during Fire Prevention Week in 1961. Above the two big hits of the week, the box sign carries the name in block capitals. Along the bottom of the board, under the films, the theater told its customers that fire prevention was their job too.
The Jaxon closed on October 14, 1970. It came down in the middle to late 1970s, when the interstate interchange took the land where Jackson Avenue meets Austin Peay Highway. No trace of it is left. The Jaxon and Jaxon South drive-ins in Jackson, Tennessee, about 80 miles east, were separate theaters.