Oxford Drive-In
North Oxford, Massachusetts1954-1991
Shop Oxford Drive-In tees, long sleeve tees and hoodies. In June 1956 the Oxford Kiddie Park opened next door, with rides at 15 to 20 cents that ran all day and shut down at dusk when the theater opened. It became the Oxford Twin in 1961, and a Walmart opened on the site on August 31, 1993. Pick your style below, and the full Oxford history follows further down. Down Home Apparel is an American small business remembering the best places and teams of yesteryear, and every shirt is printed to order in the USA.
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Oxford Drive-In History
The Oxford Drive-In in North Oxford, Massachusetts, opened on April 30, 1954, at the junction of Routes 12 and 20, with Alan Ladd in Saskatchewan and Tony Curtis in Forbidden. It was the sixth drive-in for American Theatres Corp. and held about 1,300 cars. A trade photo from the opening shows the new sign: a big script Oxford with an ENTRANCE arrow rising at its left, over a marquee that spelled out the gala opening in cast aluminum letters.
In June 1956 the company added the Oxford Kiddie Park next door, which the Boston Globe called New England's newest amusement park. Rides ran all day for 15 to 20 cents each, closing at dusk when the theater opened. It became the Oxford Twin in 1961, with one screen on the Oxford side and another on the Auburn side, and ads later billed them as the Oxford and Worcester screens. A commenter says it handed out fog passes when the mist got too thick to see the picture.
Photos dated 1991 show the sign and the screens. Cinema Treasures says it closed before 1992, and the theater was demolished in late 1992. A Walmart opened on the site on August 31, 1993.