Drive-in film theaters are mostly long gone from the U.S. landscape and Colorado is no exception.

This beautifully restored marquee for the Holiday Drive-in is in North Boulder. It is one of the only surviving drive-in marquees in the Boulder-Denver area.

It is great that this sign was preserved, since much of Boulder’s Googie-signage was torn down before it was understood that many people may value this architectural style.

Now onto some ads from Denver’s past. . .

A wild double-feature from 1963, apparently screened in horrifying Nervo-Rama, Werewolf in a Girl’s Dormitory, and Boris Karloff in Corridors of Blood.

This was showing at the Centennial Drive-In which was in Littleton at Federal & Belleview, the Lakeshore Drive-In located out by Sloan’s Lake in Edgewater, and the Westwood theater out on W. Alameda (nowadays an x-rated film theater and wedding hall, believe it or not!)

The Lakeshore Drive-In would play movies til dawn in 1964! I’ll tell ya, these days they don’t make cars comfortable enough for folks to sit through 5 movies in one night!

Another great double-feature including The Girl in Black Stockings featuring blonde bombshell Mamie Van Doren! This was playing in 1957 at the West Drive-In (where the empty lot, with speaker poles, still remains alongside 6th Avenue) and the Monoco Drive-In which was way out in industrial north Denver at Monoco and 40th, just a little south of I-70.

Mamie returns to the Monoco and West drive-ins with Guns, Girls and Gangsters. Double-billed with B-movie director Ed Cahn’s other 1959 feature, Riot In Juvenile Prison.

Released in mesmerising Hypno-Vista, the Paramount Theatre showed Horrors of the Black Museum and The Headless Ghost in 1959. Hypno-Vision was actually just a short filmed introduction by a hypnotist! If you look closely, you can see that they were even screening a midnite showing of the great Bela Lugosi film from the ’30s, I Walked With a Zombie.

The Paramount Theatre is the only surviving film theater from old downtown Denver. It is an art deco masterpiece, take a look.

More drive-in fare with the 1957 flying saucer paranoia of Unidentified Flying Objects and Enemy From Space, playing at the North Drive-In (which was on N. Federal, just south of the 36) and the South Drive-In, once located on Belleview, east of Sante Fe.

And lastly, Japanese men in rubber suits battle it out in 1963’s King Kong vs Godzilla. This played at the RKO Orpheum, one of downtown Denver’s many lost film palaces that were located in the vincinity of 16th and Welton.

And one final item, this picture I found of a marquee for a theater that I cannot find a listing for, the West Colfax Drive-In from 1967. Where was it? I want to know! Please write.

Denver’s 1st Summer Jazz Festival in 1959. Some big names: Ahmad Jamal, Dakota Staton and the great Shelly Manne and his Men featuring Richie Kamuca and Joe Gordon.

George Shearing at the Band Box in ‘63. Today it is Annie’s Cafe.

Count Basie and his Orchestra playing Verne Byer’s Academy Ballroom in 1963. Tickets available at the Bowl-ero, among other places!

Dizzy Gillespie at the Rainbow Ballroom at 5th and Broadway, 1959.

Saxman and big band leader Georgie Auld at the Melody Lounge, the Denver jazz hot spot in ‘59.

One of Denver’s greatest contribution’s to jazz, the late, great Phil Urso at the Rainbow Ballroom in 1959. He is featured on some of the best Chet Baker lps!

Another Verne Byer’s place, the Robin’s Nest on Lookout Mountain. Verne co-ran this place with bassist Ray Iverson, where they had famous Sunday jam sessions. This ad is from 1964.

Some more ads for Effie The Blonde Tigress at Vic Hawkin’s Senate Lounge on Colfax, a cocktail jazz act backed by Paul Warburton and Vince Limberg in the late 1950s and early ’60s.

The Four Breezes, featuring local greats Beatty Hobbs, Shelly Rhym, Leon Ragsdale and Ed Wright from 1959. Sugie’s Lounge, I believe became the Satire Lounge?

Here is Shelly Rhym and his pals again, this time backing up Denver jazz great, Ron Washington in 1959! Roxy’s Lounge was out on S. Sante Fe in Englewood.

Rose Murphy at the Melody Lounge in ‘59. What is great about this ad is her backing band featuring Slam Stewart of the famous scat-vocalese jazz duo Slim and Slam.

Vic Hawkin’s took over the Band Box on Colfax and renamed it Hawk’s in 1964. This ad is for music comedienne Peggy Lord, backed by local jazzmen Neil Bridge, Chuck Roberts and Jo-Jo Williams.

The Mel-Dawn Duo at Sammy Sugarman’s place, The Gaslite in the Alameda Inn in 1964. I am sure this place was toast after the famous Platt River flood a year later.

Jazz out on West Colfax, Lakewood Gardens became the Lemon Tree and is now called Sharks.

At lastly, some ads for the Queen City Jazz Band, a Dixieland outfit who held court at Mon-Vue Village from 1957 to 1967 (at least). They released many locally pressed lps. The Mon-Vue is still there and is currently Paradise Cove.

Elvis Presley shakes things up in Denver, on his
first visit in 1956. 16,000 tickets sold! Elvis made $4,000.

His first RCA Records release, Heartbreak Hotel had
only been out for 6 weeks and already sold a million copies.

Co-star Faron Young and his Country Deputies who had a great hit
with Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young. Still, it must have been rough on him
to be the opener.

Francis Melrose of the Rocky Mountain News gets the controversy flowing. I love how she put ‘Singer’ in quotes! I bet she wasn’t ready for the backlash of letters she received.

The rage begins:

There are so many great quotes in these letter columns: “Johnny Ray with St. Vitus Dance”, “He’d get up on stage a take a fit, and those crazy dames in the front row would take a fit right along with him”, “I think you’re jealous, or else you’re working for Faron Young“.

Aside from Faron Young, also on the bill were the upbeat country duo
Jimmy & Johnny and rockabilly queen Wanda Jackson!

The next year in 1957, Faron Young and his Country Deputies returned on a country bill that included Ferlin Husky and his Hush Puppies, Hank Thompson and His Brazos Valley Boys, Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Ray Price and at the bottom of the bill, none other than Patsy Cline. If you know your country music, you know this this was a monster show!

Alan Freed’s Mister Rock N Roll film at the Denham Theatre 1957

Another great traveling rock and roll show, this time from ‘58, this one starring
Jerry Lee Lewis, who no doubt demanded headliner status. Also R’n'B singers
The Silhouettes & Roy Hamilton, plus Bobby Helms, The Four Preps and
Bill ‘Raunchy’ Justis. The mixture of both black and white music acts as far back
as 1958, goes a long way to show how rock and roll broke down racial barriers.

An amazing rock and roll bill from 1957, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly & The Crickets (Buddy is not even named on this bill!), Eddie Cochran, LaVern Baker, Frankie Lymon, Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters, The Everly Brothers, The Diamonds, Buddy Knox, and pop singer Paul Anka. They must have had each act play 2 or 3 songs to get through this show in one evening.

Elvis dated Tempest Storm, Denver’s favorite strip tease dancer?!?
Well, if she’s good enough for the king, then she is good enough for Denver!

Sid King’s Crazy Horse Bar, famous as the coolest
location in Clint Eastwood’s monkey movie Every Which
Way But Loose. Ad is from 1963.

Everyone misses Celebrity Sports Center, one of the two
Disney related entries into Colorado entertainment.

Pogo Poge! This famous Denver radio DJ pogoed on a pogo stick
from Boulder to Denver, if I am not mistaken.

Hadda Brooks, a ’40s-era jump-blues belter who transformed into a chanteuse
by the time of this show at the Melody Lounge in 1959.

Denver Drumstick, known for having model railroads circulating
around the ceiling interior. This is why they had the railroad theme
with the Box Car of Burgers shown above, from 1963.

Taylor’s Supper Club on West Colfax. The Taylors were
Denver’s equivalant to Martin & Lewis!

The Taylor’s Supper Club building is now Lakewood Endoscopy Center.

Chez Paree, a block or so south from the Brown Palace.
One of the premiere strip clubs of old Denver in 1963.

Bob Hansen put out an obscure comedy lp in 1962. The repellant casual bigotry
on this record makes you very aware of what passed as acceptable in those days.

The Cooper Theatre designed by Richard Crowther. This Denver architect also designed two sister Cinerama theaters in Omaha and Minneapolis. Crowther designed much of Lakeside Amusement Park.

Anita O’ Day is one of the all-time top jazz female vocalists.
This picture is advertising her Melody Lounge show in ‘59.

By the time Anita O’Day visited in 1963, the Bandbox was the
hot spot for jazz. Today this is Annie’s Cafe.

Denver’s Oldest Bar at 17th & Market!

The tropical Acapulco Lounge with a jazz quartet fronted by Joe Lucero.

Lakeside Amusement Park, admission for adults: 10 cents, children
under twelve: 5 cents! That was ‘63, today this is up to $2.00!

Lakeside Speedway 1959! Jumping new Fords over other new cars!
Crashing cars and motorcycles! This historical, unused track is still there!

CDR! Continental Divide Raceway near Castle Rock on the 85. The lines of the track are still faintly visible on Google Maps. Too bad they plowed up all the pavement! Ad from 1964.

Big Al’s Gashouse was not a strip joint, but they told racy jokes,
hence the 21 and over.

Apparently Big Al, Diamond Lil, and clarinetist Punky Cadwell were all humongous!

Next installment in this category will be Elvis’ first Denver show!

The Matchless restaurant and lounge, under the hyperbolic arch in the pavilion which was originally part of I.M. Pei’s Mile High Center. You have to love that it included a trout pool and a fountain!

The pavilion, arch and restaurant are gone now, swallowed up by Norwest Plaza.
Pei’s Mile High Tower still peaks out of the plaza.

The Senate Lounge, across the street from the Capitol building, in the Argonaut Hotel. Is the cartoon a depiction of a typical 1959 state senator? The Argonaut still stands!

Senate Lounge act, Effie the Blond Tigress, backed by Denver Cool Jazz greats Bud Poindexter, Vince Limberg and Paul Warburton. I don’t know who the cat on vibes is in the upper pic!

It’s zero hour for the 1959 opening of Elitch’s Gardens. This is, of course, the original location of the amusement park. Elitch’s Theatre still stands at this old location.

Top of the Park room in the Park Lane Hotel, at the north end of Washington Park, “Denver’s Smartest Rendezvous”.

There are four apartment buildings in that spot now, and I don’t think they look like this, so I assume this building is gone.

Top of The Park engagement for cocktail-comedian/pianist Nino Nanni

The King Cole Showbar, a strip club located where Club Vinyl is today. There used to be some ghost-signage on the side of the building with the words King Cole and an arrow pointing down, but much of the original building collapsed under heavy snow, maybe 8 years ago. Bob and Sylvia released a fun Hee Haw styled comedy lp a few years later.

The Melody Lounge, “Denver’s Birdland”. These are all top-talent jazz
stars for 1959.

I am not sure, but I think this is where the Alpine Hotel is now.

Johnny Griffin at the Melody Lounge! “The Little Giant” was well-known in jazz circles for the breakneck speed at which he played!

Vaudeville revival at the Beacon Supper Club. Even the cashier sang!

“Denver has gone Lakeside“. This ad list the Sunday night stock car races and the indoor swimming pool.

Warren St. Thomas’ famous strip club, The Tropics! You got dinner, a comedian, a stripper and an indoor tropical storm! This is now the nightclub, Stone. Last time I checked, the hydraulics to raise and lower dancers from the floor and ceiling were still there!

Tura Satana is a well-known cult film star for her role in the 1966 Russ Meyer film Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!