I came across this clip a few weeks ago while looking at another thread on the H.A.M.B. and it's been nagging me to post it ever since, so instead of waiting for @Jive-Bomber or one of the other mods. to do a piece on Drive Inn's I thought I'd post it. Unfortunately, it looks like the Hot Rods only came out at night.
I just watched a version of this one on YouTube again and noticed this brown early to mid 30's roadster at 3:49 in the video.
Hello, When Beany’s drive in opened, it was actually a drive through. My brother and I were Beany + Cecil TV fanatics. Our mom made a Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent hand puppet for me. The Beany one was too difficult to make, so we waited for a toy version to come out. But, our dad wanted to take us to the drive through that was on the outer edge of the of the famous So Cal Traffic Circle. So, we went for a short drive to the traffic circle and the varied businesses that were outlining the circular portion of the southerly direction of PCH toward Seal Beach. The food was ok and not outstanding. The Clock Restaurant across the street had better burgers and fries. The PCH or Highway 101 southerly direction towards Seal Beach and the local college campus. Currently, the Cal State LB campus has taken over “the Motel” in the left of the photo and has made it a satellite dorm campus, with shuttle service to the actual campus a few miles away. The Beany drive-in sign is on the corner of Ximeno and PCH. (The name of the Highway U.S. 101 South led to Hody’s Drive-In and further driving to Seal Beach surf spots, the coastal route to get to Belmont Shore community and the local 4 year state college. But, the interesting thing is the motel sign on the left was for a small coastal stop over for weary travelers in 1958. In the following years, it closed and got turned into a very small private college. Now, many years later, it is an off campus dormitory for the 4 year state college campus activities, just a short drive away.) For some reason, despite the back way into Belmont Shore using the Ximeno Ave. was there, we always drove down to 2nd street-Westminster Blvd. intersection to get to the popular Belmont Shore area. Jnaki From our house, on the Westside of Long Beach down PCH or Highway 101 led to the Traffic Circle and this particular corner. The Traffic Circle is a nightmare of movement and has been altered to make things smoother in the transition from a three way major intersection of the busiest location in Long Beach then and even today. Just know what you are going to do before you get into the circular lanes. Back then, for all passengers in cars, the big distraction going down Highway 101 South, was seeing the big screen at the Circle Drive-In Theater at night. The movies distract the driver’s eye, but the Traffic Circle at the bottom of the steep sloping road created a major problem for all drivers. Not just teenagers! Today, the traffic circle has been updated and it is a lot easier to navigate. But, for first time drivers in the area, watch out and don’t panic… Our route to the Belmont Shore area and points South for our hot rods and cruisers was down Lakewood Boulevard that ran in front of the Douglas Aircraft complex and the Long Beach Airport, Veteran's Football Stadium (huge, old car swap meet location) then just past, the Traffic circle looms ahead, on the way South. For the travelers coming to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic events, the route to get to one of the rowing events, will be down Coast Highway. Although the Olympic Committee has designated public transportation for the events, So Cal is car culture and all local roads lead to the event site, several miles away at the LB Marine Stadium. The site of the old drag race boats back in the 60s…YRMV
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