Get Outta Town

[ travel] Get Outta Town: Drive-ins are great and all, but at Movie Manor, they come with a bed

Motel was built as an add-on to a Monte Vista cinema in the 1960s

Courtesy of Best Western »» Movie Manor, built adjacent to the Star Drive-In in Monte Vista, combines the drive-in movie experience with a motel stay.

»» The view of the first screen from Room 108.

Nick Gonzales/DGO

There’s no way that anyone could have predicted it more than a few months in advance, but when it comes to movies, this was the summer of the drive-in.

As naturally social-distanced pods, cars turned out to be the perfect way to watch films – albeit old classics – outside the house. Communities like Durango and Farmington that had drive-ins in the past found ways to improvise temporary new ones. But not terribly far away, drive-ins never really disappeared. Perhaps the most versatile drive-in is located in Monte » Nick Gonzales/DGO » The view of the second screen from Room 108. »» “Attica! Attica!” Vista. Mostly because it’s also a second movie screen that can also be actor. This doesn’t mean they’re themed, a motel. seen from the rooms. Every room has a mind you. When we stayed there, we

The Star Drive-In opened in 1955, built-in mono speaker that replicates the got room 108 ... the Al Pacino room. And with spaces for 300 cars pointed at a sinaudio portion of the drive-in experience, yet inside we found neither guns nor a gle screen. This wasn’t terribly notable but the audio tracks can also be found on mountain of cocaine — just a Gideons in and of itself as that was the heyday of drive-in theaters. But in 1964, owner George Kelloff came up with a way to transform the summertime attraction into a larger business opportunity — by building a semi-circular hotel with picthe radios in the rooms. The fact that there are two screens means that during the season from mid-May through September, there are usually two movies running — new ones bible, coffee, and the usual motel room stuff. That’s probably for the best. Instead, there were two identical paintings (you know, the kind you’d find at a mall kiosk about 15 years ago) with a bunch ture windows behind the parking spots. even, when Hollywood is churning them of early- to mid-20th century film stars The Movie Manor motel has since expanded, but in its original 14 rooms, you can see the original screen from the out. During our stay, they had “Inception” (2010) and “Unhinged” (2020). They play on both screens at the same hanging out on a patio. Entertainingly, a number of the celebrity names on the rooms and in the bed. From the others, a bit of maneuvertime, not back-to-back like a double cement outside the lobby, Grauman’s ing or repositioning of chairs is required. feature. Chinese Theatre-style, are misspelled. And in response to the initial success of In addition to the usual number, the We like to think that “Arnold Schwartzthe inn/cinema combos, the Kelloffs built rooms also bear the name of a famous ennager” is the star of “The Terminater.”

What’s nifty about watching a first-run from a motel room is that you can do whatever you want with complete privacy. Having an alcoholic drink that would get you in trouble if you were in a car, doing yoga, typing your own screenplay loudly on an old-fashioned typewriter ... you can do pretty much anything while main

Nick Gonzales/DGO

taining a full view of the screen. (We’re assuming nobody is going to come and stare into your window — if that’s happening, you’ve got bigger problems.) And if you want the usual popcorn and refreshments, you can walk out to the drive-in’s snack bar and back to your room.

The Star Drive-In is now a Best Western, which makes it pretty easy to reserve a room, and the rates are typical for the area. Finding out what movies are showing is a pain on Best Western’s website for the motel, however they are listed on the website for the Star Drive-In.