Boxoffice-April.07.1958

"The Sharpstown Flyer," with a full load, emerges
from the Magic Tunnel where it has passed by the
"Ehes' Secret Diamond Mine." The tunnel is 80
feet long and constructed of corrugated steel.
long, which is equipped with automatic
block signals and a modern raiU'oad station.
The track encircles the amusement
park area.
But there is more to the fun of the train
ride than the trip itself. The miniature
railroad passes through an 80-foot, corrugated
steel tunnel. Near the center of the
tunnel a tripping device illuminates the
Elvis" Secret Diamond Mine. Here three
36-inch animated elves are busily at work.
Then, the train passes a series of 11
fairytale houses. Old Lady in a Shoe, Jack
and the Beanstalk, King Midas' Castle,
Humpty Dumpty on the Wall, Home of the
Three Little Pigs, Dutch Windmill, Little
Red School House and Judge Bean's Courthouse,
are some of the quaint structures
designed by Henry Marcus, Loew's Theatres
art department, to delight the youngsters.
Monkeys, cinnamon bears, ducks and
miscellaneous domestic animals are housed
in the children's zoo, installed in coopera-
"Winky," one of the elves working in the Secret
Diamond Mine, is a favorite of the kiddie passengers
who ride the free miniature railroad. "Stinky" and
"Dinky" are his companion gnomes.
tion With the Houston branch of Uv
American Society for the Prevention ol
Cruelty to Animals. Honeysuckle is a 650-
pound, nine-year-old black bear owned and
trained by Mrs. Josephine Moore of Sheldon
Reservoir, Tex.
A 36-foot-diameter carou.sel is elaborately
lighted, and accommodates three
children abreast. There are 30 gaily colored,
cast aluminum horses and two
chariots, with a capacity of 38 children.
The carousel is electrically driven and is
operated to the accompaniment of oldfashioned
calliope music.
The carousel was built by the Allan
Herschell Co., and the Miniature Train Co.,
a subsidiary built
the "Flyer,"
Behind the main refreshment buildmg.
in an 82xl50-foot area, is the circus playground
for small children. It is surrounded
by chain link fencing adorned with comic
strip characters. There is a Jack and Jill
Ski slide, as well as an animal slide. Kiddie
Whirl, kindergarten swings, belt swings,
glider swings and sand boxes, all made by
Miracle Equipment Co.
ALL RIDES ARE FREE
There is no charge for any play activity,
nor is there a child's admission when accompanied
by parents.
All of this emphasis on attractions for
the youngsters was well taken because of
the character of the Sharpstown's patronage.
It is located at the entrance to a burgeoning
subdivision which will be larger
than Levittown, with 25,000 homes in all.
on the southwest side of metropolitan
Houston. The area is being settled mostly
by young people with growing families, and
has only one other drive-in within short
driving distance, the independently owned
Post Oak.
Closeness to the growing Sharpstown
trade is only one of the advantages of the
Loew's drive-in location. A freeway for
U. S. Highway 90 has been laid out to carry
cars from downtown Houston to the southwest
county line. It will eventually pass
within 300 yards of the Sharpstown drivein,
and will enable families from many
other parts of the metropolis to reach
Loew's Shai-pstown Drive-In within a short
driving time.
A FAMILY-TYPE OPERATION
The drive-in will be a family type one.
and it will compete with several aggressively
managed indoor houses, both independent
and chain within a short distance.
However the drive-in is closer to the several
thousand residents of Sharpstown and
surrounding subdivisions than any walled
theatre at pre.sent.
Estimated cost of the entire project, including
real estate, is over $1,000,000. according
to Homer McCallon, who will supervise
the drive-in along with managing
Loew's downtown Houston theatre.
McCallon pointed out that only Loew's
"110" on Long Island, N. Y.. is larger in
Continued on following page
Those
Little
Wonderful
Extra Touches
Youthful patrons of the Sharpstown visit Judge
Roy Bean's "Courthouse." A real Indian and
cowboy who decorate this prop were ou( for a
coffee break when the picture was made. Actually,
the structure was designed to camouflage
a brick structure housing the drive-in's emergency
generators.
Boffo, the clown is a nightly, pre-showtime feature
at the new Houston drive-in. Here he stages
a high wire act, one of his several animal acts,
for the amusement of youngsters.
Some of the cages in the children's zoo. There
are monkeys, cinnamon bears, ducks and miscellaneous
domestic animals as well as a 650-
pound, nine-year-old black bear.
The miniature tram moves past Humpty Dumpty's
wall in its trip through Fairyland Village. This
is just one structure of 1 1 that bring to life
some of the welt-known nursery talcs
BOXOFFICE :: April 7, 1958