Behind the scenes of Belmont history

bELMONT HISTORIcAL SOcIETy

KARLA LEE

What used to be a Belmont theater is now a gym. What is now a storage unit was a drive-in movie theater. As time moves on, so does everything else. Belmont’s memories and places are left for future people to find out.

Star-Lite Drive-In Theatre

bELMONT HISTORIcAL SOcIETy

It’s nighttime. Hundreds of people begin to swarm the parking lot with their cars. A large bright screen pops up. Sound blares from the metal speakers hung from car windows.

Starlite Drive-In was the name of the place. It was a spot where people could watch movies and films outside at night for entertainment and spend time with friends or loved ones.

Movie and film genres ranged anywhere from horror to comedy to non-fiction. Starlite-Drive In would also play movies produced by Walt Disney, such as Pollyanna and Old Yeller.

Thomas Goodier, who grew up in San Mateo, went to the drive-in multiple times over the years and made great memories with his friends and family.

“In the 1970s, I snuck into the drivein with my friends. We would drive the car into the exit. There were metal spikes that went towards the wheels when driving in the wrong way. Only once did it cause our car to get a flat tire,” Goodier said.

Those who lived on the end of O’Neill street could see what was playing on screen right from their homes, so they were able to watch movies for free.

After about 30 years of operating, it eventually closed and was turned into a Coca-Cola factory which lasted for two years. However, warehouses and storage units currently occupy the space.

AMbER cHIA

Belmont Theatre

A conspicuous neon light glows through the window into the comfort of a home at night. Its letters, outlined in red, flicker between “Belmont” and “Bel-art.”

“Belmont Cinema Three” is engraved on a yellow sign. Below it reads “Sling Blade,” a popular movie shown in 1997.

Inside the theatre, the sound of screaming children roars across the lobby room as they wait in excitement for the movie to start. They could buy delicious popcorn from the snack bar and take pictures in the photo booth.

George Metropulos, who has lived in Belmont his whole life, got to experience the theatre first hand.

“There were ushers in the movie theatres. They would walk up and down the aisle with a flashlight and tell you to get your feet off the seat and be quiet, but we had a great time,” Metropulos said. “You get to see all your friends from school and watch the movie on the big screen, and many children would throw popcorn at the movie screen whenever a certain character would show up.”

Aside from watching movies, gift certificates found on the bottom of popcorn boxes were popular among many children and adults as they had an opportunity to win prizes like a free movie or a free dinner at a restaurant.

Eventually, in 1997, the theatre closed, and three years later, the building became a means for exercise. Now, the building is more commonly known to Belmont’s residents as Planet Granite.

Zoe Leckey, a Belmont resident and Carlmont junior, wishes that the theatre didn’t close.

“I like Planet Granite, but I’d much rather have the theatre closer to us, and it would be a popular place everyone would go to,” Leckey said.

Today, the tall Belmont sign still stands on the building as a symbol of the Belmont Theatre.