By Bailey Coyle, FOX23.com News Staff
TULSA, Okla. — One of Tulsa’s most recognizable landmarks is celebrating a major milestone this week.
The Admiral Twin Drive-In is marking 75 years in business with a community celebration honoring the theater’s history, legacy and connection to generations of Oklahomans.
For owner Blake Smith, the milestone feels both surreal and deeply personal.
“It’s kind of been my life,” Smith said. “I’ve been here more than half that time. It never really felt like a job.”
Smith’s family has owned the drive-in since 1987, and he says watching the landmark reach 75 years is something he never spent much time thinking about until now.
“You hit the 50, you hit the 60, and then all of a sudden we’re here,” he said. “Most businesses don’t make it 75 years. That’s just crazy in itself.”
The Admiral Twin first opened in 1951 and has since become a symbol of nostalgia and Americana in Tulsa. Families who once visited as children now bring their own kids to experience movies under the stars.
Smith believes the drive-in’s lasting appeal comes from the experience itself.
“It’s more of a social event,” Smith said. “People set out blankets, kids run around, you throw a Frisbee or football around. It’s just laid back.”
Unlike traditional movie theaters, Smith says the drive-in offers families a more relaxed atmosphere where people can enjoy time together while still watching a movie.
“It’s kind of like going camping or going to a ball game,” he said.
Over the decades, the Admiral Twin has also become a pop culture landmark thanks to its appearance in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film “The Outsiders.”
The movie, based on S.E. Hinton’s Tulsa-set novel, featured several scenes filmed at the drive-in and helped cement the theater’s place in movie history.
“That’s really our claim to fame,” Smith said. “Every single day somebody takes a picture of the marquee or the screen tower.”
To celebrate the anniversary, the drive-in will screen “The Outsiders” alongside “Cool Hand Luke” during a special anniversary event Friday night. The celebration will also include live music, giveaways and a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Tulsa city leaders.
Mayor Monroe Nichols is expected to attend, and the city has officially proclaimed May 29 as “Admiral Twin Drive-In Day” in Tulsa.
The celebration also reflects the theater’s resilience.
In 2010, a fire destroyed the original screen towers and structures that had stood for decades. Smith said rebuilding the theater became one of the hardest periods of his life.
“We built this in 2011 and opened back up in 2012,” Smith said. “We tried to make it look similar to the old structure because we wanted to preserve that feeling.”
He credits Tulsa residents for helping make the rebuild possible.
“When the drive-in burned down, people were giving us quarters, dimes and nickels,” Smith said. “The support from the community told us maybe we should rebuild it.”
Now, 75 years after first opening, Smith says preserving the drive-in matters because once places like it disappear, they’re gone for good.
“As long as people keep coming, we’ll keep surviving,” he said. “I just don’t want to see it go away.”
The Admiral Twin’s 75th anniversary celebration begins Friday evening and continues through the weekend with special events and movie screenings.
