Parma Motor-Vu Drive-In

Parma Motor-Vu Drive-In is a family-owned drive-in movie theater in Parma, Idaho, United States. It opened in June 1953, making it one of the first drive-ins in the Treasure Valley region along the Idaho-Oregon border. The theater was founded by Bill and Gladys Dobbs, who had entered the theater business in 1944 by purchasing a Pacific Northwest theater circuit that included locations in Parma, New Plymouth, and Wilder. Their daughter, Karen Dobbs Cornwell, has recounted the theater's history, and the business remains in the family. The drive-in was established as television's rise began drawing audiences away from traditional indoor cinemas. The Dobbs family recognized the potential of the drive-in format and launched the Motor-Vu as a way to keep offering movies to local audiences. In its early years the theater drew steady but modest crowds, and by the 1960s it had become a local entertainment staple. Today the Parma Motor-Vu continues to operate as a seasonal outdoor cinema. It screens first-run and recent-release films, typically offering double features on weekend evenings. The theater broadcasts movie audio over FM radio (106.7 FM), welcomes dogs, and accepts debit, credit, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and cash. Its snack bar is a central part of the business, and the theater asks patrons to limit outside food and drink because concession sales sustain operations. The Motor-Vu is a surviving example of the classic American drive-in, a format that has largely disappeared since its mid-20th-century peak.

The Parma Motor-Vu Drive-In traces its origins to the Dobbs family's entry into the theater business in 1944, when Bill and Gladys Dobbs purchased a Pacific Northwest theater circuit that included theaters in Parma, New Plymouth, and Wilder. The family operated the Parma Theatre, and by the late 1940s the movie business was thriving in the small Idaho community. As Karen Dobbs Cornwell later recalled, during the war years people had grown accustomed to staying in town, and in Parma the theater was the only form of entertainment. That changed in 1952, when the movie industry in Parma experienced a sharp and sudden downturn. Cornwell described the shift as happening almost overnight, comparing it to flipping on a television for the first time. Attendance at the indoor theater fell from long lines at the box office to just a handful of patrons. In response, Bill Dobbs looked to the emerging drive-in theater format. In June 1953, the family opened one of the valley's first drive-ins, the Parma Motor-Vu. Cornwell, then a freshman in high school, remembered the period as an exciting time, with the music of the era, including "Rock Around the Clock," providing the soundtrack to the theater's early days. The early years of the Motor-Vu were described by Cornwell as good but not great. In the 1960s, the drive-in found a major saving grace in the form of a particular draw that helped sustain attendance, though the full details of that period are part of the family's longer account. Over the following decades the Motor-Vu remained a local institution, weathering the broader decline of the drive-in industry that saw thousands of outdoor theaters close across the United States. By the 2020s the Parma Motor-Vu was still in operation, run by the Dobbs/Cornwell family and presenting current films. The theater's website advertises weekend screenings with gates opening in the early evening and films starting after dusk. It promotes a family-friendly atmosphere, welcomes dogs, and emphasizes its snack bar as the economic engine of the business. The Motor-Vu's survival into the 21st century places it among a small number of classic American drive-ins that continue to operate, preserving a mid-20th-century entertainment tradition in rural Idaho.

• 1960

  The drive-in finds a major saving grace in the 1960s that helps sustain attendance.

• 1953

  The Parma Motor-Vu Drive-In opens in June as one of the valley's first drive-ins.

• 1952

  The movie industry in Parma experiences a sharp downturn as television spreads.

• 1944

  Bill and Gladys Dobbs purchase a Pacific Northwest theater circuit including theaters in Parma, New Plymouth, and Wilder.

A nostalgic, family-friendly, family-owned drive-in theater serving the Treasure Valley with affordable outdoor movie entertainment and classic concession-stand fare.

• Drive-in movie screenings

  Outdoor screenings of current films, typically on weekend evenings.

• Double features

  Two films shown back-to-back on the same evening.

• Concession stand

  Snack bar offering concessions; sales are the primary revenue source.

• FM radio audio broadcast

  Movie audio broadcast on 106.7 FM for in-car listening.

1. 1Parma Motor-Vu | Catch the Actionparmamotorvu.com
2. 2Our Story | Drive-In Movies Since 1953 — Parma Motor-Vuparmamotorvu.com
3. 3Parma Motor Vu Drive-In - Wikidatawikidata.org