Drive-in closed amidst suit

More than four decades ago this week, the owner of a local drive-in movie theater agreed to close for the season following a lengthy court battle.

Clyde Nihiser, owner of Movieland Drive-in in Geneva, said after one more weekend of screenings he would close his theater for the season following an agreement with the Adams County prosecutor, according to an Oct. 25, 1973, article in The Commercial Review.

Nihiser’s battle with local residents was a result of the theater playing adult-rated films, instead of those deemed to be family-friendly. It was the former, however, that brought the most revenue to the theatre in the first place.

“Whenever the rent was due, we’d run an adult program,” said a close friend of Nihiser. “We could make more in a weekend than we could all month with our regular programs.”

Such adult-rated films were nothing new to Nihiser, who opened the theater in 1953. As operation costs increased over the years, he was forced to show them from an economic standpoint; if he played family-friendly movies he would go out of business.

There were strict rules when Movieland played adult-rated films. No one under the age of 18 was allowed.

“Not even babies in arms can be admitted,” Nihiser said.

At the time of the article, Nihiser’s battle with prosecuting attorney Daniel Burry was ongoing, therefore whether or not the weekend’s screenings would be its last was uncertain.