The McCutcheons build on decades of family memories at Greenwood’s 25 Drive-In Auto Theatre
Driving up US-25, you see the massive screens looming in the distance. Pull in, and you’ll find rows of posts in three fields surrounded by tall cedars and pines. Park your car and head immediately to the concession stand, where Carolyn and Tommy McCutcheon are offering sweet tea, buttered popcorn, hand-pattied bacon cheeseburgers, and house-made pork tenderloin barbecue sandwiches.
Fully provisioned and back at your car, set your radio 88.1 FM or 90.1 FM—or if you’re lounging in the back of a truck or setting up camp chairs in front of your car, rent a portable FM radio for optimal sound.
Settle in, and just as the sun dips behind the trees, the screen lights up, the national anthem plays, and your night at the 25 Drive In Theatre begins.
Preview
Greenwood Auto Drive-In, owned by Olin Turner, opened with a single screen in 1945. Pete Zouras took over in 1955 and added a new state-of-the-art screen just in time to play Walking Tall in 1973. The theater remained in operation through the mid-1980s, briefly opening for one summer in 1999 before going dark again. That’s when Tommy and Carolyn McCutcheon entered the scene.
Tommy has fond memories of going to the drive-in with his father and brother, enjoying hot dogs and movies in the night air. He worked for years in the restaurant industry and was running a real estate management company when he drove by the site of so many memories and saw a pile of garbage.
“Someone had left a load of trash in front of the box office,” Tommy says. “I told Carolyn, ‘I can’t believe someone did that! Let’s see who runs it.’” He volunteered to bring a crew to clean up the mess, and found that then-owner Virginia Turner, who was in her 90s, hadn’t been able to maintain the theater. She asked him if he’d like to buy it, and he had a quick answer: “No thanks.”
“I had seen what terrible shape it was in,” he recalls. “But that night, I didn’t get any sleep.” He realized he loved the place, and he wanted to buy it.
Carolyn McCutcheon, Tommy’s wife of 43 years, was on board immediately. She, too, had often visited the drive-in as a child in the 1960s. In fact, she recalls a few run-ins on the playground with an energetic boy who later became her husband. She also remembers seeing Jaws with her cousins every single week in 1975, even though it terrified her.
The drive-in had made such an impression on both of them that, even before they decided to revive it, they would watch the sun go down every night and would often discuss exactly when the drive-in projector would be clicking on, beginning the movie magic just after sunset. “I love when the screen lights up,” Carolyn says. “It still has that thrill to me after all these years.”
Double Features at Greenwood’s 25 Drive In Theatre
They purchased the property in 2008 and showed their first films in 2009. The couple made sure to buy the property around the original one-screen theater so they could have room to expand, and they added a second screen in 2011 and a third in 2015.
They also added a patio over the concession stand, updated the women’s restroom, and switched to digital projection and sound, each year adding more to their beloved property. “It’s a labor of love,” Tommy says.
Despite their other jobs, the McCutcheons, including their son Tom, work all week to keep the drive-in operating. Mondays and Tuesdays involve booking and verifying the movies, plus updating the website and social media to let people know what’s showing. On Thursdays, they cut ten acres of grass. They run a double feature on each screen every Friday and Saturday night, often leaving after 2a.m.
They also run a full restaurant on-site. “Every drive-in is different, and our specialty is our food,” Carolyn says. “If I can get them in the restaurant, they will come back.” Tommy, who has cooked professionally since 1982, makes bacon cheeseburgers, chili cheese fries, and grilled chicken salads topped with homemade ranch dressing.
Roll Credits
Though attendance has been light this year, likely due to weather, the McCutcheons plan to keep building on their drive-in dream.
“We love it, and we’ll keep it up,” Carolyn says. “The best part is the people.” She and Tommy have become known as Mom and Pop, and they get to know Clemson football players, Greenville families, and regulars from North Carolina, Georgia, and beyond. Recently, they were in Washington, DC, when someone called out, “Mom! Pop!” They had been recognized by drive-in fans who had visited Greenwood.
Tommy says that even when the workday is long and attendance is sparse, he has no regrets. “I’m happy we did it, because I have great family memories here, and now I’m helping other people make family memories,” he says. “That’s worth a lot to me.”
25 Drive In Tips
- Bring blankets and chairs so you can stretch out while you enjoy the movie.
- They always play a double feature, so stick around for the second film.
- Turn off all lights before the show starts.
- Bring a frisbee or soccer ball; kids like to play in the nearby fields.
- Come hungry and have dinner before the show; arrive an hour before sunset for the best timing.
3109 Hwy. 25 S., Greenwood, general admission $10, children 3-11 $5 (3 and under, free). Gate opens at 7p.m. Friday and Saturday. Movie schedule posted Monday at 25drivein.com.
