Story by:
Megan Quinn
Senior Reporter
The theatre is hard to miss as its towering marquee proudly stands as a beacon to those in search of a nostalgic experience. It is the oldest drive-in theatre in the state, and according to its owner, Ralph Hickox, it is not very far from being one of the oldest in the United States.
Nestled right outside the city limit of Jesup sits the historic Jesup Drive-In Theatre, a site of entertainment in southeast Georgia for 70 years.
“It’s not just a movie, it’s an experience,” Hickox said. “You come to the drive-in for a rockabilly 1950’s experience with carhops and the way it used to be there. You come here (the Historic Strand Dinner Cinema) for an art-deco, classy dinner cinema that’s favoring the ‘20s.”
Construction began on the drive-in in 1947 when drive-ins were at their all-time high in popularity. The grand opening happened the following year.
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In 1918, a tent show -- a traveling carnival of sorts -- made its way to Jesup. One of the biggest attractions it offered was the showing of a black and white film.
When the show became bankrupt, two Jesup locals, Ward Riggins and a man bearing last name Ricks, pooled their money together in to buy the tent show. The men took the equipment used to present the movies and set up shop in a building on Broad Street.
They ran the shows in that building from 1918 until 1924. Not only did the men present the shows in Jesup, but they would transport the equipment to surrounding towns to share the novelty of watching a film. Eventually Riggins took over the entire business because of Ricks’ obligation to the railroad company that he worked for.
In 1924, a man whose last name was O’Quinn built what was one of the largest movie theatres in South Georgia. Back then it could hold 750 people, including the segregated balcony area. Eighteen years later, Riggins bought the building from O’Quinn. He then built what was known as the Family Drive-In five years later.
That same drive-in is known today as the Jesup Drive-In.
In 1958, Riggins retired and sold the theatres to his son who kept them running for a few years until they ran into disrepair and he closed them. The drive-in was sold to Tim Cockfield, who maintained the drive-in and restored and preserved it to its heyday.
The O’Quinn building had unfortunately gone past the point of no return with a caved-in roof until a group of doctors chose to restore it in the late seventies. The doctors rebuilt the theatre to fall “behind the curve,” which Hickox explained to be a below average theatre compared to the high-end ones in the country at that time. Because of this and the threat of megaplexes that began popping up, the theatre inside of the O’Quinn building closed again.
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Hickox and his wife Jamie had a certain love for the theatre and bought the drive-in from Cockfield in 2012 because it had once again been neglected. They have expanded the drive-in to have new screens, digital imaging, a playground and a dining hall. The ‘50s theme has remained at the drive-in that can be seen in the carhops and music from that era.
Most drive-ins in the ‘50s were built on the outskirts of towns, so when towns began to develop, drive-ins were typically torn down. The Jesup Drive-In has withstood the trial of time partly because of its location near the Rayonier manufacturing plant, which has decreased the value of the land.
At the time Hickox purchased the drive-in, the theatre a few miles away in downtown Jesup had again fallen into disrepair.
Hickox’s father, who was the mayor of the city of Homeland, passed away and left money that his son refused to take. Eventually, Hickox’s attorney told him that he had to take the money because it was in his father’s will. In order to honor his father’s love of community, Hickox used the money to purchase the O’Quinn building. Outside of the money that his father left for him, Hickox invested $200,000 of his own money into what is now known as the Historic Strand Dinner Cinema.
Hickox’s excellent track record in business (he owns two heating and air companies, an electric company, two real estate companies, a property management company, an advertising agency, the drive-in as well as being a county commissioner) gained him the trust of the bank and allowed him to take the risk of re-opening the Historic Strand Dinner Cinema.
The largest challenge that Hickox faces in running both the theatres, as well as his other businesses, is time. Because owning so many businesses can be time consuming, Hickox’s wife runs the Jesup Drive-In and he focuses mainly on the Strand. They became competitive once the Strand began gaining business, but Hickox admitted that his wife was a true competitor.
“Me and my wife were being competitive with each other and she’s like ‘Well I did this!’ and ya know, she was kicking my butt ‘cause I only had these 27 seats,” said Hickox, gesturing to the original boutique theatre towards the front of the Strand. “I said, ‘When I open a big theatre I’m gonna stomp your ass. You do know that right?’”
Hickox never thought the Strand would thrive as much as it did. Since opening two larger theatres in the back end of the building, the Strand has been tripling the numbers of the drive-in. He claims the Strand’s and the drive-in’s success are due to the novelty of both of the locations, and he and his wife have played on the “blast from the past” in order to attract patrons.
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Jesup doesn’t have a “normal” movie theatre.
According to Hickox, because of the uniqueness of both locations, they would put a normal theatre out of business.
“I’m a micromanager. I’m very, very particular about customer service,” said Hickox. “I expect every experience with every customer to be perfect every time. Not okay. Perfect. I’m not okay with okay.”
Hickox’s devotion to his businesses showed in the upkeep of both theatres as well as the way he spoke with his employees who were coming in and out during the interview. If you are searching for a clean, family friendly atmosphere to make memories, Hickox’s theatres just might be the place.
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