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Cinema pioneer Jack Feldt built the Tors Drive-In, and it opened on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th, 1966. The first double feature to screen was ‘Tunnel of Love’ starring Richard Widmark and Doris Day, followed by ‘Mission of Danger’ starring Keith Larsen and Buddy Epson.
Jack also owned three hardtop (indoor) cinemas in Charters Towers; the Theatre Royal, The Olympia and the Regent Theatre.
Inspired by the success of drive-in theatres in other areas, Jack believed that such an outdoor cinema would be perfect for the Towers. Disused railway line and hard wood seats from the Theatre Royal were repurposed for the construction of the screen. It was built to last, and has survived decades of cyclones and severe storms. Some of the original landscaping has survived, and our modernist egg-shaped speaker bases were made by hand and are still in use today. Even the speakers that hang on the posts have original cases, with the contents replaced, repaired and upgraded/retrofitted as needed.
When the drive-in opened it quickly became the favourite cinema venue in town, according to the original manager, and also staff who worked at both the drive-in and the Regent Cinema in town. Attendances at the other cinemas dwindled as families and couples preferred the convenience and atmosphere of the drive-in.
In fact, the success of the Tors helped to finance the building of the Range Drive-In in Townsville, which it has incredibly outlasted by more than a decade.
The Olympia closed in the mid 1960s as the Tors opened, then the Theatre Royal was demolished in 1970. By 1983 the Regent Theatre had also closed. So the Tors Drive-In Cinema was the last remaining cinema in town, surviving on its’ own merit.
From his hilltop bedroom in Bowen, Steve Snell could see the Whitsunday Drive-In. From this vantage point he would excitedly watch the cars queue on the highway at dusk, waiting to get in. Then at nightfall a massive image seemed to magically appear on the screen, and an obsession with film projection was born.
In 1978, as an eight year old, he starting training as a projectionist for Ben and Phyl DeLuca at the Summergarden Theatre in Bowen. He had to stand on a film trunk to see through the portholes when he first started! That’s when he became amazed by the process of a tiny frame of film passing through light to produce a big screen image.
Steve would work at the Summergarden until his late teens during week-ends, and during the school holidays. We still consider the DeLuca family part of ours to this day.
Such was his fanaticism for cinema, that Steve’s backyard in Bowen was transformed into a mini drive-in! As a teenager he was the youngest person on the studios’ books to hold an account. He would work, and scrimp and save to hire film prints to show family and friends on the holidays.
During the 1970s, the Feldt family continued to own and operate the Tors Drive-In.
In 1981, Ian and Lyn Blackburn purchased the Tors Drive-In from the Feldt family.
From 1984-87 Steve was a student at All Souls and St. Gabriels’ School in Charters Towers. As a boarder, he would go to the Tors on drive-in leave on the week-ends. It was then that he became friendly with Ian and Lyn. He would help out behind the scenes in the projection room and in the café.
When Steve finished school in 1987, he went to Brisbane to work as a projectionist for Greater Union cinemas. There his time was split between the Albert, The Forum and The George. He also was a relief operator at The Keppera Drive-In one night, which was also owned by Greater Union. Sadly, none of those venues survived the 90s. But by then Steve had moved on.
In early 1988 there was an opportunity to manage the Whitsunday Drive-In in Bowen. So he left Brisbane to move back home. He met his future wife Debbie at the Summergarden Theatre around this time.
Steve continued to manage the Whitsunday Drive-In for over a year until he was encouraged to move to Charters Towers by the Blackburns. He helped them manage the Tors until the Snell family took over.
In 1990, the Snell family purchased the Tors Drive-In, and made the move to Charters Towers. Within the first couple of years were busy: we relandscaped the ramps, painted the screen and building, twinned the drive-in, upgraded the projectors and installed FM sound.
There’s always a lot of ongoing investments/improvements made behind the scenes. For example, the speakers require constant maintenance and repairs to function properly, which is why most surviving drive-in theatres don’t have them now.
In the past three decades we’ve invested heavily in the drive-in. Not just in terms of updates and improvements, but also to adapt to the ever-changing movie industry. We’ve also done our best to pay our respects to the history of the Tors, and those that have come before us. The original structure and integrity of the Tors have been preserved as much as possible when we have made improvements and upgrades. Therefore it functions as a living piece of our cultural and social history equipped with the latest technology as a blend of the old and the new.
Like those before us, we are very hands on owner-operators. Maintaining and running the drive-in requires a lot of work, dedication and passion. But the greatest reward is knowing that our patrons can continue to experience the magical atmosphere of movies under the stars.
Steve & Deb Snell are now the longest owner/operators of the Tors Drive-In. We hope that our drive-in will continue to bring people together, and that special memories are made here well into the future
Harry Bucklar was the manager for Feldts’ theatres in Charters Towers. That included the Tors Drive-In when it first opened.
He was dedicated to the industry and was an old school, hard working hands-on manager. Harry helped to build and landscape the property before it opened and maintain it thereafter. We simply can’t look at the drive-in without thinking of Harry, he left such a mark.
We were fortunate enough to have Harry and his wife Ethleen in our lives, and they became family to us.
Les Bagley worked as a projectionist for Feldts’ Theatres, including the Tors Drive-In.
Steve met him when they both worked as announcers for the local radio station. It wasn’t long before Steve convinced Les to resume his projectionist duties at the Tors and he worked for us for many years.
It was great to have that continuity and connection to the past. And through local treasures Harry and Les, we learned a lot about the history of Charters Towers and its’ theatres.
Over the years we’ve employed descendants of former cinema pioneers and staff here. All of our staff, patrons, supporters and friends are now part of the Tors Drive-In’s story.
We’ve hosted many private functions in the past few decades, including birthday parties and intimate proposal nights! Plus there’s regular theme nights, such as Halloween and retro movie nights. The Tors’ has hosted many clubs and group social nights and takes pride in supporting our community.
We were especially thrilled to first bring the Sydney Travelling Film Festival (STFF) to town in 2011 and then 2012. We had already screened many arthouse and foreign films, but the festival really showcased different types of movies from around the globe. It gave locals the opportunity to experience a film festival in their own backyard in a unique way. These are the only years that the STFF has ever been to a drive-in theatre! We look forward to bringing more of these types of events to town if possible.
In 2016 we celebrated 50 years of big screen movies at the Tors. We were fortunate that the award winning filmmaker April Wright flew over from the U.S. as our special guest. She has made excellent documentaries about this industry including Going Attractions: The Definitive Story of the American Drive-in Movie.
The Tors Drive-In has a rich history that has touched many lives from near and far. It’s our sincerest hope that it continues to evolve, grow and show movies under the stars to future generations.
The first two decades of the 21st Century rang in massive changes regarding projection. Following FM installation, came the cyan sound upgrade, but by far the most significant development was digital projection.
By 2013, less movies were distributed on film format, and by 2014 studios stopped supplying film prints on latest movies. To show new releases, we had to invest $100,000 + in 2014 to convert our main screen to digital. We needed the best 4K projector on the market at the time to deliver a bright, sharp image to our massive screen. To date this has been our most expensive upgrade in terms of installation, and ongoing maintenance and repairs. This was another of those “invisible” behind the scenes expense commitments that customers don’t see, but one that was essential to continue showing new releases.
We have kept our film projectors and still regularly screen on 35mm and 16mm film on our screens. While we are now equipped with the very best in 4K digital projection on both of our screens, we will continue to screen on film in the future. The Tors is home to the only cinema screens in North Queensland to have continuously and consistently screen on analogue film since 2014.
Film as a format is in the very DNA of cinema and is a vital part of its’ heritage. Historically film as a format has gone through its’ own innovations in terms of composition and capabilities, and remains the gold standard for its’ depth of colour, warmth, character, reliability and archival stability. Movies are still shot on film, and increasingly new releases are being struck on film for distribution as audiences’ appreciation for the purist, analogue experience grows. The most recent wide 35mm film release in the domestic market was Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, and we anticipate there will be many, many more to come!
The very magic of cinema happens when still images of film are motioned at 24 frames per second and transformed to a moving picture on the big screen, so long may it live on!
We are one of the rare locations still showing film, and if you’re interested in a behind-the-scenes tour, please ask at the cafe. Steve is always in his element when he can share his love of film projection!
To make your experience at the Tors Drive-In as enjoyable and safe as possible, we ask that you please observe the following rules.