The El Rancho Drive-In in San Jose CA was best known for the mural on the back of it’s screen that was actually painted onto the structure. This was done in the days before digital of course, so it is hard to imagine some working to paint the back by hand.

The drive-in theater itself was opened in 1950 and had a game room and kiddie rides giving it the Amusement Center touted on the matchbook. The drive-in theater thrived until the middle 1980’s when it was sold and torn down for condos. The El Rancho Drive-in theater was one that Joe Bob Briggs would have loved.

This shirt reproduces the back of the screen that faced Alma street where the DMV is now. The entire thing was redrawn as faithfully as it could be with the source material we had. This is, essentially, an all new piece of art that is meant to evoke the spirit and sense of wonder that was The El Rancho Drive-In and Drive-in theaters in general.

Printed by us on our own direct-to-garment printer, this is a good, sharp design free of color artifacts on other imperfections that often plague this kind of product.

Be sure to check for our listing for the El Rancho Drive-in Matchbook reproductions.