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 a matchbook from the now defunct drive-in. The entire
things was redrawn as faithfully as it could be with the source material we had,
the sketchy quality of the horse and rider matches what was on the matchbook.
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.