Shortly after World War II, three Dearbornbrothers bought a vacant parcel to build a drive-in theater. Local groupsopposed them, fearing such a place would elicit "e;immoral behavior."e; But theClark family persevered to see its movie palace become a Metro Detroit mainstay,hosting celebrities, rock stars and a never-ending line of families with kidsin footie pajamas. A handshake transferred ownership to movie magnate CharlesShafer and his business partner, Bill Clark, who expanded the theater to amassive nine screens. But blockbusters and hordes of teens couldn't mitigatethe effects of Detroit's decline, auto company bankruptcies and Michigan'seconomic malaise. Despite it all, the mighty Ford-Wyoming kept the moviesshowing, bringing a bit of Hollywood glamour to the gritty Motor City.