The Pronto Drive-In
Episode VII of Fall Creek History
Written by Karen Hurd
The Pronto Drive-In showcases the real-life stories of Myrt and Wilbur Walter, who owned and operated two Pronto Pup drive-in's in Fall Creek & Eau Claire, Wisconsin. This musical covers the time span of 1954 to 1967, with most of the play set in 1955. Mryt & Wilbur's relationship, the work it took to run a drive-in, and the antics of their children are all rolled into this play. Add to that the romance of one of the "East Side Gang" boys frequenting the Pronto to try to woo one of the carhops, and you have a fun picture of life at The Pronto. Set against the backdrop of well-known tunes from the 50’s and 60’s, The Pronto Drive-In is peachy-keen with dance numbers performed by the actors.
Performance Rights and DVDs/VHS tapes have been made available for this production through Scene and Hurd Productions. For information about purchasing the performance rights, to view a script sample, or to order a DVD or VHS tape, please Contact Us.
The vast majority of the material used for the writing of this historical drama was gathered at a Pronto Drive-in reunion that Wally and Betty Walter hosted at their home on June 22, 2007. Myrt Walter, along with her son and daughter (Wally and Karen), organized the event. Car hops, preparation cooks, and fry cooks from all over the area as well as out-of-state attended the event. It was a great night of reminiscing and a grand opportunity for Karen hurd to record the historical events of the Pronto Drive-in.
Speical efforts were made to serve Pronto Pups as close to the original as possible for those that attended the show. Pronto Pup flour mix was special-ordered from the Pronto Pup factory in Portland, Oregon.
The proceeds from the production of The Pronto Drive-In benefited the Fall Creek American Legion for the purchase of flagpoles for the Fall Creek cemetery.
Original Production Cast and Crew
Cast
| Wilbur Walter: | Gene Dehnke |
| Myrt Walter: | Theresa Bergbrader |
| Sheldon Walter: | Brandon Kimball |
| Karen Walter: | Madeline Strasburg |
| Virg Green: | Brian Schick |
| Car Hops | |
| Ann Boernke: | Megan Schuknecht |
| Marian Randall: | Pennie Chromey |
| Shirley Green: | Lindsey Mickelson |
| Elaine Schefelbein: | Kirstin Gonzalez |
| Nancy Green: | Jessie Bergbrader |
| Lucille Randall: | Clara Buch |
| East Side Gang | |
| Steve Barnes: | Kevin Sieg |
| Bob Alitz: | Joshua Hurd |
| Gary Garnett: | Blake Herbison |
| Cooks | |
| Ruth Schumacher: | Val Dehnke |
| Gladys Martin: | Jan Zmuda |
| Dorothy Voight: | Lynn Canaday |
| Additional Cook: | Eileen Zanko |
| Jan Reiter the Babysitter: | Stacy Bertrand |
| Classmates of Sheldon | |
| Maxine Zich: | Mikayla Brixen |
| Linda Aude: | Abby Larson |
| Mary Ayeres: | Halle Luedtke |
| Betty Sell: | Abbie Bergbrader |
| Additional Classmates: | Ellie Bergbrader |
| Hunter Brixen | |
| Olivia Burghardt | |
| Reid Strasburg | |
| Customers: | Marissa Hageness |
| Dave Krista | |
| Dorothy Luedtke | |
| Cindy Mickelson |
Crew
| Costumes | Set |
| Jeannie Chromey | Nick Bartelt |
| Sarah Dobbs | Kathryn Hurd |
| Ruth Hurd | |
| Set Painting | Ron Steinke |
| Yvonne Melville | Harold Page |
| Lucille Drehmel | |
| Cars | Tim Ludwiczak |
| Kathy Ludwiczak | Wayne Cook |
| Backstage | Pianist |
| Jenny Brixen | Kathryn Hurd |
| Sound | Trombone |
| Caleb Duerkop | Ken Kiesow |
| Lights | Director |
| Nick Bartelt | Karen Hurd |
| Dinner Theatres | |
| Kitchen Head: | Deb Mischke |
| Pronto Pup Fry Cook: | Wayne Cook |
| French Fry Cook: | John Dickinsen |
| Sandy Peterson | |
| Jeff Bergbrader | |
| Kitchen Help: | Ruth Hurd |
| Gloria Dickinsen | |
| Helen Hartmann | |
| Eric Mischke | |
| Milt Dickinsen | |
| Matt Bartelt | |