Historically, the first drive-in theatre was built, and patented, in the early 1930's by Richard Hollingshead in New Jersey. His patent was eventually declared invalid by a Delaware district court in 1950...and drive-in theatres multiplied like bunnies.
My very first memory of going to the drive-in was somewhere in the late 1950's. My parents took me to the Van Nuys Drive-In to see War of the Worlds. I don't recall if that was the "feature presentation" or the second feature...no matter, it was my first. By the way, I can still remember to this day watching this flick from the back seat of an old Oldsmobile and hiding my eyes through most of the basement scene. There were always two movies, a cartoon or two before the start of the first movie, and previews at intermission. And, those wacky snack bar ads successfully designed to produce a salivation response for hot buttered popcorn, icy cold soft drinks, and other tasty treats. There was always a playground located near the snackbar or right below the screen where we could go and swing on a jungle jim or spin on one of those little merri-go-rounds until it was time for the movies to start.
Many a time our family would pile into the station wagon to go see movies like Creature From the Black Lagoon, Beach Blanket Bingo, or The Birds. We'd bring our shopping bag full of homemade popcorn (yes, a full shopping bag) since Dad refused to pay the exhorbitant price charged for America's favorite snack at a drive-in snack bar. We would, however, usually be allowed a trip to the concession stand at intermission for an ice cream bar or some other more perishable junk food item. Friday night trips to drive-in theatres as a child were nothing less than exciting and highly anticipatory. Great memories from a different time and space.
Going to the drive-in as a teenager with a driver's license was quite a different story of course! I finally understood why some of the cars windows were so fogged up you couldn't see the occupants inside. Yes, people went to the drive-in without any intention of watching the movies. And, the advent of bucket seats (and subsequent death of bench seats) would contribute significantly to the extinction of this iconic form of American entertainment...making out at the drive-in! This outlet for adolescent debauchery became nearly impossible, or at the very least extremely uncomfortable, with bucket seats. Forget the back seat as well as cars got smaller and smaller. Thank goodness for our 1960 Chevy Impala and 1962 Pontiac Bonneville. Those seats and roomy interior provided endless options. Enough of this already!
A local news story recently reported the closing of Sacramento's last drive-in theatre. And, Loretta and I visited (for the first and last time) a nearby double-screen drive-in swap-meet last weekend. They don't show movies there any longer, and the swap meet was nearly void of vendors or patrons. Walking around, up and down the sloped aisles where cars filled with families parked on Friday nights brought back these fond memories. The speaker stands had long since been removed. In-car sound being accessed through the car radio, quite a technological improvement over the tinny, metal speakers we'd hang on the window.
But, stereophonic sound and upgraded concession stand menus featuring sushi, goat cheese pizzas, and lattes wouldn't stave off the inevitable. The drive-in theatre's time has come and gone. Automobiles without bench seats may not be to blame, but it's a quaint, if not completely naive rationalization on my part for the death of the drive-in theatre. A more likely culprit would be the home video/home theatre explosion. In any case, another opportunity for parents and children to spend close knit time together has gone away.
By the way, that last photo is of the Galaxy Drive-In Theater in Ennis, Texas. Yes, there are a handful of operating drive-in theaters remaining in America. Many of them in the mid-west and quite a few located along Route 66.
Try this link if you're interested in seeing more of what used to be a favorite, and abundant, form of entertainment in a baby boomer's childhood.
