Yesterday marked the 75th anniversary of the first drive-in movie theater. I took the picture above in 2002 at one of the few remaining in Washington at that time. I don't remember where in the state it was but it is almost certainly gone by now.
The Valley 6 in Auburn is one of the few remaining in this area and gets high marks by its visitors on CitySearch so it might be fun to check out this summer while we still can. Are there any drive-ins near where you are? Do you ever go? Have they figured out a way to screw up the experience or is it still pretty cool?
I would have incorporated some of the facts in this New York Times article in my post today but the whole darned thing is so interesting that I have just included it all. Please drive through.
The Drive-In Movie Turns 75
On this day 75 years ago, the first drive-in theater opened in Camden, N.J., showing a British comedy titled, “Wives Beware,” for 25 cents a car and 25 cents per person.
As the story goes, its inventor, Richard Hollingshead Jr., conducted experiments at his home in Riverton, N.J., by placing a Kodak film projector on the roof of his car and directing it at a white bedsheet hung between two trees in his yard. Some people have suggested that he invented the drive-in for his mother, who was a large woman and did not fit comfortably in regular indoor theater seats.
On May 16, 1933, Mr. Hollingshead patented a special parking arrangement, where every car would have an unobstructed view of the screen. He opened the Camden theater a month later. His partner was his first cousin, Willis W. Smith. Before 1933, neither had any experience in the theater business.
Drive-ins have always been known for showing older movies or just plain bad ones. Because of the high cost and heavy competition in purchasing top-tier movies, drive-ins have always resorted to second-runs and B-movies (and even X-rated movies). “Wives Beware” was chosen by the drive-in founders because it was not sought after by the established theater owners and still relatively recent.
“Like most innovations, that first drive-in theatre got off to a good start, financially, if not artistically,” wrote Thomas M. Pryor in The Times on August 14, 1938. “Competition in the picture-buying market was keen, though. Too keen, in fact, for the sponsors of the drive-in theatre, and after a series of poor pictures even the novelty of the scheme seemed to lose its box office appeal.”
In 1934, Mr. Hollingshead and Mr. Smith headed west to Hollywood, where they struck a deal with “a substantial independent exhibitor,” wrote Mr. Pryor. They also converted a parking lot on Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles into a drive-in, which became an immediate success. And the rest is history.
By 1938, there were 12 theaters across the country. The first one in New York State opened in Valley Stream, Long Island, on Wednesday, August 10, 1938. There was a downpour. But according to Mr. Pryor’s story, the rain didn’t hamper the viewing for the 1,500 people who attended the premiere (in 600 cars). Admission was 35 cents a person.
“Drive-ins started to really take off in the ‘50s,” Jim Kopp of the United Drive-in Theatre Owners Association told Smithonian magazine. “They offered family entertainment. People could sit in their cars, they could bring their babies, they could smoke. Drive-ins offered more flexibility than indoor theaters.”
But since the 1960s, the number of drive-in theaters across the country have steadily declined. Today there are none in the New York metropolitan area. The last one, Westbury Drive-In, closed in 1998.
Sometimes it was more entertaining to watch
people get clothes-lined from the speaker wire
than it was to watch the movie. Good times!
Posted by: Geo | June 07, 2008 at 04:41 AM
Now THERE's a pleeasant memory! My dad was too cheap to take us to a regular theater, so on movie night, we kids would get dressed in our jammies, my mom would make enough popcorn to fill up one of those big paper grocery bags, my older sister would make enough hot chocolate to fill all of our Thermoses, and off we'd go. We kids were usually asleep in the back of the Cougar before the movie was over.
Worst Date Ever: My older sister got stuck babysitting me at the last minute on the night her future husband took her to see "Star Wars" at our local drive-in. I was about ten, and I had him jumping hoops - multiple trips to the concession stand, constantly chattering and interrupting any conversation they were having, and basically ignoring my sister's growling at me to "just shut up and watch the damn movie". I had no idea what even happened in the movie until I rented it on video some ten years later. They got married four years later - obviously, he doesn't scare easy (and that was proof for her that he loves kids - he's a great dad now).
Posted by: Stacey | June 07, 2008 at 05:20 AM
Going to the drive-in was a common family outing during the '60s. Put us kids in our PJs, load up the station wagon, and head over to the Fountain Valley Drive-in.
My favorite drive-in experience was taking in a James Bond triple feature with my brother and dad.
The last movie I saw at the FV Drive In was Flashdance (but not in PJs in the station wagon).
Posted by: Diane | June 07, 2008 at 06:21 AM
I love the drive in...the wife and I go there at least twice a year as there are two of them within 10 miles from our house...its a lot of fun...
I have a friend in Texas who said that there is an adult only drive in somewhere out there..seems odd but guess it makes money
Posted by: Raul | June 07, 2008 at 07:14 AM
no drive-in's left here in culver city, that piece of land is now a housing tract - probably most of the people that live in those houses were conceived at that drive in!..you can catch a glimpse of what it looked like, if you watch "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" the drive in scenes were filmed there...sigh.
Posted by: cathy | June 07, 2008 at 07:58 AM
I LOVE going to the drive-in! In Washington we would go to the Rodeo Drive-In in Gorst (tiny little town right by Bremerton, Bean) all the time. We took it pretty serious...we had a mattress that fit in the back of our truck, and we would take tons of blankets and pillows. We would go several times a season, its such a blast. Especially since its out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees....really beautiful. I moved to Dallas a year ago, and there are actually 2 drive-in theaters within 30-45 minutes of here, but we haven't checked it out yet.
Posted by: Emily Alexis | June 07, 2008 at 07:59 AM
THe only one i'm familiar with is from my home town in NorCal. Solano Drive-in in Concord, only operational April -Oct....and it actually closed for a while due to lack of people. but i think it's reopened now. On Sat and Sun they have Fleamarkets from 6am to 4pm. the funny thing is, if you're driving on the freeway next to it (hwy 4) and it's dark, etc. you can watch parts of whatever double feature is playing!!
Posted by: Liz | June 07, 2008 at 08:35 AM
There used to be a closed drive-in near where I currently lived, but eventually they tore it down and built condos where it was.
Posted by: Steven | June 07, 2008 at 08:35 AM
None around me since the last one was converted into a Wal-Mart - in Westminster, CA. Hooray capitalism!
Posted by: Kings Fan | June 07, 2008 at 08:52 AM
http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/multimedia/2008/06/gallery_drive_in
Wired also did a pictorial. I live really close the the Rubidoux theatre.
-Dave
Posted by: Dave W | June 07, 2008 at 09:07 AM
There is still one drive-in left in LA county called Pacific Vineland in the City of Industry. We take the kids for the experience since they had no idea these existed. It's been there forever in an industrial area near the railroad tracks so it is rundown with small screens but the kids love it. You can watch a double feature with current releases for $7/adult and kids are free.
Yesterday we spent $40 for a matinee and another $20 for food. At the drive-in we can get in for under $20, bring in some food and see a double feature. But now you have to factor in an extra $20 for gas.
Posted by: Cheesegirl | June 07, 2008 at 09:53 AM
I'd never been to a drive-in until my husband and I went to one in Santa Maria (the place where they had the Jackson trial) about six years ago. It was pretty cool. We now go to the Vineland one the person above mentioned. We like it there. Its much easier to take the kids to and I like that I can bring whatever snacks or dinner we'd like.
They need to bring back the drive-in. Its much cheaper and a much more pleasant experience than the theater. I can do with out seeing teenagers make out and having other people's gum stick to my shoe.
Posted by: Melodi | June 07, 2008 at 04:44 PM
We live about 25 miles from a drive-in on Route 66 here in southwest Missouri. We take our kids and go as often as we can, in all kinds of weather. The kids love it and, except for the smokers and the time I almost got ran over by a huge jacked-up hillbilly truck, we love it too.
Posted by: Sunny Days | June 07, 2008 at 05:42 PM
There is still one drive-in left in Vegas. It's pretty fun go to, but the movie quality is awful. Have you ever tried to look for stars here at night? They are as hard to find as a clock in a casino. It's just too bright in this town at night for a decent drive-in. It doesn't help that the drive-in is also next to two casinos, the Fiesta and the Texas (which has a decent walk-in theater itself.) That being said, it's really fun to go to in a truck with blankets and a picnic basket.
Posted by: Nicole | June 07, 2008 at 10:54 PM
My Dad took me to see Sinbad back in the 70's.
It was cool.
I remember being the car and farting around the speaking. Till he yelled at me to leave it alone!
Posted by: TandJ | June 07, 2008 at 11:37 PM
The last memory I have of going to a drive in was seeing Coming Home, the post Vietnam film with Jane Fonda. I was about 8 and my friend's mom took us for some reason. I don't know what the hell she was thinking. And she was NOT prepared for the sex scene in it.
Posted by: EditThis | June 08, 2008 at 10:35 AM
My parents used to take us to the drive-in all the time. There was one in Buena Park, La Mirada (which was a swap meet in the 80's) Garden Grove and the Los Altos in Long Beach (off Lakewood Blvd at the 405). I loved, loved, loved going. I think the last time I went was about 17 or 18 years ago when i saw one of the Lethal Weapon movies. I wish they were still around.... I miss the cartoons before the start of the movie. I would rather see a cartoon instead of 30 minutes of previews!
Posted by: cathy g | June 08, 2008 at 06:36 PM
The best fun at the drive-in was sending a friend to the concession stand and, while they were gone, move the car. Watching them look for the car always made us laugh!
Posted by: Gail | June 09, 2008 at 06:37 AM
I have great memories of going to the drive-in with my then girlfriend, now wife, as teenagers. The movies themselves are mostly a blur. Here is a link to a site where you can search for and discuss local drive-in's.
http://www.drive-ins.com/
Posted by: Martin | June 09, 2008 at 12:35 PM
oh man! SUCH good times... my dad would load my older brothers and i -- in our pj's -- into the truck with popcorn, etc, and take us to the drive-in in Latrobe, PA. he'd back into the spot and put the tailgate down. the truck was an old green Ford with a cap on it. we'd spread out our sleeping bags in the truck bed and Dad would park himself in a picnic chair just in front of the tailgate. my first drive-in was a double feature of ZORRO and STAR WARS. stupid ZORRO played first so i saw about 4 minutes of STAR WARS intermittenly throughout the film (when explosions stirred me from sleep).
i think all 3 of us generally conked out early on so Dad got to enjoy the second movie in peace a lot of the time. and mum got the house to herself for awhile.
wow, Bean, thanks for this post. good memories... :)
Posted by: dana | June 09, 2008 at 02:02 PM
There's still an active Drive-In in my home town of Tulsa, Ok- The Admial Twin.
http://www.selectcinemas.com/pages/admiral.html
It always showed first run movies, but the double features were always weirdly paired. I think the very last time I went to one was about 15 years ago. The Double Feature was "Indecent Proposal" and "Fire in the Sky."
I had no idea what "Fire in the Sky" was about going into it. It was the second movie on the bill so it was about 1:00am when it was over. The last 10 min of that movie are some of the most intense, unblinking, horrors of alien abduction and SO unlike the rest of the film if left my date and I so shaken and freaked out driving home.
I also remember seeing Crocodile Dundee II, Star Trek 5, Beetlejuice, and the 1989 Batman at the drive-in.
Posted by: Julius Marx | June 10, 2008 at 02:05 PM
There is a drive-in off the 91 in Riverside, CA. The Van Buren Drive In. It has been a wonderful treat to go, especially since having our daughter. We're able to catch a movie (sometimes with friends) and not scramble for a babysitter. As she's gotten older, it's been fun to see her reaction to the movie and start the tradition with her.
As a kid growing up in OC, we went to the drive in all the time. We'd pack into our panel truck (old bread delivery truck) with the blue marble carpet, so bow cha a bow bow 1978! Between movie features me and my sister would play on the playground near the snack shack and we'd fall asleep in the second feature, already in our pj's.
Posted by: clg | June 11, 2008 at 12:15 PM
I was lucky enough to have 3 around me, The Starlight in South El Monte, The El Monte Drive In (That's featured in the movie, Attack of the 50' Woman, the remake with Darryl Hannah) And the Pacific Vineland. Only the Vineland is open now, which I love to take my kids to. The movie quality is horrible and it's usally packed because it's a cheaper more comfortable option for families, but the quality time with the family is priceless. The El Monte Drive In was torn down to build a Home Depot. I used to live across the street during high school so I caught a glimpse of it when it was going out of business. We could glance across the street and catch a glimpse of boobies..lol..I believe the Starlight is just a swap meet now. Let's see how long the Vineland stays in business..
Posted by: ~*Nana*~ | June 13, 2008 at 12:10 PM