drive in

The drive-in theater is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. The screen can be as simple as a wall that is painted white, or it can be a complex steel truss structure with a complex finish. Within this enclosed area, customers can view features from the privacy and comfort of their cars. Some drive-in theater managers added children's playgrounds between the screen and the first row of cars. Concrete patios for lawn chairs were available at some drive-in theaters.

Originally, audio was provided by speakers on the screen and later by an individual speaker for each car. This system was superseded by the more economical method of broadcasting the soundtrack at a low output power on AM or FM Radio to be picked up by a car radio, an advantageous method as it allows the soundtrack to be picked up in stereo by the audience instead of monaural.

Because of an easy source of high-quality sound and the relative ease of hiding and mounting a camcorder, drive-in theatres are often preffered sites to make Telesync and CAM pirated movies.^{citation needed]}

History

The drive-in theater was the creation of Camden, New Jersey, chemical company magnate Richard M. Hollingshead, Jr., whose family owned and operated the R.M. Hollingshead Corporation chemical plant in Camden. In 1932, Hollingshead conducted outdoor theater tests in his driveway at 212 Thomas Avenue in Camden. After nailing a screen to trees in his backyard, he set a 1928 Kodak projector on the hood of his car and put a radio behind the screen, testing different sound levels with his car windows down and up. Blocks under vehicles in the driveway enabled him to determine the size and spacing of ramps so all automobiles could have a clear view of the screen. Following these experiments, he applied August 6, 1932 for a patent of his invention, and he was given patent number 1,909,537 on May 16, 1933. (Seventeen years later, that patent was declared invalid by the Delaware District Court.)

Hollingshead's drive-in opened in New Jersey June 6, 1933 on Admiral Wilson Boulevard at the Airport Circle in Pennsauken, a short distance from Cooper River Park. It only operated for three years, but during that time the concept caught on in other states. The April 15. 1934, opening of Shankweiler's Auto Park in Orefield, Pennsylvania, was followed by Galveston's Drive-In Short Reel Theater (July 5, 1934), the Pico in Los Angeles (September 9, 1934) and the Weymouth Drive-In Theatre in Weymouth, Massachusetts (May 6, 1936). In 1937, three more opened in Ohio, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with another twelve during 1938 and 1939 in California, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Texas and Virginia.

The drive-in's peak popularity came in the late 1950s and early 1960s, particularly in rural areas, with some 4000 drive-ins spreading across the United States. Among its advantages was the fact that a family with a baby could take care of their child while watching a movie, while teenagers with access to autos found drive-ins ideal for dates. Revenue was more limited than regular theatres since showings can only start at twilight. There were abortive attempts to create suitable conditions for daylight viewing, such as large tent structures, but nothing viable was developed.

In the 1950s, the greater privacy afforded to patrons gave drive-ins a reputation as immoral, and they were labeled "passion pits" in the media. During the 1970s, some drive-ins changed from family fare to sexploitation movies. In addition, the economics of real estate made the large property areas increasingly expensive for drive-ins to successfully operate. These changes and the advent of VCRs led to a sharp decline in the popularity of drive-ins. They eventually lapsed into a quasi-novelty status with the remaining handful catering to a generally nostalgic audience.

In 2002, groups of dedicated individuals began to organize so-called "guerilla drive-ins" and "guerilla walk-ins" in parking lots and empty fields. Showings are often organized online, and participants meet at specified locations to watch films projected on bridge pillars or warehouses. The best known guerilla drive-ins include the Santa Cruz Guerilla Drive-In in Santa Cruz, California, MobMov in Berkeley, California and Hollywood MobMov in Los Angeles, California, and most recently Guerilla Drive-In Victoria in Victoria, BC. The Bell Museum of Natural History in Minneapolis, Minnesota has recently begun summer "bike-ins," inviting only pedestrians or people on bicycles onto the grounds for both live music and movies.

Family drive-ins are making a comeback in some states. Garrett, Texas is the home of the Galaxy Drive-in Theater, a four-screen drive-in which opened for business in 2004.

Concession stand

The concession stand, also called a snack bar, is where the drive-in makes most of its money. As a result, much of a drive-in's promotion is oriented toward the concession stand. The typical snack bar offers any food that can be served quickly, such as hot dogs, pizza, hamburgers, popcorn, soft drinks, candy and french fries.

To send patrons to the concessions stands, advertisements were projected before the feature and during the intermissions. Now a great source of nostalgia, these memorable concession commercials often featured animated food such as dancing hot dogs and talking boxes of popcorn. These ads were collected in 1993 for a video, Hey Folks, It's Intermission Time, once distributed by Something Weird, and the 1978 film Grease has a scene in a drive-in showing such an ad.

Drive-ins in films and paintings

Released on video, After Sunset: The Life & Times of the Drive-In Theater is a 1995 documentary featuring producer Samuel Z. Arkoff, director John Carpenter and critic Joe Bob Briggs. "Shining Stars: Canada's Drive-In Movie Theatres" (2004) by Sean C. Karow is the definative documentary on Canadian drive-ins. Drive-in theaters have also been featured as movie locations, notably Peter Bogdanovich's Targets (1968) about a veteran horror film actor (Boris Karloff) making a personal appearance at a drive-in theater while a freeway sniper (Tim O'Kelly), hiding behind the movie screen, prepares to shoot the theater's customers.

"Moments to Remember," a series of paintings by Beaumont, Texas, artist Randy Welborn, includes two paintings of Beaumont drive-ins in the mid-1950s. "Goin' Steady" depicts the Circle Drive-In which opened in 1948, and "A Summer Remembered" shows the South Park Drive-In which opened in 1950. In Welborn's audio slide shows, he explains the photographic research and painting techniques he uses to recapture the past.

Surviving drive-in theaters

Partial list of notable surviving drive-in theaters:

Alabama

• The Blue Moon Drive-In in Gu-Win

Operates two screens. Both usually show double-features.

• King Drive-In in Russellville

Arizona

• The Apache Drive-in in Globe, Arizona
• The DeAnza Drive-In Theatre in Tucson, Arizona
• The Glendale 9 Drive-in in Glendale, Arizona
• The Scottsdale Drive-in in Scottsdale

Arkansas

• The 112 Drive-In in Fayetteville
• The Kenda Drive-In in Marshall
• The Stone Drive-in in Mountain View, Arkansas

California

• The Capitol Drive-In in San Jose
• The Ceres Drive-In in Ceres
• The Hi-Way Drive-In in Santa Maria
• The Kings Drive-In in Hanford
• The Madera Drive-In in Madera
• The Mission Tiki Drive-in in Montclair
• The Rubidoux Drive-In in Riverside
• The Sacramento 6 Drive-In in Sacramento
• The Santee Drive-In in Santee
• The Skyline Drive-In in Barstow
• The Skyview Drive-In in Santa Cruz
• The South Bay Drive-In in San Diego
• The Sunset Drive-In in San Luis Obispo
• The Van Buren Drive-In in Riverside
• The Vineland Drive-In in Industry

Only operating drive-in theater left in Los Angeles and Orange County

Canada

• The 5 Drive-In in Oakville, Ontario
• The Can-View Drive-In in Fonthill, Ontario
• The Cinedrive in Pefferlaw, Ontario
• The Cine-Parc Saint-Georges in Saint-Georges, Québec
• The Ciné-Parc Orford in Deauville, Québec
• The Ciné-Parc Trois-Rivières in Trois-Rivières, Québec
• The Cine-Parc Templeton in Gatineau, Quebec

Operates two screens; both screens show double-features (four movies total)

• The Empire Theatres Drive-In in Westville, Nova Scotia
• The Lakeview Drive-In in Toronto, Ontario
• The Mustang Drive-In in London, Ontario
• The Mustang Drive-In in Guelph, Ontario
• The Mustang Drive-In, Peterborough, Ontario
• The North York Drive-In in Sharon, Ontario
• The Skylark Drive-In in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
• The Starlite Drive-In Theatre in Stoney Creek, Ontario
• The Sunset Drive-In in Dryden, Ontario
• The Twilight Drive-In in Langley, British Columbia
• The Valley Drive-In Theatre in Cambridge, Nova Scotia
• The Port Elmsley Drive-In in Port Elmsley, Ontario

Colorado

• The Holiday Twin Drive-In in Fort Collins

Operates two screens; both screens show double-features (four movies total)

• The Mesa Drive-In in Pueblo

Operates three screens; each screen shows double-features (six movies total)

• The Cinderella Drive-In in Denver

Connecticut

• The Mansfield Drive-In in Mansfield
• The Pleasant Valley Drive-In in Pleasant Valley

Delaware

• The Diamond State Drive-in in Felton

Delaware's lone remaining drive-in

Florida

• The Fun-LAN Drive-In in Tampa
• The Joy-LAN Drive-In in Dade City
• The Naples Drive In Theater in Naples
• The Northside Drive-In Theatre in Fort Myers
• The Ocala Drive In Theatre in Ocala
• The Playtime Triple Family Drive-In in Jacksonville
• The Ruskin Drive In Theatre in Ruskin
• The Silver Moon Drive-In in Lakeland
• The Thunderbird Drive-In Theater in Fort Lauderdale

opened November 22, 1963 - 13 screens; now known as the Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop for its flea market

• The Trail Drive-In Theater in Lake Worth

site of the Lake Worth Swap Shop and Drive-in

Georgia

• The Jesup Drive-In Twin in Jesup
• The Starlight Six Drive In in Atlanta
• The Swan Drive In in Blue Ridge

Idaho

• The Sky Vu in Idaho Falls
• The Sunset Auto Vue in Grangeville

Illinois

• The Cascade Drive-In in West Chicago
• The Clark 54 Drive-In in Summer Hill
• The Fairview Drive-In in Newton
• The Harvest Moon Twin Drive-In in Gibson City
• McHenry Outdoor Theatre in McHenry
• Mac's Drive In in Salem
• The Route 66 Drive-In in Springfield
• The Sky View Drive-In in Litchfield
• The Skyview Twin Drive-In in Belleville

(Belleville is a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri)

Indiana

• The 13/24 Drive-In near Wabash, Indiana
• The 49'er Drive-In in Valparaiso
• The Auburn Garrett Drive-In near Garrett
• The Canary Creek Drive-In in Franklin
• The Cinema '67 Drive In in Owen
• The Georgetown Drive-In in Georgetown
• The Holiday Drive-In in Reo
• The Huntington Drive-In in Huntington
• The Lake Shore Drive-In in Monticello

Operates two screens; both screens show double-features (four movies total)

• The Melody Drive-In near Knox
• The Mitchell Drive-In near Mitchell
• The Skyvue Drive-In in New Castle
• The Tibbs Drive-In in Indianapolis
• The Tri-Way Drive In in Plymouth

Iowa

• The 61 Drive In, five miles south of Maquoketa

Kansas

• The Boulevard Drive-in in Kansas City, Kansas

1 screen, serving 750 cars with 600 speakers that still work. Became the world's first "digital drive-in" in 1999 with the addition of a DTS system.

• The Kanopolis Drive-In in Kanopolis
• Midway Drive In in Osawatomie
• The Starlite Drive-In in Wichita

Kentucky

• The Franklin Drive-In Theatre in Franklin.
• The Judy Drive-In in Mount Sterling
• The Mt. View Drive-In in Stanton
• The Sky-Vue Twin Drive-In in Winchester

Maine

• The Bridgton Twin Drive-In in Bridgton
• The Prides Corner Drive-In in Westbrook
• The Saco Drive-In in Saco
• The Skowhegan Drive-In in Skowhegan
• The Skylite Drive-In in Madawaska

Maryland

• The Bengies Drive-in in Baltimore

Massachusetts

• The Mendon Twin Drive-In in Mendon
• The Tri-Town Drive-In in Fitchburg
• The Wellfleet Drive-In Theater in Wellfleet

Michigan

• The Capri Drive-In in Coldwater
• The Cherry Bowl Drive-In in Honor
• The Five-Mile Drive-in between Dowagiac and Decatur
• The Ford Wyoming Drive-In in Dearborn
• The Getty 4-Screen Drive-In In Muskegon Heights
• The Hi-Way Drive-In near Carsonville
• The Miracle Twin Drive-In in Burton
• The Sunset Drive-in near Hartford
• The US-23 Twin Drive-In in Flint

Minnesota

• The Cottage View Drive-In in Cottage Grove
• The Long Drive-In in Long Prairie
• The Starlite 5 Drive-In in Litchfield
• The Vali-Hi Drive-In in Lake Elmo
• The Verne Drive-In in Luverne

Mississippi

• The Beverly Drive-In in Hattiesburg

• The Iuka Drive-In Theater in Iuka

W. Quitman St., Iuka, MS 38852 Phone (662)423-2153

Missouri

• The 19 Drive-in in Cuba
• The 66 Drive-in, in Carthage on Route 66
• The Horseshoe Lake Drive-in, in St. Joseph

Is the newest Drive-IN in MO that opened in 2004.

• The I-70 Drive-In, in Kansas City north of Interstate 70 near the Truman Sports Complex

Operating 4 screens.

• The Starlite Drive-in, near Potosi
• The Sunset Drive-in, in Aurora
• The Twin Drive-In, in Independence on Missouri Highway 291

Operating 2 screens.

Nebraska

• The Star-Lite Drive-In in Neligh
• The Sandhills Drive-In in Alliance
• The Kearney Drive-In in Kearney

Nevada

• The El Rancho Drive-In in Sparks
• The Las Vegas Drive-In in Las Vegas

New Hampshire

• The Milford Drive-In Theater in Milford

Operating 2 screens.

• The Northfield Drive-In in Hinsdale
• The Weirs Beach Drive In Theater in Weirs Beach

4 Screens

New Jersey

New Jersey was the first state to have a drive-in movie theater.

• The Delsea Drive-in in Vineland

Reopened in 2004; New Jersey's first open drive-in in over a decade

New Mexico

• The 85 Drive-in in Raton

Single screen; open April to September

• The Apache Drive-In in Farmington

Two screens; open weekends from April to September

• The Fiesta Drive-In Theatre in Carlsbad

Three screens; opened in 1990

• The Fort Union Drive In in Las Vegas

Single screen; open weekends May to September

New York

• The Elmira Drive-In in West Elmira
• The Finger Lakes Drive-In in Auburn
• The Glen Twin Drive-In in Glens Falls
• Hathaway's Drive-In in North Hoosick
• The Hiway Drive-in near Catskill
• The Hollywood Drive-In in Averill Park
• The Hyde Park Drive-In in Hyde Park
• The Jericho Drive-In in Glenmont
• The Malta Drive-In Theater in Malta
• The Midway Drive-In in Minetto
• The Mountain Drive-in in Hunter
• The Overlook Drive-In in Arlington
• The Ozoner 29 Twin Drive In in Broadalbin
• The Portville Drive-In in Portville
• The Silver Lake Drive-in in Perry
• The Transit Drive-in in Lockport
• The Unadilla Drive-In in Unadilla
• The Vintage Drive-In in Avon
• The Warwick Drive-In in Warwick
• The West Rome Drive-In in Rome

North Carolina

• The Badin Road Drive-In in Albemarle
• The Eden Drive-In in Eden
• The Starlite Drive-In in Durham

Ohio

• The Aut-o-Rama Drive-in in North Ridgeville
• The Blue Sky Drive-In in Wadsworth
• The Elm Road Drive-in in Warren
• The Holiday Auto Theater in Hamilton
• The Kanauga Drive-in Theatre in Gallipolis
• Lake Drive-In in Celina
• The Lynn Auto Theatre in Strasburg

Second oldest continuously operating drive-in theater in the world

• The Magic City Drive-In in Barberton
• The Mayfield Road Drive-In in Chardon
• The Melody Cruise-In in Springfield
• The Memphis Triple Drive-in in Cleveland
• The Midway Drive-In in Ravenna
• The Skyview Drive-In in Lancaster
• The Skyway Drive-In in Warren
• The South Drive-In in Columbus
• The Springmill Drive-In in Mansfield
• The Star Light Drive-In in Bethel
• The Sundance Kid Drive-in in Oregon
• The Sunset Drive-In in Mansfield
• The Van-Del Drive-In in Middle Point
• The Winter Drive-In in Wintersville

Oklahoma

• The Admiral Twin Drive In Theatre Tulsa

Opened 5/21/51 as a single screen theatre named the Modernaire, was twinned in 53 and renamed the Admiral Twin. Built by local Businessman L.E. Snider, First Feature was "Oh Suzanna" starring Chill Wills. Was later owned By General Cinema Corp. and is now owned by a local family named Blake.

• The Beacon Drive-In in Guthrie
• The Winchester Drive-In in Oklahoma City

Oregon

• The 99w Drive-In in Newberg

Open seasonally since 1953, last active drive-in cinema in the Portland metropolitan area

• The La Grande Drive-In in La Grande
• The M & F Drive-In in Milton-Freewater
• The Motor Vu Drive-In in Dallas

Open since 1953, it has the biggest screen in Oregon (90' wide).

Pennsylvania

• Becky's Drive-In in Berlinsville
• The Circle Drive-In in Scranton (Officially in Dickson City)
• The Dependable Drive-In in Moon Township
• The Evergreen Drive-In in Mount Pleasant
• The Garden Drive-In in Hunlock Creek

Operates two screens; both screens show double-features (four movies total)

• The Haars Drive-In in Dillsburg
• The Hi-Way Drive-In in Latrobe
• The Pike Drive-In in Montgomery
• The Kane Rd. Drive-In in Aliquippa
• The Mahoning Drive-In in Mahoning Township, Carbon County (outside Lehighton, PA
• The Palace Gardens Drive-In in Indiana
• The Port Drive-In in Williamsport
• The Reynolds Drive-In in Transfer
• The Shankweiler's -America's Oldest- Drive-In in Orefield
• The Sunset Drive-In in Waterford
• The Super 322 Drive-In in Clearfield

Rhode Island

• The Rustic Drive-In in North Smithfield

South Carolina

• The Monetta Drive-In in Monetta

Also known as "The Big Mo"

Tennessee

[1][2]

• The Dunlap Drive-In in Dunlap
• The Hiway 50 Drive-in Theater in Lewisburg
• The Midtown Drive-In in Midtown
• The Midway Drive-In in Athens
• The Parkway Drive-In in Maryville
• The Pink Cadillac Drive-In Theater in Centerville
• The Sparta Drive-In in Sparta
• The Stardust Drive-In in Watertown
• The State Line Drive-In in Elizabethon
• The Summer Drive-In in Memphis

Operates four screens. Each screen shows a double-feature (eight movies total).

• The Twin City Drive-In in Bristol

One mile from the Bristol Motor Speedway.

Texas

• The Brazos Drive-In in Granbury
• The Galaxy Drive-In in Garrett

Opened 2004.

• The Mission 4 Drive-In in San Antonio
• The Tower Drive-In in Rule
• The Town & Country Drive In in Abilene
• The Starlite Theater in Schertz, Texas (now non-operating)

Utah

• Redwood Drve-in Theater in Salt Lake City

Vermont

• The Fairlee Drive-in in Fairlee

Virginia

• The Family Drive-in in Stephens City
• Hull's Drive-in in Lexington
• The Starlite Drive-in in Christiansburg

Washington

• The Auto Vue Drive-In in Colville
• The Blue Fox Drive-In in Oak Harbor
• The Puget Park Drive-In in Everett
• The Rodeo Triple Drive-In in Port Orchard

Open since 1949, family owned, 3 screens, digital sound.

• The Skyline Drive-In in Shelton
• The Valley Drive-In in Auburn
• The Vue Dale Drive-In in Wenatchee
• The Wheel-In Motor Movie in Port Townsend

West Virginia

• Glen Dale Drive-In in Glen Dale
• Grafton Drive-In in Grafton
• The Sunset Drive-In in Shinnston
• Warner's Drive-In in Franklin

Wisconsin

• The Big Sky Drive-In Theater in Wisconsin Dells
• The Field of Scenes Drive-In Theater in Freedom, Outagamie County
• The Gemini Drive-In in Eau Claire
• The Hi-Way 18 Outdoor Theatre in Jefferson
• The Keno Drive-in in Kenosha

Open since 1949.

• The Moonlight Outdoor Theater in Shawano
• The Sky Vu Drive-In in Monroe
• The Starlight 14 in Richland Center

See also

• Australian Open Drive-in Theatres
• Drive-In Classics

References

• "Drive-in" (2001). The Film Encyclopedia, 4th ed., Ephraim Katz (ed). HarperCollins, New York.
• Don Sanders, Susan Sanders, (October 2003) The American Drive-In Movie Theater Motorbooks International. ISBN 0-7603-1707-0
• Kerry Segrave (October 2001) Reprint Edition. Drive-In Theaters: A History from Their Inception in 1933 McFarland & Company. ISBN 0-89950-752-2
• Elizabeth McKeon, Linda Everett, Liz McKeon (December 1998) Cinema Under the Stars: America's Love Affair With the Drive-In Movie Theater Cumberland House. ISBN 1-58182-002-X

External links

• Drive-In Theater
• Drive-ins Downunder
• Drive-Ins.com
• Guide to Drive-in Movie Theatres-Includes locations of surviving Drive-ins in the United States
• Tulsa-area Drive-Ins
• United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association
• Victoria Advocate: "Drive-ins making a comeback in Texas"
• Texas & Oklahoma Drive Ins With Photos, Videos, and Vintage Speaker & Equipment Information
• A List of Drive-in Theaters in Canada
• A freely downloadable collection of drive-in intermission advertisements
• Harvey's Drive-In Theatre tribute to a former drive-in in Lynchburg, Virginia