BLAST FROM THE PAST: Drive-Ins

   

Photo: NY Film Academy

Pile a bunch of kids in a station wagon and head out to the local drive-in. That’s how many families spent their weekends when they wanted to see a movie. I remember vividly going to the drive-in as a little tyke. We had a wood panel station wagon. My parents would pile neighborhood kids or my cousins in the back, throw a blanket over us with some boxes to make it look like it was just junk in the back because they wanted to save money (since drive-ins charged by the per person).  Other times they would put us in the trunk of the car and then let us out when we got in and parked. It was a blast. Good times!

Photo: Reddit / r/nostalgia

Back to our story.

Have you ever wondered how drive-ins got their start? Well, the idea came from a man who wanted to make his mom happy.

When movie theaters started becoming popular back in the 1920s-1930s, the seats were small and uncomfortable. Think hard seats made of wood or steel with no padding. Richard Hollingshead of New Jersey didn’t like theater seats. His mom had a difficult time using them, so she was unable to go the movies. One day, to make his mom happy, Richard took a Kodak projector, nailed a sheet two trees, and then had his mom sit in their car to watch a movie in their backyard. He realized he stumbled on a good idea. He spent the next year on a patent design using a ramp system for cars so everyone could see the screen from their car.  

Image of the first drive-in using Richard's patent design ramp. Photo: Wired

 Richard opened the first drive-in theater in 1933 in New Jersey. The movie he showed was an English comedy, “Wives Beware”. Watching movies outdoors wasn’t a new idea. What was unique about Richard’s idea was sitting in your car while doing it. It was a great idea because it combined two things that people loved at the time: the movies and their vehicle. The success of his drive-in blossomed into other like-minded people to open drive-ins throughout the country. 

An early drive-in theater. Photo: Ullstein bild / Getty Images // History.com

 

By the time the 1960s rolled around there were 4,000 drive-ins in the USA most of them in rural areas because of the space needed. A drive-in needs 7-15 acres of land. Drive-ins continued to be a popular form of family entertainment. They also became the "go to" place for make-out sessions for horny teenagers. Who knows how many babies were conceived in cars during the height of drive-ins. 

Then the 1970s came – a decade of oil crisis, inflation, war, and social upheaval. The drive-in industry started to decline. To attract people, they began to show horror / slasher and adult movies, shedding their family-friendly atmosphere. This helped for a short time, but the demise of drive-ins was inevitable. The final nail on the proverbial coffin was the introduction of VCRs.  VCRs made it convenient for families to stay at home. It became tough for drive-in owners to make an income. The cost to maintain and take care of so much land (7-15+ acres), the giant screen, equipment, etc.  became too expensive. Drive-ins began to shutter.

Today, drive-ins still exist. There are about 300 still operating in the USA. Most of them are in New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.  They made somewhat of a comeback during the Covid pandemic. Let's hope this slice of  culture doesn't fade away to obscurity. 

A couple at the drive-in during Covid pandemic 2020. Photo: KHOU.com