Drive-in theater nostalgia

[Jinglebob]

A warm summer evening at the drive-in theater with popcorn in paper sacks, hotdogs wrapped in wax paper, courtesy of mom, and an ice chest of soda pop supplied by dad.

We sat on folding chairs outside the car on those warm nights. It was a time to enjoy a movie and family time. Sometimes other families would join us and it became a party. It was like the tailgate party so popular today.

My brothers and I liked the westerns and action movies and would sit through the entire show. When there was a boring movie, more for the grown-ups, we would head to the area under the big screen. We were like tiny ants there, compared to the actors on the screen who looked fifty feet tall.

Swings and slides under the screen gave us a playground and it was there that we would meet other kids and enjoy ourselves while the projected images flickered above us.

During the 50s, there were many drive-in theaters. It's sad that, except for a few, drive-in theaters have disappeared from our culture.

The Chief theater in Midland, Texas was my favorite. It opened in the mid 50's and was demolished in 1983.

 

[BC38]

Yeah, fond childhood and teenage memories.
Sad that 95% of them are gone now.

 

[snowman]

You've sure brought back some memories, Jinglebob, though I didn't have quite the varied experiences you had. I don't recall folks sitting outside their vehicles in folding chairs -I'm guessing that mosquitos would have been a significant problem in these parts; but maybe not. Sounds like great fun to me, though.

Regards,
Andy

 

[jag312]

If all you did was watch the movie, then you lead a very sheltered life.

 

[ParadiseRoad]

...I liked the drive ins too...

...a famous drive in photo by O. Winston Link...

...I liked those intermissions too...

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr7i-Mh7jc4[/ame]

 

[sar4937]

How many teenagers were smuggled in the cavernous trunks of 50's and 60's cars. As a family we used to bring our own popcorn and blankets. Some fell asleep early when the family went.

 

[Peashooter67]

There is a drive-in movie theater in Graham Texas.
I've taken what amounts to "my family " there once last years and can't wait till the next time we go.

Drive-ins are making somewhat of a comeback right now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Iggy]

You mean the passion pits? First time I got lucky was at one of those.

 

[doublesharp]

My first car date to the drive was in my moms 1962 Chevy II 4 door and I drove off with the speaker still in the rear window. The wire broke before the window did so I didn't get in trouble.

Only one left within 50 miles of Louisville - Georgetown Indiana - but I think it does ok.

 

[misswired]

Fond memories of the local drive-in. A good childhood friend lived about a half mile walk away. A gang of us kids would meet up at his house On a Saturday night and walk through the woods to the drive-in. Whoever drew the short stick would climb the fence and turn up 6 or 8 speakers wide open. We could then hear the movie as we watched from across the fence.

Now years later as teenagers it was well worth the price of admission to drive in and park with our dates....living in a conservative town, we had to drive 20 miles and lie about our age to catch an R rated movie... then hustle back to our local drive-in for the late feature and have our own R rated movie.

 

[walkin jack]

I remember lots of times when one of the crowd would pick up a few of us in a pick up truck. we'd park next to a speaker post backward and hang the speaker on the tailgate.

For a family outing we'd take a huge paper grocery bag full of popcorn and a cooler full of ice and drinks.

On cold winter nights I'd take my girl friend and a blanket and set us up in the back seat, and...steamy windows. Sometimes we'd even put the speaker INSIDE the car with us.

And how many will admit to having drive-in theater speakers in their cars. My car was a prototype for the current surround-sound system. thank goodness for the statute of limitations, eh?

 

[misswired]

Now that's funny... I can just imagine someone closing the door on that speaker cord and driving away... rip ... like I said I can imagine that!

 

[armadillo]

The last time I went to a drive-in was about 1980. The early show was OK for kids (6 and 7) so we took them.

I almost choked from all the marijuana smoke. Then some bum racing down the middle went past me at about 30 mph and hit a parked car. I left after that and never went again.

 

[sar4937]

The last drive in movie I saw was Bonnie & Clyde. Most of my youth was spent watching drive-in movies with the family. I always liked the hotdog that jumped into the bun during intermission.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

In their heyday, California had and still has the most, Ohio was and is #2. They actually built a new Drive-in in the 90's along US 23 somewhere not too far north of Portsmouth, Ohio!

As a kid in the 60's, mom would take my brother and I once or twice a month. There were 6 or 7 along Route 33 Between Arlington and Dublin, Ohio. ( northwestern suburbs of Columbus) There were about 10 small parks along the Scioto River in the sane area. We would grill the hot dogs there for dinner and take the rest to the movie.

My brother and were talking about this subject a couple of months ago, since we were always broke, mom probably did the whole outing for $1 or $1.50!

Ivan

 

[Onomea]

Like many, my memories of drive in theaters don't include the films. (But the memories sure are fond!)

 

[BC38]

We actually had one of the last drive in theaters in the state of Washington just down at the bottom of the hill from our house in Kent. We moved here to Spokane 5 years ago and the drive in had been closed for 3 or 4 years, so it went out of business in about 2010 or so.
We got to take both our boys a couple of times, though the youngest was only 5 or 6 so he was probably too young to remember it.
There are only 5 left in the whole state now. Four in small towns scattered around Puget Sound, and one in Colville, about 80 miles from here.

 

[FlyTyinFool]

Samish Drive-In Twin in Bellingham, WA until 2004

A lot of good memories there...
Kid, to teenager, to young adult (with family).

Some web sites say it was demolished. It wasn't, exactly. It was turned into a (uneven) parking lot. But, yes, screens were taken down.

 

[vytoland]

several folks could be snuck into the drive in movies lying on the floor in the back or in the trunk of a 1956 Plymouth savoy along with several quarts of fox head 400 beer....ask me how i know.....

 

[Sevens]

I was born in 1972 and I remember drive-ins fondly. I remember seeing "Every Which Way But Loose" and also "Firefox", both Clint Eastwood films. What a great night it was whenever we went! And my memories are all 70's/80's, probably far more cool back in the 50's and 60's.

Great thread!