Drive-In Movies

[cookie]

If the weather is good tomorrow, it is very likely that we're going to kick off the summer by going to a drive-in movie. The drive-in's an hour away, but this weekend's lineup includes the new Harry Potter movie and Garfield the Movie.

I have fond childhood memories of family trips to the drive-in. That's where I first saw Star Wars. Looked like it was happening in the sky right in front of you. It's great to be able to share the fun of the drive-in with my kids.


We'll take blankets, lawn chairs, snacks, drinks, blankets, and ample insect repellent. The movies don't begin until nearly 9:30, so to watch two will run into the wee hours, but that's cool. The kids will sleep in the car on the way home and they will likely sleep late the next morning. I'll probably be the only one awake on the ride home.

Then some night, when we have a babysitter, maybe mom and dad will go to the drive-in ALONE!

[cookie]

Hey! You can see pictures of our drive-in here!

http://www.drive-ins.com/detail/nytfing

Is that cool or what?

[Ron Thorne]

I used to love going to drive-in theatres, beginning in Miami as a youngster. The Tropicana with its ambience, including very cool big band music before the feature is a very fond memory.

Cookie, believe it or not, we used to have two drive-in theatres in Anchorage, but because of our very unusual circumstances, they were used primarily in the winter months, believe it or not. There's far too much daylight at this time of year to watch a movie outdoors! However, because it was not only very dark but often very cold in the winter months, we got two items to hang on our window, a speaker and a portable heater.

For the record, our theatres were called the Billiken and Sundowner Drive-in Theatres.

[Sergio Zamora]

Drive-ins were cool. I loved going when I was a kid. I liked the freedom of being able to talk or take a nap during the movie. I also liked that we could bring our own food. It was kind of cool that you could turn around and see what was playing on the other screens. It's weird, but there was also this feeling of safey there, at least for me. Anyone know when they replaced the speakers with the AM radio frequency? Last time I went was around 1990 and the speakers were already gone.

There were a bunch of drive-ins in the LA area, and there are still a few, though a lot of them are just swap meets now.

Someone told me there was an adult drive-in in Sacramento, which could be seen from outside. Strange.

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

Originally Posted by Sergio Zamora

Someone told me there was an adult drive-in in Sacramento, which could be seen from outside. Strange.

There used to be an adult drive-in right off Highway #101, at San Antonio Creek, the border between Marin and Sonoma County, and you got a couple of seconds peek as you went by. Miracle there weren't more wrecks.

There used to be two others in Sonoma County, but now they're all gone: the good one in Santa Rosa is now the site of a K-Mart, the one in Petaluma is a Corn Maze, and the porno one south of Petaluma is just abandoned.

I used to have trouble with the sound at Drive-ins, which always seemed to be on a par with a $5 transistor radio.

[stonemonkts]

I loved drive-ins when I was a kid too.

We used to sneak into our local drive-in by climbing the big wooden fence. We would wend our way to the food building, grab armfuls of those cardboard food carriers, find a remote corner far from other cars and lie on our bellies to watch the movie.

[Brian Olewnick]

Man, I think I've only been to a drive-in movie twice in my life. First was for a friend's birthday party when I was about 10, to see "Born Free". Second, for reasons that I can't quite figure out, was to see Mel Brooks' "Twelve Chairs", probably around 1971.

There are only three or four drive-in movie theatres in NYC, so I haven't been more recently....

[SinginSumo]

VERY cool thread, Cookie!

After checking out your link I was dismayed that there are no drive-in theaters at all in the state of New Jersey.

I was also surprised that the sound is now through one's own FM car radio rather than those abysmal little speaker boxes that attached by being perched on the car window! (Guess I'm still living in a time of 3¢ stamps and nickel Cokes...)

[jesus marion joseph]

We have one on Cape Cod, too.

It shows second-run movies. I've only been to it once, and saw a double feature. The Mask and something else.

When I was a kid we lived in Virginia Beach (my dad was from there), and used to go to the drive-ins all the time with another family, the Coutures. They had one of those old Dodge Darts with the spare tire outline on the trunk-remember those? Anyway, a hole had rusted through the floorpan in the back seat, so us kids would grab a handful of pebbles and drop them, one by one, through the hole as we drove around town. Simple pleasures. I remember once one of the Couture kids fell asleep on the back seat at the drive in and got an unpopped popcorn kernel lodged way in her ear. Great memories!

[cookie]

Wow! The Wellfleet Drive in on Cape Cod is very ritzy! Cocktail bar and mini golf---yeah!

Unfortunately, it rained this morning. Temperatures are supposed to drop into the 40s tonight. Looks like we'll have to shoot for tomorrow---or go Alaska style!!

Lovin' hearing your drive-in memories!

[kc bob]

I remember seeing the Godfather at a drive-in in St. Louis when I was 7 or 8. My controlling mother was actually following one of my older sisters (of 6) on her date! And that's where she ended up. I almost threw up from the horse head in bed scene. Shortly thereafter, I started burning ants with a mag glass under domes made of soap bubbles. The dome would fill up with ant remains and once, a hippy neighborhood kid stuck a straw in a snorted the soul of the ant up his nose.

Ah, drive-ins...

[Jimmy Cantiello]

We had two in Bridgeport, Connecticut. They were next to each other and owned by the same company, the Candlelight and the Pix. They were always lots of fun, especially if a bunch of us went and sneaked in by hiding in the trunk. Good for making out as well. It was always cool to see someone who forgot to replace the speaker back on the pole before they drove off. Riiiiiiip, bang, smash!................

[Ron Thorne]

kc bob, that final anecdote was just plain nasty!

Doesn't it figure that Jimmy's fondest memories include sneaking in and making out? What, no special food memories? C'mon now, Antonio. Did you bring a grill and some swordfish to cook at intermission?

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Gotta say, Ron, the drive-ins had some of the worst food imaginable. We opted instead to consume alcoholic beverages even though we were under age. Oh, BTW, we also had those heaters during the winter. They did a pretty good job but if you had the right girl with you it wasn't needed....

[SinginSumo]

Once a studmuffin...

[HenryMc]

Brisbane had 10 or 12 drive-ins in the DBVs (Days before videos) and I think in my teens I went to every one. Remember this is Oz in the 70's and we all had station wagons (Sandmans, etc) or old crapboxes. When we went to the drive in we'd take a few carloads.

We'd smuggle in as much alcohol as we could and as many people as we could (under blankets, rugs, even in boots (trunks to you guys) and we'd all park near each other so we could party.

Mothers never worried when we took their precious pearls to those kind of nights but when you turned up alone to take ém out only by yourself they fretted "Can't you go into the pictures in town" they'd say.

"Nah, we really WANT to see Rabbit Test and Kentucky fried movie and they're only on at the Starlight"

Ah drive-ins.

Brisbane had 12 or so drive-ins. The last one closed last month. It will be redeveloped as townhouses.


By the way this is a Sandman ......from 1974

[Canuck Don]

I love the drive in theatres .Only about 5 min. from my house.Have 4 big screens. Lots of fond memories of going with my Dad in the early 1950's and latter as a teen with a date when I got my licence. I think it was a place for more sexual activities then actual watching the movies.Every Mon. night was 99 cents a car load night. Bring a bunch of kids and only costs 99 cents for all of us.Also the all nighter nights. There would be about 6 shows and it would end at daybreak.

[Dr Dave]

I used to go to the 110 Drive-In, located, amazingly, on Route 110 in Huntington, NY. I saw a lot of crazy stuff there: North By Northwest (the one with Cary Grant being chased by a crop-duster); The Mysterians (Aliens invade Tokyo! Susan Sontag namechecked it in her essay "The Imagination of Disaster."); and, if memory serves, "The Longest Day."

There is a famous ode to the Wellfleet Drive-In written by Joey Spampinato (his brother Johnny lives up that way) called "When It Rains At The Drive In." It's on NRBQ's "Grooves In Orbit."

[jesus marion joseph]

I thought it was Joey Spampinato who lives here? Whichever one it is, our friends' kid takes guitar lessons with him. Not at the drive-in, though.

[Al in NYC]

Man... the East Side Drive-In in Detroit just off the Ford Freeway. My grandparents used to take us all the time as it was the only movie theater where my grandfather could drink beer and my grandmother could smoke, and they would put all of us cousins in pajamas and let us lie in the back of their station wagon.

We had heaters in Michigan too, and nasty tinny speakers that folks would steal anyway. Speaking of theft, one of the things that would happen at drive-ins like the East Side was theft, and you really had to watch it when you went to the snack bar because people would take advantage of all of the open car windows. My grandmother had her purse snatched while she wasn't looking one night, and a friend of mine had his car stolen while he and his girlfriend were smoking dope and making out at the back of the lot.

And speaking of making out, as my cousins and I got older we would make up excuses to go to the snack bar or the bathroom. Along out circuitous route to and from these destinations a number of life lessons were learned while peering through steamy car windows.

And speaking of steamy car windows, one of the favorite "hot" fun spots during the liberated years I spent in college was the X-rated drive-in out by Lake Lansing. Some pretty damn direct life lessons learned out there. (Ahhhh the late '70's: sexual revolution, lax drug law enforcement, no AIDS, 18 year old drinking age, and everybody who was somebody had a van -- I could be downright nostalgic, if only the music didn't suck so bad).

[cookie]

Before, I report on our trip, I must say that I have really enjoyed reading the drive-in stories from all of you. Thanks! Al's reminiscence of going to the drive-in in pajamas brought back a flood of good memories. My parents did that with us when we were kids.

So, today is the first day of summer vacation. I had to work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday; and I have to work tomorrow and Saturday, so tonight was really our only window of opportunity. But when I called the drive-in info line to find out about the price, I *knew* it had to be tonight because tomorrow, the shows change from Harry Potter and Garfield to Harry Potter and White Chicks.

So even though we got a late start on dinner and had to rush around to get out of the door, we went. We knew there was a possibility of rain, but we decided to go anyway. It was beautiful at our house, but unfortunately as we got to the area where the drive-in is, a big thunderstorm broke. We kept going figuring it would peter out.

We got to the drive-in a bit late. They ran the movie earlier than the phone said (or my car clock is way off---not!). We missed the first few minutes, which is okay because that's one we'll probably see indoors, too.

The rain did die down. We couldn't sit out on the grass, but that was cool. We watched from the car and I had a lawn chair with me so sometimes the kids or James would use that or just stand outside. We had the sound on the radio, but the kids insisted that we use the pole speakers, too.

The kids loved visiting the snack bar. I tried to make popcorn before we left, but when I poured the corn into the oil I noticed that it had become infested with some little worm larvae. EeeeuuuuwwwGROSS! I tossed that bag of corn out! Anyway,tonight we had to trust that the snack bar popcorn was better than homemade.

I like to think of it as a bargain, but I do have to take into account that we drove an hour to get there. Still, not factoring for transportation, at $6.00/adult and $2.00/child the drive-in is a steal. And you get *two* movies for that price.

Gasoline to drive from Ithaca to Auburn and back: apprx. $6.00
Drive-in movie for family of four: $16.00
Snacks: $15.00
Memories: priceless

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

Here's a piece from today's Santa Rosa Press Democrat:

+++++++++++++

Cinema al fresco


June 24, 2004

By JOHN BECK
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT





The sun goes down as credits roll and the smell of buttered popcorn blankets the crowd. Singing cicadas, a honk in the distance, the way laughter travels outdoors -- what could be better?

A sacred summer standby, outdoor movies in the park have become the drive-ins of today -- except you don't have to hide in the trunk anymore. Come by skateboard, bike or on foot, spread a blanket, uncork a bottle of wine and watch classics like "Singin' in the Rain" or soon-to-be classics like "Finding Nemo."


This summer, more than any other, cinema al fresco is lighting up makeshift screens and barns in Healdsburg and Windsor town plazas, Petaluma's McNear Park, the Sonoma Garden Park, Gundlach Bundschu Winery and parks all over Marin County. This weekend alone you can see "Babbette's Feast" in Sonoma and "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in San Rafael.


It doesn't take much to set the scene in a lush garden at dusk.


"The movies are projected on the doors of the Straw Bale Barn, and everyone sits on straw bales," said Molly Anne Meyn, garden coordinator at Sonoma Garden Park. "The sun is setting, so the sky gets pink, and there's this giant oak tree behind the barn that's about 300 to 500 years old."


This year's lineup of five films even offers something the plants can identify with: "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" and "Little Shop of Horrors" in August.


At Windsor's Moonlight Movie Classics, it's hard to tell what's more enticing -- film chestnuts or a farmers market spread of barbecued ribs, hot pastrami sandwiches, oysters on the half shell, brownies and fruit pies.


"I'm sure they'll stay open as long as people are still buying food," said Jeannie Mitchell, an organizer of Windsor's Summer Nights on the Green series. Nearby Powell's Sweets Shoppe will play concession stand with loads of popcorn and candy.


But you can't let the foodie frenzy distract from the main attraction. When city employees, winemakers, housewives and horticulturists moonlight as film programmers, anything can happen.


"We have a garden council -- nothing too mystical or anything -- but they came up with the list of movies," Meyn said. That is, except for one film -- "The printer said he'd give us a great deal if we showed 'Wizard of Oz,' so that's how that got in there."


Petaluma's Movies in the Park was launched by community cinephiles/homemakers Lisa Sides and Robin Harrigan, who were inspired by outdoor films in San Anselmo and Novato.


"We were tired of driving out of town, so we said, 'Let's see what we can do right here in our own hometown,'" Sides said. "Especially since we don't even have a movie theater in Petaluma."


They had planned on showing "Finding Nemo," "101 Dalmations" and "Swiss Family Robinson," prior to a licensing snafu with Buena Vista film distributor. Now, scrambling to fill the lineup, they are scheduled to show "Star Wars," "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and "Grease," along with three yet-to-be-named films.


For others, it's a matter of raiding the family video library. Falling back on her personal favorites, Mitchell chose films that would evoke the Capra-corn charm of Windsor's newly developed downtown.


"I started thinking about those wonderful films like 'The Music Man' that had appeal from a yesteryear standpoint," she said. "We're trying to recapture those days of yore when families would all come out together."


When Gundlach Bundschu began its film series seven years ago, organizers pushed the edge with "Blade Runner" and "Blazing Saddles." In recent years, they've toned it down with more family fare such as "The Revenge of Pink Panther" in August. In Marin, Film Night in the Park screens more than two dozen films, most of them shot in the Bay Area, including "The Birds," filmed in and around Bodega Bay, and "Polyanna," filmed in a Victorian mansion on MacDonald Avenue in Santa Rosa.


But no matter what's on the screen, outdoor movies are all about neighbors and strangers mingling and laughing together on a breezy, starry night.


"I think it brings us back to the days of the drive-ins, at least for those of us who were around then," Sides said. "Most of the time we don't hang out outside at night. This is like you're on a camp-out with all your friends and neighbors."


And, even though it hasn't been hammered out yet, you might think about bringing your dancing shoes to "Grease" and a change of costume for the "Wizard of Oz."

[Enforcer]

Originally Posted by Al in NYC

Man... the East Side Drive-In in Detroit just off the Ford Freeway. My grandparents used to take us all the time as it was the only movie theater where my grandfather could drink beer and my grandmother could smoke, and they would put all of us cousins in pajamas and let us lie in the back of their station wagon.

We had heaters in Michigan too, and nasty tinny speakers that folks would steal anyway. Speaking of theft, one of the things that would happen at drive-ins like the East Side was theft, and you really had to watch it when you went to the snack bar because people would take advantage of all of the open car windows. My grandmother had her purse snatched while she wasn't looking one night, and a friend of mine had his car stolen while he and his girlfriend were smoking dope and making out at the back of the lot.

And speaking of making out, as my cousins and I got older we would make up excuses to go to the snack bar or the bathroom. Along out circuitous route to and from these destinations a number of life lessons were learned while peering through steamy car windows.

And speaking of steamy car windows, one of the favorite "hot" fun spots during the liberated years I spent in college was the X-rated drive-in out by Lake Lansing. Some pretty damn direct life lessons learned out there. (Ahhhh the late '70's: sexual revolution, lax drug law enforcement, no AIDS, 18 year old drinking age, and everybody who was somebody had a van -- I could be downright nostalgic, if only the music didn't suck so bad).

One of the benefits of having Al here is that I don't have to post anything about my early life experiences growing up. He does it for me. Great memories, Al!

[HLJ]

The Drive-In movie was a big deal back in the day growing up in The Ville.There were several in the area with the best one bieng The 220 Drive-in.I had a big ass 65 Chevy Impala and the back seat was the size of a single bed.Some of the best Teen-age sex I ever had happen at The 220 I can remember when the movie "Superfly" came to town tarffic for the Saturday show was back up for miles.For most of the flick people hung outside of thier rides jammin to the great Curtis Mayfield soundtrack until the sence with Ron O'neal and Shiela Frazier getting thier freak on .Then it was foggy window time YOUKNOWHATIMEAN There's a Drive -In a few miles down the road in Eden,NC got to take the Fam down this summer.Peace and all that.

There was one down in North Fort Myers when I was a teen(may still be there).

It was always a blast to hang out there on Friday nights.

To listen to the movie, you had to tune it in on the car radio, which I always thought was really cool. No more fiddlin with that lawn mower engine sized speaker.

Someone earlier mentioned seeing the first Star Wars at the drive-in. Me too!!

[stonemonkts]

Originally Posted by Mo Noyz

Someone earlier mentioned seeing the first Star Wars at the drive-in. Me too!!

Me Three!!!

I remember it vividly...it was at the old drive-in you could see from the Garden State Parkway in/near Rahway, NJ. I was with my sweetheart and so by the time we finished our joint it was party time. The movie was a vague recollection of space cadets and talking dogs but the time we had in that car was fucking great.

[Ron Thorne]

I love this thread!

[cookie]

Me, too, Ron.

Harry Potter brought me back to that Star Wars drive-in magic. There are many night scenes and you just felt you were right there flying over Hogwarts or running through the dark woods. The scene where Harry flies on Buckbeak was absolutely thrilling to me. You could *feel* the flight.

[HenryMc]

Movies to see at the Drive In in the 70's

Any Vincent Price or Christopher Lee (especially Dusk to Dawn Horrorthons
Any James Bond - with Roger Moore with a suitably crappy second feature
Any chick flick (Sunshine (Remember it?), The Way we were, etc (Guaranteed to get you laid!)
Any bad blaxploitation film (especially by Melvin Lee)
Flesh Gordon (when ever they showed it)
Any film with James Caan (especially Rollerball) or Warren Oates
Any Richard Prior
Carrie

and

of course

The Rocky Horror Picture Show/Phantom of the Paradise double feature all cars $2 nights (especially after FM sound came in!)

[Rob C]

Never been to a drive-in in my life. I'm not sure I've even seen one that was operational....

Originally Posted by Sergio Zamora

I liked the freedom of being able to talk or take a nap during the movie.

I'm confused, how is that different from every regular theater I've been to in the past five years?