Drive-Ins: Fun Family Entertainment!
I’ve always enjoyed going to Drive-in Theatres. As a young boy I occasionally went to the Drive-in Theatre in Parry Sound when we were at the cottage. I still remember seeing The Poseidon Adventure with my brother and cousin. As a teenager I went to the 400 Drive-in with friends. After getting married, my wife Lynn and I went to the drive-in in Alliston.
For many years we didn’t go to any drive-ins, some of which had closed down. The 400 drive-in as well as the drive-in theatres in Alliston and Parry Sound now only exist in our memories. A while back my brother and his family invited us to the Mustang Drive-in near Guelph. Before the movies we tossed around a Frisbee and a football. Watching movies at the drive-in, now with our children, was a lot of fun. Now we try to go a couple of times a year. Although we don’t live close to any drive-in theatres, we enjoy going to the Mustang Drive-in. We’ve also added the Barrie Triple Drive-in and the Elmvale Drive-in to the outdoor theatres that we attend.
The drive-in movie theatre was created by Richard M. Hollingshead, Jr. On June 6, 1933 Hollingshead, Jr. opened the first drive-in movie theatre named, appropriately enough, “Drive-in Theatre.” The drive-in was located in Camden, New Jersey. In developing the outdoor theatre, Hollingshead, Jr. nailed a screen to trees in his backyard and used a projector on the hood of his car. To address the vision problem for people in cars that would be in the back, Hollingshead, Jr. lined up cars in his driveway spacing them at various distances and placing blocks under their front wheels. This enabled Hollingshead, Jr. to learn how to space cars and how to build ramps for the cars’ front tires to park on so people in cars parked behind other vehicles could see the movie.
Drive-in movies became increasingly popular after the war when the Baby Boom began. The late 1940s saw many children at drive-in theatres. To accommodate the increasing number of children, playgrounds were often installed. With a place for children to play, many families started to arrive early for the movies which helped profits since concession stands were used more. Ontario’s first drive-in theatre was the Skyway Drive-in in Stoney Creek which opened in 1946 and closed in 1970.
During the 1950s and 1960s the popularity of the drive-in theatre continued and thousands of these outdoor theatres dotted the landscape across North America. The North York Drive-in Theatre on Mount Albert Road just west of Sharon has been operated by the same family since 1955. Starting with one screen, there are now three screens at the North York Drive-in which has room for over a thousand cars. While some drive-ins had room for 3,000 cars, others were only big enough to accommodate 50 vehicles. Some drive-in theatres even featured areas for planes!
Drive-in movie theatres remained significant entertainment venues into the ‘70s when their popularity began to wane. The late ‘70s and1980s saw many drive-in movie theatres close their doors. There were many reasons for the decline of drive-ins. Development, especially in urban and semi-urban areas where land values increased significantly resulted in many drive-ins being sold. VCRs, DVDs, movie rentals and satellite television have also played significant roles in the demise of drive-in movie theatres.
Recently, drive-in theatres have been making a modest comeback. There are various reasons for this. Nostalgia is one. People who enjoyed drive-in movies in their youth are returning with their families where they can introduce their children to the joys of watching movies under the stars while reminiscing about going to the drive-in in the “old days.”
Economics is also responsible for the increased popularity of drive-in movies. Families can watch two feature movies for a fraction of the price of watching the same movies at a theatre. Not only do drive-ins usually show two feature movies, but children under 12 or 13 are often free and adult prices are very reasonable. There are often promotions where modest admission prices are even further reduced on certain nights or there is a fee per carload.
While nostalgia and economics can take part of the credit for the recent increase in popularity of drive-ins, comfort and convenience are also responsible for the resurgence. Taking the children to the drive-in is a fun, comfortable family outing. Taking blankets and pillows and wearing comfortable clothes allows you to relax during the movies. Since you are in your car, you don’t have to worry as much about being quiet so as not to disturb others. Children can wear their pajamas so when they fall asleep they are ready for bed!
The vastly improved sound of today’s drive-ins, compared to the old speakers that hung on car windows, is another reason why watching movies at drive-ins is gaining in popularity. Drive-in movies now broadcast audio on an FM frequency. The sound of the movie is as good as your car’s stereo. We have started using our “CC Observer” radio from C. Crane Company. Fully charged, this radio with great sound easily lasts a double feature at the drive-in and we don’t have to worry about draining the car’s battery. Not only does the radio perform well, but it is good to have on hand for emergencies as it is an AM/FM/Weather Emergency Radio and can be charged by winding it up and it comes with a built-in 3 LED flashlight!
Concessions continue to be important for both theatre owners and movie-goers. Concession stands generate important revenue for the theatre as well as provide customers with popcorn, cold drinks and other refreshments. In past decades revenue from concession sales was so important that “intermission trailers” were created to increase food sales. Not only did these trailers give movie-goers time to stock up on snacks in between movies, but it provided us with the famous dancing hot dog trailer!
Although drive-in theatres are not nearly as popular as they were in the 1950s and ‘60s, they are making a modest comeback. Great value, fun family entertainment and memories that will last a lifetime are three reasons for this success. By supporting your local drive-in you can help to ensure that these outdoor entertainment venues will still be around for future generations to enjoy.
Bringing the Drive-in Home
When you can’t get to the drive-in, but you want to have an entertaining movie night with the family, try bringing the drive-in movie atmosphere into the comfort of your home. Some things to have on hand include blankets, pillows, popcorn, licorice and some drinks. Opening some windows and allowing night sounds, such as crickets chirping, into the house will provide some atmosphere.
Start with some cartoons (several good ones reviewed in this blog) then, depending on the age of the viewers, family movies or other entertaining films. If you want to have your own “dusk to dawn” feature you can watch several movies or maybe a particular year of a series. There are also some nice movie collections out (some to be reviewed soon).
Source: http://metrolandnorth.typepad.com/glenn_perrett/2009/08/driveins-fun-family-entertainment.html
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