With the rise of technology, a lot of things have come and gone in the last century or so: MP3 players have replaced vinyl albums and eight-track tapes, cell phones have replaced rotary dial landline phones, compact and hybrid cars have replaced massive, gas-guzzling tanks.
But for Marietta resident Gary Bosworth, there is no more sadder sign of the times than the demise of the drive-in movie theater.
“I remember seeing ‘King Kong’ at the Starlite (in Reno) when I was young,” the 38-year-old said. “I’m not positive, but I think it was the original one. My parents would load my sister and I up in the car to go see a movie but we would usually fall asleep on the floor of the car before we really even had the chance to see the movie.”
According to drive-ins.com, an authority on all things to do with the outdoor silver screen, there are only two drive-in theaters still in existence within 50 miles of Marietta. One is in Mt. Zion, West Virginia and the other, The Jungle, is nearby in Parkersburg.
The theater, which is located near the Wood County Airport and has parking for 308, opened in 1953, closed in 2006 due to mechanical issues, but reopened shortly after, according to the website.
Double features are shown during the warmer months every night except Thursday.
Jennifer and Andy Francis, of Sheridan Street, enjoy taking his classic 1957 bright blue Cadillac to The Jungle.
“It feels like we’re stepping back in time,” Jennifer Francis said.
“We love to go.”
Many would consider this area lucky to still have a drive-in theater nearby, as so many have been forced to close down.
Within a 50-mile radius of Marietta, there were 15 theaters in their heyday, including the Starlite in Reno, the Riverside on Ohio 7, and the Open-Air in Belpre.
Shelly Wiseman Webb is such a fan that she created a Facebook page in March.
“We got almost 2,000 fans in a little over a month,” she said.
“We just want to do all we can to get The Jungle out there.”
Fans can visit Facebook and search “Fans of Jungle Drive-In.”
The availability of movies at the touch of a finger tip, 3-D technology and digital surround sound are a few things that the drive-in has had to compete with.
Bosworth offers his own theory as to why so many are disappearing.
“Because they’re old, they’re not attached to a mall or shopping center, and generally it’s not a place where teens can go because you have to drive and/or have a car to get there,” he said.
“To me, the best thing about a drive-in is that I’m not pinned to my seat – because it’s not rude to go get a soda in the middle of the movie. I get to pick my own seat and the prices are right.”
The Jungle offers two movies for $7, convenient parking and concessions, like popcorn, drinks, hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, ice cream, and snow cones.
Not bad for a unique evening out.
“You get to go out, the kids can run around instead of trying to keep them quiet and sitting still, and the snack bar food is pretty good and not too pricey,” Bosworth said.
“What more can you ask for?”
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