Drive in theater stories....

Drive ins weren't really all that much fun if you really wanted to watch a movie, but if you were going for fun they were the place to be. Lots of noisey exhausts that drowned out your speaker. The occasional rain to ruin the view. Plenty of people running out of gas on cold nights when they ran the engine to heat and defrost the car.
Of course there were always the cars with 2-3 people in the trunk sneaking in, and occasionally getting caught and tossed out. Lots of people hanging out at the snack bar as a social event in the summer. The occasional fight when some guy saw his girlfriend in another guy's car.
It was really an unique part of the era, but can't say as I miss it much.

 

Try not to be pessimistic - things are definitely gonna get worse.

 

Yes, we did the trunk deal,as many as we could pack in,if there was at lest 4 paying riding inside car,they would not check the trunk for the other 4 we had,hardist part was stopping them in the trunk from making sounds,Stu had a 48 Cady Fleetwood.
There a time when Rob said he could not go with all of us,he had a date!
So we went to Monster from 10000 Feet Under or what ever it was called,Well we saw him and his date pull in with his 57 Chevy conv.,we had already parked near the back row and he didn't know we saw him,so later he and his date go for snacks beween pic's,and we go push his car a few rows back so he thinks it was gone, and LOL after about 10min. when he found us and the car.

 

In my neck of the woods of So Cal when I was a teenager we had the Covina Drive In and Weds. night was Buck Night (carload one dollar) . One night this guy in a 60's Caddy with a few chicks pulls in next to us and starts to party hard, after the first movie was over a O J Simpson PSA came on about scoring touchdowns instead of doing drugs. This guy starts screaming at the screen and flashing his headlights blowing the horn and the whole place just lit up with everyone blowing horns and flashing headlights yelling and cussing at the screen, I never laughed so hard. First day I had my driver's license I hit the drive in that night.

 

That's funny. I enjoyed that.

 

f-85 had coils

 

There are still several in the KC area, the one I like is the Boulevard, which also has weekly swapmeets during the days and hosts the "Greaserama" every year too.....

We still go once or twice a season, we park in the front or second row, sit in lawnchairs in front of the car with our two dogs and have a boombox (the theatre broadcasts digital sound) so we can hear and understand the dialog. Sometimes we get 5 or 10 folks from our local OT car club to go too and make a night of it. Times have changed!

The first movie I saw in about 1953 was Pinocchio, when that whale swallowed him I had to hide my eyes, but then I was only 4 years old! They usually had a childrens movie followed by more adult fare afterwards, and the kiddies always fell asleep since the first one didn't start till about 9 pm, which was already after our bedtime! It was a real treat for us kids, and I think the folks liked it too, since children got in free - it was a cheap date. We always took our own popcorn in a big paper grocery bag and our own soda's in a cooler. That drive in seemed like it was waaaaaaayyyyyyy out in the country then, now it's right in town - and it hasn't moved a foot!

Later as a teenager, our parent's so square Rambler sedan and wagon were always 1st choice for the drive in, since the seats would lay down and make a very comfy place to stretch out under a blanket! wink-wink, nudge-nudge, say no more.....

Later on, the girlfriend had a 62 Chevy, and the back seat was so wide we could lay down from door to door in it too!

There often were fights, and it did seem to be part of the experience to lay a good patch of rubber as you left, but you had to be careful as the police often sat a few doors down just waiting for exactly that - some wise ass would peel out and they'd have him pulled over a block later!

However, it was such a fun thing to do on a warm summer night, get a big group of friends together and hang out, swap lies, get a little nookie if you were lucky and just have fun!

Later on the gangs started hangin out there and it wasn't safe to go anymore, but that seems to have died out now and it's become more of a family thing again, like it was in the 50's. I miss those days, but like I said, we still go to the drive-in show a couple times a summer.

 

A few years back a friend went to that one on 40 HWY just N of I-70. They were still having problems then at least at that one. He and his family didn't manage to stay for the entire show. Probably a good thing.

On the subject ofthe Adult drive-in thing there was a drive in in the later '70s between Lebanon, MO and Camdenton, MO on Hwy 7. they didn't have the old fashioned drive in speakers they broadcast over the AM on your car radio. It was strictly an adult drivein. You could see from the road and pic up the signal also. I don't think they ever did figure it out.

 

LOL!

Yeah, the Drive-Ins here around the KC area are family-friendly again. We've all tailgated many, MANY times, but you have to pick and choose when you go.

It's either too hot, or too cold! LOL!

 

Was this the one that could be seen from I-83 not far from the PA/MD line? If so, they had to post signs along the hiway stating no stopping or parking. The truck drivers use to jam up the south bound shoulder to watch the films.

 

Drive ins were the greatest thing that ever happened to young people. My Girlfriend, my "51 Victoria with the hopped up Cadillac 368, and the drive in theatre were my greatest attractions as a young guy. The Drive in got torn down, the girlfriend married some nerd, and I sure miss that Victoria. Fords first hardtop, a 368 would fry the tires for several car lengths. The A frames were the weak link.

 

Hilarious thread, 'cause it's all true! I went to the drive-in from the time I was 6. Liked it so much, when I was 16 I had a JOB in one! The posters and stills the boss let me have wound up bringing me 100 times what he ever actually paid me. But the memories are priceless.

 

Holy cow! Wasn't there a '50s or '60s board
game or something called "Dream Date"???
Jee-whiz, looks like MINE! A Dodge with a
trunk roomy enough to sneak my friends into
the show, eh? There is a guy's dream date!

 

Went a few times last year and plan to go again this year. Maybe I can get the girl to agree to go sometime not for the movie.

 

It was the Starlite drive in for me, did all the same things described in the previous posts and then sometime in the seventies they played the movie "tentacles" about some killer octopus. We go late one night and move a few letters around on the marquee, it now says "Now Showing Testicles", it stayed that way till the management showed up late the next afternoon.

 

In the 1960's that was to place to go.
You'd sneek in firends in the trunk, especially if you didn't have a girl
to go with. Drink beer and getting lucky. Those were the days.
There was a white van that would drive around and shine his spotlight into
your car if he didn't see your heads in the car, or they would sneek up with big
ass flashlights on foot. If you got caught with your drawers down, they sometimes
would tell you to leave. We would meet up with our buddies inside the food (between movies)
building and compare notes in line. Who are you with? What did you get?
What base are you on? wink?Do you have any beer left?
Fun times, great times and then burn rubber on the way out!

 

Man, you guys are bringing back some great memories!

 

I remember seeing my first R rated movie with a bunch of friends, never forget the title "Caged Heat" about a women's prison.
Another time on a date there was a dad with some kids next to us. Kids were obnoxious. As they were leaving the kids never took the speaker off the rear window and as the car pulled out, the window cracked into a million pieces. That was one upset dad.

 

OK, Wisconsin, south side of the Milwaukee area. Franklin Drive in Highway 100. Highway 24 in Muskego and The 41 outdoor south 27th street are the ones I remember the most. I haven't seen anyone mention winter drive ins. Some of the WI drive ins were open well into December. They would provide you with a speaker and a little heater to hang in your car window. Neither one worked that well either, heh!. My girlfriend (now my wife) didn't want to go but they were playing Woody Allens "Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex but Were Afraid to ask", classic. I was told that the giant Boobs were unbelievably big on the screen, if you saw that movie you'll know what I mean. My future Father-in-law heard we were going to a drive in (good thing he didn't hear what was playing) and warned me that it was supposed to snow that night. I had the first big Pennys L60-15 Pro trac (something like that) big by wides on 15X10 chromies on the back of my '64 Catalina ( I had cut the wheel wells to fit them). He knew they were awfull in the snow so he gave me some expanded metal strips to put under my tires if I should get stuck. The strips were about a foot wide by maybe 3 feet long. Sure enough it snowed during the movie, I got stuck on one of the mounds that tipped your car up to look at the screen. Got out the expanded metal strips, placed them under the tires and proceded to pull slowly out of the snow. The only problem was I gunned it just little as I was nearing the end of the strips to keep my monentum up. (Anyone see what's coming???) OH I also had posi. When I gunned it a little one strip shot out over the playground next to the projector/concession stand, but the other one hit dead center on the building. I got out of there so fast, never did know if anyone saw it or realised what had happened. Sure left good memories though. Funny thing is. I'm now living down in Glendale AZ (PHoenix). Turns out there's a double drive about 7 miles from me near 59th avenue and Missouri. Can't wait to get my car built so I can go to the drive in in style. Mark L

 

We had The Do Drive In, The Bama and the Auto Show in Mobile, Al....We'd get someone to stand on the spike tray at the exit and back our cars in...the ticket people could see the exit from the ticket booth and it never dawned on them we were sneeking in by backing the car instead of driving it in.....had a lot of good times there...you could be assured each night someone would loose their hubcaps, lakes pipe caps, tag, custom taillight lens from Western Auto, antenna, cookies from drinking too much, a fight because you had someones x-girlfriend with you, air in a tire or your virginity...........The Graduate, original M.A.S.H., American Graffity........I grew up in the most perfect time a boy could go up in......back when the dealership papered up the windows so you couldn't see the next year model till a certain date...the end of the Cushman Eagle, Honda 160 Dream, 305 Super Hawks, 650 Triumph Bonneville, 427 L-88 '69 Corvette, '69 Z-28, Lime Green Super Bird Hemi on the showroom floor that noone would buy....Cruising a tank full of 28 cent gas out Cruising from Lou's drive-In to Krystal, Shoneys, Dick Russells, Burger Master to Chicks Drive-Inn and watch aywhere from 2 to 5 Street Races per night....Kids today "DON'T HAVE A CLUE"

 

I've never been to a drive In movie (youngin), I've always heard stories about them, it sure looks like I missed out. This summer I plan on going to one near coldwater Michigan.

 

This is a fact I was not aware of, no wonder the old guys miss the drive ins so much!

I was only able to go to one drive in, double feature, can't remember the first movie it was pretty weak, but the second was Apollo 13... yep, there was a working drive in all the way up here in Edmonton Alberta till the mid 90's at least... I wish it was still there!

I was driving past Winnipeg several years back and I noticed what looked like a 4 plex from the highway, I only saw it because it was night... I'll have to try to go there some day. And I found a working drive in in Hanover Ontario, it was closed the day I was there, but I peeked inside and it was like a time capsule from the early 60's!

I always thought that I would like to open a Drive in if I won a big lotto! (and keep it open till all that money was gone LOL)

 

Me and two buddy's jumped in the trunk of a 69 Super Bee, covered us over with rags and papers and got in. Problem was the trunk floor was covered in Transmission fluid. That stuff stinks

 

the Mansfield Drive-In here in CT used to play porn after a certain hour too many years ago. I'm only 22 but my first date was at the drive-in! believe it or not; a lot of young folk still go to the drive-ins to see the movies, and do all the stupid stuff all of you are telling stories about . We went multiple times in high school although it wasnt a regular/weekly event for us. CT used to be home to many, many drive-ins. Now; only two remain. One is a one screen theatre in the middle of a field in northwestern area of CT and the other is The Mansfield drive-In which is home to 3 screens and a sunday flea-market. once our car is finished...we can't wait to bring it to the drive-in

 

Saw a lot of B movies at the drive ins around here. Lots of Russ Meyer films were shown there also. We had some friends that lived next door to the State drive in before it closed, I found out they had a tree house that looked over the fence. At one time they snuck in and tapped into one of the back speakers and burried a wire to the tree house and hooked up a speaker so they could watch and hear the movies any time they wanted.

 

Tommy,

What year did the Queenstown Drive-in close? What year did the Mo close?

We used to pull the fence up on the creek side and sneak in the Drive-in.

Intermission would come and dancing hot dogs would beckon you to the conssession stand. I had a few buddies who worked there and had their own special sauce for people they didn't like.

I know the Mo was closed, but the drive-in may have still been open when I got caught running from the cops and hiding behind one of the jersey wall barriers for the Drive-in.

I had made a 100MPH run down Ager road on my Harley and passed two cops coming out of Kirkwood Apts.

I cut down toward old Palmer Ford and pulled up next to one of the jersey walls for the drive-in and laid down on the bike. They knew I was in there somewhere because I hadn't come out on the Queens Chapel side.

I got lucky. The cop was sort of a groupie and only gave me a one point ticket for not having two mirrors.

 

A warm Southern California evening mid to late sixties, Tri-City Drive In in Loma Linda, or Baseline in Berdoo, just about dusk. The sweet smell of orange blossoms weighing heavy on the evening air. Borrow five bucks from my Dad put 4 gallons of 100 octane in my Seafoam '53 Mainline Tudor. Pick up the focus of my attention, long soft (blonde, brunette, red head) hair smelling really good. Two burgers and Cokes, share an order of fries. Intermittently watch the movie. Take her home, say good night and all that entailed. Still got enough cash left for a hard pack of Marlboro reds. Like someone said "It was the best of times...". In my experience, not to be recreated except in memory.

Tried to express it as best i could, but if you were not there .. well you missed it.

 

The first movie i ever saw at a drive-in theater was Smokey and the Bandit. My dad took us to the drive-in 3 weekends in a row to see that movie. we always stopped at McDonalds drive thru before we got there for dinner. It was a great time. Later in my life during high school I had a pretty goodlooking and adventurous girlfriend that like to jump on my lap & screw while my friends & their dates watched...she got off letting them watch her get off...I miss that twisted girl.

 

I remember being about 12 and me and some buddies sneaking into a drive in on foot...we got caught and kicked out. As a teenager, with a car, and sometimes a van we watched B movies and enjoyed adult beverages. A few times I was lucky enough not to be with my buddies, but with a female "friend".
There are no more drive in movies around here. It was a fun time, but I don't see drive in movies ever coming back.

 

This thread is crazy. Wish I grew up back then.