Drive in theater stories....

This is an awesome thread, really brings back the memories! Movies, what movies? It was all about friends beer and chicks!

We had a lot of drive inns around the Minneapolis area, I was out on the west side. We had Colonial in medina, Navarre, 7-Hi, 65-Hi, 100 Twin, France... You could open up the newspaper and look at the listings to see who was playing what.

Nobody ever missed an opportunity to use a light to expose an embarrassing moment. I was up at the colonial for a triple header one time with a chick making out and drinking barley pop, starting about 1/2 way thru the 1st show. Part way thru the 2nd show, I really needed to hit the mens room, but didn't want to interrupt the mood. By the end of the 2nd show I was in total pain - 3-1/2 hours of pouring down the happy juice without a break. Finally she announced that she was heading into the little girls room. The back fence was closer, so I made a bee-line for it and wouldn't you know some dude hits me with a spot light and horns start honking..

Another time a buddy came over with 2 chicks I didn't know. (yet) My mom did not allow us kids in her living room, that was the one place in the house that she insisted was to stay clean and nice, despite a house full of teenagers. Mom was at work, so what did I do? I invited them into the living room. The girls were smoking, so I got them ashtrays, and we had a few brews. I got the idea to haul us all to the Drive Inn in my 48 Plymouth Convert. Mom got off work at midnight, so I figured we would make it back in time to clean up the ashtrays and beer cans from the living room. So were having a great time at the movie, one couple in front and one in back getting to know each other quite well. All of a sudden, I realize with a jolt that it's midnight - the festivities and the movies are still going strong. We gotta go - NOW! The old 6 volt push button starter was grinding away, but no fire! I pop open the hood, and smell gas. It must be flooded. In a panic, I grind away on the starter till the battery is dead with the pedal to the floor. Just before the battery died, it almost started, so I summon the 2 girls and my buddy to push the car down the isle, and I dump the clutch, hooray it started! We raced back to my place (at least as fast as you can race with a flathead six) When I got home, moms car was in the driveway. Oh No! I go in, and she's in bed. I look in the living room and it's all perfect and clean. That was the last night I ever spent in that house, the next day I
got the boot....

 

One of my earliest memories (age 3) was in August of '63 seeing the Henry Fonda movie Spencer's Mountain at the Sunset Drive-In in Skokie, IL in our '53 Bel Air sedan. Skip ahead 11 years, and I was visiting friends in San Jose for the summer of '74 when we went to the Century to see a double feature of S*P*Y*S and M*A*S*H, and my friend had me hide under the plywood bed in the back of his VW bus to save a few bucks; thought I was gonna suffocate. Later that summer went with a couple other friends in a '65 LeMans sedan to see American Graffiti and had my first encounter with weed (just encountered it, didn't smoke it!) - I asked the two ladies in the front seat "Are those reefers?" which they thought was hysterically funny. I got very hooked that night - on American Graffiti; saw it seven or eight more times in theatres before the VHS came out. In 1979 I saw the sequel, More American Graffiti, at the Wheeling (IL) Twin Drive-in (in my crummy '71 VW 411) so I could say I saw both movies in drive-ins. After moving to CA I saw movies at the Edwards in Monrovia, the Santa Fe Springs, the Simi in Simi Valley and the Foothill in Azusa - now all gone. Never went to the El Monte, but I got a good photo of it one night:

 

the song "drive in" by los chicos de la playa (beach boys) in the '60's pretty well tells the story.. only place to be on the weekend nites..

..then drop your date off and hit the local hang out and pick your race.. pretty good times and memories..

..then off to Nam..

thanks vets..

 

Tore back all kinds of "tang" at the drive-ins. Wish they would open em back up.

 

The Houston area had dozens of drive-in movies in town and in almost all the smaller towns surrounding. Heck, Pasadena had 3 drive-ins itself.
Of course, we had to contend with the summer heat and humidity and skeeters but it was worth it.

In Fayetteville NC I only remember one drive-in just across the Cape Fear River outside of town.

 

In high school, we double-dated in our parents' stationwagons. I drove the red '62 Plymouth Valiant, and my friend, Wolf, drove his parents' 64 laydown Rambler. Lots of room to roam, if you know what I mean.

By the time we got into college, we all had our own cars: Mine a '29 Model A coupe with a trunk full of beer; Wolf a '65 Mustang; Grant a '33 Plymouth four-door; Wes a '63 Plymouth 2-door former HiPo with a 383; Dick a '62 Falcon; Dave a '53, then later a '54 Chevy four-door (loved him some shoebox Chevies). Lots of spaghetti westerns, Dirty Harry and Steve McQueen flicks, plus the occasional Vincent Price three-for.

And as always, loads of beer. 63rd Street Drive-in, Fairyland Park, Crest, I-70, Heart (when the Blue River didn't flood it), Leawood were the hangouts.

 

my first drive in movie was Apollo 13 in Cali, Colombia when I was in college--that even though my town had a drive in until probably middle school. Since then I take every opportunity I can to support them and share the experience with my kids (their fist was UP!). We must lost our local drive in here last year :-(

 

Cool, that was my first drive in movie as well!

 

small world.

 

This is a funny quote, especially if taken out of context.

 

In the 70's we had one in Indy that showed porn on a very busy street across from a McDonalds - probably the busiest one in the country at nite - ha.

 

I can remember being five or six going to the drive in with the parents on a friday night. Cheap fun. Also remember sitting on the top of my truck drinking Wild Turkey and fooling around with the ex fiance in the bed at 17.

The best time though is finding out my wife had never been to a drive in before and taking her. We watched some chick flick and made out like a couple of teenagers. Reminded me of high school which was pretty cool. Come to find out they closed the drive in about three months after we went. Closest one that I know of is in Globe, AZ which is a long drive. I think we might make the trip up there and take the kids when I get back in the states. Need to get the Falcon road worthy for that long of a drive plus seat belts in the back are a most. It's a damn shame that drive in's are closing down. Good times.

 

Auto Drive-In, Brookpark Ohio and my 63 Plymouth longroof back in the late 70s. Never knew they showed movies there though.

 

My best drive-in cars - Mustang II fastback - park backwards - drop rear seat back - raise the hatch - perfect. Also my '41 Plymouth Special Deluxe coupe - back seats flip up and out of the way - perfect play room.

 

Great thread. I remember when I was 12, sitting in the back seat of a Friend's Dad's '63 Impala watching a hispanic movie in front of us with a porn going on behind us. I couldn't understand the hispanic movie but had no problem with the porn.
In the mid 70's ,in Aurora Co., we used to hang out behind a Safeway on Havanna St. where a drive-in was located next door. You could watch and hear the movies for free and party. We used to climb down and sneek over the fences to mess around with the kids steaming up the windows. The lovers used to get funny looks on thier faces when they peered out and saw you letting the air out of thier tires. They don't chase you when they can't find thier underwear.

 

One night we crawled through the mud to meet our buddy's car only to have the enforcers ask us all to leave. Many other nights with dates, some wanting to watch the movie.

 

I was created at the Drive-In.

Beat that.

 

I'm sure your not the only only one.

 

They showed porn at drive ins? You have got to be messing with me.

 

maybe a russ meyers film, but not x-rated. not here anyway. i have fond memories of parking my 62 econoline backwards and haveing the rear doors opened to the screen.

 

They turned our old drive-in into an XXX rated "Passion Pit" back in the late '60's in Trenton, Maine.

But more importantly...............I met my wife of almost 44 years at the Neponset Twin Drive-In in Quincy, Mass. on a double date.

And I remember the Bangor Drive-In in Bangor, Maine having church services on Sunday morning with everybody in the congregation hung over.

 

I love going to drive ins. The first time to a drive in was in 91. It was "Good ol days" at the Commerce drive in. They were playing American Graffiti. It was just down the road fron Atlanta Dragway. It was also the first date that I acually got to drive on. (Only had my DLs for a week.) I was driving dad's 66 impala. That was the night I fell in love with B bodies. I had a blast that night in that BIG backseat. The next morning dad woke me up about 8am and said " I know what you did, Now go clean it up!" LOL! I am lucky to still have two open drive ins close by. I think it's time to dust off the Impala and show my wife how much fun the Impala and drive ins are.

 

We would go in a group of 5-6 cars which meant about twenty people and take the center of the back row. A friend of mine had a bar in his van and we mixed up a bunch of purple jesus. I made Frisbees with nav lights on the top and bottom and we would be flying those all night. I was going down to the snack bar once when a buddy pulled in in his new Trans Am and left it running, girlfriend and all, behind the snack bar. I hopped in and took the car and the girlfriend on a tour of the drive-in, then parked in the back row with everyone else. He eventually found us, but then she was into the purple jesus and having a good time without him.

 

I had a stock 50 mercury and the starter had gone out a few days earlier. No money to buy another one for a while so I drove it to the drive-in anyway. Time to leave I'd get some guys to give me a shove and bump start the flathead. Used to take the inside door handle off the passenger side so the girlfriend couldn't change her mind..........

 

she is 36 this year.

 

I'm writing that one down!

 

I have my shop on the property of a 50 plus year old drive-in . Yes it is still working and open every night. Hopefully working on an event for us here in Cali. See movies there all the time .

 

No one mentioned the STARLIGHT drive in in Rosemead Ca- oh the sweaty memories- they had a swap meet on Sundays(still do) The La Mirada in La Mirada- The Paramont In Pico Rivera- all good places to learn about life- man them were the days- kids today are so stuck in that electronic world of facebbok and social networking- its a shame they are missing out on real life interaction between people-

 

there were several drive ins near me into the early 80s.The one we visited most was the Quinebaug drive in we went there as kids with our grandparents and our parents late 50s-late 60s then we dated there and eventually brought our kids it closed mid 80s only because the owners wanted to retire and no one wanted to buy it. When they built it in the late 40s there were a few houses right near the drive in the owner of the drive in simply wired those 3 or 4 houses for sound right along with the new theater no complaints from neighbors about the drive in!One house I remember had a big picture window at the back of the garage with theater style seating several big comfy chairs and couches set up on different levels so everyone could see and 2 big speakers flanking the window talk about "Home theater"!After the Quinebaug closed a few years we had a new twin drive in built in Killingly called the Putnam/Danielson twin it lasted about 10 years they did themselves in by having Disney on one screen and porn on the other at the same time!Another old theater was called the Pike Drive in I vaguely remember this drive in from going in the 50s and 60s with my folks It was both an indoor and outdoor theater the entire screen wall of the indoor theater opened up and you could sit in the indoor seats to watch the show on the outdoor screen!In the 70s this place was an abandoned ruin and we walked around the place once and found rolls of films cartoon reels and even those stupid intermission films,You know how they say they used Subliminal Messaging in commercials to get you to buy food well I can tell you they really did! some of those films clear as day said "Buy Hotdogs", buy drinks etc.etc. about every 10th frame!We still have a few drive ins close enough to enjoy the one in Windham and another in Mendon Mass. Mendon is a nice drive in done up completely in a 50s theme theres even booths in the consession stand you can sit at and eat and see the movie they do a special "Street rod" night a couple times a season too!.My son and I talk often about building a "mini drive in " in our back field but haven't figured out the projection part of it yet we talked about putting several old pick up cabs out there wired for sound just for fun!

 

There was a dirve in on the outskirts of the town I grew up in. Spent a lot of time there. Best story was when they were building it a guy next to it wanted to sell his property but the owners of the drive in would not buy it. To pursuade them to buy it he starting raising hogs on it. The smell was pretty bad at the drive in and they finally bought him out.