What Happened To Drive -in Theatres????

I think there is a multi screen drive in still in our area, Kent. It's south of Seattle and I haven't made it down there in decades, but I thought it was still around.
I live in Seattle and in the freaky Fremont district they used to show 50s-60s classic movies on the wall of a building and you bring your own lawn chair. They take over a parking lot. One of the better know media transvestites used to host the event and it was always entertaining. My wife and I saw Viva Las Vegas when we were dating a few years back.
In Shelton, WA, the drive in there was struggling to make ends meet in the 80's and so they started showing pornos instead! But after a few years the neigbors got upset I guess and it's probably a strip (pun intended!) mall today.

 

I saw Star Wars at the Drive-In. Jaws too plus a shit-ton of other movies. Great, cheap entertainment for a family of 5. I never saw a movie in an indoor theatre until 1979 (The Jerk).

There's a Drive-In here in Atlanta. Its owned by the granddaughter of the guy who opened it. Our yearly carshow is held there:

http://www.starlightdrivein.com/

 

There was a good ducumentary made about drive-ins, here is the website.

http://www.americandrivein.com/

 

There's a drive-in called the KENO just south of me in Kenosha, WI. Still open every summer, from Memorial day to Labor day. It's cheap as hell and fun to take the kids. Just don't forget the OFF! Damn mosquitos will carry you away...

 

Pirates and Cars are showing at the one on the south side of town right now. Not sure what the one on the north side of town is showing. When I went to see Cars the place was totally packed. As it's now on the FM instead of the old window speakers they even stuffed cars along the edges and between rows. You still have the jerks that wanna park their Hi-Rise extended cab 4 wheel drive pickups down in front and want to sit on top of the camper to block vision even more, but they move back when they realize they're outnumbered and nobody is impressed by their wanna-be a fruitliner pickup.

Usually have to flatten a few lawn chairs put out by dweebs "Saving spots" for their friends, but other than that, drive-ins are as fun as they've ever been. You can smoke, eat and drink whatever you bring, get comfortable and talk without bugging everybody else.

 

I was lucky there is was really no jail time or fines for trying to sneak into the drive-in. I think I got caught so often that they finally gave up and just hired me to work there. Temple, Texas had the Tem-Bel, where I worked, and Sunset drive-ins theatres when I was a kid.

Ever see some girl get their foot caught in a door handle and have it open up while the guy had his pants down? When the interior light goes off and the guy is trying to stand up with his pants half way down and close the door as quick as he can, it is funny as shit. Also, the line to the rubber machine was always pretty lengthy. Wonder how anyone saw the movie with the windows all fogged up? Ahhhhhh, all the memories. Even if nothing else worked on a car, the horns always seem to be able to work when the reels were changed.

The pics show a drive-in during the 20-30's. Well, sort of a drive-in, anyway. And how the kids used to pack the rod for that cheaper by the carload night.
Huey

 

I can tell you that most drive ins have been dissappearing down under as well, but still one or two left. What I did back in the 80's when many were closing was to get in before the dozers and liberate as many speakers as I could, coz it was obvious these 50's icons were on the way out, sniff. Modern drive ins use your radio - sound is better I guess and easier on window glass! These old speakers are pretty cool lookiing with lighning bolts on em and such.

What do I do with them? Well apart from a sound system in the garage, hook a speaker jack connection into your cars sound system. Next time you are at a run/bbq and want to hear your music, plug them in to your sound system and clip them on the car facing out. Beats punishing your speakers and sounds great. Hell, might even look good on a rat rod as the sound system.

 

You know Joe thats what i miss the most.Sittin around with friends drinking and watching a movie.

 

We still have one in Tulsa. Its a twin screen,been around since the 50s.
Saw my first movie there about 58.

 

try this....http://www.driveintheater.com/index.html

 

There's still one in Riverside, the Van Buren Drive-In. They do swap meets on sundays. I remember when they showed porn at the drive-ins too. The Mt Vernon drive in in San Bernardino used to play triple features of it. I saw "Robin Hood", Alice in Wonderland" and "Flesh Gordon" there. Damn that was a long time ago!!!

 

Here's a few pics of The Sundown Drive-In Theatre, torn down in 1999.

 

Open Drive-ins in Cali that I know of are...
One in National City (near San Diego)
One in Imperial Valley (near El Centro)
Im not sure if they still show movies at the Santa Fe Springs Swapmeet, but they still have the screens up so Im pretty sure it wouldnt be too hard to start.
I know there is one more that I cant remember where it's located.

 

There's one still operating here in Ocala, Fl. They show current releases. I haven't been there in years. Maybe it's time to go.

 

I attended an ol car night at the Galaxie drive in outside of Dallas for the first time in years. They pack em in 7 nights a week and 365 days a year. Not only that but you got to watch 2 for the price of one and the food was very reasonable. I plan to support them as much as i can.

 

We're lucky enough to have 3 in and around Melbourne, here in Oz:

The Lunar (with 3 screens)



The Coburg Driv-In....my local! (with 3 screens).



And the Dromana Triple....also with 3 screens!



Pretty much each of them has screens salvalged from other Drive-Ins that have closed around the State.

 

Does the Azusa (Sp?) in Azusa CA.still exist?
I forgot to mention, at our Drive-in, we get into most movies for 4 bucks a pop for mom and dad, kids 12 and under are free, just like the old days. 12 bills for 6 people's not a bad deal. Of course, Disney movies are another story; $6 for adults, $4 for kids. DAMN THAT RAT!

 

i had 3 of them witin 40 miles of my house when i lived in pennsylvania. one had 3 or 4 screens, it was an awesome place! now that i'm in california there is one within walking distance of my house......kinda defeats the whole drive-in aspect though huh....?!

 

LOL...the Piqua 36, unfortunately, isn't one of the ones I'm talking about, it went out of business years ago. But boy do I miss that place. Never paid to get in until Nancy and I had the boys and started taking them. Didn't have the nerve to stuff 2 young boy in the trunk, and I think they would have known something was up if we let the boys drive in and Nancy and I got in the trunk..

 

I heard they are making a comb back in Texas... don't know the specifics but heard serveral have sprang up.....


can any texans here comment?

with all the gay euro car honda kids that need places to hang out on friday nights, I have tried to get my Uncle and cousin to invest and build one where i live, they have not been convinced by me yet, but i know it would be packed. i count 100 cars just at one lot near a stake and shake, and I think they would mostly attend a drive in theatre where they'd not be bothered by police as much.

 

Mnnesota has at least 2. One in Woodbury and one in Cottagegrove. I remember the good times as well, short couch in back of the pick-up pulled in backwards. The best way to watch a movie. Oyeah, and beer.

Junkyard

 

I worked at the Boulevard Drive In for 25 years till I moved out of the area in 84. I also help build the new screen when they went to the wide screen. The marquee is still there, not sure about the screen. There were about 6 in a 20 mile radius of Allentown Pa. in the 50s.

 

it's great to be in colorado, we have around 10! most are in far off small towns too. one i recently visited for the first time in in monte vista colorado, called the movie manor...it's a motel with windows that overlook the drive in screens with sound piped into the rooms! you can stay there, and drive around if you want to watch from your car instead of the room, get all likkered up and drive 100 yards back to your room

 

found this link. i know we might be beating this subject to death, but i love this stuff! drive in theaters, drive in restaurants.....tha age of the automobile, not rice burners with coffee can exhaust. these kids know what a "3 on the tree" really means?? enough of my rant, heres the damn link. it has alot of info, and is pretty cool. check it out! -josh
http://www.driveinmovie.com/CA.htm

 

There used to be 5 in a 25 mile radius from me, 2 are still in operation, and 1 is gone. I remember going to watch American Graffiti at one in a chopped 30 coupe that dad had then, it was even yellow.

 

We have a couple left. Two I went to when I was a kid are now grocery stores and long forgotten.

 

Thier around...I just found one in Calvert City, KY, just outside of Paducah, KY that even has a little old hotrod musume next door...and I'v e heard from several reliable sourses that they have the best Cheeseburgers on the palnet...I may go this Sunday..

I used to live in Tucson, AZ and there was a 5 or 6 screen there but it was not very safe to go to...too many gangs and that kinda bullshit...I had a friend who lived next door we would sit on his balconey and drink beer and tune his stereo in and watch for free..that was great..

 

Yo, Rob. If you look to the north (face the ocean, then turn right) you'll see some mountains. Believe it or not, there's MORE California on the other side!

Here in Visalia we've got a 2 screener that shows first run double features for 5 bucks a head. Place is busy every night it's not raining.

I predict the one in Vegas will nover close, because there will always be some high roller who wants to re-capure his youth by doing a hooker in the back seat at the drive-in... Gotta keep em happy.

 

There is an old drive-in lot about 2 miles from my house. They still have 2 screens set up, but the gravel lot is all turned to high grass now. I've lived here for about 6 years now, and in all this time, I only saw a construction company come in and tear up the ground and make it level again. That was 3 years ago, and the grass is just as high as it used to be... I wonder what it would take to get something like that back up and running again.
The last time I went to a drive-in, we just had to tune into an AM station to get the movie audio through our car speakers ... that shouldn't be too hard to pull off. And being that this is Bangor/Bumfuk Maine, property values aren't really an issue. I'm SURE people would be into that scene again... I wonder...

 

SMALL town in Northern Arkansas is been actively ran since the 50's. 4 bucks a head to get in. Saw the pirates movie last weekend..