Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community  

Go Back   Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community > Chatter > General Discussion


 
 
LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 05-05-2007, 07:50 PM   #1 (permalink)
Searching for the perfect brew!
 
Brewmaniac's Avatar
 
A Short History of the Drive-In Theatre....

I read this and thought it was interesting and decided I would share with all.

I know when I was in highschool we used to go all the time, we would drink beers and eat crappy drive food, or I'd take a date and never watched the movie.

Here's the history...


A young sales manager by the name of Richard Hollingshead who worked at his father's Auto Products Store, had an idea to invent something that combined his two interests: cars and movies.

Richard Hollingshead's vision was an open-air movie theater where moviegoers could watch from their own cars. He experimented in his own driveway at 212 Thomas Avenue, Camden, New Jersey. The inventor mounted a 1928 Kodak projector on the hood of his car, projected onto a screen he had nailed to trees in his backyard, and used a radio placed behind the screen for sound.

The inventor subjected his new drive-in to vigorous testing: for sound quality, for different weather conditions (Richard used a lawn sprinkler to imitate rain) and for figuring out how to park the patrons' cars. Richard tried lining up the cars in his driveway, which created a problem with line of sight if one car was directly parked behind another car. By spacing cars at various distances and placing blocks and ramps under the front wheels of cars that were further away from the screen, Richard Hollingshead created the perfect parking elevation for the drive-in movie theater experience.

The first patent for the Drive-In Theater (United States Patent# 1,909,537) was issued on May 16, 1933. With an investment of $30,000, Richard opened the first drive-in on Tuesday June 6, 1933 at a location on Crescent Boulevard, Camden, New Jersey. The price of admission was 25 cents for the car and 25 cents per person.

The design did not include the in-car speaker system we know today. The inventor contacted a company by the name of RCA Victor to provide the sound system, called "Directional Sound." Three main speakers were mounted next to the screen that provided sound. The sound quality was not good for cars in the rear of the theater or for the surrounding neighbors.

The largest drive-in theater in patron capacity was the All-Weather Drive-In of Copiague, New York. All-Weather had parking space for 2,500 cars, an indoor 1,200 seat viewing area, kid's playground, a full service restaurant and a shuttle train that took customers from their cars and around the 28-acre theater lot.

The two smallest drive-ins were the Harmony Drive-In of Harmony Pennsylvania and the Highway Drive-In of Bamberg, South Carolina. Both drive-ins could hold no more than 50 cars.

An interesting innovation was the combination drive-in and fly-in theater. On June 3, 1948, Edward Brown, Junior opened the first theater for cars and small planes. Ed Brown's Drive-In and Fly-In of Asbury Park, New Jersey had the capacity for 500 cars and 25 airplanes. An airfield was placed next to the drive-in and planes would taxi to the last row of the theater. When the movies were over, Brown provided a tow for the planes to be brought back to the airfield.


The craziest thing we did was one winter they had a beach movie marathon and if you wore a bathing suit you got in free, so my best friend, his sister and I wore them under our clothes. We went into the snack bar and we got something free, don't remember what it was, but I remember they took pictures and we froze our asses in the snow.
__________________
"That's a joke... I say, that's a joke, son"

Last edited by Brewmaniac; 05-05-2007 at 07:56 PM..
Brewmaniac is offline  
Old 05-05-2007, 07:57 PM   #2 (permalink)
still, wondering.
 
Ourcrazymodern?'s Avatar
 
Location: South Minneapolis, somewhere near the gorgeous gorge
Drive-ins were FUN.

Where did they go?
__________________
BE JUST AND FEAR NOT
Ourcrazymodern? is offline  
Old 05-06-2007, 04:28 AM   #3 (permalink)
through charlatans phone
 
paddyjoe's Avatar
 
Location: Northcoast
look around man, you'll still see a few....


great story, brew...
paddyjoe is offline  
Old 05-06-2007, 04:38 AM   #4 (permalink)
Mulletproof
 
Psycho Dad's Avatar
 
Location: Some nucking fut house.
When we were kids, coming home on the bus more than once we were treated to the sight of the gratuitous tits and ass on the big screen as the bus passed the drive in. Good times.

My buds and I went to a Cheech and Chong marathon at the drive in once. Still good times.

A few years ago we went with some friends who were also in the minivan stage of their lives and we pulled the rear seats out of our vans, sat in them and watched the show enjoyed some beer. More good times.

I miss the drive in.
__________________
Don't always trust the opinions of experts.
Psycho Dad is offline  
Old 05-06-2007, 07:25 AM   #5 (permalink)
peekaboo
 
ngdawg's Avatar
 
Location: on the back, bitch
Quote:
Originally Posted by paddyjoe
look around man, you'll still see a few....


great story, brew...
Not in NJ
We still sometimes will stand outside on a cool summer night and call it 'drive-in weather'. Sadly, we had to explain that to the kids.

__________________
Don't blame me. I didn't vote for either of'em.
ngdawg is offline  
Old 05-06-2007, 08:19 AM   #6 (permalink)
Searching for the perfect brew!
 
Brewmaniac's Avatar
 
ngdawg, your cartoon is funny and oh so true! I logged many back seat miles in my younger days!

I'm sorry I didn't post the link in my OP, I found this drive-in last night after taking my sleeping meds and I barely remember even posting this.

I just may go there this summer it's only about 45 minutes away from me.

http://www.triwaydrivein.com/index.html
__________________
"That's a joke... I say, that's a joke, son"

Last edited by Brewmaniac; 05-06-2007 at 08:31 AM..
Brewmaniac is offline  
Old 05-06-2007, 09:02 AM   #7 (permalink)
Poo-tee-weet?
 
JStrider's Avatar
 
Location: The Woodlands, TX
theres one here in lubbock texas

http://www.driveinusa.com/

always meant to go earlier.

GG and I just tried to go the other day and got there with 30 minutes to spare, and the line was so long we didnt get in in time. was a bummer.
__________________
-=JStrider=-

~Clatto Verata Nicto
JStrider is offline  
Old 05-06-2007, 10:31 AM   #8 (permalink)
through charlatans phone
 
paddyjoe's Avatar
 
Location: Northcoast
Quote:
Originally Posted by ngdawg
Not in NJ
Well damn, that a shame, dawg. Tell you what, this one's about 45 minutes from here:

http://www.charcoalcorral.com/

so c'mon up this july and i'll take you.........
paddyjoe is offline  
Old 05-06-2007, 10:54 AM   #9 (permalink)
Here
 
World's King's Avatar
 
Location: Denver City Denver
There's a hotel somewhere in Colorado where all the rooms have giant windows that face a drive in next door. Each room has a speaker and a volume control on the wall so you can listen in too.


I went there as a kid with my parents. No idea if it's still around.


EDIT: Found it...
__________________
heavy is the head that wears the crown

Last edited by World's King; 05-06-2007 at 10:59 AM..
World's King is offline  
Old 05-06-2007, 11:19 AM   #10 (permalink)
Mulletproof
 
Psycho Dad's Avatar
 
Location: Some nucking fut house.
Happy searching people.

http://www.driveintheater.com/drivlist.htm

I need to take my niece to a drive in this summer. According to the link above, there is one about a couple of hours away.

Edit: Make that an hour.
__________________
Don't always trust the opinions of experts.
Psycho Dad is offline  
Old 05-06-2007, 03:49 PM   #11 (permalink)
Upright
 
I would lov eit if there were a drive in near me. The theatres here suck!
rogerroger7 is offline  
Old 05-06-2007, 08:26 PM   #12 (permalink)
Life's short, gotta hurry...
 
Grancey's Avatar
 
Location: land of pit vipers
Excellent links. Thanks a bunch. Has anyone been to the Starlight Six in Atanta?
__________________
Quiet, mild-mannered souls might just turn out to be roaring lions of two-fisted cool.
Grancey is offline  
Old 05-06-2007, 08:49 PM   #13 (permalink)
... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.
 
Willravel's Avatar
 
Very cool story. Much appreciated!
Willravel is offline  
Old 05-06-2007, 09:02 PM   #14 (permalink)
Lennonite Priest
 
pan6467's Avatar
 
Location: Mansfield, Ohio USA
Very cool.

The family of a good friend of mine in high school owned Springmill and Sunset Drive Ins in Mansfield. I remember he used to say the only way his family could keep it open was to have the "weekend special features" but insurance costs and property taxes were high and being open only 3-4 months at most they had to fill the lot almost every night because they had to pay for the property even when not in use.

One thing they did was have flea markets there.
__________________
I just love people who use the excuse "I use/do this because I LOVE the feeling/joy/happiness it brings me" and expect you to be ok with that as you watch them destroy their life blindly following. My response is, "I like to put forks in an eletrical socket, just LOVE that feeling, can't ever get enough of it, so will you let me put this copper fork in that electric socket?"
pan6467 is offline  
Old 05-07-2007, 05:32 AM   #15 (permalink)
Riding the Ocean Spray
 
BadNick's Avatar
 
Location: S.E. PA in U Sofa
Thanks for the interesting info, Brew, and for sparking some flashbacks.

I remember stuffing a few guys in the trunk so we could get them in without paying, though we did get caught a couple times ...sometimes they had one price for a carload. Since I grew up in Philly right across the river from Camden NJ, and frequenting all the local active drive-in's back then, I did know that they started locally. Right about when we were late-teens the drive-ins started showing XXX movies so that gave us more incentive to go, just a bunch of guys and a couple cases of beer; I don't know anyone who took their girlfriend to the X rated drive-ins; first saw Deep Throat, Misty Beethoven, Fritz the Cat, and a couple other "classics" at the drive-in.
BadNick is offline  
Old 05-07-2007, 06:08 AM   #16 (permalink)
Junkie
 
Leto's Avatar
 
Location: The Danforth
I am constantly amazed at the innovations and inventions that Americans have come up with that we all take for granted. This is one of those.

Much of my highschool weekends were spent going to the Barrie Triple Drive-in (Ontario) with a 2-4 of brew in my buddy's Chevy van.

Even before that my parents would take the family and go to some of the 5 or so drive-ins that were in and around the Toronto area.

Childhood memories included playing on the swing sets waiting for dusk and the anticipation of the double bill movie (usually a lame Disney flick - I seem to recall such as That Darned Cat, or Bedknobs & Broomsticks) and the cheap food (fries and pop).

I did take my girlfriend to see some when I was older - Heavy Metal, the 4 movie Horror-Rama (Boogens!, Prom Night, Terror Train...and I think we were steaming windows most of the time). And yes, we could fit 3 people in the trunk of an Olds Delta 88 (1979 model).

Little known fact: until the 1960's there were no drive-in theatres in Quebec. It wasn't until the Quiet Revolution, that the religious control of society gave way to secularization and these types of theatres became acceptable. (this is from my Gr 10 History).

At present there is a new Drive-in theatre (double screen) that just opened in Toronto, at the Docks, right downtown by the harbour:

http://www.toronto.com/movies/listing/100067
Leto is offline  
Old 05-07-2007, 08:31 AM   #17 (permalink)
Searching for the perfect brew!
 
Brewmaniac's Avatar
 
I found this in Psycho Dad's post offering a search for Drive-ins. I had never heard of Project Silver Screen,
This project was started in 1948, when a connection was made between debris from the 1947 Roswell Crash and Drive-In Theaters.

I guess I'm not up on conspiracy theories and this is the first I read connecting drive-In's to UFO'S.

Is this common knowledge or is this someone having fun with the whole thing? Not that I believe in little green men or anything. Do we have any UFO experts here?
The rest of story is here:

http://www.driveintheater.com/security3.htm
__________________
"That's a joke... I say, that's a joke, son"

Last edited by Brewmaniac; 05-07-2007 at 12:25 PM..
Brewmaniac is offline  
Old 05-08-2007, 06:17 AM   #18 (permalink)
Let's put a smile on that face
 
blahblah454's Avatar
 
Location: On the road...
Please tell me you read that link Brewmaniac!! That was hilarious!

And there is a drive in theater right across the street from my house, no more than a 2 minute walk. Too bad it never comes on anymore
blahblah454 is offline  
Old 05-08-2007, 09:28 AM   #19 (permalink)
Tilted Cat Head
 
Cynthetiq's Avatar
 
Administrator
Location: Manhattan, NY
aaaah good times as a kid.. good times as an adult.....

last time I went it was Skogafoss' first time, we saw Signs. Ahh good times, the very next day, quardo2000's dad tried to kill me....oh the joy, oh the fun in Glen Falls, NY.
__________________
I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.
Cynthetiq is offline  
Old 05-08-2007, 10:16 AM   #20 (permalink)
All Possibility, Made Of Custard
 
quadro2000's Avatar
 
Location: New York, NY
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cynthetiq
aaaah good times as a kid.. good times as an adult.....

last time I went it was Skogafoss' first time, we saw Signs. Ahh good times, the very next day, quardo2000's dad tried to kill me....oh the joy, oh the fun in Glen Falls, NY.
Hey, he only tried to kill you because I told him you wouldn't shut up during the movie!

That drive-in is still there, and still with reasonable prices. I haven't been back, though. If I went back, I'd want to go back in a truck or something where I could back in and sprawl out in the back. Watching a movie with a wheel between your legs is annoying!

Great article.
__________________
You have to laugh at yourself...because you'd cry your eyes out if you didn't. - Emily Saliers
quadro2000 is offline  
Old 05-08-2007, 04:10 PM   #21 (permalink)
...is a comical chap
 
Grasshopper Green's Avatar
 
Location: Where morons reign supreme
One of my favorite memories of childhood is my parents waking me up one night, getting into the car in my nightgown, and going to to drive in to watch Superman 2. Ironically, the last movie I saw at a drive in was Superman 5 (the last one Reeves did, the horrible one). There is actually one here in Salt Lake, and every summer my husband and I decide that we'll go there; perhaps this will be the summer that we actually do.
__________________
"They say that patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings; steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you king"

Formerly Medusa
Grasshopper Green is offline  
Old 05-08-2007, 04:25 PM   #22 (permalink)
Baffled
 
alicat's Avatar
 
Location: West Michigan
Leto: Was that a 2-4 of Elsinore? Sorry, couldn't resist, hubbies favorite movie.

Here in our area of West Michigan there's only one drive-in and every year it seems like it's dying the same death that most others have.

My family didn't have much money when I was a kid, so going to the drive-in was a treat. I remember that my Dad would pop and butter enough popcorn to half fill a brown paper bag for us to eat that we'd "smuggle" in. He'd also fill a cooler with our Diet Pepsi's and buy a big box of Jujube's to take.

I was always jealous and salivating at the smell of all the fried and fast food smells in the "intermission" stand when I went to use the bathroom.

The last movie I remember seeing part of as a kid was the re-make of "The Thing" with Kurt Russell. Glad I was 11 and fell asleep. It was the second movie of a double feature or I might still be traumatized. Funny how cheesy it's seems now in retrospect.

Ali
__________________
'Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun, The frumious Bandersnatch!'--Jabberwocky, Lewis Carroll

"You cannot do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late."--Ralph Waldo Emerson
alicat is offline  
Old 05-10-2007, 10:51 AM   #23 (permalink)
Transfer Agent
 
troit's Avatar
 
Location: NYC
They still have one in operation in the small town I grew up in.

http://www.westromedrivein.com/

I will have to make a point to check out a movie this summer.
__________________
I've yet to dephile myself...
troit is offline  
Old 05-20-2007, 12:26 AM   #24 (permalink)
bad craziness
 
m0rpheus's Avatar
 
Location: Guelph, Ontario
There's one about a 20 minute drive from my place.

http://www.mustangdriveinguelph.ca/
__________________
"it never got weird enough for me." - Hunter S. Thompson
m0rpheus is offline  
Old 05-23-2007, 12:12 PM   #25 (permalink)
Upright
 
I miss drive-ins. There used to be one near me to show Rocky Horror Saturdays, but alas, no more.
darquegk is offline  
Old 05-23-2007, 12:29 PM   #26 (permalink)
Junkie
 
Leto's Avatar
 
Location: The Danforth
Quote:
Originally Posted by alicat
Leto: Was that a 2-4 of Elsinore? Sorry, couldn't resist, hubbies favorite movie. Ali
ya eh?





http://www.losergeek.org/~niklas/bob.../bdsounds.html

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/walkoffame/strangebrew.html
Leto is offline  
Old 05-23-2007, 08:36 PM   #27 (permalink)
Insane
 
tenniels's Avatar
 
Location: Oh Canada!!
I'm kinda bummed because I've never gotten to experience a drive-in theatre
__________________
I like things. And stuff. But I prefer to have things over stuff.
tenniels is offline  
 

Tags
drivein, history, short, theatre


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



All times are GMT -8. The time now is 06:18 AM.

Tilted Forum Project

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2
© 2002-2012 Tilted Forum Project

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54