I just found out about this on a Theatre website. Honda is sponsoring a "contest" to award Digital Projectors to a number of drive-in across the country. Most folks don't know it, but Movie distributors are going 100% digital--no film releases anymore. The change from film projection to digital projection (and the ability to receive the digital recording)is very expensive: around $80,000 each. This is beyond the finances of many drive-in theaters, so they will fold. Here's the website:
http://projectdrivein.com
And if you drive your T to one, then this is on topic!!
Unfortunately, most drive ins can no longer afford the property taxes for the ground below them, let alone the cost of showing movies. Sad but true. I would love to go to a drive in movie and support the cause of continuing the culture but the younger generation just doesn't see the appeal.
Hmmmm....how many people can we cram in the trunk of a Runabout? LOL
The two I frequented through high school are long gone. One is a grocery store and the other part of a strip mall. My folks used to take us kids to the movies early so we could use the playground. The playgrounds were always right in front of the screen where no one would park anyway. I remember the price of admission being $1 a "car load". We took advantage of that.
There's a link you can download to your Google Earth that will show you the location of every operational drive-in the country. I have it on mine.
There was an old drive-in in St. Ann, MO. The land was sold to put in a mall, but instead of just bulldozing everything the developer saved the old sign and incorporated it into the mall architecture, preserving some of the character of the place.
In the "old Days" we used the Model A Town sedan for the drive in . It took a few tries to get it aligned correctly because the front window was small but the back set was like sitting on the couch in the living room.
The only move I remember seeing at the drive in is - It is a Mad Mad world!
Fred, what were you doing in the back seat when all the other movies were showing?
Just curious.
Allan from down under.
Wonder how many girls lost their virginity at a drive-in movie??????
I personally know of two Richard, but that's waaaaaay off topic :-)
The local Drive-In Theaters around here supplement their income by having a "Flea Market" every Saturday and Sunday. Sellers pay $8 to $10 per booth space and patrons pay $1 to get in. I've found Model T and Model A stuff at these markets. I think the owners are making more holding the flea market then they are showing movies. When we used to go to the drive in it was a $1 per car load but I see the ads for the drive in and they want $7-$9 per person.
It isn't just the drive ins that are having troubles. What about all the small town single screens or twins? I have a small single screen that was built in 1947 and am trying to figure out how I am going to be able to do the conversion.
Friday night was dollar night the only restriction was everyone had to be inside the car, my brother had a 49 Chevrolet coupe and he would take the back seat out and the most he ever crammed in was 17, after you were in people would go looking around for friends and then leave with them, i had a 31 model A Fordor so i had fun.
Rick
We used to stuff folks in the trunk & patio chairs too! That drive-in is long gone, although I don't believe anything has been built on the site (Mount Shasta Drive In) The screen was there for decades afterwards.
There used to be one in Epping NH on old route 101 just past New England Drag Way. It had been closed for a decade when someone spray painted on the marquee; "now playing, field mice"
We lost the last drive-in movie on Long Island decades ago and what a loss! Oh, the memories of warm summer nights and cuddling up with my sweetheart (who became my wife) and eating that awful, tinfoil-wrapped food at the concession stand and watching fireflies and being young!
We have one in my area I just got myself a sweety to take but she does not like going to any show not just drive ins.
I well remember going to the old Par-Troy drive in down on Route 46 in Parsippany, NJ. Our parents would make us wear our Pajamas there.
I can remember 4 drive-ins in my home town back in PA. They were:
Hilltop Drive-In
Skyway Drive-In
Pioneer Drive-In
Plainview Drive-In
One fellow owned 3 out of the 4 drive-ins plus he owned 2 out of the 4 movie theaters in town.
They were:
Butler Theater
Penn Theater
Bantam Theater
I can't remember the 4th one
If you ever eat a Tombstone pizza, they got their start by providing pizza's to the drive in theater's in Wisconsin.