Death Of The Drive-In

Trish

What ever happened to the joy of drive-ins? Granted the picture quality sucks but that's half the fun... Cool weather, beer on ice, cigars, wacky tobaccy or whatever your vice is.. We have 1 left still operating so I try to get there once a year but one by one my group is dwindling for packed theaters with big screens and coughing neighbors... tisk, tisk.

CharlieHeis

Ours closed a couple years ago. They needed to update to digital audio equipment and projector, which would have cost a ton, so they decided to close up instead. Sounds like it was neccesary to be able to get any new movies, but that may have just been an excuse to quit putting money into a business that was only operational during summer months. 

Amos_Umwhat

Sad to see them go.  The times are different now. 
When I was in high school you couldn't wait to be able to drive.   These days kids say "Yeah, but if I can drive I might have to do stuff, like going to the store and driving my little sister places.   That would suck. "

And,  why leave the house when today the parents don't do anything to you for smoking weed and getting laid in your bedroom?

It's a different world. 

jlmarta

And the drive-ins were a h3lluva lot better than today’s movie houses where your feet stick to the floor from spilled soft drinks and the whole place smells like the local dump. My child bride and I gave up on movies years ago......  

ForMud

As a kid ( Early 70s ) we would go to the one in town at least once or twice a month. It was always packed. I can remember the smell of the hot dogs but not a single movie I saw...Having to much fun I guess.
After we moved up here, probably went a dozen times it that. They're all new car lots or shopping centers now....Even the porn one closed down years ago. 

deadman

We still have one in the area. They actually expanded a few years back and put in a second screen 

Yakster

I'm really lucky, the local Drive In near me has six screens and hosts a flea market to boot.  Surprisingly, they tore down the companion indoor movie theater on the same property and never replaced it, just the Drive In remains.  I have many fond memories of bringing the kids in their PJs, a boom box, and food to the drive-ins.  You'd pay for one movie and get to see two, and if you moved from one screen to another for the second showing of the first movie you could catch three movies.  

The train that runs behind the theater parking lot and the airplanes on the flight path didn't help with the enjoyment, but I still have fond memories.

peter4jc

My older brother is named Van, named after where he was conceived.  They wanted to call me Drive In, but that didn't have a good ring to it.

webmost

Trish said:

What ever happened to the joy of drive-ins? 

Cars lost their bench seats. That's what happened. The hell's the good of a drive-in if your girl is way the other side of a console?

Yakster

Put the kids in front so you can keep an eye on them while you and the missus play in the back seat.  We used to back in and lift the tailgate of the SUV and have the kids in sleeping bags.

Anyone smoke cigars at the drive in?

Trish

@webmost There's plenty of autos with bench seats & cargo with hatch doors 😉

@Yakster sure do,  that's why it's nice to go. You drink/ smoke what you want and don't share the arm rest with a stranger.

Trish

I love these stories,  luckily we still have the 9 screen theater here. I'm thinking that will be added to my list this weekend,  I'll take the Blu man and he'll keep the crazies away.  LOL.

NorCalR1

I live about two miles from the same drive in @yakster is talking about and still try to go at least 2 times a year. I have many early child hood memories of my family Aunts, Uncles, and cousins etc all meeting up together to watch a movies ( and the adults put down some serious booze). 

Yakster

Went to see a Scooby-Doo movie there, folks dressed up and someone had their own Mystery Machine Van and crew in outfits.  It was a hoot.

GaryThompson

@yakster @NorCalR1 , I remember going to that same Drive-In and daytime Flea market, many many times with the family.  Either of you been there long enough or old enough to remember the other Drive-In (El Rancho) that was at Alma and Almaden? 

Yakster

That's before I moved up to NorCal, but my Wife would remember it and Frontier Drive In which was over near the Hayes Mansion where Frontier Village used to be.

NorCalR1

@GaryThompson I remember that one as well as the one that was off 17 near Camden ( do not recall the name of that one). 41 years in this town I have seen it change from orchards to concrete jungle and tech Capitol. 

GaryThompson

@NorCalR1  @Yakster

Ahhhh...cruising down memory lane. Chris, I had forgotten about Frontier Village but I remember it now, South down Monterrey Hgwy @ Branham, Been there too! I used to have some of the fruit shaped plastic drink cups from there. David, that was the "Winchester" out near 17  if I remember correctly.. Wow, starting to feel the aches n pains from the mileage on these bones just reading this stuff, LOL.

Sleddog46

When I grew up in the 60s and 70s there were 3 drive ins within 15 minutes from my house. I remember climbing in the trunk of a friends car so we would get in for free. And of course the Submarine races and Skeet hunts. LOL. Does anyone remember?

0patience

Our drive in used to charge by the car.
We used to load up my pick up with people in the bed, had a bench seat in the back and my buddy could fit about 9 people in his Belvedere battleship.
We'd load up a cooler, snack and blankets.
Most times, they were those wool military blankets. Hated those things.

But the drive in was a weekend schedule for us. We didn't care what movie was playing. We even went to Attack of the Killer Tomatoes at the drive in.

It was a sad day when the drive in closed for the last time.

YankeeMan

Now that I am two years older than dirt, every one says I'm in my golden years.  Golden years my butt!  17, 18 and 19 in the drive in, they were the golden years!

CharlieHeis

Sleddog46 said:

When I grew up in the 60s and 70s there were 3 drive ins within 15 minutes from my house. I remember climbing in the trunk of a friends car so we would get in for free. And of course the Submarine races and Skeet hunts. LOL. Does anyone remember?

I forgot about hiding in the trunk. A couple times we told people they could get in free if they hid in the trunk. It happened to be $x carload night so I didn't matter. Everyone around us just laughed when we let them out of the trunk. 

Trish

Ours nickles and dimes you... "you pay by the person and movie" Cracks me up when I see people go out and repay. There's 9 screens, once I'm in too bad suckers..lol