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Missing The Drive-In

While sitting on the sofa with my family, watching a movie, I happened to look outside and noticed the gentle breeze rustling the leaves on the trees. I was thinking, how nice it would be if I could sit outside and watch the movie there, where I could enjoy the fresh air blowing across the landscape. That got me thinking about drive-in movie theaters. Later after the movie was over I reminisced with my Mom, Dad and Sister about the times we used to have as a child at the drive-in. 

Mom would fry up some chicken, make some potato salad or boil a pot of hotdogs and get some of those pic-nic potato sticks or a big bag of chips and a pitcher of cool-aid or tea and we (mom, dad, sister, two brothers and myself), would pile into the car and head out to the drive-in just before dark. We were lucky, there was one not far from our home, making it was a short drive to get there. 

We would arrive, about an hour or so before the movie was to start and all four of us kids would jump out and race to the playground. For a long time, the playground was the best part for me. I was too young to enjoy the movies, they didn’t hold my attention for long and I would fall asleep before they were barely started, something I’m sure my parents were thankful for at the time. Sometimes, my parents would have my older sister stay with me and my brothers in the playground even after the movie started, so we could wear ourselves out playing on the swings, junglegym and slides. Like I said, I didn’t mind much, I could see the big screen and hear the speaker boxes well enough that I didn’t miss the important things, like cartoons, when they played, then I could get back to playing some more.  

Most times, there were neighborhood friends at the movies that we could play with and sometimes, my sister would meet up with some of her girlfriends or a boy from school. Over the years I got to where I knew every inch of that old drive-in, there was a poured concrete wall surrounding the concession area, this was where all the “older” kids would sit with their friends, girlfriends or boyfriends and people would bring lawn chairs and set them up in a row in front of the wall.  Occasionally, even parents or adults would sit there, much to the dismay of the teenagers wanting to feel like they were there alone.   As I got older, sometimes my parents would let me sit on the wall with my girlfriends or even a boy if they knew him and could see me from where they were parked. They were a little overly protective but later in life I learned to appreciate that.

The concession stand, now that was another highlight to going to the drive-in movies as a child. If my mom didn’t bring candy with her, she would allow each of us kids to select one item from the concession stand. I usually got an ice cream bar but sometimes I got popcorn or a chocolate bar instead. If I got popcorn I would usually take it back to the car and share it with my parents. Most of my memories about the drive-in were good memories but there were those odd and even sad events that would fortunately, only happen once in a while… someone would get in a fight (boys over a girl usually), or the occasional fender bender getting out of the exit, accidents happened, even back in those days when people were much more courteous than they are now days. 

I was saddened when the drive-in closed. I remember I was in high school and was driving past when I saw a huge sign stretched across the marquee that said, the property had sold and the last showing was going to be in a couple weeks. By this time there were inside movie theaters, four and six screens in one location. A few months later, my childhood entertainment source was demolished. It felt like an old friend had died, like a part of my childhood was put to rest, and I mourned for it. These indoor multiplex theaters may have been the wave of the future but for me they still did not hold the charm and promise of excitement that my beloved drive-in did. 

I mentioned to my sister that it was a shame that drive-ins were a thing of the past. She said, California still had drive-in movies so, I did a search to find out just how many there are still active. According to Wikipedia there are still 47 US states, 8 in Canada and 1 in India that have active drive-in theaters, there is even information regarding an inflatable 100 ft movie screen that is used in the center of Brussels, Belgium, the following link will help you find them; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_drive-in_theaters.

To me, this says that the mystery, romance and excitement of the drive-in theater has not been lost or forgotten by everyone. I even found one a couple hour drive from me in a small Texas town called Shiner, that actually shows first run movies, so it looks like I’m heading to the movies. Keep an American tradition alive and visit a drive-in movie theater near you.

Deb Dobs