The drive in theater although not extinct, is far from it's heyday.  As a kid growing up in the 70's I was fortunate enough to be able to say I got to go to the "outdoor theater".  It would only be a couple of times each summer, if my folks had a few extra dollars, they'd make an evening of it with us kids, first to the A&W Drive In for a late supper then about 9:30 head to the drive in and get a good spot to watch usually a cowboy double feature.  The folks would always have us kids hide underneath a big blanket in the back seat as we were going through admissions.  I don't know what the admission price was back then for an eight year old, but the deal was if we were quiet we'd get a pop and popcorn later on.  To us that was a great deal so we were as quiet as we could be as Dad was paying for him and mom to get into the movie.  It always seemed like it was always a Clint Eastwood movie back then.

But it was a great time for us kids, waiting for the movie to start, all those crazy cartoon commercials, dancing hotdogs and popcorn boxes, then the countdown, the movie will start in 15 minutes, please visit our concession stand while you wait.  There was this crazy thing you could burn that would kill the mosquitos as surely having the window cracked to let that speaker in always caused the car to fill with those bloodsucking critters.  Of course we never got one, we would just have to suffer.  Then finally the movie would start and during the movie you'd have the interuption every now and then on the speaker of the concession stand announcing a number that their order was ready.

The thing is for as much anticipation there was getting to the drive in theater and watching a film, being in the lot watching all the previews and such, I never did see a movie to conclusion as by 10:30, 11 o'clock it was way past my regular bedtime and I'd be sound asleep.

By the time I was a teenager and appreciate the drive in theater, the one that was nearest us closed in the late 70's.  Somebody opened another about an hours drive from where I lived in the mid 80's but was only opened for four or five seasons before that too more or less closed only operating on a part time basis having like dusk to dawn parties one or two times a summer. 

Anyway kind of curious as to other peoples memories of the drive in theater.  As that eight year old kid I always got a kick watching the big kids, the teenagers hanging out in the drive in before the movie started and at that time that they were the coolest people around, the guys wearing their letterman jackets when it was bit on the cool side and the girls always seemed to be so pretty.  If there is anything I missed out as a teenager it would have been hanging out in the drive in theater parking lot wearing my letterman's jacket and talking to all the pretty girls.  ;D

Oh well.

  Wasn't part of the drive-in "scene", was only in grade school.  Our trip to the drive-in was just to watch the movie, period.  Pretty boring...

  You mentioned Clint Eastwood and I do remember watching Every Which Way But Loose at the drive-in with my cousins.  Also I remember hiding on the floor board in the backseat.  I probably need to be older to have a true appreciation for drive-in movies because, I tell ya, I'll take a walk-in cinema over a drive-in every day and twice...

 

In the 70's, I knew about drive-in theaters but rarely had an opportunity to go.

On the other hand, I recall making a few visits to drive-ins during the early/mid 80's as a twenty-something.  Regarding details, I'll just take the fifth.  ::)  ;D

As American Girl mentions, I remember being smuggled in under the blanket.  I was the littlest, so I was the easiest to conceal.  I always figured the kid at the booth knew darn well I was under there, but they didn't pay him enough to be a cop!
;D

Nowadays, if you go to a drive-in, you tune-in via the car radio.  I'm old enough to remember the horrible little speakers you had to wedge into the car window.  They had that orange juice can on a string level of sound quality! 

The problem drive-ins have up in the Northeast is they can only operate from May through September, otherwise its too cold or snowy.  They're also subject to interruption due to inclement whether in the summer months.  California was probably the optimal place for drive-ins.  And yet, you can still find them in New England.  There's something people just love about them.

The one we used to go to had a playground and an arcade.  That way, if you were at an adult movie (uh, not an "adult" movie, but a non-kid oriented movie) and you got bored, you could go play on the swings or shoot pinball, so that was an advantage for parents.  Of course, we were warned to stay away from other people's cars!  They didn't say why, they just said!  Then I figured out why after I heard that famous Cheech & Chong sketch!
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/07/naughty.gif

Have alot of great memories of drive-ins, first as a kid with mom and dad and the siblings, then as a young adult in the 70s. We had two drive-ins in my town and on a summer night they were the coolest place to be. The movies were usually pretty bad...The Pom Pom Girls, Dirty Mary and Crazy Larry, Big Bad Mama, The Student Nurses...but it didn't matter cause you weren't there for the movies. If you were lucky enough to have a date, let's see, two 18 year olds, dark car, couple of hours to kill, if you actually watched the movie something had gone badly wrong. If you were out there with your buddies you'd grab a beer from the back seat and head out to see who else was there. It was a great way to spend a hot summer night.
    Both are gone now. Real estate got too expensive to justify a big swath of land that could only operate 4 months out of the year. One is now a Shopko, the other is a trailer park. Time moves on.

The first movie I recall seeing at the drive-in was Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs. We had a station wagon and being the youngest in my family, my "spot" was in the "wayback." I remember being afraid of the witch and hiding behind the back seat when she was on the screen.

The last movie I recall seeing at the drive-in was Grease and American Hot Wax. I was on a date with my sister as a chaperon in the back seat. I said to her that I would promise not to sing if she did. Just to annoy me, during "Hopelessly Devoted To You," she burst out singing on the top of her lungs-embarrassing the s**t out of me (what are sisters for anyway?  :D ;D ;D ) I really don't know if the people in the next car heard her or not. During intermission, she went to snack bar and my date kissed me for the first time-I mean, that was my very first kiss-EVER!



Cat

The first movie I recall seeing at the drive-in was Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs. We had a station wagon and being the youngest in my family, my "spot" was in the "wayback." I remember being afraid of the witch and hiding behind the back seat when she was on the screen.

The last movie I recall seeing at the drive-in was Grease and American Hot Wax. I was on a date with my sister as a chaperon in the back seat. I said to her that I would promise not to sing if she did. Just to annoy me, during "Hopelessly Devoted To You," she burst out singing on the top of her lungs-embarrassing the s**t out of me (what are sisters for anyway?  :D ;D ;D ) I really don't know if the people in the next car heard her or not. During intermission, she went to snack bar and my date kissed me for the first time-I mean, that was my very first kiss-EVER!



Cat


Now there's the penultimate 1970s drive-in movie experience!
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/13/icon_thumright.gif

(It's not just a Meat Loaf record after all!)

I remember watching "The Exorcist" at the drive in when I was a teenager and the scene where Regan's upper torso starts flipping up and down while she's lying on the bed caused me to laugh hysterically.  It was like she was doing power situps or something.  During my gales of laughter I hear this voice say "Stop laughing, it's not funny....it's creepy".

My friends and I look over at the car on our left and there's a boy probably our age, in the car with his mom, looking at us like we had lost our minds.  That made us laugh even harder.  I still get a chuckle out of it.

There is one remaining drive in about 5 miles from me.  It's still a pretty popular place on weekends.  Maybe because they show first run movies and not so much dreck.

I now they just recently opened for the season, I'll have to think about going when it gets a little warmer out.

There are two in the Phoenix area.  I haven't been since...I think 1980 (Superman II?).  Mrs. Midas & I have talked about going to the one in Scottsdale.  It's right under a flight path to Sky Harbor :P

Have alot of great memories of drive-ins, first as a kid with mom and dad and the siblings, then as a young adult in the 70s. We had two drive-ins in my town and on a summer night they were the coolest place to be. The movies were usually pretty bad...The Pom Pom Girls, Dirty Mary and Crazy Larry, Big Bad Mama, The Student Nurses...but it didn't matter cause you weren't there for the movies. If you were lucky enough to have a date, let's see, two 18 year olds, dark car, couple of hours to kill, if you actually watched the movie something had gone badly wrong. If you were out there with your buddies you'd grab a beer from the back seat and head out to see who else was there. It was a great way to spend a hot summer night.
   Both are gone now. Real estate got too expensive to justify a big swath of land that could only operate 4 months out of the year. One is now a Shopko, the other is a trailer park. Time moves on.


Do you remember the Cheech & Chong drive-in sketch where they lock some guys in the trunk?

Muffled sounds from rear of car.
Cheech: What's that?
Chong: Must be those guys in the trunk!
Cheech: Oh sh*t, we forgot about those dudes!  Better go get 'em out!
Chong: Oh wow man!
Cheech: What happened -- The key get broke off in the lock!
Chong: How did you guess!
Cheech: Ask those guys in the next car if they got like a crow bar or something!
Muffled sounds from rear of car.

Chong: Excuse me....
Intimate utterances from nearby car.
Oh wow man...Sorry...Whoa...I didn't think they could be that big!
Cheech:  Did you get something?
Chong: Yeah, but I don't think we can open the trunk with it.
Cheech: Jeez, maybe ask the snack bar, maybe they got something like a pair of pliers.

Loudspeaker: muffle muffle The snackbar closes in 15 minutes

Cinematic sketch: Howl of a Dog Films presents "Buggary on the High Seas" (etc.)!

Cheech (urinating on trunk): Ooooh.  It started to rain.  Must be a cloudburst!
Muffled sounds from the trunk

Cheech: Did you get a crowbar?
Chong: No, I got some popcorn, some 7-UP, and a Mocha Delight...
Cheech: Nooooo, I didn't mean like a candy bar, I meant like a crowbar, something we could get those dudes out of trunk with!
Muffled sounds from the rear of the car.

Loudspeaker: blah blah Thank you for attending blah blah blah, the cinema is now closed blah blah blah....

Cheech: Hey, you wanna go down to the Burger Queen?  
Chong: Yeah, I think Yancy's working tonight.
Cheech:  Maybe he's got something we can open the trunk with!
Engine revving.  Muffled sounds from rear of the car.

(That's an approximation from memory!)
8)

I never went to one when I was a kid but I have been to the drive-in a few times over the last few years. 

This is the Moonlite...

http://www.virginia.org/uploaded_images/48213.jpg

The Moonlite Drive-in opened in 1948 and is the oldest continuously-open drive-in in the state of Virginia. It is a classic with wonderful neon signs and speaker poles (no car radio option). This drive-in has room for 450 cars.

Do you remember the Cheech & Chong drive-in sketch where they lock some guys in the trunk?

Muffled sounds from rear of car.
Cheech: What's that?
Chong: Must be those guys in the trunk!
Cheech: Oh sh*t, we forgot about those dudes!  Better go get 'em out!
Chong: Oh wow man!
Cheech: What happened -- The key get broke off in the lock!
Chong: How did you guess!
Cheech: Ask those guys in the next car if they got like a crow bar or something!
Muffled sounds from rear of car.

Chong: Excuse me....
Intimate utterances from nearby car.
Oh wow man...Sorry...Whoa...I didn't think they could be that big!
Cheech:  Did you get something?
Chong: Yeah, but I don't think we can open the trunk with it.
Cheech: Jeez, maybe ask the snack bar, maybe they got something like a pair of pliers.

Loudspeaker: muffle muffle The snackbar closes in 15 minutes

Cinematic sketch: Howl of a Dog Films presents "Buggary on the High Seas" (etc.)!

Cheech (urinating on trunk): Ooooh.  It started to rain.  Must be a cloudburst!
Muffled sounds from the trunk

Cheech: Did you get a crowbar?
Chong: No, I got some popcorn, some 7-UP, and a Mocha Delight...
Cheech: Nooooo, I didn't mean like a candy bar, I meant like a crowbar, something we could get those dudes out of trunk with!
Muffled sounds from the rear of the car.

Loudspeaker: blah blah Thank you for attending blah blah blah, the cinema is now closed blah blah blah....

Cheech: Hey, you wanna go down to the Burger Queen?  
Chong: Yeah, I think Yancy's working tonight.
Cheech:  Maybe he's got something we can open the trunk with!
Engine revving.  Muffled sounds from rear of the car.

(That's an approximation from memory!)
8)





Oh, rip the shirt. How cliché. You probably want me to walk the plank next or something.



It is called "Pedro And Man At The Drive-In". It is NOT on YouTube (yet) but there are several places where you can download it for free. Just Google it.


BTW, they didn't hear muffled sounds as they drove away because they said, "Oh they are probably giving us the silent treatment."



Cat

Oh, rip the shirt. How cliché. You probably want me to walk the plank next or something.



It is called "Pedro And Man At The Drive-In". It is NOT on YouTube (yet) but there are several places where you can download it for free. Just Google it.


BTW, they didn't hear muffled sounds as they drove away because they said, "Oh they are probably giving us the silent treatment."



Cat


Fifty! He should get at least a hundred lashes for what he did to ME, the big fibber fibber liar liar!  
;D

Yar, I was doing that all from memory.  I forgot about the "silent treatment" line, which indicates the dudes died of carbon monoxide poisoning!  And I wasn't going to try and regurgitate the entire "Buggery on the High Seas" portion!

There's a Cheech & Chong vigilante on You Tube.  There used to be TONS of C&C sketches up there.  Whoever is knocking them out put horrible new age music in place of the audio portions!  I don't know if it's the copyright holders themselves arranging the sabotage or just some a-hole who doesn't believe in free C&C.

Fifty! He should get at least a hundred lashes for what he did to ME, the big fibber fibber liar liar!  
;D

Yar, I was doing that all from memory.  I forgot about the "silent treatment" line, which indicates the dudes died of carbon monoxide poisoning!  And I wasn't going to try and regurgitate the entire "Buggery on the High Seas" portion!

There's a Cheech & Chong vigilante on You Tube.  There used to be TONS of C&C sketches up there.  Whoever is knocking them out put horrible new age music in place of the audio portions!  I don't know if it's the copyright holders themselves arranging the sabotage or just some a-hole who doesn't believe in free C&C.



I was doing it from memory, too. (Forgotten the line you mentioned about the fifty lashes). One of my sisters had the album and I grew up listening it to. Now, I have it on CD but haven't listened to it in a long time. The line I quoted is etched in my memory (along with the gay lint that goes with it).



Cat

I was doing it from memory, too. (Forgotten the line you mentioned about the fifty lashes). One of my sisters had the album and I grew up listening it to. Now, I have it on CD but haven't listened to it in a long time. The line I quoted is etched in my memory (along with the gay lint that goes with it).



Cat


Same here!

I think my mom was a little uncomfortable when I asked her what "buggery" was, but being a hippie mom, she told me.  I barely understood how boys and girls did it.  I had no idea boys and boys did it!  That was TMI.  Not disturbing, just kinda puzzling!
:P

alleykid76 <------- Funny thing is I also saw those crazy movies Dirty Mary Crazy Lary, and Big Bad Mama at the Drive In, along with others such as Eat my Dust. Those were the days of the 70's! Bad movies, but lots of fun enjoying the atmosphere of the Drive-In. I grew up in the California Bay Area, so I mostly toured either the Redwood Drive In (Redwood City, or Burlingame Drive-In (Burlingame in the early and late 70's. Later in the 80's I toured those, as well as the Spruce Drive-In (South San Francisco) Geneva Drive-In (Daly City). Even though Drive-In's aren't around and thriving like they once were in the 60's, 70's and part of the 80's, they can still be found in most every state today. While living in Oregon from 2004 thru early 2007 I toured the 99 West Drive-In in (Newburg, Or.) Here in Colorado near Denver I tour the 88th Drive-In. We had a double screen Drive-In close by also, but it closed in 2007. (The Cinderella Twin Drive -In (Englewood, Co. If anyone would like to see a website dedicated to ALL Drive-In's, those open as well as those that have closed, check out the site http://www.Driveins.com . It's a neat site that will bring you back some. :) There are a few other sites out there like this one too.

Jody D.


Have alot of great memories of drive-ins, first as a kid with mom and dad and the siblings, then as a young adult in the 70s. We had two drive-ins in my town and on a summer night they were the coolest place to be. The movies were usually pretty bad...The Pom Pom Girls, Dirty Mary and Crazy Larry, Big Bad Mama, The Student Nurses...but it didn't matter cause you weren't there for the movies. If you were lucky enough to have a date, let's see, two 18 year olds, dark car, couple of hours to kill, if you actually watched the movie something had gone badly wrong. If you were out there with your buddies you'd grab a beer from the back seat and head out to see who else was there. It was a great way to spend a hot summer night.
    Both are gone now. Real estate got too expensive to justify a big swath of land that could only operate 4 months out of the year. One is now a Shopko, the other is a trailer park. Time moves on.