Today is Drive-In Movie Day. Drive-in movies are no longer a thing. If you can find a drive-in theater, it’s a kitschy, retro thing. However, a long time ago (yes, I’m dating myself), these were very, very popular.
When I was a child, my father was an airman in the Air Force and had to work extra part-time jobs to support our family—so, not a lot of money for anything except the necessities. My mother sewed our clothes, sewed Barbie clothes (mine was the best dressed in the neighborhood!), and entertainment wasn’t something we paid for except for special occasions. We had a green station wagon to haul our family around inside. There were six of us, so we had to have the larger car.
One of my earliest memories was a trip to the drive-in. We went to see Cat Balou (released in 1965 and starring Lee Marvin and Jane Fonda). My mother popped a pillowcase of popcorn, brought drinks, and we brought sleeping bags (camping was another cheap entertainment we enjoyed). We folded down the backseat of the station wagon and rolled out the sleeping bags in case the younger kids fell asleep during the movie. We propped the speaker in Dad’s window and watched the show. I can still remember the tinny sound of that speaker, but didn’t mind. It was pure magic.
Cut away to college in the late 70s. We had a drive-in theater in our little Arkansas town, and yeah, we were still cash-strapped. I was barely in college, but had a Chevy Impala with a very roomy trunk. You paid per person rather than per car, so we loaded four or five kids into the trunk while my brother sat in the front seat with me. We had to wait until the sun went down to pop the trunk and let our passengers out. If you can imagine a bunch of teenagers, giggling like mad, farting and moaning, it was hilarious for my brother and me, but we loved going to the drive-in with friends.
The most memorable experience was when I took my sister (Elle James) to see The Texas Chainsaw Massacre at the drive-in. And now, you can imagine what happened. In the middle of the most stressful scene, where we were already sinking in our seats due to the horror on the screen, someone at the back of the drive-in revved up a chainsaw. You never saw cars fly out of a place so fast. We were right there with them, screaming and laughing. Needless to say, we missed the end of the movie.
That drive-in theater closed years ago. It couldn’t compete with the large, multi-screen theaters, and I’m sure there were fewer and fewer folks willing to endure the mosquitoes in a hot humid summer. I miss it, though. I wish there was one nearby so I could share that experience with our kids now.
So, those are my stories. For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, let me know whether you’ve ever been to a drive-in movie. Share your experience. Or if you haven’t, what was your most unusual movie theater experience?
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Ah yes! The drive-in movie! Believe it or not, my drive in movie experiences happened after we came back to the USA in the late seventies and eighties. There wasn’t a drive-in near where I grew up. The first experience I remember, I was several months pregnant when my ex and I double dated with his brother and wife. The movie – Alien. Not a movie one wants to watch when pregnant. Still can’t watch that one, and I love Sigourney Weaver. I did have some more pleasant drive-in experiences, because yes, it was a less expensive date night. But alas, by the nineties, the drive-ins became swap meets. BUT, here is mid-west Michigan, there are still a couple of drive-in screens still in use. Summer only and the tourists love them. Nothing like a bit of nostalgia.
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Yes, been to drive-ins. It was cheap entertainment for a family: 1 price for a carload, 2 movies, and bring your own snacks… The only hard part was us kids watching from the backseat. Of course, it didn’t take long for us to fall asleep. lol. Went throughout high school, too. No, we didn’t make out. We went to see the movies after a stop at Wendy’s or other fast food place for food. There are a couple in SW PA that are still open.
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OMG I loved going to the drive in, when I was old enough to drive we snuck friends in the truck to, cheap entertainment for my mom with 5 kids, she’d pack up fried chicken, popcorn, candy and drinks, since moving to Missouri my small town had a drive in but a tornado tore down the screen years ago, the town volunteered to help pay for replacement but the owners declined instead retired sadly, everything else is still there
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There were several drive-in theaters in my area. One of them, the Skyview, in Belleville, Illinois, is still in operation! I remember seeing the double-bill Paint Your Wagon, followed by True Grit. My little sister and I were in our pajamas, in case we fell asleep, but I stayed awake the whole way through.
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My sister and I would go to the drive in theater…. we would get 3 movies out of the trip… it was so much fun, but the bathroom looked liked something from a horror flick… it was scary with the dripping sinks and the flickering lights, LOL.
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Yes remember them family used to go occasionally. We had one that was almost across the street from us. However the one I enjoyed most was with one of my mom’s cousin and her 2 dogs, in Indiana and we went to the drive in on July 4th and saw The Longest Day and they also had fireworks. Miss having them as it was always fun.
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I can remember going to the drive-in as a child and on dates later on. Neither time did I watch much of the movies.
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I have been to a drive-in movie theater. It’s been many years, though and I couldn’t tell you what might’ve been the last movie I saw there. There’s still one in my area that also has flea markets on the weekends. In fact, my grandkids remarked the other day when we drive past about the movie, Stitch, which is now playing there. I told them they should have their Mom & Dad take them there.
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haven’t been
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I have never been to a drive in movie. Always wanted to go thought it would be amazing to see a movie so up close and personal
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I have been to drive-in movies. I used to love them. As kids we got all dressed in PJs and could move around. When I was older, I saw a scary movie and then I was not so fond of drive-ins.
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Yes I have. I was born in 1969 my sister 22 months later and we were supposed to sleep in backseat to allow the “adults” to watch Saturday Night Fever whatever year that came out in the 70’s needless to say I got a bit of an education from that experience cause even armed with our pillows and blankets there was no way I wasn’t gonna watch what the adults were.
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My parents took us to a couple when I was a kid (probably under 10). I think we all sat in the front seat (wide bench seat in the front of an old black Plymouth). I remember one of the movies was ‘How the West Was Won’ which came out in 1963 and almost 3 hours long.
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As a kid I lived in Chicago where the last of the drive ins had closed right about the same time I was born. However, in my late 20s when we moved to rural Illinois, there were still a few surviving that we went to.
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I don’t believe I’ve ever gone to a drive-in, but I remember reading all about them, LOL!!