Drive-In Movie Theaters in America

Moxie · Post by **Moxie** » 15 Oct 2005 20:42

(Look for the bolded text)

From http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4332896.stm

Drive-in theatres refuse to fade away
By Matthew Davis
BBC News, Washington

New figures suggest that the drive-in movie theatre is refusing to die in the United States, despite the relentless rise of cinema multiplexes, cable television and a raft of other modern amusements. They were once as much an American icon as apple pie, baseball or the 24-hour diner. At their peak in the baby boomer years after World War II there were more than 4,000 drive-ins across the US, providing a wholesome way for a car-obsessed society to fill its expanding leisure time.

Fuelled by the advent of the VCR, the rising cost of land and a growing reputation as teenage "passion pits", the drive-in's popularity went into dramatic decline in the 1970s and 80s. Today there are fewer than 500 still in operation. Yet while their heyday has long-since faded to a nostalgic memory, recent years have seen new flickerings of life in the industry.

Once condemned as obselete, drive-ins are increasingly being seen as a window onto a golden era, a family-friendly alternative to cineplexes and other forms of commercialised entertainment. They are springing up all over the US, not in great numbers, but at least 40 since 1990. More than 20 other venues have added new screens in that time. Industry experts say the drive-in is holding its ground, refusing to die.

'Wholesome retreat'
Jennifer Sherer, CEO of Drive-On-In Inc, says: "In a time when the unemployment rate and war stories dominate the news, people see the drive-in as an escape. "The drive-in represents a simpler time, even to people who did not experience the drive-in heyday first hand. "For me, the drive-in conjures up images like ones in Happy Days. As our world becomes more hectic and less safe, the more the drive-in becomes a wholesome retreat from it."

But staying afloat in a niche market is no easy ride for business owners. Operators who survived the difficult years are re-investing in multiple screens and modern FM radio sound to attract new punters. Playgrounds, miniature golf, and other forms of family entertainment have reappeared in many to compete for a greater share of the family entertainment dollar. Yet it is not just young families and nostalgic grandparents keeping the drive-in alive in the age of new media entertainment.

Daylight threat
In 2003 and 2004, groups of dedicated individuals began to organized so-called "guerrilla drive-ins" and "guerrilla walk-ins" in parking lots and empty fields. Showings are often organised online, and participants meet at specified locations to watch films projected on bridge pillars or warehouses. One of the best-known guerilla drive-ins is the Santa Cruz drive-in in California. Organisers say they want to "reclaim public space".

In Berkeley, also in California, the group Mobile Move organises similar activities and says it is trying "to bring back the forgotten joy of the great American drive-in".

Ironically, it is new technology - once the greatest threat to the drive-in - that is fuelling such experiments. Jennifer Sherer says that while the phenomenon remains relatively obscure, decreasing video projector costs will likely lead to an increase in popularity of this type of movement.

Yet perhaps the greatest threat to the survival of the drive-in comes from the US Congress which has adopted a plan to extend daylight savings time by a months each year as part of a sweeping new energy plan. From 2007 Americans will turn their clocks forward one hour on the first weekend of March, instead of April, and "fall back" in early November instead of the final weekend of October.

If the change forces families to head to the multiplex rather than keep the kids up for an extra hour, there are fears it could turn the lights out for good on an American institution.

NotHisRealName · Post by **NotHisRealName** » 15 Oct 2005 21:09

That's pretty cool.

Slowsis · Post by **Slowsis** » 16 Oct 2005 11:27

I belong to a similar movement.....except instead of drive in movies we have techno parties!!

www.Freespace.cc

Sorry for the Hijack......

B_Man · Post by **B_Man** » 16 Oct 2005 16:22

I would really like to go to a drive-in movie.

Go Santa!

crazydwarf · Post by **crazydwarf** » 16 Oct 2005 18:42

Drive in theatres are pretty awsome. We've been going to the same one for a while now. My family tries to go at least once a year. When I was little I used to call them drive throughs, but now I've learned better... are they a california thing or are they still around everywhere?

Moxie · Post by **Moxie** » 16 Oct 2005 18:53

There's one in Kenosha Wisconsin that I used to go to that is still running.

full nelson · Post by **full nelson** » 16 Oct 2005 20:43

I live about 10 minutes away from one. It's awesome because it's always a double feature and really cheap.

pips · Post by **pips** » 16 Oct 2005 20:53

I used to live by a few in Pennsylvania, and I went to them every now and then. Then there was one I lived like an hour and a half away from in Georgia. Now 84 Lumber took over the one here in West Virginia. I just miss them more and more.

Moxie · Post by **Moxie** » 09 Dec 2005 18:30

http://www.heralddemocrat.com/articles/ ... nity10.txt
The do-it-yourself Roxy
By Edward Southerland
Herald Democrat

While regular movie theaters scramble to attract audiences who blanch at sorry movies, $10 tickets and a box of popcorn that requires a home loan to finance, some film fans are taking matters in their own hands. In Santa Cruz, Cal., frustrated cinema buff are looking to a guerilla to save the day.

Note that word is guerilla, as in irregular, rather than gorilla, as in really big monkey. Leave King Kong to the Sunset and Vine crowd, in Santa Cruz it's Guerilla Drive-in that's on the rise. The advocates of this home-grown entertainment find a big flat wall, wait until it gets dark and start the show. With a modern DVD projector and a long extension cord or a battery pack, that is all it takes. They don't charge admission and it is strictly BYOP - bring your own popcorn.

The biggest obstacle to success is finding a large, light-colored, flat space to serve as the screen. Guerilla Drive-in adherents suggest warehouses, under bridges and freeways, parks, parking lots, ruins (ruins of exactly what is not noted), schools or on the backs of malls, grocery stores, concrete retaining walls or warehouses.

Another difficulty can be finding a place that is truly dark. Flood lights are everywhere, but a well-placed cardboard box can often provide a temporary solution to the problem.

In the notes on their Web site - www.guerilla-drivein.org - the founders caution would be Roxys* to ask permission when possible, be careful of other peoples' property and let the police know what's going on ahead of time so the riot squad won't be called out.

The Guerilla Drive-in operators publicize their efforts with posters and flyers, and they offer their audiences their money's worth, even if there is admission charge. In the grand tradition of the neighborhood Bijou, “We always start off Guerilla Drive-in with shorts and previews,” they write, “followed by a ten minute intermission. ...” At the break and before the feature, they pass the hat to cover their expenses.

Actually, outdoor flics are not anything new. In the early years of the movies, both Sherman and Denison had outdoor theaters called airdromes. These were commercial ventures that operated during the summer months, and the paying customers sat on wooden benches and watched the Keystone Kops and their cohorts dance on a screen set on a small stage.

A couple of years ago the paper ran a story about a Denison man who showed 8mm movies projected on a wooden screen nailed to a big tree in his backyard. He lived in the Cotton Mill District, and his free movies were well attended by the folks in his neighborhood.

Maybe the time is right for something like this around here.

*Roxy, was S.L. Rothafel, who built the New York theater which bore his name. The Roxy, which was demolished in 1960, was called “The Cathedral of the Motion Picture.”

Jdigges · Post by **Jdigges** » 10 Dec 2005 17:46

Drive-in are soo much fun when good movies are playing. you can go get drunk and chill with friends and watch movies. too bad its winter

Kyle Hewitt · Post by **Kyle Hewitt** » 11 Dec 2005 17:47

I go to one like every weekend with friends and familys it kicks so much ass

Zac Jackson · Post by **Zac Jackson** » 13 Dec 2005 13:31

there 2 of them here in idaho falls , idaho , drive ins are the shiz except if your fm radio doesnt work and then they kinda suck because you cant here the movie

footjoe · Post by **footjoe** » 13 Dec 2005 14:06

i love drive in movies , people get in the trunk hid in the back seat under stuff , its so easy to get in for free!!!1 and they serve double movies , usually the first movie sucks balls and you fall alsleep before your real movie starts but its a summer thing to go and chill with freidns