Drive-In Movies

Nathan F · Post by **Nathan F** » 2003-08-26 12:53am

Who here has had the pleasure of seeing a movie in one of our quickly disappearing drive in theaters? One of the few remaining in the country stands in Waverly, TN, and I have seen a couple flicks there. It has been a while though...and I can't recall which ones it was now.

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2003-08-26 12:59am

My parents used to take me to them when I was kid so we could see a double feature. It was great fun, but by the time I was in 8th grade or so ( 1985 ) drive in where kind of old. It gets cold, there are drunks around, the speakers suck, etc.

Interesting enough, there was a drive in Union City that was one of the last drive ins in the San Francisco Bay Area. Century theatres replaced it with a 25 theatre complex, not because it was unpopular, they were making a profit, but because the amount of land it took up was far too valuable to pass up on. Now they have a big shopping center and collect rents from a lot of tenants plus the new theatres.

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2003-08-26 01:15am

We still have at least one drive-in here but I've never been to it. I haven't been to a drive-in since I was a kid and my parents would take me and my sister in our footy pajamas to go to a double feature.

I think the last time we went everyone in our car fell asleep before the movie was over.

If I were to go to a drive-in again I would probably only be doing it as a novelty thing or just so I'll have a better memory of what it is like. I can't imagine it being as good as going to a real theater or staying home and watching a DVD.

Shrykull · Post by **Shrykull** » 2003-08-26 01:24am

Tsyroc wrote:We still have at least one drive-in here but I've never been to it. I haven't been to a drive-in since I was a kid and my parents would take me and my sister in our footy pajamas to go to a double feature.

I think the last time we went everyone in our car fell asleep before the movie was over.

If I were to go to a drive-in again I would probably only be doing it as a novelty thing or just so I'll have a better memory of what it is like. I can't imagine it being as good as going to a real theater or staying home and watching a DVD.

Same here, remember I went in my PJ's, was early 80's, crappy speakers? I thought you had to tune your car radio to it and you would get the movie's audio.

otter · Post by **otter** » 2003-08-26 01:31am

Lat time I went to a drive-in theater was 1977. It was a double feature, Star Wars and The Day the Earth Stood Still. Crammed into my aunts VW bug in my PJs also

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2003-08-26 01:31am

Shrykull wrote:
Same here, remember I went in my PJ's, was early 80's, crappy speakers? I thought you had to tune your car radio to it and you would get the movie's audio.

All the drive in's I went to had speakers. You would hang the speaker on your driver side window. That is the orignal technology, using the car speakers probably came later. I suppose that would be cool if lived across the street from the drive in. You'd be able to tune in and watch.

Drewcifer · Post by **Drewcifer** » 2003-08-26 03:11am

During a family vacation when I was a little kid, we stayed at a hotel that faced a drive-in. They had big picture windows facing the screen, and the hotel made a deal with the drive-in, and there was a speaker in the room so you could listen in. It was so cool.

Robert Treder · Post by **Robert Treder** » 2003-08-26 04:30am

I went to a drive-in once. It sucked ass. There's no reason to keep them around other than the nostalgia factor: they take up a lot of space that could be better used for other things, they're a shitty way to watch a movie, and cars are less comfortable than movie theater seats.

There's one (maybe two) that I know of in my general area. Up in the east bay there's one, I remember seeing it when I was driving to the BART station to go to Berkeley.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2003-08-26 07:17am

there is one drive in left in the state. it is actually pretty cool because instead of the cheesey speaker box the sound is broadcasted on unused FM-band. i used to go quite a bit over the span of 2 or 3 years back in the late 90's. at the time i had a dodge neon tricked out with an alpine deck, some kickass boston acustics tweeters and 5x9's and a 12 inch subwoofer. it was great for action movies. i rember seeing armageddon there....and the craft

Post by **Zaia** » 2003-08-26 12:33pm

I've been a number of times to drive-in theaters. There's one on the Cape in MA that I've visited when going to see friends, and there's one where my family and I have vacationed every year of my life in northeastern PA that I've been to a dozen times at least.

I have some great memories of, when I was finally old enough, being allowed to go with my friend Wanda (when we were like 10 or something), and set up a blanket to have a picnic by ourselves during the movie. Away from the grown-ups in the car. We'd set the speaker down on our blanket instead of hooking it to the window, and we'd have snacks and stuff and we felt SOOOO old and grown-up! It was a lot of fun.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2003-08-26 12:41pm

Zaia wrote:I've been a number of times to drive-in theaters. There's one on the Cape in MA that I've visited when going to see friends

that wouldn't happen to be the old Wellfleet Drive-In would it? that thing has been around forever.

Darth Garden Gnome · Post by **Darth Garden Gnome** » 2003-08-26 12:45pm

Drive-ins...meh. I've been to one twice, and it doesn't have the experience of a theater. The sound is crappy, the video itself is often low-quality (and it's still annoying to crane your neck to watch a film), and the place is generally filled with weirdos, drunks and assholes.

All of the above are improved upon in a theater.

Zoink · Post by **Zoink** » 2003-08-26 12:45pm

My parents would take me to a drive-in when I was young. The movies I remember seeing were Conan the Barbarian, and Beastmaster... that was 1982. I think it closed not too long after that.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2003-08-26 01:17pm

Darth Garden Gnome wrote:Drive-ins...meh. I've been to one twice, and it doesn't have the experience of a theater. The sound is crappy, the video itself is often low-quality (and it's still annoying to crane your neck to watch a film), and the place is generally filled with weirdos, drunks and assholes.

All of the above are improved upon in a theater.

most drive-in these days broadcast the sound on open FM-band. if you have a decent stereo in your car you can out-do the theater. thats why i always liked the drive in....the downside being that i had to run my engine every so often to keep from killing my battery because the stereo drew so much power.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2003-08-27 04:08am

My parent's were both big Drive in Fantics....

So yeah, but there haven't been any near me in ages.

Currently I am working with employee recreation to take advantage of our Out Door event permits, and our movie showing permits to have a Yosemite Drive in night some day next year.

Shrykull · Post by **Shrykull** » 2003-08-31 02:43am

TrailerParkJawa wrote:
Shrykull wrote:
Same here, remember I went in my PJ's, was early 80's, crappy speakers? I thought you had to tune your car radio to it and you would get the movie's audio.
All the drive in's I went to had speakers. You would hang the speaker on your driver side window. That is the orignal technology, using the car speakers probably came later. I suppose that would be cool if lived across the street from the drive in. You'd be able to tune in and watch.

But what if you wanted to sleep could you, or would it be too loud to?