THE DRIVE-IN AND THE GOOD OLD DAYS!
What’s your favorite Drive-In experience? Was it going to the concession stand -and ordering so much you wondered how you were going to carry it all back to the car…or being able to stay up late to catch the 2nd feature(sometimes the 2nd movie was more on the adult side .. figuring the kids would fall asleep…) or wondering if pop was going to forget to replace the speaker back on the the speaker stand before you left the to go home ? ..
Was this your first Drive-In flick ?
or was it this ?
I used to work for JO-MOR Enterprises in upstate New York- which at that time they owned and operated several movie theaters including 3 Drive-Ins and I had the wonderful opportunity for one season to manage one their Drive-In’s and it wasn’t really work at all …just plain fun! And when I wasn’t working I was at the Drive-In myself as a patron slurping down a Root Beer Float and indulging my appetite by eating a cheeseburger with relish and hot sauce. Those were the days when I had not a care in the world, not even bills and so I invite you take a step back in time when Drive-Ins were king(50’s thru the 70’s) and Orange Tang was on every table at breakfast. When the race to the moon was still on and when that was over James Bond was heading into space himself, Bruce Lee was chopping and kicking his way across the screen and Hammer put the color in horror films with dripping red blood and glamorous girls with necks to drool over, where dinosaurs,blobs, The Green Slime and Disney ruled the movie screens and there was no such things as VHS or Cable TV and TV dinners were a kids dream come true to sit down and watch the Saturday afternoon monster movie or the late , late show…..when families wanted a inexpensive outing for the whole family and you could “come as you are” as the ads would say .. hair curlers and all so load up the cooler and pack the chips because we’er off the the Drive-In… and don’t miss our grand opening .. brand new Drive-In Movie Theater!!
Above- some of the styles for ads used to showcase the films playing on the a particular theaters venue…
ON WITH THE SHOW!!!
Below: Movie Trailers/Posters/Lobby Cards
Above: Disney movies were a staple at the Drive-In
Childhood:
The films that I remember as a kid were either a The Producers, Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth or Disney,which Disney had a long standing policy when releasing their films on the Drive -In circuit that the 2nd feature had to be another Disney feature or a family themed film very similar to Disney standards or the that venue was not going to happen-this also applied to any double bill situation,not just the Drive-In market and 98% of the time the owner/operator went with another Disney title.But this lent to a very busy night resulting in a packed “house” and heavy traffic at the concession stand.The playground would be dominated on those nights by little “cherubs” running around with gushing with anticipation for that first feature to start and on cooler nights if you were like me a stash of comic books and later Famous Monsters to read.For comfort since I was relegated to the backseat I started out with a blanket and then upgraded to a sleeping bag and upon “graduation”- a lawn chair/cooler as long as the bugs held off- on a less crowded night it was possible to take a second isle next to your car other wise most often patrons would sit out in front of their cars and watch the first flick during the warmer months,which really put you under the stars.
Below: a guy who needs no introduction and was tearing up the box-office during the 60’s -The One ,The Only-Elvis
My Teens and Cars:
Cars were a large part of the out door theater experience. Many of the theaters would have “car hops” or “cruise nites: where the muscle car enthusiast could display his/her wears so to speak mixed with entertainment — fireworks and music, either live or piped in on the speakers.Well I could not wait until that included me parading up and down the isles “crusin”.On those designated events it also revolved around biker or car flicks-usually sell outs.
Below:Heralded as the “Best: biker flick-trailer for Run Angel Run starring William Smith and directed by the great Jack Starrett
Above: one of my favorite biker flicks- The Losers starring William Smith who could play the meanest guy in the world or like his character in this movie an honest to goodness hero-the hero persona is something that William was very much familiar with since he spent several years as a Texas Ranger on the TV series Laredo.
For me a license and a blue card meant I could drive at night. Plus I was so excited because when it was my turn I had a 1972 Green Chevy Nova with a stock engine and a killer sound system featuring an 8 Track player with a stereo receiver..this car was cherry-meaning a little old lady really did own this car and drove it to church on Sundays so it was up to me to break it in.To accomplish this it was drag time and who get boost the their speakers the loudest(my base/subwoofer was in the trunk) , spin a “doughnut” and who could stay out the longest or latest and anything that came our way,maybe even a few “fogged windows”-this included the Drive-Ins and my friends and I established that as our hangout along with the local Charbroiler(a burger and fry shack-not McDonalds)…At the same time I was heavily into martial arts-Judo/Jiu Jitsu/Kung Fu/Karate,so just about every “chop sockey” flick that got released made it to the Drive-In in my area and I was there along with crew most of the time not making home til close to dawn because usually there were triple bills and a late nite stop onion rings and hot sauce.And when it came to Bruce Lee I can tell you I saw Return of the Dragon at least ..well I actually lost count at 20 times on the big screen so to say I was hooked is an understatement,but that movie effected me emotionally and inspired me in terms of my training(not matter what else, every day 300 push ups/sit ups and a run). I had a great respect for Bruce and his philosophy.This was at least for me a simpler time with no worries, not a care in the world, so don’t always be in a hurry to grow up,for these are the times that a person is going through many changes both physically and emotionally and is a period in our lives to be treasured,explored and embraced.
Below: Bruce Lee trailer
Above: the best poster ever conceived for a double bill showcasing brilliant art work and allowing for the same detail and creativity that usually goes into producing a poster for one film.
Above — Fathom and the trailer below starring Raquel Welch
Above: exploitation at it’s best Savage Sisters-art work
Above: lets not forget the most prominent sound company-Westrex,if not for them sound in movies would have taken a lot longer to have materialized…
For those of you who might be getting hungry please visit our concession stand…there is something for every one…
Above: sometimes stopping before or after the drive in at another the American Drive -In Restaurant
Below:click on the picture and watch a Drive-In intermission countdown
Double feature theme nites:
Below-Triple Bill 2 x Godzilla Romp — Plus Reptilicus
Above: The space at bottom-middle of ad is where you would place your Name and location of theater.
This is the big one 007! Never before had there been a better paring for a double feature than the Bond films and over the course of the mid 60’s to mid 70’s was there a more well orchestrated marketing campaign to keep our most beloved British secret agent in the public eye-hence the Bond Sale was created.
Below: Even Bond got in on the Drive -In action and usually to big success and large crowds and most of these ads would state to come early …
Above: poster for a Roger Moore James Bond double feature-usually with double feature posters the color and the art work was toned down, less splashy.
Above: early James Bonds paring TV spot for Dr No/Goldfinger
Above:It would not be proper “beach” movie without Dick Dale somehow either making an appearance or showing up on the soundtrack.Thanks AIP!!!
The Drive-Ins started out being built in far off areas where it was not practical to build a movie theater, usually rural areas old farm land with a very cheap screen and someone grilling food .. maybe some old fold up chairs to sit in with a projector in the back of a truck … then once they caught on .. major money started being poured into the construction including a decent projection booth and wired speakers with stands…this happened within the 40’s with most of the major changes .. and then once we hit the 50’s families and teenagers with disposable income became the main audience and where the marketing efforts were directed.
And all kinds of crazy events were held ..live spook shows, concerts and live appearances of the very stars(Annette and Frankie Avalon) of the films especially in regards to American International Pictures or AIP as they were to become known in later years , even amusement rides before show time to attract patrons.. and it worked.. even today there are more Drive-In’s operating in New York than the state of Florida-however Fort Lauderdale boast the largest Drive-In with 14 screens and a flea market open 7 days a week…
Anyways whatever your favorite Drive-In memory is please take a moment and jot it down here…We would love to hear from you ….and so would Doc…so stop by here or at Reviews on the Edge on Facebook and let me know..oh and don’t forget to replace the speaker on the stand before starting your car and making the venture back home and as always we hope to see you again next time at the Starlite…goodnight for now…
* see links below for additional information and history of the Drive-In Movie Theaters:
Amazon:
see Dark Sky Films DVD releases available at Amazon featuring a double feature per DVD with drive-in intermission and coming attractions everything needed to duplicate the experience except for the mosquitoes-my favorite of their Drive-In Double Feature series is Search and Destroy starring Perry King(Riptide TV series- n- Lords of the Flatbush), Don Stroud(biker flicks and The Nights The Lights Went Out In Georgia) , George Kennedy(Tick…Tick…Tick) and the 2nd feature The Glove with John Saxon(Enter The Dragon) and Pro Footballer Rosey Grier.
