Drive-in Movies

Are they making a comeback or is it just here?

http://www.goochlanddriveintheater.com/index.html

 

Why did Drive-Ins die out anyway? I never could figure that out. I love going to the Drive-In, even though I don't go often enough.

 

That's a slice of Americana.
They used be everywhere in the Twin Cities area. I think there's one or two left.
My kids (11-13) want to go just to see what it was like.

 

I LOVE the drive in! weve got one about 30 minutes up the road. about once or twice a month my wife and I load up the 66 and head down with a bunch of my hot rod buddies. we go a little early and all the kids pay tag in the field in front of the screen. everybody benchraces and trades stories ... man its great. AND its so much cheaper than a regular movie! they charge by the car ... guess how many people you can fit in an impala wagon?
ha! its really a good time! its sad to see em fading fast.

 

These folks just built a brand new one!

http://www.goochlanddriveintheater.com/id13.html

 

Wow! I might have to check that out. There is still one going strong in Lexington, VA
I used to frequent the one in Waynesboro but it got too rowdy and the owners lost control. The good customers left and there was nothing left but us ,i mean them,
The one in Stephen's City is still strong also. That is a very nice theatre with a very period snack shack.

 

We still have a decent amount left here. But the two I always went to closed down in the 80`s. The one had speakers, and the other you had to use your radio to hear. We used to sit behind the car wash with a hand held radio and watch them from the woods outside the fence...good times...Once my `55 is done, a drive-in is one of the first places I will hit though...

Heres a link for Ohio drive-ins still opened...
http://www.driveinmovie.com/OH.htm

This link is pretty cool, and much better. You can click on all that are closed, or all that are still open. They show location on a map, and even have a picture of the drive-in itself, if you click on the drive-ins name...
http://www.drive-ins.com/srchdest.htm?name=&city=&code=oh&status_op=open&search.x=15&search.y=14

 

Probably because on the same amount of land that the drive-in takes up they can erect some 20 theater multiplex eyesore to show 20 different, crappy hollywood movies at the same time.

 

Drive ins here have turned into shopping malls and office complexes. The last one in King County was sold for a light industrial park. Taxes, videos, cable TV, the Internet and number of other entertainment opportunities eroded the fan base. Too bad, we used to get into the El Rancho for $1.99 a carload in the 1960's. Tiny back seats, bucket seats and consoles haven't helped a lick either. When was the last time you were in the back seat at a drive in with your favorite gal?

 

We have a new one in Texas in the Tomball/Waller area and there doing very well with packed double screens on the weekends.Its called the Showboat drive inn. As a teen ager we had many in the Houston area but like most growing cites in the late 50's 60's land value went sky high due to annex of city boundaries and taxing the drive inns out of business and others that just sold due to high land profits. I am glad to see them come back because you see 90% familles attending with there children and that's good!

 

We do a drive in at every show we have at AREA 57 in Branson. Soemtimes the weather doesnt work with us, but we always have it on the schedule. We play mainly car flicks, old "B" movies from the 50's and 60's and the like.

Its cool to see the locals come out to check out the cars at the show and then hang around for the movies. Alot of them bring their kids and grandkids, who have never been to a drive in.

Larry

 

thats a really good idea larry!

 

i just went to the starlite in amelia, oh. it's 7 bucks a person with two feature films usually kid friendly. i love going tho. they played a little film about drive-ins dying out and how they are trying to make a come back. hollywood takes too much out of their ticket sales so they make most of their money on concessions. they are way cheaper on concessions than a theatre and the food is ten times better.
i think more people would go but most people dont know they are still around. its a great date idea and great for families trying to save a little money.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2EBeOzmj6U

 

I wish that there was a drive-in anywhere around here. The last movie I saw at one was E.T. and I was 5 or 6 years old.

 

Larry,

How do you get the drive-ins to show car flicks? I would love to do a car show at a drive in and have them show a couple.

 

Goochland Drive-In! Just the name sounds fun. I really miss the drive-in. Was a weekly event for a long time here, first with idiot friends when a teenager and then wife and kids. And here, where the weather is perfect for a drive-in, all are gone. They are now housing tracts, shopping malls etc. The same thing that happened to drag strips happened to drive-ins, the property became to valuable to keep and insurance made it too expensive to do.

 

Because to the close proximity of their locations to the populous, the land became more valuable as cities grew outward and the profits they were loosing after the big cinemas came to town. Most of them were seasonal and the year round air conditioned indoor locations didn’t help either. But there is nothing like a Drive-In Movie!

 

Maybe it's a Virginia thing, this one just opened up last summer at Smith Mountain Lake http://www.mayberrydrivein.com/Home.html was billed as the first "new" drive in the US in something like 20 years. You have to have a working radio to get the sound, no window speakers anymore though!

 

So that means you are slightly older than Drew Barrymore!

 

There's one up the street a ways in Grandbury. I haven't been yet, though.

 

There is one that is still open in Dodge City, Kansas and I believe they just opened one up over in the Oklahoma panhandle. Both of which are about an hour away from where I live...Drive-ins with your girl in a cool car....Man I love that stuff! That's what America is all about!

 

As you can see in the photo, we have an inflatable drive-in set up. Works great at our complex. We can put it anywhere with in the 5 acres. We also have a 600 watt PA system to play the sound through and an FM transmitter.

I have a huge Sony projector that we use to project the movies. We can do it front or back depending on our set up.

Some of the old "B: movies are rights free so there is no fee to show them. Most - if not all of the newer movies you have to pay a "rights fee" to show them. This can range in the area of $200 to $400.

If you or anyone else wants more info shoot me an email. The entire system cost close to $20k but is a huge draw for the groups that use our facility and makes for a unique expereince for those who attend.

Thanks
Larry

 

No drive-ins around here, but i really liked the "Lost Drive-In" car movies that were on SpeedChannel. They had a real drive-in flavor w/ vintage commercials, intermissions, snack bar ads, and the shows were started off w/ the actual movie trailers. Hollywood Knights was my favorite that i had recorded, but i would liked to have collected them all.

My DVR died and i lost my copys, but i wish i could buy some full length versions that are un-edited...speed channel versions chopped up some of my favorite scenes.

granny

 

they do one of those around here, but it's more of a sit in, same idea though,big outdoor screen set up and familys can come watch the movie outside.

 

There's one in Ennis, Texas just off of I45. Driven past it a few times and it seems to be always busy on the weekends. It has three screens.

 

We have 3 drive ins with in a hour of us.

 

Wichita has a really nice Drive in!

http://www.starlitefun.com/

 

Land is worth to much in SoCal, most have been replaces with townhouses or malls. There is one that I know of that's used as a swap meet. I miss them, I'd go now with our great SoCal weather. I hope people in your area support it and keep it open.

 

Check out the Steeltown Shakedown held at the Twin Hi-Way Drive-In in Robinson, PA Sept. 12, 2009 by the Drifters Car Club.
steeltownshakedown.com