There were so many, I can't remember more than a handful.... W.W. and The Dixie Dance Kings, The Last American Hero, Dirty Mary and Crazy Larry and one I think was called The Dixie Dynamites that had two girls robbing banks. The all night horror flicks were my favorites though. I saw a lot of Westerns too with John Wayne, Dean Martin, Clint Eastwood.... etc. The Kentucky Fried Movie was a good one too!
All those American International titles like the "Beach" movies can't be ignored. Plus the "Walking Tall" movies, "Macon County Line" and "Return to Macon County." Seemed like most of those "B"-list flicks were set in the South with corrupt sheriffs and people getting into bad situations. I wasn't much for horror films, but once I could drive and had some discretionary income there were lots of choices for Saturday night entertainment. And the bad sci-fi thrillers? I didn't appreciate those until "Mystery Science Theater 3000" mocked them! I can't remember all the movies I saw at drive-ins, but around Omaha we had some good places, and they ran first-run A-list movies (at least when the folks took us). 84th & Center until '74 when the Cinema Center and various businesses took over the lot, and ironically it's the same location where Flashbacks has the Wedensday night cruises! (BTW the Cinema Center has its last run this weekend, then will be turned into an office building). The Q-Twin south of 120th & Q was a great place, can't remember the last show I saw there but if you parked at the top of the hill you could watch both shows, like "Tora, Tora, Tora" on one side and "The Love Bug" on the other (the Q Cinema theaters came down in May '08). 76th & West Dodge - last movie I remember seeing there was "Airplane" in 1980 (now has a strip mall and what used to be an Albertson's grocery). The Golden Spike at 114th & Dodge - went there and the 76th & West Dodge A LOT when in high school in the mid-late '70s - would meet up with a guy I worked with, filled a grocery bag full of popcorn, cleaned all the tar and nicotine from my dad's cigarettes off the windows, snag a 12-pack from the basement fridge and away we went for double-header nights of movies like "The Van" and "Smokey and the Bandit," "Every Which Way But Loose" or "Six-Pack." The Fremont Drive-In in Fremont, NE was a great place to drag a bunch of guys and a few gals to - get in the back row, open the turnk and the bar. Who gave a damn about the movie? Mostly had typical drive-in fare with good-ol' boys, T&A and some hot cars. One thing I remember about drive-ins and old cars was the '63 Galaxie hardtop with a 260/3-on-the-tree I had out of high school through the '80s. We went to a drive-in on north 72nd St. (Starlight? Someone set me straight here), I couldn't drive because I was chemically incapacitated. One of the guys drove the car over the rows in 2nd gear not knowing how to get into 1st (thought the car was an automatic), bottoming-out the car for about 10 rows until we got to a spot he liked. Sobered me up real quick! Isn't there a website dedicated to drive-in film fare?
Don’t remember seeing the end of any. What I do remember is the next day having to clean the footprints off the headliner. The 41 Twin south of Milwaukee......... Good Times!
Hells Angels 69 is my favorite. parents would take us kids to drive in movies, make us comfy with pillows and blankets. I think i was pre school but CLEARLY remember this movie. Great period bikes
next time any of you get in South Central WI, head for Jefferson. I will gladly take you and yours to our local Drive-In Theatre. They show first run flicks. Currently showing is a very old favorite of mine "Closed for the Season"
As a kid - Grease, Star Wars, Smokey and the Bandit Recently - Nacho Libre with the kids and pizza from Andy's in Dickson City PA
The Mel Brooks movies, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein was about the best. Kentucky Fried Movie, Loose Shoes were good ones. And drum roll.... Phantasm... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantasm_(film)) Click the film link and it gives the story. That one got windows rolling up and doors being locked too. Friday the 13th, the first one, where the girl gets the axe in the forehead was pretty good too.
phantasm [one] was one of the best most underated horror films ever ! 70's horror seemed to be the best in my opinion
I have early memories of watching a few of the Sinbad movies as well as a terrible Doc Savage with Ron Eli. My Mother would park the 9 seater Buick wagon backwards so the 4 kids could sit in the back and watch. My first Drive-in experience in my own vehicle was a Raquel Welch double header with the 3 Musketeers and 10,000 years BC. My first all nighter was 4 of the Planet of the Apes movies. I remember the great North Main Drive-in which was the mainstay of my youth as well as the Starlight and finally the Odeon which finally closed it's gates this past summer. Probably 5 years too late as the concessions and facilities were crumbling. Didn't matter, the party inside and outside the cars were always the best part of the Drive-in I also remember attending a Drive-in in northern Montana back in the early 80's that accomodated only about 50 cars. The screen wasn't much bigger then a billboard. There were no facilities to speak of and the kid's pasrk was a home size swing. The popcorn and pop were sold out of a curbside lunch truck. It was really intimate and way cool
Any that I could fake knowing what happened when I got home and the folks ask how was the movie and what it was about. Never went to actully see a movie.
Are there still drive in movies ? Where .. ? Speaking of "Grease" it was on Directv last night. I never noticed before but there was a '56 Customline Victoria in there just like mine ..
We STILL have a Drive Inn less than 15 miles from our house so I go with the kids all the time like my parents used to do with us growing up!
One of the all-time greats: "The Giant Gila Monster"! Shot in and around Dallas by Gordon McLendon and released in 1959. It featured some neat hot rods, such as John "Doc" Mulkey's Chev-powered '32 Ford roadster (a monthly terror we used to see at Caddo Mills back then). It might still be available on VHS. Another great one is "Wheels of Fire" from the early 70s, which featured the first great super-slow-motion shots of dragsters coming off the line. Garlits, Richard Tharp - a bunch of the big racers were in it. Buddy Boren of Dallas (long-time promoter of the Dallas Grand Prix) produced it. I've seen it for sale through several sources including Don Garlits' museum.
one that stands out for me was "flesh gordon." there was such a crowd to see it that my future wife and i had to park the van in the front row--and vans and pickups always had to use the last two rows.
I saw the Road Warrior at the drive in and.. dang, i felt jazzed up for hours. After that, i saw batman returns in the drive in years later and in 2007 i saw the mad max and the road warrior in a double marathon at a drive in. Dang..im getting old.
Kentucky Fried Movie - "The popcorn you're eating has been pissed in. Film at 11:00" My date and I both popped up off the seat to watch that one.
ROUGH NIGHT IN JERICHO Not the greatest movie but I met my first wife while watching it at the Neponset Twin Drive-In, Quincy, Mass 1968.
Up until just a few years ago we had four drive in's in the area. Now we have one. Favorite movies? Two double features , Blood Feast/Two Thousand Maniacs and American Graffiti/ The Hollywood Knights.
The Jalopy Journal
