Drive in theater stories....

We drove our 55 Nomad to the drive in back in the late 60's early 70's & a couple of camping trips as well.

 

Crisis averted!

 

The Philly area had several, plus N.J. made for variety.
3 examples of behavior:
Went to the Main Line rt 30 Wayne they were showing Yellow Submarine.
Can't remember watching, but my future wife and I ( back row which was just off the hiway ) were making good use of the bench seat.
My toe caught the door handle, it opened and the dome light lit up.
Had to corkscrew around to grab the door while trying to not cause damage to my love.
Two years later somewhere near Norristown location a gang of us went to see Mash.
We were carrying a lot of beer. Wound up laying on the hood and the roof.
So hammered I went back the very next week to watch what I missed. PBR
Another 2 years living in Lancaster Pa the drive in was featuring X rated stuff.
Their screen was visible from the bypass, and cars were using the break down lane to view.
I had no need as we had our own pad.

 

The red arrow is our Westside of Long Beach house location. The darkened strip running left to right is the L.A. River and the Long Beach Freeway location. The blue arrow is the Long Beach Community Hospital on top of the tall hill over-looking the whole Traffic Circle area and the Circle Drive-In location..

By the time the drive-in was started and developed, we had gone past the Traffic Circle in its craziness, many times on our travels in a Southerly direction. Our dad always took this PCH 101 road from our house to Seal Beach, Huntington Beach and points headed in this direction. As anyone rounded the Traffic Circle headed South, the first stop light one comes to is Ximeno and the huge sign designating the Circle Drive-in theater. If one took Ximeno to the right, that roadway leads to Belmont shore and also, the LB Marine Stadium water sport area of the bay.

Hello,

The Circle Drive-In with a showing of “Raton Pass” and “Stage to Houston” on April 4, 1951, was the second drive-in theater in Long Beach. It was at the famous Traffic Circle location. Hence, the “circle” name association.

Grand opening ad

"A Circle Drive-In grand-opening advertisement in April 1951 touted the fact that its patrons could enjoy smoking, could “come as you are,” would be protected from flu and polio, wouldn’t have to worry about finding a babysitter and could “enjoy complete privacy”—this latter advantage was not lost on an entire generation high-school and college fans of film and other, shall we say, areas of interest."

"Circle Drive-In opening 2 Wed, Apr 4, 1951 – 30 · Long Beach Press-Telegram (Long Beach, California) "

"The Circle, at Pacific Coast Highway and Ximeno Avenue on the Traffic Circle, was hailed as the most modern drive-in, featuring state-of-the-art RCA projector throwing the movie up on a 70-foot-high screen in front of 1,000 cars with guests listening on clear speakers. The theater’s snack bar had an 85-foot-long counter and 16-foot windows where people could still watch the film while ordering snacks—sound was piped in, as well."

"Sound was also piped into the maternity ward at Community Hospital, high above the Circle Drive-In, where mothers and near-mothers could see the screen from their rooms."

"The Circle soldiered on for 34 years, finally closing with a double-bill of “After the Fall of New York” and “Humanoids from the Deep” on Jan. 31, 1985."

If one did not like the drive-in food, there was always a Beany’s drive through just across the street.

The Traffic Circle is shown in the darkened greenery. The Community Hospital is the rectangular building to the left of the Traffic Circle. PCH comes into the circle from the West near the hospital and drops downhill into the Traffic Circle. To the right diagonal highway is PCH headed toward the beach cities, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach and South.

The pointed section at the top of the greenery, is Lakewood Blvd. that comes from inland and the Long Beach Airport/Douglas Aircraft compound as a major street/highway.
1939

Jnaki
Thanks, @themoose
At one time, one of our friends was in the Long Beach Community Hospital for some treatment. As a break from being locked in place of the hospital room, we took walking breaks around the floors. The views were pretty outstanding from any floor of the hospital. The southeast view was pretty nice. During the days, it was an ocean view almost to San Diego. At night, the twinkling lights of the city below were sparkling to highlight the neighborhood.

The advantage of being in this hospital were the viewing rooms facing the Circle Drive-In. They had piped in sound to the viewing rooms and it was free! This portion of So Cal was always on our list as a teenager's cruising grounds. Our surf adventures started down and around the Traffic Circle going South. In the last two years of college, it was a daily drive to the campus, just a few blocks from the Traffic Circle.

Note: These days, communities are using big, not giant, outdoor screens almost everywhere one can be placed and calling them “outdoor theaters.”
movies in the park…

movies on the beach…

That is easier than maintaining valuable property…

But, there are still real drive-in theaters around, City of Paramount in So Cal.

 

Meat Loafs song, "Paradise by the dashboard lights" exemplifies my drive-in movie experiences! HRP

 

Saw my first three viewings of American Graffiti at the local drive-in - three nights in a row.. First with a blond, then a brunette and by the third night with the redhead, the guy at the window, recognizing my coupe, shook my hand and winked..! Ahh yoot..!

-Dave

 

growin up my parents drove by this on weekends goin to visist me cousins I never got to see the headliner lol

 

Yeah, we had one also--a porn drive in. The screen was at an angle next to a road that was an intersection--with a red light. If you dared to go down that road at night, better be prepared for about a 45 min. to an hour's wait to go past the red light. Unbelievable how many car "breakdowns", "overheats" "flats" "just stopped running" etc.etc. that happened there-passengers all seemed to be young boys.

 

Took my ex wife to the Skyview Drive In Movies in Santa Cruz, CA. when we lived there. She wanted to see the depressing movie with John Forsythe, "The Happy Ending"... about a couple that raises the kids, sends them to college, then decide to get a divorce. (Fun flick, eh?)
His wife goes back to college (in her 50s) and he gets suicidal...UGH!
I suffer through it, then she wants to go home...The second flick was starting, something about 'Graffiti', which used to be 'the writing on the wall'... I had the BIG 427 FE started, then saw the opening of this movie, Whoa! Shut the '54 Coupe off, she says "Aren't we leaving, Michael?"
Fuck no, Junipero! "Oh, I sat thru that common bullshit...Now let's watch what the POOR PEOPLE ARE DOIN'!"

She was not aware that cruising, street racing, early classic cars, or ANYTHING pure Americana was happening...before or then! (1974) I hadn't heard about Amer. Graf., and was all eyes and ears! Plus the Wolfman!!!
She never heard of Wolfman, either. Damn near a virgin. LOL
I told her this was like First and Second Sts., San Jose, '50s & '60s. Got a 'Deer in the Headlights' stare...

 

Moffett Field Drive-In Theater as seen from the Bayshore Freeway leading to San Francisco from San Jose, CA. Located near the Moffett Field Naval Airbase in Mountain View, CA.


Hello,

Not wanting to go to the local San Jose Drive In Theater, near the State College, we went to the Moffett Drive-in Theater along the Bayshore Highway area. It was cold although it was in the Spring of 65. The breeze from the bay waters always left a moist feel in the air.

Jnaki

Why did we not want to go to the local San Jose City Drive-In Theater? Well, college roommates/pranksters were abound and it was never safe to go on a date with someone new. The red 1965 El Camino stuck out like a beacon. It was never safe to be the target of a prank, a bad joke or an embarrassing moment during these idiot college days and a few beers in other pranksters. YRMV

The movie “we” saw was “Help!” showcasing the Beatles. The song that kept playing over and over all night and for the next several days in my head was: “Your Going To Lose That Girl,” Yes, I did… it was one of those things, she had visions of fraternities/sororities, that was not my thing. It left me wondering what was next…

It was all for the better history in the next two years of college back in Long Beach. “Your Going To Lose That Girl,” was still popular, but the implication was not for me… This time, all of the marbles fell into place. It was a whirlwind adventure from the beginning, with $.10 cent coffee from those ever present machines, and it has lasted from 1966 to the present times… Yes!