Paradise by the dashboard light
August 7, 2008
In the late 1950s and early 1960s there were nearly 4000 Drive-In theaters in America; today only a handful per state are left.
Earlier this week here in Atlanta there was a screening for the new movie HELL RIDE, Larry Bishop’s homage to 1960s motorcycle movies (Produced by Quentin Tarantino, and in effect a third movie to go with GRINDHOUSE’s DEATHPROOF and PLANET TERROR).
HELL RIDE is a Drive-In theater movie if there ever was one, and to give it a sense of occasion, there was a promotional event, HELL RIDE REBELLION, at the Starlight Six Drive-In.
Before the movie started at 9:30 PM, they had two bands play from 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM, and a burlesque show with two tattooed biker chicks and a ’50s greaser. All this MC’ed by Saspirilla the Blue Gorilla. That is, somebody in a blue gorilla suit.
Atlanta motorcycle clubs had a lot of motorcycles out in force, and there were also a few vintage cars there (They do a thing on Labor Day weekend at the Starlight Six Drive-In, Drive-Invasion, where they encourage people to bring their 1950s/60s/70s cars and show Drive-In movies from those decades).
After HELL RIDE, they showed HELLBOY II, and then WANTED, so it was an evening that wound down around 2:50 AM or so.
Drive-In Theaters of course came into their own in the 1950s, when Post-World War II baby-boomers decided, if it was worth going to a movie, it was worth going to a movie in your big old car.
It was a social event. You could get out and walk around and check out other boss cars. You could make out with your date, which is why Drive-Ins became known as “Passion Pits.” You could walk to the snack bar and bring back provisions to get you through the next movie.
Drive-Ins continued through the 1960s, but by the 1970s, television and Daylight Savings Time had taken their toll, and by the 1980s home videotapes and cable TV encouraged people to stay home. Plus, Drive-In theaters took up valuable real estate, and many of them were torn down.
Some still exist though. There’s this webpage, www.driveintheater.com, that lists remaining Drive-In theaters by state. I don’t know how up-to-date it is, but, for example, it lists only 4 Drive-In theaters in Georgia, but some 41 in Ohio. Here’s another list in wikipedia. Check your state and see if there’s still an operating Drive-In theater near you!
Seen it? How many stars do you give it?
(1 votes, average: 2 out of 5)
Loading ...Comments
Got something to say?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
