THE DRIVE-IN MOVIE THEATER: Plan a trip in your collector car to a relic of our motoring past

June 23, 2018
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

Written by Barbara Toombs

Photo courtesy of DriveInMovie.com

Just over 85 years ago, on June 6, 1933, eager – and no doubt curious – motorists rambled up to Richard Hollingshead’s brand-new Park-In Theaters in Camden, New Jersey. Intrigued by the idea of watching a film from the comfort of their car, people were happy to pay the 25 cents per car and 25 cents per person, pull their car into one of the 400 carefully positioned spots and settle in to watch the 1932 film “Wives Beware” on the 40-by-50-foot screen.

Photo courtesy DriveInMovie.com

Hollingshead’s inspiration for a drive-in movie theater is said to have come from the struggle of his rather tall mother to sit comfortably in traditional movie seats. The movie fan and chemical company magnate first experimented in the driveway of his own house with different projection and sound techniques, which largely involved pinning a screen to some trees, positioning a 1928 Kodak projector on the hood of his car, and plopping a radio behind the screen for sound. After devising the entire concept, right down to the ideal spacing arrangement for cars so they all would have a view of the screen, Hollingshead applied for and received a patent in May 1933 and didn’t waste any time opening his theater, with an initial investment of $30,000.

The idea quickly caught on. After Hollingshead’s patent was overturned in 1949, drive-in theaters began appearing all over the country. Early on, sound issues were a problem. The original drive-in had speakers installed on a tower, which caused a sound delay for those parked in the rear of the field. In 1941, RCA introduced the now-famous in-car speakers with individual volume controls. Nowadays, movie audio is provided with a local FM radio broadcast (also, in some locations, to accommodate older cars, on AM radio) directly to car audio systems.

cedphoto.com/Courtesy of Mansfield Drive-In

The heyday of the drive-in was in the late 1950s and early 1960s, especially in rural areas, with about 4,000 drive-ins spread across the United States. Baby Boomers will remember fondly piling into the family car – perhaps even dressed in pajamas – as parents packed bags of popcorn and other snacks to enjoy during the film. Many drive-in theaters allowed children to enter free and even provided playgrounds for the young ones to let off steam. With newly driving teenagers, the drive-in was just the ticket for a first date and a chance to show off their ride.

As of 2017, only about 330 operating drive-in theaters remained in the United States, with at least six listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many of the vintage drive-ins remaining are in the Northeast, operating in the spring and summer months – some of them just an hour or so from Mohegan Sun (see a few suggestions below). Why not put the top down on that collectible convertible of yours and plan a family road trip to enjoy a movie al fresco?

CONNECTICUT

By the mid-1060s, there were still more than 40 drive-in theaters operating in the Nutmeg State. Today, only three remain, all about 45 minutes to an hour’s drive from Mohegan Sun:

• Pleasant Valley Drive-In, Barkhamsted. The oldest Connecticut drive-in still in operation. The time-capsule rural setting, with a grassy field framed in by a stand of tall pines, can accommodate up to 250 cars.
• Mansfield Drive-In, Mansfield. The largest of the state’s remaining drive-ins, with three screens (one devoted to family films only) and parking for nearly 1,000 cars.
• Southington Drive-In Theater, Southington. Originally opened back in 1954, this location went dark in 2002 but was revived by the Town of Southington. Limited showings (generally just once a week) during the summer and fall.

RHODE ISLAND

Rhode Island hosted one of the first 10 drive-ins to be opened in America: the Providence Drive-in, which opened in July 1937. During its peak, the state had 15 drive-ins; today just one remains, approximately an hour’s drive from Mohegan Sun:

• Rustic Tri-View Drive-In Theatre, North Smithfield. First opened in 1951 as a single screen drive-in; two more screens were added in 1988.

MASSACHUSETTS

During its peak in the 1950s, the state hosted nearly 90 outdoor theaters. Today only four remain operational, including two about an hour from Mohegan Sun and one stellar example on Cape Cod:

Leicester Triple Drive-In, Leicester. Opened as a single-screen drive-in back in 1967 and later added two more.

Mendon Twin Drive-In, Mendon. Opened in 1954 as one of 58 drive-in theaters operating in the state at that time. Considered one of the best examples of enshrining the drive-in as a cultural icon.

Wellfleet Drive-In, South Wellfleet. Opened in 1957, this is the perfect venue for initiating someone who has never experienced a drive-in, with a massive 100-foot-wide screen, a playground for kids and an early 1960s miniature golf course. In addition to using FM to broadcast, there are also the traditional window speakers of long ago.

For a wealth of information about drive-ins and to find a drive-in theater near you, visit DriveInMovie.com.