Going to a movie was something our family only did periodically, so it was always a special treat when I was a kid. In southern Indiana we had two types of venues when the family wanted to see a movie, we could go to a theater downtown, or we could go to a drive-in. Most of the big-name, high production value films were shown at the theaters; the drive-ins usually featured cheaper, second-tier movies, making the admission price at the drive-ins cheaper.
Cars would pull into the drive-ins and park on one of the spots along the many elevated rows, that elevated the front of the car and the occupants inside, so they would be facing the big movie screen in front of them. Beside each parking spot there was a post holding speakers (photo below) . The speaker could be pulled over and placed inside the car, hung on the window.
Just in front of the big movie screen there was usually a playground to occupy the kids, as everyone waited around for dusk to get dark enough for the movies to be shown. In the middle of the parking area there was the projection building which sold popcorn, hot dogs, candy, and other movie treats. Drive-ins usually showed double features. It seems like drive-ins were where a lot of the monster and horror films were shown.
As you might expect, drive-ins were most popular during the warmer parts of the year. Our family had a pickup truck, and a few times in summer, we would go to a drive-in with the truck. When we used the pickup, we would back it into the elevated row, instead of driving in. Once parked, we would unfold the lawn chairs we had brought with us, set them up in the bed of the pickup, and watch the movies that way. When using the pickup, we usually brought some blankets along to stay comfortable as the night cooled.
Of course, one of the big advantages of going drive-in movies for teenagers, was the fact that being in a car with a girl or boyfriend, allowed a lot of time for making-out. You could always watch the best one of the films in the double feature, then make-out during the second film.
Before we moved to McBride, there used to be a drive-in movie across from Koeneman Park. It was long gone by the time we arrived. I could never really understand the economics of having a drive-in in these northern climes. For about half the year, the weather is too cold to be parking in a car, and during the summer, the daylight lasts so long it seems like it would take forever for it to get dark enough to show a movie. I guess maybe that is why the McBride’s local drive-in disappeared.
No comments:
Post a Comment