Rick Raw: Drive-in Theaters–A Time Warp Back to The Fifties

By Rick Grant rickgrant01@comcast.net www.rickatnight.com

My 1950's memories are made of fragmented nostalgic experiences that promanently include drive-in theaters, where as a young man, I was hoping to get lucky for the first time. I took my dates to the drive-in theater in my tank-like 1952 Packard, with a large couch-like back seat. The huge heavy hunk of steel and chrome had been a luxury car in its day. Ah, but for me, it was a motel on wheels that drove like a Cadillac. This battle-wagon could cruise at 80 mph like it was going 50 mph.

In 1958, I was a junior in high school and, when I recently read that drive-in theaters were enjoying a resurgence, a flood of memories came back–visions of the many happy nights I spent not viewing the featured film, but trying to get beyond second base. One night, as Giant rolled on the outdoor screen, I had my first sexual experience. It rocked me to the core and made me realize I was way outside my teenage comfort zone.

After this mind-blowing experience, I played it cool. I was scared I’d get some girl pregnant which wasn’t in my future plans. But soon, driven by surging hormones, I threw caution to the wind and was back at the drive-in, emboldened by my previous experience. There in my living room on wheels Packard, I was again steaming up the windows, and hoping I would get lucky–again!

Drive-in theaters provided privacy for teenagers and ordinary people who could be comfortable in their cars to watch movies. Drive-ins were also popular because parents didn’t have to hire a babysitter. At that time, there were thousands of drive-ins countrywide–5,000 plus. Today there are 500 drive-ins scattered around the country, many of which are in Florida. Now instead of those crummy speakers on the door, you tune into a special frequency on your car radio to hear the soundtrack.

In my home town, Jacksonville, Florida we have one drive-in, The Playtime Triple Family Drive-in, that now screens first run movies. The Playtime doubles as a flea market during weekdays. In a past incarnation, the Playtime ran X-rated movies to fill up the parking spaces.

Today, when you drive through the gate of a drive-in, you travel back in time. Drive-ins have become a popular family entertainment. Paradoxically, it comes at a time when there are many choices of venues and multimedia to watch movies, including giant megaplexes, Ipods, cell phones, computer screens, DVDs, and dedicated DVD players. The drive-in has the nostalgic appeal of a simpler time when our culture was less complicated and stressed. Yeah, cliche or not, it was the good old days. Ah, time moves relentlessly on and progress is an unstoppable runaway train.

Now parents are taking their kids to the drive-in to expose them to a truly American pop icon, and a chance for the whole family to enjoy a night out together. In contrast, a night out at a megaplex can be expensive. But, at a drive-in, folks can take their own snacks or buy them at the snack bar at reasonable prices. Of course, today’s drive-ins are still passion pits, attracting married people having extramarital affairs. Oh yes, the lure of a tryst at a drive-in has a very strong appeal for some unhappy married people.

Proprietors of drive-ins tell a popular joke about extramarital affairs at drive-ins. "A man goes to the manager and complains that he is sure that his wife is there with another man. He wants the manager to stop the film so he can catch his wife with her lover. After a long argument, the manager briefly stops the film and makes an announcement through the speakers. ‘A man is here looking for his wife who is here with another man.’" Twenty-five cars immediately left the drive-in.