The sun has set and it's a warm summer night. The stars are just beginning to come out. You hear the sounds of children on the playground and music playing on the speakers. Suddenly the music stops, the parking lights go down and the projector lights come up. Everyone rushes back to their cars from the concession stand and playground. One late arrival looks for a choice spot with his lights on, while the other car horns blare their disapproval. All eyes focus on that big white screen. Mom and Dad are in the front seat. The kids are in the back seat, in pajamas. All eyes are on the screen except for the love birds parked in the back row, who may not be as interested in the movie as they are in each other. Perhaps no other institution says "Americana" like the Drive-In Theatre.
The world's first Drive-In opened in Camden, New Jersey on June 6, 1933. Built by its inventor; Richard M. Hollingshead, Jr. and a small group of investors. Admission was 25 cents for the car and 25 cents per person with no car to pay more than $1.00. The theatre held 336 cars and sound was provided by three central speakers, much to the objection of surrounding home owners!
The first drive-in was similar to the thousands that would follow over the next several decades. Cars entered past a ticket booth, then took a spot on the ramps laid out in the familiar clamshell pattern. The major difference was the lack of individual speakers (the individual car speaker would not arrive until the 1940's).
The 1950's were the golden years for the Drive-In. Anyone who built a drive-in could and did make money. Drive-ins built during this period held anywhere from 60 to 4,000 cars and often played movies to a capacity crowd. many drive-ins included stages for live bands, talent shows, and dances, elaborate playgrounds, small amusement parks and even miniature golf.
The drive-in theatre numbers in the United States peaked in 1958 at 4,063. The decline began in the early 1960's until 3,502 theaters were left open in 1962. This initial decline leveled off for several years until the 1970's and 1980's when the next big losses would come. From 2,882 theaters in 1977 to only 999 in 1987, it looked as if the drive-in theatre might not survive the 1990's.
Many people blame the decline of the drive-in on television, cable, video recorders and Daylight Savings Time (late summer night starts hurt weekday attendance). Others point a finger at the movie production companies for not allowing drive-ins to show first run movies. Rising land costs have also been the death of many drive-ins. Many theater owners have found it more profitable to sell their land to developers for shopping centers, discount stores, etc. than to keep the theaters open.
Wait just a minute! The drive-in theatre is still alive today. It appeared for a while they were heading the way of the dinosaur. While many drive-ins are still closing, many more are being restored and reopened by a new generation of drive-in theatre fans. We hope you'll try building one of our drive-in theatre kits and then maybe take the time to visit a drive-in yourself.
Get out your tools, pop some popcorn and enjoy your favorite beverage while you build our Drive-In Theatre Kit and recreate a bygone era. Thank you for your patronage and don't forget to drive safely.
