Going to the Movies in Pajamas
By Felice Prager
We never moved
faster than when our mom and dad said, "Go put on your
pajamas. We're going to the movies!" The "movies" they
were referring to were being shown at the drive-in theater
out on the highway. My aunt and uncle often joined us with
their children. Sometimes we were allowed to bring a
neighborhood friend, who also wore pajamas. Then when we
got to the drive-in, it was always the same routine: The
adults sat in one car, and the kids were in the other car
that was parked right next to them. My dad and uncle went
to the concession stand and got us soda, candy, and
popcorn, and we took turns sitting in the driver's seat
pretending we were grown-ups who knew how to drive.
As an adult, I have often talked to other Baby Boomers,
and most remember nights at the drive-in movies. What has
always surprised me when the discussion comes up is how
many admit that they also went to the drive-in in their
pajamas, and how much fun it was.
Though invented and patented (United States Patent
1,909,537) in 1933 in Camden, New Jersey, by Richard
Hollingshead, and though by 1942 there were almost one
hundred drive-ins scattered across 27 states, it was not
until the Fifties that drive-ins gained the most
popularity. (Hollingshead's patent was declared invalid
by the Delaware District Court in 1950.) Part of the
reason for the increased popularity was that technology
improved when RCA introduced in-car speakers, which were a
definite improvement upon the old and inefficient
bullhorns mounted on the drive-in screen.
According to
http://www.drive-ins.com, by 1948, there were an estimated
820 drive-ins, and by 1958, there were approximately 4063
drive-in theaters in the United States and Canada. Some
drive-ins even added playgrounds, pony rides, boat rides,
and train rides to encourage family attendance. Some
drive-ins opened as much as three hours early to allow
children to enjoy the "extras" they provided. One of
the largest drive-In theaters was 28 acres. It was the
All-Weather Drive-In in Copiague, New York. It had parking
spaces for 2,500 cars and an indoor area that could hold
1,200 patrons. It was heated and air-conditioned, had a
playground, a cafeteria, a restaurant with full dinners,
and a shuttle train could take customers from their cars
to the various areas. (http://www.driveintheater.com)
The concession stands were a major part of the appeal as
well. Using a cafeteria-like operation, these concessions
could efficiently provide soda, candy, popcorn, hotdogs,
pizza, burgers, and fried chicken to hundreds of children
and adults during the 10-minute intermission. Some
drive-ins featured cartoons and dancing French fries
during the intermission. What I remember most was the
clock/timer on the screen that told us how much time was
left until the second feature began. I remember counting
backwards along with the clock with my younger cousin and
my brother and other cousin telling us to shut up.
The 1950 has brought other innovations to drive-ins such
as in-car heaters and mobile concession carts. Some even
provided live entertainment before the show; often these
were local rock and roll bands. At the drive-in we went
to, they sold insect repellent and coiled and stick "punks"
which, when lit, helped keep mosquitoes away.
However, the appeal of going to the drive-in was that they
offered a casual and convenient alternative to traditional
indoor movie houses. Instead of sitting in a stuffy indoor
movie theater on a summer night, people could avoid a
babysitter, and pack up the kids in their pajamas and
spend a cool summer evening watching a movie.
When asked, some industry leaders have said that the
biggest reason for the decline in popularity of drive-in
movie theaters was the introduction of Daylight Savings
Time. Parents were reluctant to take their families to the
drive-in for movies that started as late as ten o'clock at
night. Additionally, with the Baby Boom era ending, there
were fewer families with children. Many drive-in operators
switched to more adult or occult films to attempt to draw
in business. Some also tried to improve their bottom line
with flea markets or church services during the daytime on
the weekends. Television improved and stations were trying
to compete for the same audience, and often won.
Those were the initial reasons for the decline in
popularity. By the Seventies and Eighties, cable TV and
VCRS were offering competition in many homes. In addition,
movie theaters were being built in the suburbs, many of
them multiplexes offering more screens and more movie
choices. The newer theaters were air-conditioned and
modern, and many times were within malls that had
additional appeal.
Seeing business decline, many drive-in owners decided it
might be better to sell their land to commercial
developers. I remember when I got my driver's license;
the road test was taken on an obstacle course of sorts
that was built where the drive-in I had gone to as a child
originally stood.
There are still drive-in theaters today. According to
http://www.drive-ins.com/stats.htm, in the year 2005,
there were 419 open drive-in theaters, of which seven were
new and three were reopened.
My last visit to a drive-in theater was when I was in
tenth grade. I went with a boy (who I thought) was the
cutest boy in my high school. I did not wear pajamas.
During the movie, I went back to the concession area to go
the restroom. On the way back, I got lost. I wandered
through the aisles of cars knowing my date had a small
black sports car, but it took about an hour to find him.
It was our first and last date, and I definitely remember
him saying, "It's a good thing it was a good movie or
else I would have been gone an hour ago." The movie was
Endless Summer. While walking in the lot, I saw most of
the movie and heard bits of it from speakers that were
turned up high attached to open windows. It seemed like it
was going to be a timeless film, to people into surfing.
Felice Prager is a freelance
writer from Scottsdale, Arizona with credits in local,
national, and international publications. In addition to
writing, she also works with adults and children with
moderate to severe learning disabilities as a multisensory
educational therapist. For a sampling of her essays,
please visit her website: Write Funny! -
http://www.writefunny.com
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