May the Force Be With You… At the Drive-In
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Author: Jahily al'Karee, May 2013
Before the days of Hulu, smart phones, digital recording, surround sound, 3-D, CGI or the Internet, there was the drive-in movie theater. Picture if you will: driving your car to a big open lot, finding a spot in front of the gigantic screen, hooking a speaker to the car window and sitting under the stars while watching a double feature of the latest hit movies, and classic favorites. Windows open, you can hear the sounds from other speakers, chatter and laughter from your neighbors in the next car, the smell of popcorn and hot dogs wafting through the summer air.
We had a station wagon when I was little, and my dad would lay the back seats down so us kids could spread out with blankets to enjoy the show - or fall asleep during the second feature.
I don’t remember very many of the movies I saw at the drive-in, but I do remember that’s where I saw “Star Wars” for the first time. The real “Star Wars,” when Yoda was a puppet and Han Solo shot first. And so began a love for the series that I passed on to my nephews, share with my husband and friends, and now interests my son – he is too young to watch the movies just yet, but he has a set of the action figures and knows some of the basic story.
In more recent years, my husband and I stood in lines for midnight showings of “the prequels” and watched them in modern theaters packed full of eager fans. While I do enjoy the comforts and quality of the modern theater (especially our local draft houses, where you can enjoy burgers and a bucket of beer while you watch), the drive-in captured a moment in time.
The first drive-in opened in New Jersey in 1933. At its highest popularity in the 1950’s and 60’s, there were more than 4,000 theaters worldwide. At present, there are only about 450 still open, mostly in the US and Canada. The decline of drive-ins began in the 1980’s, when many theaters moved to showing “adult” content. Now that the movie industry is releasing only digital versions of movies, existing theaters face costly upgrades or closure, not just the drive-ins but also classic theater houses.
Perhaps as an homage to the drive-ins, some areas of the US have begun showing "movies in the park," often sponsored by cities or local groups, where people can gather in their neighborhood park and watch a movie on DVD, shown on the sides of buildings or rigged up canvas for screens. In the cases of the movies I've seen, they are often held in the summer and family-friendly fare. If you're missing movies under the stars, this might be something to check out and see what's showing in your town.
