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NBC News had a feature last night about the upsurgance in drive-in movie attendance due to the Corona Virus epidemic. It's hard to imagine how indoor movie theaters can ever be safe as long as the virus is around, so drive-in's may be booming for the forseeable future.
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Interesting Paul! It's funny how reverting back to Drive-in theaters might prove to be safer at this time. Of course most drive-in's have been turned into housing projects or shopping centers. -
I've been a fan for a long time: Very often when we go on vacation we try to find a local one and attend.
There's some powerful lessons here!- You don't truly appreciate how dirty your windshield is until you watch a movie through it.
- You need bug spray. If you leave the windows open the bugs come in the car. If you close them the windows fog.
- Just because you drove in, doesn't mean you must sit in. Lawn chairs and a portable radio just may be your best choices.
- Drive-In theaters have all the usual on-screen artifacts, plus birds and bats!
- The Drive-In is the last refuge of the double feature. It's a long night!
Still the same: with the right movie and the right crowd, it's a nice experience. Very often the crowds gather before dark and you get spontaneous softball games and frisbee tosses. It's great with little kids: you bring a blanket and a couple of pillows and you are in business when they get tired. Besides that, if you are a fan of classic cars, this is their natural habitat!
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Steve
You mentioned about taking a portable radio.
Does this mean you can tune in to the films' sound?
MauriceComment
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Hi Maurice,
Most Drive-Ins went to FM broadcast years ago. This way the sound can be in stereo, besides that the old speakers were a headache. People sometimes forgot they were there and tried to drive away or even just plain stole them.
(I bought mine!)
Of course an evening with the ignition switch on is often a pretty solid indicator of who should buy a new battery before next winter! Usually a drive in has a set of booster cables, just in case.Comment
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Funny this topic was brought up .
Here in Ocala , Florida is the ONLY drive-in in the country that has been open during this pandemic - and showing NEW movies !
Of course , now set up for social distancing ( 10 feet between autos and cell phone orders from the snack bar ) .
It has 2 screens ( one large , one smaller ) and a outdoor seating area by the snack bar if you don't want to watch in your car .
There's only one theater in America showing newly released movies right now and it's right here in North Central Florida.
Thousands of theaters across the country have closed due to the coronavirus but at the Ocala Drive-in, they're not letting this COVID-19 pandemic get them down.
They're one of the few movie theaters still open.
"Born and raised in the theater industry. My family goes back 107 years. Never thought we'd see the day where I was the only one operating in the entire state,” Owner of the Ocala Drive-in, John Watzke said.
Outside of Florida, Watzke has the only theater in the country playing first-run movies, like 'Trolls World Tour'.
He's also working with smaller productions to bring their new releases to Marion County as well.
"Some of the major film companies have held up the major releases, so I'm working with some of the smaller filming companies getting some new releases from them,” he added.
But he's had to make several changes to the business to keep his employees and patrons safe - including putting more space in between cars and changing how food is handled at the concession stand.
"It's really nice to see the families getting out here and they feel normal, and that's the thing, to me mental stability is just as important as physical stability,” Watzke said.
For it's latest release, the theater will have a free showing on Friday, April 24, and Saturday, April 25 featuring Louisiana producer Jack Hunter's debut film 'Horror Nights.'
If you live in the north central Florida area and are interested in more info on this little gem , go to : https://ocaladrivein.info/Comment
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Why not bring a portable radio?Comment
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Drive in movies are really special. Of course there are none in the UK, probably due to the climate
, so when I emigrated to Williamsport Pa in 1963, I was really intrigued by them. Williamsport had no less than three at the time, The Port, The Pike, and The Lycoming. When I met my future wife at Sylvania Electronics, we regularly visited all three. It was truly amazing to watch first run films like The Sound of Music outdoors in the pure Pennsylvania country air in the comfort of a '58 Buick. Later on when our daughter was born we would put her in her bassinette on the back seat and could still enjoy our movie nights out. I don't know if any of the original three drive-in's are still in operation in Williamsport, but if they are I imagine they are doing very good business right now.
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I forget who wrote it at the moment, (the book is sitting around here somewhere), but Steve Osborne sent me a book on the history of the Drive in Movie theaters. I was surprised as to how long they had in fact been around. it's funny, but it';s so logical for drive ins to make a come back. Sadly, the only drive in, in my home town, closed about 2006.Comment
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It was in the morning TV news that drive-ins are being allowed to re-open in Northern Ireland.Comment
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Osi
I have such a book which may be the one to which you refer.
It's a hardback "Drive-In Theaters" by Kerry Segrave, published in 1992 by McFarland. It's available in a paperback version on Amazon. It's very interesting.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...fkmr0&dchild=1
MauriceComment
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About 15 years ago we had a outdoor screening fairly local and the sound was broadcast on BBC radio. Quite a huge screen and was very well attended.Comment
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I am from CT, and we have just a few Drive-Ins open still. We used to have so...so many and was the best part of the summer because of the wonderful full night out under the stars with friends, family and film!!! There was a small Drive in called the "Pike" that was surrounded by pine trees that seemed to keep any light from interfering with the projection. The screen was Large and I remember watching a 35mm Scope print of "Ben-Hur" with my Dad, and it was just so Fantastic!
This was about 1975 and I will never forget that presentation.... and I have seen it in 70mm prior to. There is just something special about the Drive Ins. Im 65 now and I have been almost every year trying to get a good billing to see now-a days but cant seem to find it. But back when I was a kid...WoW... Dad would be looking for a parking place, mom would be passing out pillows, and "Last Voyage" was just starting....and "The Great Escape" was being set up next! That was the Drive IN.Comment
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David
I refer to your posting about the Ocala drive-in in Florida which has two screens.
Could you please explain the set-up?
Are the two screen back-to-back, which would mean two separate projection rooms? Or, are the two screens projected from one booth?
MauriceComment
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These usually start out as single screen and add one later to draw in more business. Since they are seasonal, they have to squeeze as much as they can out of the warmer months.
Where the second screen winds up is usually a function of the land they either have or can obtain. I've seen the screens back to back and off to the side: basically any arrangement that keeps the pictures separate, the traffic manageable, and the headlights of the cars in motion off the screens. Being that double features are common, there is often a major abandonment when the opening feature ends.
I've been to a Drive-In in Maine called the Bridgton Twin twice now. The first time it was still 35mm. Three years later they had gone digital and built a new projection house/snack bar.
This is what you see while you are standing in line for your nachos and popcorn:
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This is the field and screen facing that projection house (The other screen has its own.). You'll notice the number of cars facing away from the screen. These are people sitting in chairs, or in some cases they are sitting in the backs of pickup trucks and hatchbacks and station wagons with all sorts of cushions and pillows. The house rule is you can't let your tailgate block the other patrons' view.
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