A fire destroyed the screens at a drive-in theatre in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Admiral Twin Drive-In is a total loss. The owner said he doesn't know where he'll get the money to rebuild the, umm, scaffolds covered with plywood. Yeah.*
Anyway, he also said it's a shame because many young people haven't experienced the thrill of the drive-in, which is true. How come drive-in movies are so scarce now? Do you remember drive-ins? Have any good drive-in stories?
23 comments:
i don't get why drive-ins are a dying breed....they are more economical for families to see movies....most people practically live in their car anyway, so they'd be comfortable watching a movie....they can bring their own food.....
there's still a drive-in in ravenna ohio and on the weekend traffic is backed up to get in!
saw Duel at a drive-in age 3 and now i'm scared of semis to this day!!!
Here in Southern Calif - drive-ins became easy pickins for criminals. Gangs used them as meeting places and trouble of course follows. Its a shame. Saw Snow White when I was 3 at a drive in.
Here in Southern Calif - drive-ins became easy pickins for criminals. Gangs used them as meeting places and trouble of course follows. Its a shame. Saw Snow White when I was 3 at a drive in.
We loved the drive in, we used to have two of them close by! There is still one on the way to Davenport and the kids love going.
My good story involves me taking my mom's car when I was a freshman in high school. She worked 2nd shift, so until 12pm, I was pretty free. She carpooled, so there were days when the car was home, just begging to be taken by a shifty 15 yr old with no license. I called all my friends and they made up lies about where they were going and we went to see "My Bloody Valentine". Holy shit, you can't even believe how freaked out we were! It was hella fun :)
Correction: 12AM would be midnight...LOL
We still have one left nearby. We go every once in a while since it is about an hour away.
I remember being little (3 or 4) and my parents going to the drive in and making pallets in the back of the VW Bus for my sister and I to sleep while they watched the movie.
Closer to home though, most weekends one of the schools around here do movies on the football fields. They use the 30 foot blow up screens and show a movie for families.
We have one about 20 minutes away and it's ALWAYS packed. You have to get there early. It's the only one I've been to. I grew up going to the theaters, I'm slightly younger than some of you. I would prefer to go to the drive in though b/c of the price. In fact, I've not been to the movie theaters in 5 years I think.
~Palmetto Girl
Growing up, the drive in screen was on the property backing on to our house. This provided two kinds of entertainment. The stolen movies - especially the Sunday night blue movies - from the comfort of my top bunk and watching the poor souls who were doing the same thing, without the comfort of a house, getting run from the drive in by 'security'. Making their escape, they always ran through our yard and tripped over the furrows in the huge garden my mother planted every year. Laughs. One time my parents had a trench dug for some reason I can't remember, a clothes line that drooped too low and hadn't been fixed yet and the garden. That night the escaping kids fell in the trench, got up and got clothes-lined and then stumbled through the garden. My dad heard one of the guys yell that "this yard was going to fucking kill them". He laughed so hard. Of course nowadays they would have sued us and probably won.
First movie I saw at a drive in was True Grit.
I love the Drive-In. Good times.
We use to have them all over. That's where me and my husband went every weekend when we were dating.
We have one left here, The Cascade. It's quite a distance away but we are going to make it this year. They have a playground for the kids and a BBQ area. Pets are also welcome.
When I was little we would all pile into my dads station wagon. He would put the back window down and we would sit out the window.My mom would pop big bags of popcorn and we would bring a cooler with pop.
They also carried this little blue portable toilet with when we went and we thought it was a bid deal to use it. My mom didn't want us going into the concession stand to use the bathroom. She always thought there were unsavory characters in there.
One of the movies I remember going to see at the drive-in with my family was Jerry Lewis, Family Jewels.
OH HELL YES, do I remember them.
I worked at the one outside my hometown in the concession stand
for 2 Summers. I was the Popcorn
girl and pop getter. What memories. Paid for my first used car working that job--67 Camero
Convertible--3 speed on the floor--now that car really brings back memories. Wish I had that car now--but do still drive a Convertible.
The one I worked at is still there!
And there is one "Up North" Michigan (Cherry Bowl) that I see all the time when I am there.
Too cool for words.
Glad to be back from my Vacay.
Missed keeping up with everyone.
Vicki
A guy I work with always takes his wife & son to the drive-in...still! I had no idea they were still operating here. He's mentioned at least 2 now, this summer. he must love it. His kid is a freshman this year, it could go either way for him! But I remember going in our PJ's and playing on the swings before the movie. I remember once my aunt told me to lie about my age once to get in free and I got it backwards & added a year instead! LOL!! We were cracking up at that. We went alot when I was a kid. I remember seeing "Midnight Cowboy" at the drive-in with my mom & her boyfriend. I was 10. Yea, not a kids movie. But back then nobody cared. Saw "Goldfinger" at the drive-in. It was a weekly thing in the summer. So fun. Too bad about this one burning down. It will become a commercial building site now. We have one in another county that is notorious for showing "Deep Throat" & movies like that. You did have to be at least 17 to get into that drive-in. It's still open I think but I dont think it shows X-Rated movies anymore. Thanks for the memories today Pat! Take care.
xoxo
Rox
Hey Peg, Hope your Mom would not have thought the Popcorn maker/
Pop getter Girl was unsavory.LOL
But I do get the Bathroom thing--ours stunk to high heaven and even I would not use it....
Vicki
This drive in, the Admiral Twin, was built in 1951 and converted to a double screen in 1954. It was a Route 66 Landmark and a major scene in the movie "The Outsiders" was filmed at the Admiral Twin.
Area supporters have started multiple fundraising efforts to enable the owner to rebuild since no insurance company would insure the old wooden screen structure. Thousands of people say they want their kids and future generations to be able to enjoy drive in theater memories like they have.
OMG Tia!! I just bought "Duel" dvd a few months ago online. Dennis "McCloud" Weaver!!! Another one is with Kurt Russell & a semi in a war. Can't remember the name of that one.
rox
I saw Last House On The Left at the drive-in. It scared the shit out of me. We hardly ever watched the movie, it was the big social scene when I was a kid. You'd make out, fight, visit, gossip, run from car to car. Hide kids in the trunk to cut costs. The walk to the bathroom was to show off your outfit and check out guys.
The Last House on the Left --saw that at the Drive in as well-- That and Looking for Mr. Goodbar
scared me for what ever reasons.
I thought Goodbar was sad, just sad.
Haha Vickie. No, I think it was the groups of teenager that use to congregate in there and she didn't want us sitting on "those dirty toilet seats." I guess those bathrooms weren't too clean either.
When my husband and I were dating, we had 4 drive-ins all within about 5 miles of each other. We had the Sheridan, the Bel-Aire, The Double, and the Starlite.
The Bel-Aire is just vacant land now. All the rest have been replaced with shopping centers.
My husband proposed at the drive in. We were waiting in line to pay to get in and were talking about his upcoming knee surgery. He asked if I was going to go with him to the hospital and I said of course. He then asked if I would do something else for him, I asked what, and he said will you marry me.
We have a 4 screener just down the road. Although screen #3 isn't a good screen anymore. They built a new highway overpass a few years ago, and now when you are watching that screen, the car headlights are distracting.
Our drive in made it to snopes.com a few years ago. http://www.snopes.com/movies/films/twister.asp
Favorite drive-in story.
My "gang" of girls in high school all went to the drive-in one night in a big 10-passneger van. We were drinking beer and having a fine old time, watching the movie (probably a cheerleader flick) and talking, drinking beer and smoking cigarettes.
The car next door to us starts to get loud - the couple is having a fight. It gets so loud it's bothering a group of loud, semi-drunk high school girls.
Finally, the couple takes a break and they stalk off to the bathrooms or concession stand.
One of us said, those jerks, let's fill their car with the empties!
So we scrambled out and put all our empty cans on the driver's seat and floor. Did I mention there were at least seven or eight of us? Did I mention we were all good for at least four beer or more?
We got back in the van and acted like nothing was going on, lighted up Kools and kept watch out of the corner of eight sets of eyes.
When the couple came back, the guy opened his door and beer cans came slithering and spilling out off the seat and onto the ground. It was classic.
He yelled and looked around, but never made the connection that it was us. Dope. They left shortly after.
Oh, those were the days.
Didn't grow up in a country where we had drive-ins. Have never been to one but after reading all you guys' stories, wish I had!
We lost our last local drive-in when Andy was in grade school. When he was a baby, we had a big, older suburban, and my husband would back it up onto the "bump". We had a mattress in the back, and watched with the back end doors open. It was so nice to be able to nurse him while lying on one side, watching the movie, and when he was hungry again, roll over and nurse on the other side. The rest of the time, my husband and I spent snuggling Andy and watching. That is a favorite memory for me.
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