DMR_69301

THE HISTORY OF THE DRIVE IN THEATER:

The DRIVE IN THEATER was the creation of Camden, New Jersey, chemical company magnate Richard M. Hollingshead, Jr., whose family owned and operated the R.M. Hollingshead Corporation chemical plant in Camden. In 1932, Hollingshead conducted outdoor theater tests in his driveway at 212 Thomas Avenue in Riverton. After nailing a screen to trees in his backyard, he set a 1928 Kodak projector on the hood of his car and put a radio behind the screen, testing different sound levels with his car windows down and up. Blocks under vehicles in the driveway enabled him to determine the size and spacing of ramps so all automobiles could have a clear view of the screen. Following these experiments, he applied August 6, 1932, for a patent of his invention, and he was given U.S. Patent 1,909,537 on May 16, 1933.

 

Hollingshead's drive-in opened in New Jersey June 6, 1933, on Admiral Wilson Boulevard at the Airport Circle in Pennsauken, a short distance from Cooper River Park. It offered 400 slots and a 40 by 50 ft (12 by 15 m) screen. He advertised his drive-in theater with the slogan, "The whole family is welcome, regardless of how noisy the children are." The first film shown was the Adolphe Menjou film Wife Beware. The facility only operated three years, but during that time the concept caught on in other states. The April 15, 1934, opening of Shankweiler's Auto Park in Orefield, Pennsylvania, was followed by Galveston's Drive-In Short Reel Theater (July 5, 1934), the Pico Drive-In Theater at Pico and Westwood boulevards in Los Angeles(September 9, 1934) and the Weymouth Drive-In Theatre in Weymouth, Massachusetts (May 6, 1936). In 1937, three more opened in Ohio, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with another 12 during 1938 and 1939 in California, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Texas and Virginia. Early drive-in theaters had to deal with noise pollution issues. The original Hollingshead drive-in had speakers installed on the tower itself which caused a sound delay affecting patrons at the rear of the drive-in's field. In 1935, the Pico Drive-in Theater attempted to solve this problem by having a row of speakers in front of the cars. In 1941, RCA introduced in-car speakers with individual volume controls which solved the noise pollution issue and provided satisfactory sound to drive-in patrons.

 

The drive-in's peak popularity came in the late 1950s and early 1960s, particularly in rural areas, with some 4,000 drive-ins spread across the United States. Among its advantages was the fact that a family with a baby could take care of their child while watching a movie, while teenagers with access to autos found drive-ins ideal for dates. Revenue is more limited than regular theaters since showings can only begin at twilight. There were abortive attempts to create suitable conditions for daylight viewing such as large tent structures, but nothing viable was developed.

 

In the 1950s, the greater privacy afforded to patrons gave drive-ins a reputation as immoral, and they were labeled "passion pits" in the media. During the 1970s, some drive-ins changed from family fare to exploitation films, as a way to offset declining patronage and revenue. Also, during the 1970s, some drive-ins began to show pornographic movies in less family-centered time slots to bring in extra income. This allowed censored materials to be viewed by a wide audience, some for whom viewing was illegal, and it was reliant upon the whims of local ordinances controlling such material. It also required a relatively remote location distant from populated areas such as towns and cities.

 

Over time, the economics of real estate made the large property areas increasingly expensive for drive-ins to operate successfully. Land became far too valuable for businesses such as drive-ins, which in most cases were summer-only. Widespread adoption of daylight saving time subtracted an hour from outdoor evening viewing time. These changes and the advent of color televisions, VCRs and video rentals led to a sharp decline in the drive-in popularity. Drive-ins were subject to the whim of nature as inclement weather often caused

cancellations. They eventually lapsed into a quasi-novelty status with the remaining handful catering to a generally nostalgic audience, though many drive-ins continue to successfully operate in some areas. By 2013, drive-ins comprised only 1.5 percent of movie screens in the United States. At the industry's height, 25 percent of the nation's movie screens had been in a drive-in. As of 2012, a figure of 368 drive-ins has been published as for how many Drive-Ins remain in use through out the United States.

 

 

THIS DRIVE IN THEATER....

opened for business on August 12, 1949. As developed by Courtney Evans, on land owned by Mildred and Albert Steele, the drive-in, in 1949 was quite different than what remains of it today. tod During its first year of operations, two large speakers mounted on opposite sides of the screen broadcast the sound. When conditions were right, it was possible to hear the movie three miles away in the town. When the Steeles' purchased Mr. Evans’ interest in the operation in 1950, the sound system was replaced by in-car speakers.

The original screen was also quite different from the one that still stands today. Transplanted from Camden, New Jersey, it was constructed of fabric and could be raised or lowered on a supporting framework. A well-corroborated story has it, that one night some local boys cut the tethers during a show, sending the screen to the ground just as a plane in the picture went down in flames. This screen was eventually replaced by a rather small but more conventional movie screen, which was succeeded, in 1972, by the steel screen structure that remains today.

 

While the amenities of public accommodations have changed along with popular expectations, those found along rural roadsides in the 40’s and 50’s were often quite rudimentary by contemporary standards. The facilities featured at this Drive-In Theater during this period were no exception. Until the Roller Rink opened on the premises in 1954, ladies and gentlemen were offered restroom accommodations in outhouses concealed behind a rose trellis. When the adjacent roller rink opened in ‘54, women were offered accommodation inside and the men's outdoor facilities remained until 1968 when separate indoor restrooms were constructed.

 

During the drive-in’s early years, this states Blue Laws prohibited the exhibition of motion pictures on Sundays. To circumvent these restrictions, the Steeles presented music shows on a stage in front of the screen. Albert’s band, The Blue Hen Ramblers, was a familiar attraction, as was Pollie Peach Tree, a comedy routine between sets, featuring Mildred Steele. Bill Haley performed at the Drive-In, without his Comets, as did Tex Ritter.

 

In 1966, the Drive-In was leased to a Baltimore-based exhibition circuit for the next 20 years. Disappointed with the results from their initial engagements, R/C Theaters ventured into the burgeoning field of adult entertainment. Though tame by the standards of contemporary features, the adult films of the late 60’s were an instant success at the drive-in. By the mid 80’s, though, even this market had lost its vitality, and as occurred with so many outdoor theaters at the time, and the Drive-In closed its doors in 1986 as audiences migrated to a new generation of indoor theaters and patrons stayed at home choosing movies on cable and video cassette instead.

 

In 1996, veteran New England drive-in operator Don Brown leased the Drive-In Theater property, renovating and reopening it again and bringing it back to its glory days of mass-appeal drive-in entertainment. But, This would end in November 2008, and the last Movie to screened at this Drive-In was Madagascar 2, this is when the Steeles' heirs opted not to renew the lease in order to put the land on the market.

Much good this did the family as the land, 5 years later still sits Abandoned to this day...

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