That was the slogan used to promote the first opening of a Drive-In Theatre.
In the midst of the Great Depression of the 1930's, people found ways to have entertainment...to get their minds off the struggles and the hardships they faced.
For example, carnivals and fairs remained popular during this era as people would save what they could and attend their local fairs or state fairs to give their families opportunity to laugh again...a much needed element in a very difficult time.
In Camden, New Jersey...on a street named Crescent Boulevard, there was a unique experience about to unfold.
On June 6th, 1933, people could drive their automobiles right on to the park grounds, roll down their windows and enjoy watching a movie...while remaining in their car! It was the first of its kind that very evening...the invention of the "Drive-In Theatre!"
The inventor of this "wonder" was Richard Hollingshead, employed by his father as a sales manager and a movie fan himself.
Actually, the idea seem to come from Hollingshead's mother,
for she had often struggled being able to sit comfortably in the more traditional movie seats, which led Richard Hollingshead to the idea of "watching a movie in the comfort of your own automobile".
Hollingshead started his idea by trying it out in his own driveway, and used a projection along with some sound techniques at the time by simply placing a screen between some trees and mounting a 1928 Kodak projector to the hood of his car and placing a radio behind the screen to broadcast sound.
There were other factors to consider such as rain and the outside elements in general, along with spacing cars in an arrangement so everyone attending a movie event could have a good view as well as hear what was being said.
In May of 1933 Hollingshead received a patent for his idea, and on June 6th, 1933...with an investment now totalling $30,000, the "Park-In Theatres, Inc." officially opened!
The main advertisement for this venture was: " Entertainment...for the Whole Family". The charge for coming to see a movie outdoors was 25 cents per car and 25 cents per person in the car...not to exceed $1.00 for a full car load.
Although the initial setting for the first Drive-In theatre stayed open for only 3 years, the idea caught on and many more Drive-In theatres were now being opened.
The idea was a complete success and in 1949 Hollingshead patent was overturned, thereby allowing others to market the original concept...and soon Drive-In theatres began popping up everywhere.
In it's early years, many of the Drive-In movies were "B-movies", with sound quality being the big challenge to its success.
As time went on, technology gave assistance to sound quality and as the popularity and demand for this form of entertainment increased, so did the quality of the movies.
After WWII, Drive-In theatres really "took off", and now the newest movies were finding their way to the Drive-In theatres. Of course, there are those stories....like the area that got hit by a tornado, and the title of the movie for the tornado stricken area...."Gone with the Wind".
During the late 50's and early 60's, Drive-In theatres reached their peak in demand for family entertainment. During this era there were over 5000 Drive-In theatres throughout the country.
Yet, clouds were on the horizon for the Drive-In theatres. For just as technology had been "her faithful assistant" in helping to create a demand for this type of entertainment, technology now "shook hands" and parted ways with the Drive-In theatres, moving on to other things like...video stores and movies on disks, downloading, home computers, companies like Netflix, and even having access to movies through your own cell phones.
Today, there are less than 500 Drive-In theatres throughout the country,and many of these remain open for the nostalgia of the era.
It was fun!...I personally remember "stuffing" buddies (myself included at times) in the trunk of our cars so we could get in the Drive-In movie for free...God forbid we pay $1.00 to watch a movie. And of course, Drive In theatres became a popular place to take a date....
Oh, on that night in June of 1933, the movie was "Wife Beware", there were 400 spaces for cars and the screen was 40 feet x 50 feet.
I read where Google has dedicated their homepage on this day in remembrance of....The Drive-In Theatre!
In the midst of the Great Depression of the 1930's, people found ways to have entertainment...to get their minds off the struggles and the hardships they faced.
For example, carnivals and fairs remained popular during this era as people would save what they could and attend their local fairs or state fairs to give their families opportunity to laugh again...a much needed element in a very difficult time.
In Camden, New Jersey...on a street named Crescent Boulevard, there was a unique experience about to unfold.
On June 6th, 1933, people could drive their automobiles right on to the park grounds, roll down their windows and enjoy watching a movie...while remaining in their car! It was the first of its kind that very evening...the invention of the "Drive-In Theatre!"The inventor of this "wonder" was Richard Hollingshead, employed by his father as a sales manager and a movie fan himself.
Actually, the idea seem to come from Hollingshead's mother,
for she had often struggled being able to sit comfortably in the more traditional movie seats, which led Richard Hollingshead to the idea of "watching a movie in the comfort of your own automobile".
Hollingshead started his idea by trying it out in his own driveway, and used a projection along with some sound techniques at the time by simply placing a screen between some trees and mounting a 1928 Kodak projector to the hood of his car and placing a radio behind the screen to broadcast sound.
In May of 1933 Hollingshead received a patent for his idea, and on June 6th, 1933...with an investment now totalling $30,000, the "Park-In Theatres, Inc." officially opened!
The main advertisement for this venture was: " Entertainment...for the Whole Family". The charge for coming to see a movie outdoors was 25 cents per car and 25 cents per person in the car...not to exceed $1.00 for a full car load.
Although the initial setting for the first Drive-In theatre stayed open for only 3 years, the idea caught on and many more Drive-In theatres were now being opened.
The idea was a complete success and in 1949 Hollingshead patent was overturned, thereby allowing others to market the original concept...and soon Drive-In theatres began popping up everywhere.
In it's early years, many of the Drive-In movies were "B-movies", with sound quality being the big challenge to its success.
As time went on, technology gave assistance to sound quality and as the popularity and demand for this form of entertainment increased, so did the quality of the movies.
After WWII, Drive-In theatres really "took off", and now the newest movies were finding their way to the Drive-In theatres. Of course, there are those stories....like the area that got hit by a tornado, and the title of the movie for the tornado stricken area...."Gone with the Wind".
During the late 50's and early 60's, Drive-In theatres reached their peak in demand for family entertainment. During this era there were over 5000 Drive-In theatres throughout the country.
Yet, clouds were on the horizon for the Drive-In theatres. For just as technology had been "her faithful assistant" in helping to create a demand for this type of entertainment, technology now "shook hands" and parted ways with the Drive-In theatres, moving on to other things like...video stores and movies on disks, downloading, home computers, companies like Netflix, and even having access to movies through your own cell phones.Today, there are less than 500 Drive-In theatres throughout the country,and many of these remain open for the nostalgia of the era.
It was fun!...I personally remember "stuffing" buddies (myself included at times) in the trunk of our cars so we could get in the Drive-In movie for free...God forbid we pay $1.00 to watch a movie. And of course, Drive In theatres became a popular place to take a date....
Oh, on that night in June of 1933, the movie was "Wife Beware", there were 400 spaces for cars and the screen was 40 feet x 50 feet.
I read where Google has dedicated their homepage on this day in remembrance of....The Drive-In Theatre!
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