This Day in History: First Drive-In Theater Opens
By: Laura Hartog
Updated: June 6, 2012
On this day in 1933, eager motorists park their automobiles on the grounds of Park-In Theaters, the first-ever drive-in movie theater, located on Crescent Boulevard in Camden, New Jersey.
Drive-in theaters showed mostly B-movies--that is, not Hollywood's finest fare--but some theaters featured the same movies that played in regular theaters. The initially poor sound quality--Hollingshead had mounted three speakers manufactured by RCA Victor near the screen--improved, and later technology made it possible for each car's to play the movie's soundtrack through its FM radio. The popularity of the drive-in spiked after World War II and reached its heyday in the late 1950s to mid-60s, with some 5,000 theaters across the country. Drive-ins became an icon of American culture, and a typical weekend destination not just for parents and children but also for teenage couples seeking some privacy. Since then, however, the rising price of real estate, especially in suburban areas, combined with the growing numbers of walk-in theaters and the rise of video rentals to curb the growth of the drive-in industry. Today, fewer than 500 drive-in theaters survive in the United States.
For More: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-drive-in-movie-theater-opens
For theaters in our area:
Super322 - http://www.super322drive-in.com/index.htm
Bar Ann - http://www.baranndrive-in.com/Default.aspx
Hi-way 219 - http://www.hiway219drive-in.com/
Silver Drive-in - http://www.johnstownpa.com/silver/
Palace Garden - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Palace-Gardens-Drive-In/161063937245271
Moonlight Drive-In - http://www.lipumatheatres.com/
Drive-in theaters showed mostly B-movies--that is, not Hollywood's finest fare--but some theaters featured the same movies that played in regular theaters. The initially poor sound quality--Hollingshead had mounted three speakers manufactured by RCA Victor near the screen--improved, and later technology made it possible for each car's to play the movie's soundtrack through its FM radio. The popularity of the drive-in spiked after World War II and reached its heyday in the late 1950s to mid-60s, with some 5,000 theaters across the country. Drive-ins became an icon of American culture, and a typical weekend destination not just for parents and children but also for teenage couples seeking some privacy. Since then, however, the rising price of real estate, especially in suburban areas, combined with the growing numbers of walk-in theaters and the rise of video rentals to curb the growth of the drive-in industry. Today, fewer than 500 drive-in theaters survive in the United States.
For More: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-drive-in-movie-theater-opens
For theaters in our area:
Super322 - http://www.super322drive-in.com/index.htm
Bar Ann - http://www.baranndrive-in.com/Default.aspx
Hi-way 219 - http://www.hiway219drive-in.com/
Silver Drive-in - http://www.johnstownpa.com/silver/
Palace Garden - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Palace-Gardens-Drive-In/161063937245271
Moonlight Drive-In - http://www.lipumatheatres.com/
