On 6th June 1933, the first-ever drive-in movie theater, located on Crescent Boulevard in Camden, New Jersey opened. The cost was 25 cents per car and 25 cents per person, with no group paying more than one dollar. A drive-in theater (or as more commonly known in the UK, drive-in cinema) were incredibly popular in the USA between the 1940s and the 1970s.
A Drive-In Sign Advertising River Of No Return in New York, 1954
Their peak popularity came in the late 1950s and early 1960s, particularly in rural areas, with some 5,000 theaters across the US. 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.
First Drive-In Theater in Camden, New Jersey, 1933
The drive-in theater would consist of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for cars. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars. Some drive-ins had small playgrounds for children and a few picnic tables or benches with the largest drive-ins having a full-service restaurant. One of the largest was the All-Weather Drive-In of Copiague, New York, which featured parking space for 2,500 cars.
The screen can be as simple as a wall that is painted white, or it can be a steel truss structure with a complex finish. Originally, a movie’s sound was provided by speakers on the screen and later by an individual speaker hung from the window of each car, which would be attached by a wire. This system was superseded by the more economical and less damage-prone method of broadcasting the soundtrack at a low output power on AM or FM radio to be picked up by a car radio. This method also allows the soundtrack to be picked up in stereo by the audience on an often high-fidelity stereo installed in the car instead of through a simple speaker.
On the 6th February 2015, an auctioned took place at HauteCampe.com where 200 rare movie posters used for various drive-in theaters campagins were sold. Here is some of the more intriguing posters from that collection.
Goliath And The Vampires
The Young Racers
Goliath And The Vampires
Girls In Prison
She-Devils On Wheels
On The Loose
Planet Of The Vampires
Black Sabbath
Gun Girls
Bikini Beach
Date Bait
Nashville Rebel
Invasion of the Star Creatures
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