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N0KFQ > TODAY 25.02.16 17:32l 61 Lines 2833 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 85654_N0KFQ
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Subj: Today in History - Feb 25
Path: IW8PGT<IW7BFZ<I3XTY<I0OJJ<N6RME<N0KFQ
Sent: 160225/1530Z 85654@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQ1.4.65
1938
Miami drive-in debuts
American drive-in movie theaters experienced their golden era
during the 1950s, but some Floridians were watching movies under
the stars in their cars even before then: The city of Miami gets
its first drive-in on this day in 1938. The Miami drive-in
charged admission of 35 cents per person, which was more than the
average ticket price at an indoor theater, and soon had to trim
the price to 25 cents per person.
America's first-ever drive-in opened near Camden, New Jersey, on
June 6, 1933, and was the brainchild of Richard Hollingshead,
whose family owned an auto parts company. The inaugural feature
was a 1932 film called "Wives Beware," and admission was 25 cents
per car and an additional 25 cents per person. The sound for the
movies was provided by three large RCA speakers next to the main
screen. (The quality of the drive-in experience improved during
the 1940s with the advent of the in-car speaker.)
Following World War II, the popularity of drive-in theaters
increased as America's car culture grew. By the early 1950s,
there were more than 800 drive-ins across the United States.
Although they earned a reputation as "passion pits" for young
couples seeking privacy, most drive-in customers were families
(parents didn't have to hire babysitters or get dressed up and
their children could wear pajamas and sleep in the car) and often
featured playgrounds, concession stands and other attractions.
Some drive-ins were super-sized, including Detroit's Bel Air
Drive-In, built in 1950, which had room for more than 2,000 cars,
and Baltimore's Bengies Drive-In, which opened in 1956, and
claimed the biggest movie screen in the U.S.: 52 feet high by 100
feet wide. Over the years, attempts were made to develop a
daytime screen that would enable drive-ins to show movies before
it got dark, but nothing proved successful.
At their peak in the late 1950s and early 1960s, there were some
4,000 drive-ins across America. However, during the 1970s and
1980s the drive-in industry went into decline and theaters shut
down, due to such factors as rising real-estate values (which
made selling the land for redevelopment more profitable than
continuing to operate it as a drive-in) and the rise of other
entertainment options, including video recorders, multiplex
theaters and cable television. By 1990, there were around 1,000
U.S. drive-ins. Today, they number less than 400 (states with the
most remaining drive-ins include Pennsylvania, Ohio and New
York).
New Jersey has the distinction of being the home of not just the
first drive-in but also the first fly-in theater. In June 1948,
Ed Brown's Drive-In and Fly-In opened in Wall Township and had
space for 500 cars and 25 planes.
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
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