In 1937, three more opened in Ohio, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with another 12 during 19 in California, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Texas and Virginia.Įarly drive-in theaters had to deal with sound issues. 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). Failing to make a profit, Hollingshead sold the theater after three years to a Union, New Jersey, theater owner who moved the infrastructure to that city, but the concept caught on nationwide. 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 Wives Beware. It offered 400 slots and a 40 by 50 ft (12 by 15 m) screen. Rosemont Avenue now runs through where the theater was and is currently the site of Zinman Furs. Hollingshead's drive-in opened in New Jersey June 6, 1933, on Admiral Wilson Boulevard in Pennsauken Township, a short distance from Cooper River Park where the first commercial airport to serve Philadelphia was located – Central Airport. Hollingshead applied for a patent of his invention on August 6, 1932, and he was given U.S. Blocks under vehicles in the driveway enabled him to determine the size and spacing of ramps so all automobiles could view the screen. 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. In 1932, Hollingshead conducted outdoor theater tests in his driveway at 212 Thomas Avenue in Riverton. Hollingshead Corporation chemical plant in Camden. Hollingshead, Jr., whose family owned and operated the R.M. The drive-in theater was patented in Camden, New Jersey by chemical company magnate Richard M. In the 1920s, " outdoor movies" became a popular summer entertainment, but relatively few "drive-in" experiments were made due to logistical difficulties. With cars parked bumper-to-bumper, patrons witnessed the screening of silent films from their vehicles. Caver obtained a permit from the city to project films downtown. In 1921, a drive-in was opened by Claude V. First drive-in theater, Pennsauken, New Jersey, 1933 Theatre de Guadalupe was soon renamed De Lux Theater before closing in July 1916. The first movie shown by the Theatre de Guadalupe was Bags of Gold, produced by Siegmund Lubin. Automobile entrances and places for 40 or more cars within the theater grounds and in-line position to see the pictures and witness all performances on the stage is a feature of the place that will please car owners. Seven hundred people may be comfortably seated in the auditorium. History Early drive-ins (before WWII) Ī partial drive-in theater-Theatre de Guadalupe-was opened in Las Cruces, New Mexico on April 23, 1915: This also has the advantage of the film soundtrack to be heard in stereo on car stereo systems, which are typically of much higher quality and fidelity than the basic small mono speakers used in the old systems. These speaker systems were superseded by the more practical method of microbroadcasting the soundtrack to car radios. Originally, the movie's sound was provided by speakers on the screen and later by individual speakers hung from the window of each car, which was attached to a small pole by a wire. The screen can be as simple as a painted white wall, or it can be a steel truss structure with a complex finish. Some drive-ins have small playgrounds for children and a few picnic tables or benches. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars. A drive-in with an inflatable movie screen in Brussels, Belgium Bass Hill drive-in cinema, Sydney, AustraliaĪ drive-in theater or drive-in cinema is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles.
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