Today, the drive-in theater is a thing of the past; they are scattered sparsely across the United States in nostalgic last-stab attempts at success and the novelty projects of millionaires. Out of the nearly 5000 theaters which swept across America in the 1950’s, less than one-tenth still stand in working condition today (Tompkins). But what made these sprawling “ozoners” so overwhelmingly popular in the 50’s? It can be attributed to numerous events and widespread emotions of the time period. The happy-go-lucky “baby boomer” attitude of the post-war era contributed to the obsession with drive-ins, as did low-cost real estate and a culture which was absolutely fascinated by emerging technology.
But the real magic of the D.I. theater is that it was a combination of everything which embodied the 50’s. It exuded an air of innocence with its playgrounds, picnic tables, and mini-golf setup directed towards young families (Currier). But there was also an edge to the drive-in which foreshadowed the teenage rebellion to come with the emergence of rock and roll and the 1960’s. The theater was often referred to as a “passion pit” after dark, somewhere that adolescents could escape the stereotypical 1950’s prudishness and socialize, curse, or satisfy raging hormones in the backseat of a sprawling Cadillac (Bordwell). The drive-in movie theater fed all that was essential to the baby boomer era; from wide-eyed virtuousness to the horny teenaged underbelly, creating a cultural juggernaut which was bound to crash at the end of the era.
The first Ozoner debuted in New Jersey in 1933, the brainchild of inventor Richard Hollingshead, Jr. (Currier). Although the industry struggled to keep its head above water initially, it soon became the most widespread form of commercial entertainment in the 1930’s. The drive-in theater began as a simple sloped parking lot facing a large screen and complex, yet ineffective sound system. Most major movie studios refused to submit their pictures to the fledgling drive-in theater company until 1938, when they finally began to realize its potential box-office profits (Currier).
However, with the advent of individual car speakers in 1941, there would be no stopping this invention from sweeping the country (Recreation Life). Hollingshead had hit a gold mine with the realization that Americans loved movies as much as they loved their new cars, and watching a movie in a car was a novelty which few could pass up. Indeed, in 1948 820 drive-in theaters existed across the nation, and four years later this number ballooned up to over 3000 (“Drive-Ins”). Although the drive-in theater commonly showed only a few 2nd or 3rd-run features per night, it became evident that this was an unexpectedly popular venue for movie-goers; by 1950, 7 million tickets were selling weekly at D.I.’s. In the early fifties, the capacity of a typical theater was around 500-600 cars; by the late fifties, this had raised to around 2000 (“Drive-Ins”). At that time, farmland was inexpensive and building an outdoor theater required no pricy buildings, so business was booming. There were nearly as many drive-ins as normal indoor theaters, and in the mid-fifties they pumped in nearly ¼ of the total box office revenue in America.
This success would not have been possible if it weren’t for the events of the time period. In the post-World War 2 era, baby boomers began settling into their new suburban homes to raise their families. The culture held an air of innocence, and everyone strove for the solid family life and happiness which were unattainable throughout the war and Great Depression years. Drive-in theaters arrived at a time when Americans were prospering and sought recreation, yet were still frugal enough to avoid pricier venues like the opera or ballet. Above all, the D.I. provided the sense of convenience with which Americans are known to be obsessed. Suburban families were no longer forced to ride public transportation into crowded cities; they could pile into their shiny new car, avoid having to pay a babysitter, and experience a night of comfort and socialization without any undue muss or fuss.
Even purchasing concessions no longer involved climbing over your neighbor to reach the aisle and potentially missing an important part of the film; for this reason, drive-ins made nearly 40 cents for every dollar in the mid-fifties (“Drive-Ins”). Baby boomers were being granted more leisure time than they had ever known before, and were able to spend their new-found money on America’s blooming automobile culture and quality time with their families. This sense of community and simultaneous intimacy could be found in very few other places at the time, particularly in newborn suburbia. Wide-eyed enthrallment led adults and children alike to the drive-ins as new technology emerged. Television was not truly perfected until the early 60’s, and drive-in theaters kept thinking up new gimmicks to captivate audiences, from private car heaters to boat drive-in’s and pre-show “Beautiful Child” competitions (Currier). An ozoner allowed for discussion and interaction with your neighbors-people no longer had to sit in silence if they wished to sing along with the movie or dance to the soundtrack. The drive-in theater was the ultimate in baby-boomer fare.
Not all was peachy-keen, however. With the sudden emergence of rock-and-roll, race music, Elvis Presley, and “Rebel Without a Cause,” adolescents who had been previously stifled and/or ignored were beginning to rock the boat. The drive-in movie theater allowed for a place where these rebellious teens could congregate and act freely without their parents’ watchful glances. As previously stated, an outdoor movie theater doesn’t maintain the same restrictions as an indoor “hard-top.” Kids could easily jump from car to car, gossiping or discussing the latest music craze. Many drive-ins also specialized in “teenpics,” a genre which hadn’t really emerged until the 1950’s and proved to be the beginning of an extremely lucrative movie-making strategy. After dark, the theater turned into a “passion pit” of steamy cars and courting couples (Bordwell). Before the Sexual Revolution, Generation X, and free-thinking parents, adolescents were forced to the backseats for heavy-petting sessions. This edgier, more raw and frustrated side of the baby boomer era can often go unnoticed when discussing the peachy-keen 50’s, yet it was a crucial supporter of the drive-in movie theater. The opportunity for escape and independence that a car and films provided was, and still is today, a crucial part of teen life.
As everyone knows, the drive-in theater began its decline after the onset of the rockin’ 1960’s. Even X-rated films could not prevent their demise, and by the time urbanization came around and strip malls began buying up farmland, the D.I. was a hopeless cause. Today, a few hundred remain in the United States, yet most are deserted or paved over. With the onset of television screens in every possible place, DVDs, high-definition digitalized movie screens, and an increasing feeling of boredom with automobiles, it is highly unlikely that the drive-in theater will make a resounding comeback. People prefer the intellectual movies of today in a private space, in total darkness, not with chattering families and B-films playing on the screen. This is no longer an age of innocence, and teenagers today simply need to go into their bedrooms (which are much more comfortable than backseats) and lock their doors to tend to their raging hormones. Although drive-ins create a stab of nostalgia in many, even those who were not alive to experience its hey-day, they will always be a thing of the past which can never be fully recreated because of the idealism surrounding them, much like Woodstock or Elvis Presley. But the drive-in theater lives on in American history as one of the purest examples of the 1950’s, an age of innocence and anxious calm before the storm.
Bordwell, David and Kristin Thompson. Film History: 2 ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2003. ; Currier, Al. “Bellingham’s golden age of the drive-in: businesses combined this country’s love affairs with cars and the movies” Bellingham Business Journal. find.galegroup.com . “Drive-Ins.” American Decades. Ed. Vincent Tompkins. Vol. 6: 1950-1959. Detroit: Gale, 2001. 301. Gale Virtual Reference Library. find.galegroup.com “Recreational Life: Film, United States, 1920–39” Greenwood Publishing Group. dailylife.greenwood.com
