The Meadows claimed to be the largest drive-in in the world! The facility, opened in 1955, covered 32 acres, could hold more than 2,500 cars and had 6 concession stands. The largest drive-in theater in Connecticut, the Meadows Drive-In in Hartford, for example, actually had motorized rides for kids in their playground. To lure patrons to the theaters before dark, theater managers introduced a number of gimmicks, such as playgrounds for kids and live music concerts before the show. Despite these drawbacks, drive-in theaters experienced explosive growth during the postwar period. Daylight Saving Time was also an issue, as movies sometimes couldn’t begin until 9:30 at the peak of summer. Weather was another problem, particularly in Connecticut and other New England states where evening thunderstorms often arose. It was also possible for people - especially teenagers - to smuggle in their friends in the trunk! Religious groups complained that drive-ins were immoral because the privacy of being in a locked car or van in the dark provided ample opportunity for sexual encounters thus, drive-ins came to be known as “passion pits.” Another issue centered around the underage drinking of liquor, as it was easy to conceal alcoholic beverages in the trunks of vehicles. The new form of entertainment, however, was not without other problems. As long as patrons remembered to unhook the speaker from their car before driving off, there were few problems and drive-ins flourished. RCA had the brilliant idea of setting up individual speakers mounted on posts to provide adequate and timely sound for each car. Within 10 years, hundreds of drive-ins opened across the country, particularly after the most vexing problem - that of an adequate sound system - was solved by RCA in 1941. And because of Covid, business is booming!Ī chemical company executive named Richard Holingshead opened the first-ever drive-in theater in America 89 years ago this week in Camden, NJ, during the Great Depression on June 6, 1933. Now, there are only 357, five of them in Connecticut.
Drive in movie theatre fort lauderdale movie#
(June 6, 2022) - At their peak in the 1950’s and 1960’s, there were more than 4,000 drive-in movie theaters in the United States.
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