Drive-In Movie Memories

Drive-In theaters, what a great idea!

In the early fifties when I was a little kid, my dad and mom packed up our station wagon, threw my  sister and me in the car and off we went. He would park the family Ford woody and we were ready to go.

My sister, Shirley, and I liked the cartoons and snack bar best. We could also mozy on down by the swing sets or sit on the benches up front. You were in a safe place. No one worried about you or who was in the next car. It was like a giant block party.

Movies, fun and food, I can, still, to this day, recall that very distinct smell of what was referred to as pizza. Drive-In pizza was definitely something special. It was an unforgettable combination of tomato sauce, sprinkled with some unknown cheesy matter, served on a beautiful cardboard dish crust. And, the popcorn was great. It had real butter on it too!

Those were days of two movies at every performance. You got and “A” or even a “B” list film and a low budget “Second Feature” that was made for some chump change. There were lot’s of “Westerns” and they threw in a couple of cartoons. We are talking a four hour experience here, and I don’t think we ever left early. When you are nine years old this was a sweet deal.

When I got my drivers license, drive-ins took on a whole new meaning in my life. Those teenage years were difficult ones financially, and my friends and I had to be inventive in order to get into these asphalt heavens. The most common way was to stick as many people in the trunk as possible. The guys in the trunk had to be perfectly quiet and we let them out only when we knew the “coast was clear.”

The Sepulveda Drive-In was my favorite. It was close to where I lived and only cost 99-cents per car load.

As I got serious about girls, the drive-in took on a whole new meaning. We could hug and kiss to our hearts desire. It was not uncommon for the windows to steam over so you couldn’t even see out. It was a great time.

Here are the other drive-ins I frequented. All within a twenty to thirty minute drive from home.

It was definitely great being a kid back then!

Tags: Cars, Entertainment, Love, Nostalgia