Movies by Star Light

That’s right we went to the Drive-In! It’s funny the first couple of times that I told people where we went, the usual response was a quizzical expression, followed by “They still have those around?” Strangely enough, they do. There are only three located in the Inland Empire still remaining and few more in Southern California as a whole. They are a dying breed with a little breath still left in them. I’m not sure if they will recover of not, so I thought that we should go before they go the way of all towering dinosaurs. Here’s our story:

Kellee has been nudging me for some time to take her and Faith to the drive-in, but I have had some reservations in doing so. Since most are located in the seedy parts of town, I was a little leery about taking them, and I was worried about subjecting them to these “passion pits” as they were so often called. However, I came across a small write-up in the local paper on the last remaining open-air theaters in Southern California and thought that I should take my family before they go the way of extinction.

When I got home in the morning, I told Kellee to call up some friends and see if anyone wanted to go (It’s always better to walk into darkness in a pack). To my dismay, when I awoke in the afternoon, I found that no one was able to go due to our late planning. So I almost canceled our trip too. But the girls were so excited about going that it was hard to tell them no; Faith was excited to go to the movies and Kellee about going to the drive-in. I decided that I was going to have to stick this one out; I went online and looked around at the local theaters in the inland Empire. The Mission Tiki in Montclair had a well done website (as well as a myspace) and the SoCalDims seem to highly recommend the place. Plus, Huell Howser did a whole show from the Mission Tiki, so it couldn’t be that bad…or maybe it could.

We packed up our chairs, blankets, Faith’s blow-up bed, and set out. The girls were giddy with excitement. I was just nervous. We arrived an hour early; I wanted to walk around the place and take pictures. I imagined, that for the most part the lot would be empty, except for the occasional gang members and drug dealers, and thought that I would be unhindered in my snapshot quest (unless I was mugged). To my thrilled surprise, when we arrived there was already a massive line of cars waiting to get in!

The owner’s of Mission Tiki have completely refurbished the place (as much as you can to a parking lot). The drive-up box office looks like grass huts. There are Easter Island Statues greeting you when you first drive thru; the concession stand is decorated with palm trees and tiki masks. The restrooms were really clean; I was surprised to find little graffiti. Kellee told me that the women’s restroom toilets had backed up, but the place is old (built in the 1950’s) and they had people there on the spot trying to fix the situation. So I cut them a little slack. Overall, there was a great pride in ownership displayed. I was wrong in my estimation that the place would be crawling gang members and drug dealers (If they were there they were with their families). We saw a lot of Families in the lot and noticed a lot of people were having BBQs or potlucks while waiting for the movie to start.

We had a great time! Faith enjoyed Ratatouille and afterwards she laid down and went right to sleep, allowing us to relax and watch Pirates of the Caribbean. I think I preferred the Rat movie to the long over done pirate bore.

Not all was grand on our outing though, as one might expect there are some set backs to going to an open-air theater. First, the sound quality is not up to the standards that an enclosed theater offers. No matter that they have done away with the speaker box and went to FM, it’s still a lesser quality. Also, when someone wanted to leave, it wasn’t just a matter of tucking your knees in close to you so they could get by; no, you had blaring headlights in your face or beaming at the screen. Also, right in back of the Mission Tiki is railroad tracks. I have thought they were largely defunct and non-operational. I was wrong. It only happened once during Ratatouille, which was alright. But the trains and more importantly their horns came by no less that 5 times during our viewing of Pirates. That got on my nerves a little. If you can get over that, it’s a great experience and one you should have with your children.

While there are set backs to going to the Drive-in, being able to go with your kids and not worrying about them bothering other people far out weighs the little quirks. Going to the drive-in was an enjoyable way to spend the evening with the family.

The question might be asked, why is this on your Roadside Traveler page and not on your General Family Blog? I suppose the answer is that it’s because the Drive-in was once a popular mainstream place to go and is now on the verge of extinction. It was once not just an outing, but an American pastime. It was ingrained in our culture; at its core it was Americana.

The Drive-in first started in 1932 and was the invention of RM Hollingshead with his 1928 Kodak projector. By 1939 there were 17 theaters in 14 states. After the 2nd World War there was an explosion in Drive-in Theaters and by 1948 there were 820 theaters in the United States. At its peek there were over 4,000 Drive-in theaters in operation. As of 2003 the number had sunk to 432.

The deterioration of the Drive-in came from a number of factors. Rising real estate prices found owners selling their lots at a hefty price. Malls became big business, and teens were more inclined to hang out in the stores. VHS and home rentals also hurt the already wounded Drive-in business. Star Wars actually had a part to play in the demise of the Drive-in. Prior to the arrival of SW sound was not a big factor. Then Lucas came along with his THX!

Not to mention the elements were also a factor. While indoor theaters were booming, the Drive-in had to contend with rain, snow, and mosquitoes. Also, the outdoor theater had to wait until evening to show their features. Daylight saving compounded the problem even more, because now the theater had to wait an extra hour before they could run the movie.

Owners began to shoot themselves in the foot. The open-air theaters were usually only showing second run movies, and then they went to explotation movies. Some were even trying XXX to bring in the customers, but were further isolating themselves from the public. The time of family entertainment had left, along with the playgrounds for the children. In came the idea that the drive-in was a “passion pit”. Rumors of gang hangouts, drug deals, steamy windows, and B-grade movies were all that was offered at your local Drive-in.

However, there seems to be a revival in the Drive-in. As noted when we went, families are once again finding that the drive-in a good way to go. For around $7 a person as opposed to $10 you can watch two first run films. Plus, children are usually free (some might charge a dollar of two)! So, the next time your thinking of going to the movies, change up the routine a little and go to the Drive-In.