The Great Big Flicks. I can only remember going to the Drive-In Movies once in my life. Seriously. I was pretty young. I barely have the memories of this. But I do recall certain things.
Mom & Dad did not take us. I am pretty dang-tootin’ certain of this. I can see my big brother Ed, and my big sister Sue, being in the front seat. Someone told us younger kids to hide underneath the car blanket when we went through the little guard-station-ticket-booth at the front. It was one of those red plaid, scratchy flannel blankets. We were in the way back.
One of my persistent behaviors as a little girl was asking what specific words meant. I didn’t seem bothered by the fact that I didn’t know what something was. But I wanted to find out. This, got me into trouble sometimes, especially with older-potty-mouthed sibling. On this night though …. I can remember asking for clarification on what “obvious” meant. As, someone told me not to be so obvious, as we traversed back and forth between our greenish-gold station wagon, and the Snack Bar.
These are the reasons I don’t think Mom & Dad were there. They would not have attempted to smuggle us in without paying. I’m guessing my older siblings were snagging a few extra bucks on this particular baby sitting escapade.
The Drive-In. The vibe of the environment seemed very energetic. There were lots of cars there, and lots of activity. People walking around. People sitting on top of their cars on blankets. We sat on the hood of our car for a little while. It was all great fun. They had a playground up front too. Honestly…. it was pretty low on the fun-factor-scale as I recall. I think it had a couple of swings. I’m sure it had one of those big metal flat-on-the-ground carousel plates… with handles. Except their big metal plate was broken. And one side was bent, and stuck in the dirt. No fun there.
So. Back to the Snack Bar. This was my favorite part of all. It was not very big, and there was a yellow counter that sort of stretched all the way across the space. Behind the counter was a big board with all the goods listed.
Now, as a kid, I could take or leave a hot dog. I mean… they were okay. But it wasn’t like having a great big cheeseburger. However, on this night, in the Preview before the movie.. … there were dancing hot dogs. And boogying popcorn boxes. Like crazy. And a catchy tune, to match. Of course. These were my choices at the Snack Bar. Yes, at a very young age, I was totally sucked in by cheap advertising.
I have no idea what movie was playing. None. And…. I don’t think I have been to a Drive-In movie since.
I only bring this up, because of today’s date.
On this day in 1938… the city of Miami, Florida got its first drive-in. To get in, would run you about 35 cents per person. Now… mind you…. this was more than the average ticket price at an indoor theater. So… sooner or later, they knocked the price to a quarter a pop.
This was not the first however. America’s first-ever drive-in opened near Camden, New Jersey, on June 6, 1933. The guy who came up with the idea was Richard Hollingshead. His family owned an auto parts company. I’m not sure how he made the “connect” for a Drive-In though. But they really didn’t catch on until the 1950s.
These days, I think they are the Dinosaurs of the movie industry.
Which means… I am having Dinosaur Memories. And sketchy Dinosaur memories… at that.
And that just has “I’m getting old” written all over it.
So… this old-writing-dinosaur is going to bed …. … before I go extinct … …and right after I have a hotdog. Those two may be directly related.
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“I am not particularly interested in
saving time; I prefer to enjoy it.”
― Eduardo Galeano
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“When people feel doubt in their hearts,
a certainty might be felt in an ice cream.”
― Toba Beta, My Ancestor Was an Ancient Astronaut
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“Somewhere takes you everywhere.”
― Efrat Cybulkiewicz
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