The drive-in virtually transforms the ordinary motor car into a private theater box. People may chat or even partake of refreshments brought in their cars without disturbing those who prefer silence. “In the drive-in theater, one may smoke without offending others. In fact, Hollingshead made some pretty reasonable assumptions that still ring true today. The movie was Wife Beware, a second-run from the previous season (since indoor operators were already stingy with their product, a trend to continue in later decades). In 1932, he filed for a patent and ten months later opened the first drive-in, the Camden, to a full house in his hometown of Riverton, New Jersey. Finally, Hollingshead borrowed cars from the neighbors for some parking exercises – the key was his ramp system, angling cars upward, towards the screen. Next, he added a radio placed behind the screen and even tried simulating rain using a lawn sprinkler. Hollingshead then embarked upon a driveway mad-professorship, placing a 16mm film projector on the hood of his car and splashing movies onto a screen hung between two trees. In analyzing what was most precious to Americans, he pinpointed the two things we’re gaga over: movies and cars. It seems that in the early 30s, a businessman named Richard Hollingshead was looking for new niche opportunities. If you’re an “ozoner,” as both drive-ins and fans were dubbed by Variety magazine, you have an oil and grease salesman to thank. Sterling if you’re an “ozoner.” What’s Playing at the SkyVue Drive In But you can thank your lucky stars for Paris, Winchester, and Mt. Add to that darkness the defunct Southland 68 and the total number of open Lexington drive-ins comes to zero. But the land became worth more than the business, so they sold out,” notes Earlywine. “Right where McDonald’s is on New Circle, there used to be two drive-ins, the Circle 25 and the Holiday. That’s even more likely if you live inside the city limits in metro areas like Louisville or Lexington. That’s because 86% of Kentucky’s drive-ins are either dark or demolished, according to recent statistics at. But chances are, the place you remember is history. Hopefully you’ve even got some drive-in memories of your own. Sure, maybe you’ve seen American Graffiti. And if that’s not reason enough for you, well, riddle me this – how come, in a time of drive-up food, coffee, prescriptions and banks, the original drive-up, the drive-up theater, has evaporated so much? And despite occasional death knells, and the quiet crumbling of old theaters here and there, drive-ins are hanging in alright. The drive-in is one of the greatest remaining mom and pop business types in American culture. ![]() And there aren’t too many places that don’t fall into one of those categories, these days. Number 2: Because it’s not Wal-Mart and it’s not the mall and it’s not MacDonald’s. Why? Number 1: Because the season’s just about over. The simple fact is, you really ought to go to the drive-in this weekend. Where else can you get in for five dollars or less, bring along your whole living room suite, plus drink, eat, smoke, and be merry, all the while watching big lizards, little kids, and lots and lots of pick-up trucks? Thanks to his kind of determination in a variety of people, there’s a resurgence in one of America’s greatest combos: cars and movies. The neon marquee at the Bourbon Drive-in says Jurassic Park, but don’t tell proprietor Lanny Earlywine there’s anything ironic about that because even if drive-in movie theaters may seem like one of the biggest dinosaurs of 20th century pop culture, it’s folks like Earlywine that keep them from extinction. chain.“The speaker doesn’t work, but your voice sounds much better.” By 2020 it was operated by the Theater Group Inc. The theatre’s season runs from April-November, and it is now the only remaining drive-in still in operation in the St. ![]() The Skyview installed a radio sound system in 1995. A second screen was built not long afterward, making the drive-in a twin. Another storm on Jdamaged the 115-ft wide screen, and it was replaced by a somewhat smaller one. ![]() In addition to movies, the Skyview Drive-In offered a kiddie playground with pony rides, miniature train rides and a small Ferris wheel. The 60-foot screen was destroyed in a 1955 storm and replaced by a 115-foot one, which was supposedly the largest in the Midwest at that time. It was only one of two drive-ins that the family actually built, along with the Cahokia in Alorton. It was (and still is) part of the Bloomer family chain of theatres (BAC Theatres). It could accommodate 900 cars and had 200 seats for walk-in patrons. The Skyview Drive-In opened on July 8, 1949, with the film “On Our Merry Way” starring Paulette Goddard.
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