A primarily American institution (though it appeared in other countries such as Japan and Italy), the drive-in theater now sits on the verge of extinction. During its heyday, drive-ins could be found in communities both large and small. Some of the larger theaters held up to 3,000 cars and were often filled to capacity on weekends. The history of the drive-in from its beginnings in the 1930s through its heyday in the 1940s and 1950s to its gradual demise in modern-day America is thoroughly documented here: the patent battles, community concerns with morality (on-screen and off), technological advances (audio systems, screens, etc.), audiences, and the drive-in's place in the motion picture industry.
The drive-in movie theater brought together two distinct American institutions: cars and movies. Since the earliest drive-ins of the 1930s, these entertainment complexes have been an integral part of American culture. Their appeal stretched to people from all corners of the country, offering a place for social gathering and various amusements. Take a ride down memory lane in this entertaining look at every aspect of the drive-in movie theater: the architecture, the marquees, the cars, the food, and much more. Black-and-white and color photos, along with period ads and other memorabilia, provide a highly illustrated tour from the origins of the drive-in, through its heyday in the 1950s, its decline, and its subsequent revival.
A colorful album with photos and stories that transport readers back to that innocent (and sometimes not so innocent!) time when Saturday night meant a hot date in Dad's De Soto under the big outdoor screen.
Secluded between Laurel Mountain and Chestnut Ridge, the Ligonier Valley has been the mountain playground of western Pennsylvania since the nineteenth century. Yet this picturesque retreat was at the tumultuous center of history--during the French and Indian War, Fort Ligonier was key to the British strategy, and in the late nineteenth century, the Ligonier Valley Rail Road helped transform the industry of the region. Author Jennifer Sopko traces the story of the valley and its residents through a series of fascinating vignettes. From the earliest histories to nostalgic reminiscences of the Ligonier Opera House, socials at the Valley Dairy ice cream parlor and bygone days at Idlewild Park, Sopko captures the history and spirit of the Ligonier Valley and its communities.
UFOs at the Drive-In!Just imagine: you're watching your favorite movie at the local drive-in theater when suddenly you see a strange flying object swoop down from above and hover right over the movie screen. The object is metallic, saucer-shaped, with portholes and colored lights, and is totally silent. It's a UFO! Cars start honking and flashing their lights. People exit their cars, pointing and screaming. Some drive away in terror. Then the UFO starts to move around over the theater putting on a show that's far more interesting than the movie itself! It may sound like science fiction, except it's true! This unique and groundbreaking book, by veteran UFO researcher Preston Dennett, documents more than 100 firsthand cases in which UFOs have targeted drive-in theaters. In these cases, UFOs hover at very low levels for long periods of time, and are observed by hundreds of witnesses. Often there are strange electromagnetic effects. Sometimes humanoids are seen. -ARIZONA, APRIL 1952: A metallic structured object hovers over the Yuma Drive-In Theater in Arizona, not once, but multiple times. -CALIFORNIA, AUGUST 1952: Visitors at the Terrace Drive-In undergo an incredible encounter, causing an investigation that reaches the highest levels of government. -MISSOURI, JULY 17, 1954: Peter Davenport and hundreds of others sight a glowing object at the Skyline Drive-In. Davenport later becomes the director of NUFORC. -MASSACHUSETTS, MAY 1963: A fleet of eight UFOs appears over the Wellington Circle Twins Drive-In, and puts on a display lasting an incredible 45 minutes long. -GEORGIA, JUNE 29, 1964: A large metallic saucer swoops repeatedly over the crowded Atlanta Drive-In, causing the audience to flee in panic. -OHIO, MID-1960s: UFOs swoop so low over the Mentor Drive-In that the movie is shut off so that the audience can enjoy the unexpected bonus show in the sky above. -KANSAS, 1966: Hundreds of people see a UFO hover directly next to the Southutch Drive-In, causing the entire audience to chase the object down the highway. -CALIFORNIA, 1972: The audience at the Paramount Drive-In flees in panic as a metallic saucer swoops down and hovers right next to the movie screen. -FLORIDA, 1973: When a metallic UFO hovers over the Fort Lauderdale Drive-In, the audience is amazed to see strange occupants peering from the portholes. -NEW YORK, 1974: Viewers at the East Park Drive-In are stunned to see a UFO hover over the parking lot and start sending beams of light onto the movie screen itself! -OHIO, 1974: A UFO targets the Ascot Park Drive-In, blacking out the movie and causing the entire audience to become hypnotically entranced. -MAINE, JUNE 15, 1975: A UFO buzzes the audience of the Portland Twin Drive-In Theater, causing the audiences for two separate movies to race away in fear. -CHINA, JULY 7, 1977: Three hundred people are injured and two are killed when a low-flying UFO targets an open-air showing of a movie to a crowd of 3000 people. -CALIFORNIA, 1983: The entire audience panics and drives away when a UFO swoops down and hovers right next to the movie screen of the Edgewood Drive-In. -OHIO, SEPTEMBER 2004: The entire audience observes a UFO which hovers above the Wilmington Drive-In and stays there for the entire length of the movie. There are too many cases to deny. This area of UFO research has been ignored for too long. Something profound is happening here. This book reveals a bizarre type of UFO behavior that only a lucky few have ever seen. So, come along on a fascinating journey that is sure to change the way you feel about UFOs.
Millions of Americans have been thrilled, scared, titillated, and shocked by exploitation movies, low budget films with many scenes of sex, violence, and other potentially lurid elements. The term derives from the fact that promoters of such films exploit the contents in advertising that plays up the sexual or violent aspects of the films. This is the first comprehensive study of the American exploitation film to be published. It discusses five distinct genres: the teen movie, the sexploitation film, the martial arts movie, the blaxploitation film and the lawbreaker picture. Contained within these genres are many popular American film types, including beach movies, biker pictures, and women's prison movies. The study provides a history and sociopolitical analysis of each genre, focusing on significant films in those genres. It also discusses the economics of exploitation films and their place in the motion picture industry, the development of drive-in theaters, the significance of the teenage audience, and the effect of the videocassette. Finally, the book applies major film and cultural theories to establish an aesthetic for evaluating the exploitation film and to explore the relationship between film and audience. (Ph.D. dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 1990; revised with new preface and index)
A primarily American institution (though it appeared in other countries such as Japan and Italy), the drive-in theater now sits on the verge of extinction. During its heyday, drive-ins could be found in communities both large and small. Some of the larger theaters held up to 3,000 cars and were often filled to capacity on weekends. The history of the drive-in from its beginnings in the 1930s through its heyday in the 1940s and 1950s to its gradual demise in modern-day America is thoroughly documented here: the patent battles, community concerns with morality (on-screen and off), technological advances (audio systems, screens, etc.), audiences, and the drive-in's place in the motion picture industry.
Few American phenomena are more evocative of time, place, and culture than the drive-in theater. From its origins in the Great Depression, through its peak in the 1950s and 1960s and ultimately its slow demise in the 1980s, the drive-in holds a unique place in the country's collective past. Michigan's drive-ins were a reflection of this time and place, ranging from tiny rural 200-car "ozoners" to sprawling 2,500-car behemoths that were masterpieces of showmanship, boasting not only movies and food, but playgrounds, pony rides, merry-go-rounds, and even roving window washers.
Cinema Houston celebrates a vibrant century of movie theatres and moviegoing in Texas's largest city. Illustrated with more than two hundred historical photographs, newspaper clippings, and advertisements, it traces the history of Houston movie theatres from their early twentieth-century beginnings in vaudeville and nickelodeon houses to the opulent downtown theatres built in the 1920s (the Majestic, Metropolitan, Kirby, and Loew's State). It also captures the excitement of the neighborhood theatres of the 1930s and 1940s, including the Alabama, Tower, and River Oaks; the theatres of the 1950s and early 1960s, including the Windsor and its Cinerama roadshows; and the multicinemas and megaplexes that have come to dominate the movie scene since the late 1960s. While preserving the glories of Houston's lost movie palaces—only a few of these historic theatres still survive—Cinema Houston also vividly re-creates the moviegoing experience, chronicling midnight movie madness, summer nights at the drive-in, and, of course, all those tasty snacks at the concession stand. Sure to appeal to a wide audience, from movie fans to devotees of Houston's architectural history, Cinema Houston captures the bygone era of the city's movie houses, from the lowbrow to the sublime, the hi-tech sound of 70mm Dolby and THX to the crackle of a drive-in speaker on a cool spring evening.
"Start with a drive-in movie theater in the 1950s. Add a starstruck and lonely 12-year-old girl, and a handsome drifter. . . . The story unfolds almost cinematically and could make a wonderful movie. Told from Callie's perspective, it captures that childlike innocence and wisdom perfectly . . . a fine first novel from an author to be reckoned with".--"Richmond Times-Dispatch".
