I miss drive-ins ... so before we start reminiscing go ahead and cue up Today's Playlist for the background:Misirlou - Dick Dale
I Only Have Eyes for You - The Flamingos
(recommended alternative version - Art Garfunkel)
Sealed with a Kiss - Brian Hyland
Leader of the Pack - The Shangri-Las
Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys
I Feel Fine - The Beatles
I'm into Something Good - Herman's Hermits
Seems like my folks had a 1954ish Dodge 4-door sedan when I was a toddler, a submarine-sized car with huge windows and tennis court-sized bench seats sorta like this one, that seemed made for drive-in double feature fun.
The truly terrific drive-ins in Tampa accomodated up to 1000 cars and had two, sometimes three screens, built-in amusement parks and concession stands selling everything from candied apples and corn dogs to cotton candy, fries and cheeseburgers. What could be more fun than playing putt-putt golf, stuffing down cotton candy, and watching a movie ... all at the same time?
Admission was charged by the carload, so you paid the same $2 whether you went with a date or joined six close friends in an RV (did that in high school).
But drive-ins seemed to suddenly disappear overnight in the late 1970s. Some blamed the gas crisis (smaller cars were less comfortable), others complained drive-ins had become dens of makeout iniquity for hormone-crazed teens. The real reasons might be more troubling: parents with small children just can't stand as much extended physical proximity to their kids as they used to, and parents with teenagers would rather not be bothered with Sissy and Jimmy's frolicking upstairs behind closed doors.
It's a shame, too.
The last time I saw a movie at a drive-in was back in 1981. The theater was in Denver, I forget the name, but my friend Don and I were on our motorcycles and the double-feature included an unknown Australian actor named Mel Gibson as the lead in two action films ... Mad Max and Mad Max 2.
Sadly today, the nearest drive-in to Anderson is the Commerce Drive-In Theater 63.6 miles down I-85 in Commerce, Georgia. In South Carolina there's the Monetta Drive In Theater The Big-Mo, 91.2 miles away in Monetta, South Carolina.
Here's a sample program from The Tower Drive-In:
Here's what's left of my favorite drive-in:
The Commerce Drive In Theater (706) 335-2486
http://www.thebigmo.com/
http://driveintheater.com/index.htm
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