From the Summer 2021 Preservation Magazine "Movie Magic" by Lydia Lee.
One thing that improved during the pandemic was the fate of the drive-in theater business which had been in decline for a long time. But because of the way they are set up, conditions were excellent for them.
After World War II, drive-ins flourished as part of a new life-style including an automobile and a house in the suburbs. According to Mary Morley Cohen: "Drive-ins allowed audiences to experience the new pasttimes in a familiar, cheaper, and more public context.
From their start, the drive-ins were more welcoming than the fancy movie palaces of previous decades (especially those built around 1928).
Riverton, New Jersey, native Richard Hollingshead, Jr., opened the first drive-in theater in nearby Camden in 1933, promoting it as a venue where "the whole family is welcome, regardless of how noisy the children are apt to be."
To entice families, drive-ins offered playgrounds, snack bars that served full meals, and, in some cases, even bottle warmers for babies. "The highly sociable atmosphere was quite a bit different from sitting quietly in a darkened, indoorn theater," wrote Cohen.
--Cooter
No comments:
Post a Comment