Sunday, December 07, 2008

The First Drive-In Theatre

I never figured out why anybody blogs daily. After all, how many people would really care that today I made crepes for the first time, my car started in cold weather, I made inroads with that cute girl at the Y, or that there's a parade outside my apartment messing up my Creedence Clearwater retrospective? Well ... I'll tell you! None. Zippo. Nada.

So I figgered I'd try something a little different, since every day I research something, either for fun or profit. Lots of those things never get used because there's not enough substance for a full blown article. But a short, occasional paragraph or two where someone / anyone might learn something, get a little chuckle, or waste away 10 idle minutes? Now *that's* a blog! [and I'll even take requests for subjects]

Case in point: The First Drive-In Theatre!

Most of the poor young'uns today will never know what a thrill the old drive in theatres were. Pack 20 friends in the trunk or a babe in the passenger seat [which folded down], pay $2, and then watch two, maybe three, movies of varying quality. The poor sound from the speakers, the mosquito attacks, and -- of course -- the world's greasiest food from the concession stands were all part of the experience. Alcohol or illegal drugs were optional.

But, sez I, who first thought of putting flicks outside in the first place?

The boring part of the story is that Thomas Edison predicted them as far back as 1900, but all his early attempts failed. Seems that any bulb bright enough to work in quasi-dark conditions caused the film strip to spontaneously combust. Some movies may actually deserve this fate, but for most, technology still had some growing up to do.

Fast forward now to early 1930s New Jersey following advances in cooler running lightbulbs and chemistry, and let me introduce you to wealthy mama's boy Richard M. Hollingshead Jr.

Now poor bedeviled Richard had a major problem. His mother loved movies. I mean she *really* loved movies! But the theatres in those days were built to accomodate patrons of normal sized proportions. And the Hollingshead matriarch -- being of proud Italian stock - liked to cook and eat ... and EAT ... and simply could not wedge herself into a theatre seat! [Honest! I couldn't make this stuff up if I wanted to!]

Picture a modern housewife forced to go a month without All My Children and you get the idea. And her son, being within arm's reach, faced the brunt of her frustration.

So Richard placed a projector on top of his car and set up a makeshift screen in the driveway. Mama and the neighbors loved it.

But he was also a successful businessman, and so he applied for a patent for his "drive-in theatre". Patent number 1909537 was granted May 16, 1933 and three weeks later, Hollingshead's new company, Park-In Theatres Inc., finished the world's first drive-in theatre: the Camden [NJ] Drive-In Theatre. It could fit 335 cars on its 500 by 600 feet lot, and opened June 6, 1933. The entry fee was a mere 25 cents per car, plus 25 cents per person, for three nightly shows running at 8:30, 10 and 11:30.

Hollingshead's drive-in had three 10-foot RCA High Fidelity speakers placed strategically so the sound would overlap. Folks in the back experienced a slight sound delay but were probably otherwise occupied so they didn't notice. [it wasn't until later in the decade when the in-car speaker was introduced]

And for you trivia buffs: The opening attraction at Camden was "Wives Beware", starring the immortal Adolphe Menjou, a retitled / shortened version of the 1932 "Two White Arms".

So now you know. An elderly, obese woman was responsible for more teen sex than the pill, cable TV, Bill Clinton, or Playboy combined. And if the question ever comes up on Jeopardy ["I'll take Swamp Land Development for $100, Alex"], you'll have me to thank for knowing the answer.