Drive-ins nationwide mark anniversary of inception
By Charles Cassady
Insights
Published June 11, 2008

The late Richard M. Hollingshead changed American cinema forever. Yet he wrote no scripts (that we know about), received no Oscar, bankrolled no blockbusters on studio backlots.

Hollingshead, an automotive-products and service dealer, is credited as the inventor of the drive-in movie theater. On June 6, 1933, he opened the first ever drive-in at Camden, N.J., having patented the idea the previous year. Hollingshead thus created an American warm-weather tradition. And on June 6, drive-ins across the nation marked the 75th-anniversary milestone of Hollingshead Day — the day (or the night) of drive-in nostalgia, movies, prizes and fun.

Ohio (which has, at times, led the nation in numbers of drive-ins still in operation) provided manifold opportunities for your and your loved ones to observe Hollingshead Day. One was at the Auto-Rama Twin in North Ridgeville that brought in another institution, the comic book. Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter and comics writer/columnist Michael San Giacomo, plus 22 artists, have collaborated on “Tales of the Starlight Drive-In,” from the prominent comic publisher Image Comics. An anthology in graphic-novel format, the book evokes the life and times and patrons of a fictitious, archetypal American drive-in. San Giacomo was there in person, along with an indeterminate number of the artists, to sell and sign copies of the book June 6.

Managed continuously by Deborah Sherman and her family, the Auto-Rama has been showcased on cable television, in documentaries and on the many Web sites that sustain the lore and appeal of the drive-in movie experience in the 21st century. The Auto-Rama, inevitably, was one of the theaters San Giacomo researched for inspiration for his book.

“He picked my brain for it,” said Sherman. “He asked if he could do this signing and I said sure.”

The past 75 years have not always been kind to the drive-in business, though. Drive-ins were initially viewed negatively by the Hollywood studios, as unfair (cheap to maintain and naturally-air conditioned) competition for their deluxe movie-palace cinemas of the 1930s. Major studios refused to rent out their newest and top-draw features for the drive-in trade, and city councils legislated against the upstart venues with anti-noise ordinances.

Even Richard Hollingshead’s Camden venture was not much of a success, shutting down after a few seasons. Hollingshead thought that since he had patented his drive-in design, riches in royalties would pour in from other drive-ins. Only a fraction ever did.

It was America’s post-WWII economic boom and love affair with the automobile (gas was cheap once upon a time) that jump-started the drive in trade — a theater to which baby-boomer families could take their babies, no matter how much they wailed; where you didn’t have to dress up fancy; where attached playgrounds occupied the kids.

The numbers of drive-ins peaked in 1958, with 4,063 operating. The drive-in experience even held its own against the competition from television. Hollingshead would tell interviewers his idea had literally saved the movie industry.

Then came the decline as suburban multiplexes and the spread of VCRs and cable TV cut badly into the drive-in audience. A 1990 census found only 910 drive-ins remaining in operation. Just a few years ago Cleveland’s venerable three-screen Memphis Drive-In shut down, as did the Miles Drive-In in Warrensville Heights (now turning into “Cinema Village” condominiums).

Debbie Sherman does not like when commentators dwell on the “doom and gloom” aspect. She would rather point to the success of Shankweiler’s, of Orefield, Pa., the oldest surviving active drive-in (opened 1934), and a few cases in the last decade when aficionados have gone against the grain of DVD and satellite movies-on-demand and actually re-opened or built new drive-ins.

“The bad economy is generally good for the movie business,” said Sherman. “It’s even better for the drive-ins because it’s a way to bring your whole family and have some family time together.” What does threaten the drive-in-scape now, she said, are many of the original owners reaching retirement age and unable to find successors to take over. This happened with the Memphis, she said, which was doing great business to the end.

“It’s very hard to find someone to work on a drive-in,” she said. “Some close because it’s just not realistic to sell them.”

But she is in it for the long haul with the Auto-Rama, whose longevity she attributes to being conveniently located near a popular summer campground, providing a steady patronage. And, of course, there’s Hollingshead Day and its festivities.

The admissions charge at the Auto-Rama is $8 per adult, $3 per children 4 to 11. For more information about showtimes and house policies (like the surcharge for bringing your own snacks and drinks) go online to www.autoramadrivein.com. The theater phone number is (440) 327-9595.