The Drive-In Movies

When I was a little girl it was a special treat to go to the drive-in movies in the summer-time. We didn't go often so it was something we really looked forward to. Daddy drove the big white station wagon and Mom sat in front with him. My big brother, Rick, and I sat in the middle seat. My sister Beth, and my little brother Scott sat in the back-back seat that faced backward.

We got to wear our jammies because all four of us kids would be asleep before we got home! We always arrived early, paid admission and Daddy drove slowly through the lot looking for the best spot. Not too close, not too far back, and not by the Snack Shack. We didn't want to hear people talking as they went for snack or to the bathroom.

When we found the perfect spot, Daddy would back the car in and clip the speaker box on the car window. He would put the tailgate down and Momma would lay the seats down. Rick and I would spread our sleeping bags out in the middle. Beth and Scott would put theirs on the sides where the wheel-wells were, because they were shorter.

Mom and Daddy would put their lawn chairs by the tailgate and when everything was ready Daddy would take us down to the play yard at the bottom of the gigantic white screen that towered above us. We would swing, teeter-totter, and slide while we checked out the other kids in their jammies.

When the screen came alive with the advertisements for popcorn and soda available at the Snack Shack, Daddy would hurry us back to the car. Mom had our "from home" popcorn out and all ready for us. We munched our way through Mickey Mouse cartoons and previews of "coming attractions". That's what they called the other movies we might want to come back and see.

Finally the "feature film" would begin. The speaker box made the actors voices squawky and scratchy, but it was all part of the fun. We could wiggle around in the back of the station wagon, roll on our backs and gaze at the stars twinkling far up in the sky, and eventually drift off to sleep.

I don't remember seeing the end of many movies, but I usually opened my eyes when Daddy put the speaker box back on it's post. Mom put the lawn chairs in and we slowly crept out of our spot. There would be a long line of cars to get out of the movie lot. I was always afraid when we drove over the spike strip on the way out. It was at the exit so people could not sneak in through the exit.

I would slide in and out of sleep on the way home. When we got to the house, Daddy would wake Rick up to walk into the house, but he would pick me up, put me over his shoulder and carry me in. He would carefully tuck the blankets around my chin and kiss me goodnight. This was one of my favorite parts. Sometimes I would pretend to be asleep so Daddy would carry me.

There aren't many drive-in movie lots in the United States anymore. Everyone wants the best viewing, high-tech sound, and comfy, cushy seating at the movies now. Back then it was a great family experience under the stars, playing on the swings, munching popcorn, snuggling in sleeping bags, and being tucked into bed by my Dad.