What could go Wrong at a Drive-in Movie?
By Jo Ann
@akalinus (40812)
United States
March 2, 2018 10:43am CST
My husband once managed a drive-in movie theater. I often went to help. For those who don't know, a drive-in movie is a place people in cars can go to watch a movie. They pay by the person or the carload.
You would think not much could go wrong. People are in their cars. The kids go to the playground in front until the movie starts. Everyone can bring their own food and watch the movie in comfort.
I remember three weird happenings. The first was an Asian family. They built a bonfire near the back of their car and were barbecuing a big load of chicken on it. That is against the insurance rules and people could be injured. They were pretty mad when we doused the fire.
The second started when some guys on motorcycles gathered in the playground. Another gang came in and they were going to fight for rights to the playground as their territory. We had to call in the sheriffs. It took a lot of backups to control this mess. The sheriffs took them all away.
The last was when the big theater gurus ordered us to show a triple-X movie which was pretty tame compared to today's standards. The leader of the Citizens for a Decent Community alerted the police and they swooped in minutes after the movie started. I remember tossing money bags to a district manager. For the record, I was glad. They should not have made us show that movie.
Did anything strange ever happen when you were at a drive-movie? I would love to hear your experiences.
10 people like this
12 responses
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
2 Mar 18
No, nothing strange ever not like that.
One or two open air cinemas still left over here but mainly on the Coast as its so much warmer in Summer.
3 people like this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
2 Mar 18
@akalinus
They are really interesting its just that they have never happened to me like that but strange things have gone on in other places where they have had open Cinemas too.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40812)
• United States
2 Mar 18
@lovinangelsinstead21 That is very true. My husband managed a downtown theater for a couple of weeks once to substitute for someone else. It got interesting at times. What weird stuff did you see?
2 people like this
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We have a few open air movie projections during summer, it can include a drive-in here and there to project old American movies. It is considered like pure American folklore in France.
.@akalinus (40812)
• United States
2 Mar 18
@topffer I guess customs are different in other places. They thought it would be okay and did not understand. Even if it was a barbecue, it was not alright. A car could hit it, someone could bump into and burn themselves, or some kid could run into it. The insurance company would be horrified.
2 people like this
@shaggin (71678)
• United States
8 Mar 18
I have been to the drive in movies a few times and things went pretty smooth. Those are some interesting things that happened while your husband was in charge. The gang coming in and wanting to take over the playground is so odd as well as the family cooking chicken 
2 people like this
@akalinus (40812)
• United States
2 Mar 18
I know they are not everywhere. That is why I explained what they are. They used to be very popular but when the VCR came into use, the drive-ins started declining but there are still some today. Young lovers used to especially like going to them.
3 people like this
@LeaPea2417 (36594)
• Toccoa, Georgia
2 Mar 18
Interesting. I never thought about instances like you mention above happening at a Drive In movie. I have two memories of going to a Drive In Movie. The first is when I was 3 or 4 years old. I was put in the back seat while my parents saw "The Graduate" at the local Drive In. I remember trying to watch it but it was way over my head at the time. I ended up playing with toys in the back seat. Then, as an older kid, I remember playing on the playground of a Drive In.
Today, there is a small town 30 minutes away from us who still shows Drive In Movies. My husband and I went to see one of the newer Superman Movies a couple of years ago. It was packed with cars and people. It was a fun evening.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (326823)
• Rockingham, Australia
3 Mar 18
We used to go to the drive-in regularly when we were courting. One movie ended very, very sadly and we were both affeced by it. So much so, that we forgot to put the speaker back on the hook and drove away with it still in the car. This of course broke the cord so we had to go back and take the speaker in to the manager. He was very good about it and said it happened pretty often.
3 people like this
@dnatureofdtrain (5273)
• Janesville, Wisconsin
11 Mar 18
I only got to go to one once.. and well car alarms were starting to come into play... one kept going off.. that ruined my experience lol ... but the most common thing i hear talked about in chats is.. Why doesn't someone bring back the drive in theatres... ? even if it means parking your car and sitting in an old styled car already there.. set up...already there.. imagine you had a bunch of old classics you can not drive on the road but would be good enough for a drive in theatre that would be neat too.. then people before and after could do their selfies by it and stuff lol ...
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40812)
• United States
2 Mar 18
You can bring any kind of food you want. You can keep it hot or cold in insulated packs. They also have a snack bar where you can buy popcorn, hotdogs, and a variety of other things. I sometimes lost where we were parked but it was usually close to the office. Mosquitos can happen anywhere. I hate them, too.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
4 Mar 18
I never would have guessed things like this would happen. What I most remembered about my one time at a drive-in movie with my boyfriend (My parents didn't let me go to drive-in movies with dates) was being so frightened by an unexpected scene in a movie that I screamed and almost jumped into my boyfriend's lap, frightening him in the process. It was a western and there was no musical warning - just silence, before the bloody scalped head showed up on a fence. I usually cover my eyes when the music lets me know something scary is about to happen.
After the movie, the car wouldn't start, and my boyfriend had to call his parents to help get us home.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40812)
• United States
5 Mar 18
Too bad about your car. I don't think you being scared broke the car. I keep remembering that song, "Wake up, Little Susie." They fell asleep at the drive-in and went home at 3 am. What would her parents say? Would their friends say, "Oooh, la la?"
2 people like this
@Bluedoll (16774)
• Canada
5 Mar 18
Those were very wild stories. Really enjoyed reading them. Also like how you described what a drive-in was for anyone who might not know. lol
One of the last experiences was at a small town die hard drive in that refused to close but the problem was it was full of mosquitoes so the owner hired someone to smoke them away with some kind of chemical sprayer that would make gas warfare seem like playtime in kindergarten
1 person likes this
@DesirousDreamer (34780)
• Peoria, Arizona
2 Mar 18
We never had odd things happen in our drive-in. I just had to hide under a pile of blankets with my step siblings for like 10 minutes so my dad and step mom didn't have to pay extra.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40812)
• United States
2 Mar 18
@DesirousDreamer We ran the drive-in a long time ago and the prices were nowhere near that much, maybe a couple of bucks and up to five dollars. Ten dollars is a lot. I had no idea. I would hide too.
1 person likes this
@DesirousDreamer (34780)
• Peoria, Arizona
2 Mar 18
@akalinus ours was 5 and under. And it was like 10 bucks per ticket for everyone, so I kind of don't blame my dad for not wanting to pay and wanting to have a good time with his family
2 people like this
