Editor’s Note: We are delighted to welcome back Linda Ahnert as a guest columnist today. A resident of Old Lyme, she is the former Arts Editor at the popular but now-shuttered weekly, print newspaper, the ‘Main Street News.’ She is also a long-time docent at the Florence Griswold Museum and has volunteered for numerous local art organizations.
When I was young, one of the pleasures of summertime was going to a drive-in movie. The school year ended in June and a fun-filled expanse of summer vacation stretched before us.
Those were the days, my friends, when we spent hours at the beach or pool. In the late afternoon, the Good Humor man jangled his bells and all the kids in the neighborhood came running. In the evenings, we collected lightning bugs in jars and then released them all at once. And on weekend nights, families would pile into their Chevrolets and head to the drive-in for a double feature.
Over the years, these outdoor theaters had been going the way of the dinosaur and practically vanishing from the scene. But with the onset of the pandemic in 2020 when people were searching for safe entertainment, drive-ins are becoming popular once again.
If you were a kid or a parent in the 1950s and 60s, you certainly remember the “good old days” of drive-in movies. A neighbor of mine, who grew up in Old Lyme, recalls going to the Waterford Drive-In. Several women “of a certain age,” who grew up in the Hartford burbs but still spend each summer at the Connecticut shore, remembered the Clinton Drive-In as well as the Blue Hills (in Bloomfield) and a few that were on the Berlin Turnpike in Newington.
Whether you watched outdoor movies parked in a car along the Boston Post Rd. or on the Berlin Turnpike, it was still the same experience. After supper, Dad would drive his nuclear family to the drive-in. (I remember that in families with very young children, the kids were often in their PJ’s, the easier to put them to bed after the show.)
Dad pulled alongside a pole with an attached speaker and then hooked the speaker over the car window. Voilà, you had a sound system. Then everyone waited in anticipation as dusk settled and, yes, there were always a few impatient jokesters who started to honk their horns to get the show going. Finally, it would be dark enough, the screen would light up … and it was magic time.
Growing up in Fairfield and Hartford Counties, I have fond memories of the Candlelight Drive-In in Bridgeport where we saw “The King and I” and the Farmington Drive-In where our family watched “Gigi.” A number of people I talked to also recalled specific movies that they saw.
One woman remembered other recreational activities at the drive-in. By the time she was dating, drive-ins had become known as “passion pits” where teenagers indulged in their own steamy love scenes. So when she and her boyfriend went to the local drive-in, they would lie to her mother about where they were going.
An important part of the drive-in experience was intermission. After the first feature ended, “It’s Intermission Time, Folks!” or “Time Out for a Delicious Snack in our Sparkling Refreshment Building” would flash before our eyes. Then, as we walked through the rows of cars to the flat-topped concession stand, images of talking hot dogs and tasty beverages flitted across the screen. Who could resist those silly ads?
There was also a ticking clock on the screen counting down the number of minutes before the next movie began. Ten minutes till showtime!
Drive-ins were at their peak during the 1950s and 60s because it was the perfect time and the perfect place. In post-World War II America, the drive-in theater brought together a few of our favorite things—cars and movies. What better way to be entertained than sitting in the comfort of the family car? There was also the practical consideration that, in those baby boom years, parents didn’t have to worry about a sitter. The drive-in was a family entertainment center.
By the 1950s, of course, small black and white screens in living rooms were also becoming the rage. Before you knew it, there was color TV, then cable TV, premium movie channels, VCRs, and DVDs. Today many homes are equipped with wide-screen televisions and the 21st century family doesn’t even have to leave the living room to watch a movie.
Yes, movie technology has come a long way and today’s kids have grown up with digitally-sharp images and stereo surround-sound. Now living in the age of the coronavirus, a new generation can experience that old-fashioned thrill of watching a flick on a starry summer night. Drive-ins offer an evening’s entertainment (and getting out of the house) while remaining socially distant.
Here in Connecticut, there are three al fresco cinemas dating from the 1950s era that are still open—the Mansfield Drive-In, the Southington Drive-In, and the Pleasant Valley Drive-In located in Barkhamsted. And it was recently announced that a brand-new drive-in, which will operate year-round, will open in Wethersfield this September.
Most drive-ins today have converted to FM radio to broadcast the audio. But some of us will never forget that memorable message on the screen at the end of a Saturday night at the movies—“Please remember to replace the speaker on the post when you leave the theater.”
Editor’s Note:
Great piece, Linda! Well Done