When Drive-Ins Were the In Place to Be

Drive-in movie theaters have a long and rich history in Southern California--not surprising given the mild climate and Hollywood in its backyard. In fact, during the height of the drive-in movie theater boom between the mid-’50s and mid-’60s, there were more than 50 locations here, from Oxnard to Huntington Beach, Los Angeles to Loma Linda.

The world’s first drive-in theater (Richard Hollingshead came up with the concept) opened in Camden, N.J., on June 6, 1933. The next year, Los Angeles joined the fad with the opening of a location on Pico and Westwood boulevards. It was simply called the “Drive-In Theatre” and labeled the “World’s Most Unique Film Playhouse,” and throngs of curious moviegoers turned out week after week.

The audience was diverse: the rich, poor, famous--even Hollywood actors themselves. On Sept. 13, 1934, a perky Columbia player named Billie Seward attended Los Angeles’ first drive-in to promote the studio’s films. Other actors followed her lead, quickly learning the power of outdoor appearances as a way of appealing to new audiences.

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After World War II, drive-ins sprang up all over America, with California being one of the most popular locations. Executives from studios such as Warner and Paramount had thought that anyone who chose to watch a movie in a field would never have fun--the experience would never match presentations given at one of their own gilded indoor palaces. Obviously the movie-going public did not agree, because drive-ins flourished. Eventually studio executives took advantage of what area drive-ins did have to offer: a place for their stars to make personal appearances.

Nearly all area theater companies included drive-ins in their screen count. Los Angeles’ own Pacific Theaters, at one time a drive-in theater company only, eventually owned more than 110 locations. Michael Forman, president of the family-owned Pacific, recalls, “Since we were actually located in Hollywood, the studios could not ignore us. We were able to get first-run product, and we utilized movie stars to promote the outdoor venue. We hosted huge premiere parties for drive-in showings. One evening I will never forget, a very young Raquel Welch appeared for the grand opening of our Fountain Valley location.”

Another area exhibitor, Edwards Theaters, also jumped on the drive-in bandwagon. The company selected the 1950s’ hottest comedy duo to appear at their drive-ins to generate publicity. Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin appeared alongside noted Southern California architect J. Arthur Drielsma for the purpose of introducing the press to new outdoor locations. Actress Natalie Wood chose the drive-in as the place to re-energize her career, using personal appearances to establish herself as an adult actor after being a very successful child star.

In an effort to lure even more patrons to drive-ins, theater owners hired painters to adorn the fronts of the screen towers with beautiful unique murals, accented in glowing neon. A Viking ship graced the Compton Drive-In, skiers headed down the slopes at the Tri-City in Loma Linda, the surf was up at the Olympic in Los Angeles and a Spanish dancer spun nightly on the El Monte screen tower.

Popular recording groups also used drive-ins as subjects for lyrics in songs. The Beach Boys mentioned drive-ins in several 45s and even recorded a song titled “The Drive-In.” And who can forget the Everly Brothers’ 1957 hit, “Wake up Little Susie,” in which Susie and her boyfriend woke up late at a drive-in?

Teenagers poured into drive-in theaters in hopes of meeting movie stars such as Frankie Avalon and Deborah Walley in person, while enjoying their films such as “Beach Blanket Bingo” and “Muscle Beach Party” under the stars.

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One of L.A.’s biggest drive-in fans was the “king” himself. Elvis Presley made more than 30 films, many of which were perfect drive-in fare--lightweight films like “Blue Hawaii” or “Fun in Acapulco.” (In the drive-in genre, audience members could miss five minutes of the film while they walked to the concession stand and not fear missing any key plot points.) In fact, Elvis loved drive-ins so much he attended them frequently when in Hollywood working on his movies.

Mamie Van Doren, a 1950s phenomenon, also was a drive-in devotee. She recalls, “I often attended drive-ins around Hollywood, many times with my mother in the front seat. We were there to critique one of my films. At the drive-in, no one would know I was watching my own work.”

Male stars such as Gary Cooper and Clark Gable also enjoyed the anonymity provided by the drive-in. They were so popular at the peak of their careers that female fans made it impossible for them to be in seen in public. They both attended drive-ins around Hollywood so that they could watch movies in private. Western idols Roy Rogers and Gene Autry appeared at local drive-ins repeatedly, Rogers promoting membership in his Roy Rogers Riders Club, which grew to 2 million members.

Many of Hollywood’s biggest stars launched their careers in movies that were made for the drive-in. A few members of the drive-in hall of fame include Jack Nicholson, “The Raven” (1963), Clint Eastwood, “Revenge of the Creature” and “Tarantula” (1955), and Michael Landon, “I Was a Teenage Werewolf” (1957).

As early as the late 1960s, architects started adding screens to existing locations such as the Highway 39, in Anaheim, and the Sundown, in Whittier. Such a practice enabled some drive-ins to continue operating well into the ‘90s by showing several films at one time. But that just delayed the inevitable, and today less than a handful of drive-ins remain in Southern California.

The drive-in brought fame and fortune to a lucky few and sheer happiness to countless others. For teenagers in the ‘50s and ‘60s especially, they provided memorable experiences--both on the screen and in the car. The History Channel is planning to feature drive-ins in an upcoming documentary about America’s great pop cultural treasures. In their prime in Southern California and elsewhere, drive-ins were a wonderfully unique American phenomenon.

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Don and Susan Sanders are drive-in movie historians. Their new book, “Drive-in Movie Memories,” is the sequel to their 1997 work “The American Drive-in Movie Theatre.”