Today In History – World’s First Drive-in Theatre Opens

road tripWith the start of summer just around the bend, those of us of a certain age remember the Drive-in theatre.

The concept was developed by Richard Hollingshead Jr., who experimented with various projection and sound techniques in the driveway of his house. Using a 1928 Kodak projector mounted on the hood of his car and aimed at a screen pinned to some trees, Hollingshead worked out the spacing logistics to make sure that all cars had an unobstructed view of the screen.

He received a patent for his idea in May 1933 and opened his first drive-in theater only three weeks later. They quickly fanned out across the country.

Their popularity soared after World War II, when Americans started having kids in droves. (Can you say “Boom”?) The drive-in offered cheap family entertainment, a place where parents could take the kids without having to shell out for a baby sitter, or worry about them bothering other patrons.

 Creative Commons License photo credit: pstao1

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Author: nyoatrader
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1 thought on “Today In History – World’s First Drive-in Theatre Opens

  1. Took my family to the drive-in Saturday night (6/7/08). A little local theater in Glenfield, NY in beautiful Lewis County. It was every bit as golden as the my childhood memories. We spread the blanket on the ground and curled up together under the stars watching “Kung-Fu Panda”. I could hear the echoes of Walt Disney’s movie titled “the Gnome Mobile” and “Escape to Witch Mountain” in my mind (both early drive-in memories). The temperature was perfect and the bugs were nearly non-existent. Teenagers, families (my son saw several kids he attends school with), young and old. What a perfect end to a great day with my family.

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