The innovator behind this motor-age phenomenon, Richard Milton Hollingshead, Jr., got his start at the Whiz Auto Products Company, founded by his father in the early years of the 20th century to sell automobile accessories such as greases, oils and polishes.
Though there were drive-ins as early as the 1910s, the first patented drive-in was opened on June 6, 1933 by Richard Hollingshead in New Jersey. He created it as a solution for people unable to comfortably fit into smaller movie theater seats after creating a mini drive-in for his mother.
It was built in 1934 by Wilson Shankweiler. The second drive-in ever built, Shankweiler's now holds a Guinness World Record as the oldest operating drive-in theater in the world.
Where was the world's first drive-in movie theater opened in 1933 in this New Jersey city?
CAMDEN -- A once prominent -- but now faded -- pop culture phenomenon got its start 82 years ago in New Jersey. On June 6, 1933, the first drive-in theater in the United States opened in Camden.
How did drive-in movie theaters work in the 1960s?
“You just drive up your car to the entrance and automatically block the way until they sell you a ticket,” explained an activist moviegoer to a local paper in May 1960. In Winston-Salem, a caravan of nine cars drove to each of the city's three segregated drives-ins and was refused admission at each in turn.
On "buck" or "bargain" nights during the 1950s and 1960s, the admission price was one dollar per car; during the 1970s and '80s, bargain night admission was generally five dollars.
The first film ever screened at a drive-in movie theater was British. On June 6, 1933, just outside Camden, New Jersey drivers paid 25 cents per car, plus an additional 25 cents per person to watch the English comedy Wives Beware at this quintessentially American institution in the open air.
Where did the first drive-in movie theater open on June 6 1933 in this state?
On June 6, 1933, the first drive-in movie theatre was opened by Richard Hollingshead Jr. in Pennsauken, New Jersey. The admission cost was 25 cents per car and 25 cents per person.
On June 6, 1933, eager motorists park their automobiles on the grounds of Camden Drive-In, the first-ever drive-in movie theater, located on Admiral Wilson Boulevard in Pennsauken, New Jersey.
Drive-in theaters flourished in Los Angeles from the late 1940s to the late 1970s. Changing tastes and the reputation of drive-ins as teenage "passion pits" meant that by the 1980s, they had become a rarity. In the 1950s, the greater Los Angeles area had approximately 70 drive-ins.
Orefield, Pennsylvania is home to around 8,205 people and America's oldest drive-in, it's called Shankweiler's Drive-In and it was established in 1934.
Pioneered in New Jersey in 1933, the idea caught on quickly in warm, car-loving California. By the 1960s, more than 220 were operating across the state. The outdoor theater was conceived in part as a family-friendly alternative to the walk-in theater. No more dressing up and paying for a babysitter to have a night out.
The Algiers Drive-in in Detroit, Michigan, USA had a screen that measured 65.8 m (216 ft) wide and covered 445.9 m² (4,800 ft²) when it first opened on 15 August 1956 to show the western The Searchers (USA 1956) starring John Wayne.
In July of 1896, in New Orleans, Louisiana, William Rock and Walter Wainwright converted a vacant store into the first storefront theatre that was dedicated to showing films. It was called the Vitascope Hall and although it only showed films for two months it met the popular demand at the time.
Invented in the US, drive-in theaters reached their peak popularity right after World War II during the '50s and '60s, allowing guests to enjoy B movies in a giant parking lot, under the stars and in the comfort of their cars.
What city was home to the first movie theater in the United States?
Vitascope Hall: America's first movie theater - New Orleans Entertainment Coalition. On July 26, 1896, the first fixed-seating movie theater in the United States opened at 623 Canal Street in New Orleans.
Where is the oldest continuously operating movie theater in the US?
This is the State Theatre in Washington, Iowa. A quick look outside and you might think this is any old, regular cinema. But this theater is famous; let's take a look. The State Theatre is the world's oldest continuously operating cinema theater.
Either way, it was an entertainment bargain. Teenagers, many of whom now had their own cars as well as access to the family sedan, could go on a pretty cheap date and remain at decent, respectable distances—or not. By the late 50s through the 60s, there were quite a few films made primarily for drive-in release.
The drive-through is an employee suggestion that took the world by storm almost 100 years ago. Kirby's Pig Stand was founded by Jessie G. Kirby and Reuben Jackson in September 1921 in Dallas, Texas. Their food establishment was transformative from the beginning, being America's first drive-in restaurant upon launching.
In 1960, movie treats were pretty modestly priced. A popcorn or candy bar would set you back ~$0.20 ($1.97, adjusted for inflation), and soda ran a few cents cheaper.
In 1950, a person could purchase a movie ticket for a mere 46 cents on average. By 2016, the average ticket price had increased to $8.65 -- and the increase in ticket prices shows no signs of slowing down. Still, the prices of tickets are much more consistent when adjusted for inflation.
"The decline of the drive-in was directly related to the movement away from Main Street America and towards the mall society, where convenience, times, weather and the idea of 'all-inclusive' became the popular way to enjoy a night out, pushing away the classic night out at the drive-in," Stefanopoulos elaborated.
