Today is National Drive-In Day. If you haven’t seen today’s Google animation, you need to check it out (be sure to click play).
To me, drive-ins are like a step back in time. I associate them with my favorite film, Grease, and the song “Sandy” that John Travolta croons swinging in front of vintage cartoon commercials (I remember being so irritated with him that he was messing up such a good relationship with Sandy by doing all the wrong things). You can go to a place like Johnny Rockets and get the feel of the 50s, but something about a drive-in just feels authentic, like Fonzy and Richie are hanging out by the snack bar.
When I was a kid, I would go with my friend and his parents to one. We saw The Jungle Book and a Zorro black-and-white movie. I don’t think we ever got out of the car. Living here in Cleveland, Tennessee, with The Swingin’ Midway Drive-In just up the road, I’ve been more times than ever and we always get out of the car. We take lawn chairs, snacks, bug spray, blankets and a stereo.
I remember spreading a blanket out on the grass and watching such films as Jurassic Park and Herbie Rides Again and hearing the kids playing on the playground. I celebrated my birthday one year at the drive-in (we almost all dressed in Grease costumes). I also have a very odd creepy story about being the only living soul at the drive-in at 3 in the morning. One night, between films, the announcer asked for “the lady whose kid threw up in the snack bar to come help clean it up.” Whatever labor resources that woman might have saved by enlisting the mother were surely lost by lack of snack bar sales of those avoiding said vomit.
This past weekend, some friends and I celebrated a birthday and watched The Avengers. It was a beautiful evening and a lot of fun. The stars were clear and the moon was so bright, I kept thinking it was a street light.
I hope to see the tradition continue, although the drive-in is in danger of closing this summer for good, because of digital upgrades the owners can’t afford to make. The website mentions this dilemma and perhaps it’s enough to energize the masses who need a good old-fashioned family night at the movies every now and then.
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