1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class as a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:09,520 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:12,760 Speaker 1: a show for those interested in the big and small 4 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:18,639 Speaker 1: moments of history. I'm Gabe Lousier and in this episode 5 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:21,800 Speaker 1: we're talking about the birth of the drive in movie theater. 6 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,520 Speaker 1: Open air movie going became a fixture of American society 7 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:39,880 Speaker 1: in the nineteen fifties, but the concept proved a little 8 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:43,920 Speaker 1: ahead of its time in the nineteen thirties. The day 9 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 1: was June sixty three. Build is the first of its kind. 10 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:54,160 Speaker 1: Richard Hollingshead's Drive in Theater opened in Camden, New Jersey. 11 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 1: The opening night film was a nineteen thirty two British 12 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 1: comedy called Why Beware, or, as it was known in 13 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:07,120 Speaker 1: the u k. Two White Arms. That not quite classic. 14 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:10,840 Speaker 1: Film was chosen because it had already briefly played in 15 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:14,440 Speaker 1: traditional theaters a few weeks earlier, meaning that the drive 16 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 1: in wouldn't be competing with indoor theaters by showing the 17 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 1: same movie they were. Admission to the outdoor screening cost 18 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 1: twenty five cents per car, plus an additional twenty five 19 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:29,280 Speaker 1: cents for each person, with no group paying more than 20 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:33,319 Speaker 1: a dollar total that sounds like a bargain today, but 21 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: at the time it was actually a bit more expensive 22 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:40,480 Speaker 1: than indoor theater tickets. Still, many movie goers felt the 23 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:43,399 Speaker 1: slightly higher price was worth it an exchange for the 24 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 1: flexibility that came with watching a film outdoors. Seated inside 25 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 1: their vehicles, viewers could eat, smoke, and talk amongst themselves 26 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: without fear of disturbing their neighbors, and for the more 27 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 1: amorous members of the viewing public, the privacy of an 28 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:04,080 Speaker 1: automobile had other benefits as well. The idea of showing 29 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:08,560 Speaker 1: movies outside was nothing new. Throughout the nineteen twenties and 30 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 1: into the early thirties, people frequently set up screens at beaches, parks, 31 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:17,079 Speaker 1: or other wide open public places. Impromptu screenings like that 32 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: were a simple enough prospect in the silent film era, 33 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:22,280 Speaker 1: as you didn't need to bother with any kind of 34 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 1: complicated sound system. However, with the transition to talkies in 35 00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 1: the early nineteen thirties, watching a film outside became too 36 00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 1: daunting a prospect for most people to bother with. If 37 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:37,160 Speaker 1: you wanted to hear a movie, which was the whole 38 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:40,960 Speaker 1: point of talkies after all, then an indoor theater was 39 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 1: your one and only option. That changed in nineteen thirty three, 40 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:50,720 Speaker 1: when an amateur inventor named Richard Milton Hollingshead Jr. Became 41 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:54,680 Speaker 1: fixated on the idea of a permanent outdoor theater, one 42 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:57,080 Speaker 1: where people could watch a movie from the comfort of 43 00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:01,240 Speaker 1: their own car. At the time, hollings Head was working 44 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 1: at Whiz Auto Products, a company founded by his father 45 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:08,840 Speaker 1: to sell car detailing accessories such as oils and polishes. 46 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 1: His idea for a drive in theater, or a park 47 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 1: in theater, as he initially called it, was an unexpected 48 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 1: extension of that family business, But Hollingshead's mother not only 49 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:24,440 Speaker 1: approved of the venture, she inspired it. Her son noticed 50 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 1: that she had difficulty sitting in a movie theater for 51 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 1: the full length of a film. When asked about it, 52 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 1: she said the seats were too uncomfortable and that she 53 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:36,000 Speaker 1: wished they were more like the ones in her car. 54 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:40,320 Speaker 1: Hollings had wagered that many other movie goers felt the 55 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:44,440 Speaker 1: same way. After all, the United States was fast becoming 56 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: a car loving culture, and many drivers wanted to spend 57 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:51,120 Speaker 1: as much time with their new rides as possible, giving 58 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:54,040 Speaker 1: the public a new activity to enjoy in their trendy 59 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 1: new vehicles seemed like a winning idea. Hollingshead sets a 60 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:01,920 Speaker 1: work on the concept and the sping of ninety three. 61 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:05,200 Speaker 1: Using a handful of cars, a Kodak projector, and a 62 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 1: screen nailed to a tree. He experimented with different setups 63 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:12,360 Speaker 1: in his backyard, trying to ensure that every passenger would 64 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: have a clear view of the screen. Over the course 65 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:18,719 Speaker 1: of several weeks, he settled on a stadium like arrangement, 66 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:21,720 Speaker 1: with cars parked one behind another on a series of 67 00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:24,960 Speaker 1: elevated ramps, so that cars fur their back could still 68 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 1: see you over the ones in front. He continued tinkering 69 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:32,720 Speaker 1: with different viewing angles and speaker placements, and on May sixteenth, 70 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:36,240 Speaker 1: he received the first US patent for a drive in theater. 71 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 1: Armed with the rights to his idea and a thirty 72 00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:45,440 Speaker 1: thousand dollar investment, Hollingshead founded Park in Theaters, Incorporated and 73 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:49,480 Speaker 1: opened his first drive in just three weeks later. Ahead 74 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:52,159 Speaker 1: of the opening, he spoke to the local Courier Post 75 00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 1: newspaper about what made his venture so special. He explained 76 00:04:56,560 --> 00:05:00,760 Speaker 1: that quote here, the whole family is welcome, regardless of 77 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:04,919 Speaker 1: how noisy the children are apt to be. That invitation 78 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:08,600 Speaker 1: was well received as more than six hundred people attended 79 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:11,719 Speaker 1: on opening night, filling every space in the nearly four 80 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:16,080 Speaker 1: hundred car lot. People from more than twenty different states 81 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:18,600 Speaker 1: came out to see the first movie ever shown at 82 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:21,400 Speaker 1: a dedicated drive in, and by the end of the summer, 83 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:25,400 Speaker 1: theater employees would record license plates from twenty three more. 84 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:30,760 Speaker 1: Despite the successful opening night, the theater still had its problems. 85 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:34,760 Speaker 1: For one thing, many customers complained about the poor sound 86 00:05:34,839 --> 00:05:38,479 Speaker 1: quality of the speakers. Hoping to replicate the sound of 87 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:41,919 Speaker 1: indoor theaters, Hollingshead had opted for an r c A 88 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:47,200 Speaker 1: system called directional sound. It featured three powerful speakers mounted 89 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:50,760 Speaker 1: around the perimeter of the screen, an arrangement that worked 90 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,600 Speaker 1: well inside buildings where the sound didn't have to travel 91 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:58,880 Speaker 1: very far. Outside, though, the setup created a Goldilocks effect, 92 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:02,760 Speaker 1: with spots closer to the screen being too loud, ones 93 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:05,559 Speaker 1: in the back being too quiet, and just a few 94 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:08,720 Speaker 1: prime spots in the middle where the volume was just right. 95 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:12,880 Speaker 1: There was an r c A factory right there in Camden, though, 96 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 1: so Hollingshead reached out for a solution, and eventually the 97 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:20,719 Speaker 1: company obliged by creating a new kind of speaker. Instead 98 00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:24,440 Speaker 1: of having three large speakers blasting sound at top volume. 99 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:28,360 Speaker 1: The theater provided patrons with their own small speaker to 100 00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: mount to their car. Individual speakers quickly became the norm 101 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 1: for drive in theaters until later technology allowed for each 102 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 1: car to play the movie's soundtrack through it's built in 103 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:46,039 Speaker 1: FM radio. Unfortunately, even with improvements to the sound, Hollingshead's 104 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:49,200 Speaker 1: theater failed to turn a profit and wound up closing 105 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:53,280 Speaker 1: after just three years. Still, the concept of the drive 106 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:56,320 Speaker 1: in was too good to be forgotten, and it wasn't 107 00:06:56,360 --> 00:07:00,600 Speaker 1: long before copycat theaters started springing up around the country. 108 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:03,760 Speaker 1: Hollings had sued many of the owners on the strength 109 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:06,920 Speaker 1: of his patent, but the lawsuits dragged on for years 110 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:12,680 Speaker 1: and were eventually dismissed. The original patent expired in nine 111 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:15,600 Speaker 1: right in the middle of a post war boom that 112 00:07:15,760 --> 00:07:20,200 Speaker 1: fueled a sharp increase in car sales, with Americans spending 113 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:23,400 Speaker 1: more time in their cars than ever before. The nineteen 114 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:26,680 Speaker 1: fifties became a golden age for the drive in for 115 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:30,880 Speaker 1: theaters and restaurants alike. At the peak of the craze, 116 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:36,040 Speaker 1: there were nearly five thousand drive in theaters nationwide. Hollingshead 117 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:39,640 Speaker 1: had indeed come up with a winning idea just twenty 118 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:43,760 Speaker 1: years too early. In the second half of the twentieth century, 119 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:47,240 Speaker 1: the rising cost of suburban real estate all but destroyed 120 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:51,000 Speaker 1: the drive in business model. An indoor theater required a 121 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:54,080 Speaker 1: much smaller footprint than the sprawling lot of a drive in, 122 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:58,560 Speaker 1: and with space at a premium, most theater investors, developers, 123 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:03,040 Speaker 1: and operators chose the cheaper, safer option. As a result, 124 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:06,400 Speaker 1: the US is now home to about five thousand indoor 125 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:10,800 Speaker 1: movie theaters compared to just over three hundred operating drive ins. 126 00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:16,360 Speaker 1: Those surviving screens enjoyed an unexpected revival during the COVID 127 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: nineteen pandemic, when the majority of indoor theaters were ordered 128 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:23,360 Speaker 1: to close for the better part of a year. The 129 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:27,560 Speaker 1: newfound relevance of drive ins came with some heavy strings attached, 130 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:30,680 Speaker 1: but they wound up providing a much needed escape for 131 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:34,320 Speaker 1: countless stressed out families, both in the US and an 132 00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:37,720 Speaker 1: open air theaters across the world. A trip to the 133 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:42,480 Speaker 1: drive in was once again, at long last, what everybody wanted, 134 00:08:43,160 --> 00:08:46,640 Speaker 1: a little taste of normalcy, even if it was the 135 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:54,160 Speaker 1: normalcy of the nineteen fifties. I'm gay, bluesier, and Hopefully 136 00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:57,319 Speaker 1: you now know a little more about history today than 137 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:01,320 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. If you enjoyed today show, consider following 138 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:04,640 Speaker 1: us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at t d i 139 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:08,679 Speaker 1: HC Show. You can also rate and review the show 140 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:12,000 Speaker 1: on Apple Podcasts, or you can send your feedback directly 141 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:16,320 Speaker 1: to me at this Day at I heart media dot com. 142 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:19,600 Speaker 1: Special thanks to guest producers Joey pat and Casey Pegro, 143 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:22,960 Speaker 1: and thanks to you for listening. I'll see you back 144 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:26,280 Speaker 1: here again tomorrow for another day in History class.