A Classic Summer Tradition

In honor of Turner Classic Movie's Summer Under the Stars, we thought we'd do a fun post for you on the history of the drive-in cinema!

Once popular enough that there were around 4,000 drive-in's throughout the United States, there are only around 300 left.
So what's the story?

When did they start?
In 1932, when a man by the name of Richard Hollingshead, Jr. created one in his very own backyard for experimental purposes. Hollingshead created a large screen, secured it to trees with the use of nails, mounted a projector on his own vehicle, and then used a radio behind the screen, which he frequently adjusted in order to observe different sound levels with his car. He also experimented and came up with the idea of mounting cars at different levels so that every car could get a complete view of the screen. His work for his "drive-in" movie theater was patented in 1933.

Where to next?
Well, after conducting all of his experiments, Hollingshead opened an official drive-in theater to the public in Pennsauken, New Jersey. People were curious about this new cinematic experience, to begin with, but Hollingshead certainly drew in a crowd by appealing to families with his slogan, "The whole family is welcome, regardless of how noisy the children are!" If you look at Hollingshead's personal business records, his drive-in may not have seemed like that big of a hit, only staying open for about three years, but the idea took off and spread like wildfire throughout other states. It is really because of these 14 states' willingness to run with the idea that the fully functioning drive-in was developed. There were still kinks that had to be worked out with the positioning of the screen, and especially with sound issues, but all of the other drive-ins tampered with these things for the next few years, and eventually came up with solutions.

Drive-in theaters entered their glory days in the 1950s and 60s. They gained some negative connotations due to their extra privacy, making them the perfect date spots and hot spots for teenagers with nothing to do. Despite the bad publicity, however, these "passion pits" still remained popular even throughout the 1970s.

So what went wrong?
Realty. Land prices sky-rocketed, and many of the drive-in theater owners couldn't justify paying for the upkeep of these huge pieces of land that they only actually operated for about 3 to 4 months out of the year. It just became too expensive.
Also, less income was drawn from it as more inventions like color television, extended cable, and VCRs were made available to the public. Who wants to pay to watch a movie in their car when they could be watching movies or recorded tv from the comfort of their own living room?

The drive-ins put up a good fight, though. As the ones that remained open began to notice a decline in customers, they did their best to draw them in--to really make the trip/visit worth their while with special dining services, petting zoos, opening musical acts, etc. Indeed, one of the largest of these theaters ever built was in Long Island, NY, and it featured an actual restaurant, trolley rides, a playground, an extra indoor screen for those who preferred air conditioning, and parking for just shy of 3,000 cars.

What happened to them?
Slowly but surely the theaters went out of business, and as they did so, various different things happened. Especially with the bigger pieces of property, owners sliced of chunks of their land and sold them to seperate buyers, hoping to get more money. The drive-in locations themselves were usually sold to other businesses, some being torn down to make way for expanding business districts, churches, etc. There were quite a few that were not entirely shut down, but combined with other businesses--usually flea markets. And so the drive-in became a thing of the past...or so it seemed.

What about drive-ins today?
Today, there are not nearly as many drive-in theaters as there used to be, but there has been a growth in popularity once more. Efforts have been made, usually by independent business owners, to reconstruct more of the theaters and reopen them to the public. There are many towns that have established temporary drive-ins, often setting a time, date, and meeting place (such as abandoned parking lots or warehouses) beforehand, and using the location as a one-night fling.
Though not as popular as they ever were before, one thing is certain--drive-in theaters will always remain a unique part of cinematic history for America.

That's it for now, folks!

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"Life is a gift,given in trust-like a child."-Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Thanksgiving is a holiday all about...what's that word again?Oh yeah, thankfulness.

But if you're anything like me, sometimes with everything else going on (family gatherings,multitudes of good food,Christmas just around the corner), it's hard to "count my blessings," as they say.

It's not that I'm not thankful for a lot of things, but I just don't have that true spirit of thankfulness-of gratitude.

That's why, this year, starting today, I'm challenging you (and myself) to what I'm calling "The Gift Project."

A couple years ago, I was given a copy of this book (see below), which I really enjoyed anyways, but it dawned on me this last week that it's the perfect thing to read just prior to Thanksgiving, in order to get in touch with my inner spirit of gratitude.

There are just so, SO many things that it brings to light that I am blessed to have, but certainly don't need for my survival, and therfore should be thankful for.

Gift from the Sea

1955 book

by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Gift from the Sea was written by a very famous lady whom we (hopefully) have all heard of, by the name of Anne Morrow Lindbergh:

And even if you haven't heard of her, you probably actually have, but just didn't realize it was actually her. Ever heard of Charles Lindbergh, the aviator?She was married to him.She was actually a famous aviator herself. She was inducted into 4 different halls of fame, and wrote numerous other books throughout her life.

Gift from the Sea was written by Morrow Lindbergh while she was on a solitary vacation on Captiva Island, in Florida. While she was on vacation, she did a lot of reflection on her life, as well as the life of Americans, as a whole. For her writings, she collected shells from the beach and examined them, linking their appearances to the structures of different areas of our daily lives. She reflects and comments on love, marriage, age, solitude, contentment, etc.

The Challenge:

There are eight small chapters in this book. There are also eight days til Thanksgiving (starting today). Seeing a connection yet?

I challenge you, and myself, to read a chapter a day up to Thanksgiving and spend a little time reflecting on who you are as a person, and all the things you've been given in your life that you've taken advantage of, or don't really need at all. Take some time to reflect on your life, and aim to find a little peace and contentment, just like Anne did.

You can find/price/purchase Gift from the Sea at Barnes and Noble online, or go to your local Barnes and Noble store.

You can also price/purchase books like this one on Amazon, so don't forget about that.

If you want to learn more about Anne Morrow Lindbergh, you can go here:

http://www.charleslindbergh.com/anne

"If I couldn't laugh,I'd rather die."-Claudette Colbert

It's finally here!

As you know,Turner Classic Movies designates August as their month for Summer Under The Stars.So,my pick for Star of the Month and Movie of the Month are my own personal preference out of the 31 stars they lined up.So,here it is.Enjoy!And be sure to watch a full day of Claudette Colbert's movies tomorrow, August 12, on Turner Classic Movies.

STAR OF THE MONTH

Claudette Colbert
Born September 13, 1903
Died July 30, 1996

Claudette Colbert was originally born as one Emilie Claudette Chauchoin.She and her family lived in Saint-Mande, Seine, France until she was three years old.They officially emigrated to the United States in 1906.She acted for the first time in a school play, at the age of 15.Once she graduated from high school, Claudette began studying at The Art Students League of New York.She got her first taste of Broadway in 1923, having a role in The Wild Westcotts.
After that, Claudette signed a five year contract with Broadway producer Al Woods.Her excitement soon turned to frustration.Nobody would cast her as anything but small parts like a maid.She fought for her right to a more colorful role,which she finally got when she played a snake charmer in The Barker in 1927.She caught the audiences attention, and started snatching bigger roles after that.She also caught the eye of Leland Hayward, who set her up for her first film role: Frank Capra's For the Love of Mike, 1927.Not only was it Claudette's first film role, it was also her only silent film.
Even though the movie was unsuccessful, Paramount Pictures offered her a contract in 1928 that would allow her to remain in New York so that she could also continue her stage work.She accepted,although she wouldn't appear on Broadway for 20 years after 1929.Colbert's movies were very successful.She had a different look,with her dark hair, and large,dramatic eyes.Her ability to speak both English and her native French fluently also came into play with some of her films.
Producers also saw Claudette's ability to effortlessly play the part of a vixen,or femme fatale.She was frequently cast in such roles, and even though they further boosted her career,Claudette eventually came to regret being typecast as the femme fatale.
Colbert remained active and extremely successful on the big screen up until the 1950's.It was at that time that she started to travel around Europe more extensively, and started appearing in fewer movies.She also made many television appearances during the 1950's.Claudette finally closed the door on her film career in 1955, only appearing in a movie once more in 1961.From then on, she only acted occasionally, and only on the stage.
Claudette Colbert passed away in 1996 due to ill health following a series of strokes a couple of years earlier.

MOVIE OF THE MONTH

It Happened One Night
1934
Starring Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable

Ellie Andrews (Colbert) is the spoiled, only child of a wealthy bank owner.Wishing to make a statement that her father no longer controls her, she marries a fortune-hunter named King Wesley.Her father intrudes and takes her away before their marriage can be consummated.Ellie,furious,runs away from her father.She decides to try to make it back to New York from Miami so that she and King can be together.
Sounds like an easy plan,but the minute she goes missing, Ellie's father notifies the papers,and uses his title and his money to advertise his dilemma.He has half the country out looking for his daughter, and offers a prize to whoever brings her home.Ellie dodges her father's forces, and manages to make it onto a night bus to New York alongside (among others) a reporter named Peter Warne (Gable).The two instantly butt heads.Much to both parties chagrin, Peter ends up helping Ellie after she loses her ticket to the bus while they're stopped for breakfast.Peter learns her true identity, and offers to help her make it to New York as long as she'll give him an exclusive story on her desparate bid for freedom.Desparately short on money,Ellie agrees.
Ellie quickly begins to lose her disdain for Peter,but he doesn't seem interested in her at all.The two of them slowly (after having to abandon the bus for the sake of Ellie's identity) make it to New York,with much arguing, and sarcasm along the way.Peter finally realizes that he has feelings for Ellie,but knows that this was a business deal.When they finally reach New York,after having a final disagreement, they go their separate ways.Ellie is reunited with her father and King Wesley.
Mr. Andrews finally agrees to let Ellie be with King, as long as they hold a real ceremony to make it official.He doesn't believe that his daughter will be happy with King,though,and tries to dissuade her from her decision.Peter comes to see Mr. Andrews but doesn't want the promised reward,but only a few dollars to cover the expenses of getting Ellie to New York.He admits to Mr. Andrews that he's in love with Ellie,but knows that Ellie is marrying King,so leaves.Mr. Andrews tries harder than ever to convince Ellie not to marry King,but Ellie remains firm up until the moment of "I do," when she just can't say the words.She runs away from King, and the movie ends with Ellie and Peter getting married and embarking on their honeymoon.

Officially dubbed a "screwball comedy," It Happened One Night is absolutely worth seeing.It's full of sarcasm,comedy, and romance.
It comes on TCM as a part of Claudette Colbert's day TOMORROW, AUGUST 12 at 11:30 pm.
And you can also watch a selection of 10 other Claudette Colbert films, playing all day tomorrow on TCM.