Ultimate Retro Family Experience....Drive-In Theatre!

In my hometown, there used to be a drive-in that faced both a state road and an interstate that showed porn movies. Mom always made me duck my head whenever we passed by. Bummer.

 

In my hometown, the Woodzo drive in was the first place in town, period, that served pizza. And the owner would come in over the PA during the movie to let you know it was done. Which was awesome during the first time I saw The Empire Strikes Back:

Darth Vader: "No. I am your father."
Luke: "No. No. It's not true. That's impossible."
Darth Vader: "Search your feelings. You know it to be true."
Woodzo Owner: "Yer pizza is readdddddy..."
Luke: "Nooooooooo!!!! Noooooooo!!!!"

 

One of the most famous porn drive-ins was very active in the 1970s, not far from where my family lived at the time. It was the Hi-Vue in Durand, Mich., otherwise known as the "Durand Dirties." A guy named Harry Mohney built a multi-million-dollar empire with that drive-in as his base.

http://www.waterwinterwonderland.com/driveintheaters.aspx?id=230&type=1

Mohney doesn't have the drive-in anymore, but he owns strip clubs across the U.S. He's, shall we say, quite a character.

http://www.lukeisback.com/stars/stars/stars/male/harry_mohney.html

 

We still have a drive-in located in Muskegon, about 30-45 minutes northwest of Grand Rapids. They were thinking of closing the theater to build houses on the lot a few years ago but that fell through... traffic really picked up once word got out the place might be in its last year.

Great experience. Pay once for two movies, and often they are big movies back-to-back (like Change Up and Friends with Benefits on one bill).

 

The one we went to in high school charged by the carload. I think it was $10 and I remember one time we packed nine people in my 1989 Nissan Sentra.

 

The second biggest advance is being able to get concessions delivery by cell phone.

 

Last time I went was some place in Illinois, south (I think) of Champaign. Saw the god-awful first "Tomb Raider" movie. Despite that, a great experience.

When I was a kid in St. Charles, Mo., there was an X-Rated drive-in that played such titles as "Pinocchio: It Isn't His Nose That Grows." Yeah, they put it right there on the marquee.

 

I'm guessing it was toenails.

 

I spent some time in St. Charles, Mo. as a youth. Second and third grades, I believe. Would have been ... 1986 or so.

 

I should have mentioned a time frame when talking about the X-Rated drive-in. I lived in St. Charles in the 1970s. I have no idea if it's still there.

 

When I was learning to drive I had a heckuva time navigating through dark drive-in complexes. Uncanny how many times I actually backed into the area where there was non-family fare on the screen. Golly, drive-ins were a blast.

 

The Tiffin Field of Dreams Drive-In north of Tiffin, Ohio, charges $7 for adults and $4 for children age 5-12 and senior citizens, with free admission for children under 5.
Audio through the car radio.
It has two screens and shows double features on both each Friday, Saturday and Sunday, starting at dusk.
Also free ladder golf, corn hole and nine-hole mini golf.
Concession stand delivers pizza to your car.
Took the boy to see Cowboys & Aliens along with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II earlier this summer. Sat outside the car in lawn chairs and had a great time.