Drive In Theaters & 50's Sci-Fi

A little history:

Richard Hollingshead, a young sales manager at his dad's Whiz Auto Products, invented something that combined his two interests: cars and movies.

Richard Hollingshead's vision was an open-air movie theater where moviegoers could watch from their own cars. He experimented in his own driveway in New Jersey. Hollingshead mounted a 1928 Kodak projector on the hood of his car, projected onto a screen he had nailed to trees in his backyard, and used a radio placed behind the screen for sound. Clever!

The inventor subjected his beta drive-in to vigorous testing: for sound quality, for different weather conditions (Hollingshead used a lawn sprinkler to imitate rain) and for figuring out how to park the patrons' cars. He lined up the cars in his driveway, which created a problem with line of sight. By spacing cars at various distances and placing blocks and ramps under the front wheels of cars, Richard Hollingshead created the perfect parking arrangement for the drive-in movie theater experience.

The first patent for the Drive-In Theater (United States Patent# 1,909,537) was issued on May 16, 1933. With an investment of $30,000, Richard opened the first drive-in on June 6, 1933 at a location in Camden, New Jersey. The price of admission was 25 cents for the car and 25 cents per person.

The design did not include the in-car speaker system we know today. The inventor contacted a company by the name of RCA Victor to provide the sound system, called "Directional Sound." Three main speakers were mounted next to the screen that provided sound. The sound quality was not good for cars in the rear of the theater or for the surrounding neighbors.

The largest drive-in theater in patron capacity was the All-Weather Drive-In of Copiague, New York. All-Weather had parking space for 2,500 cars, an indoor 1,200 seat viewing area, kid's playground, a full service restaurant and a shuttle train that took customers from their cars and around the 28-acre theater lot.

Please take a look at these clips. Drive in down memory lane...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEOUG9in9rM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW1VluGucyI

Science Fiction (or sci-fi)

The Cold War and the fear of nuclear annihilation by the communists is reflected in the many b-films made in the 1950's. Here's a sampling. Enjoy!

Forbidden Planet (1956) (starring Leslie Neilson, this is based on Shakespeare's The Tempest)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y4crGU7dkg&feature=PlayList&p=EC640D6B24970506&index=15

The Blob (1958) (starring Steve McQueen)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkOfeSNsWpM&feature=PlayList&p=EC640D6B24970506&index=17

Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gOMQR2r1GM&feature=PlayList&p=EC640D6B24970506&index=12

Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959) Ed Wood’s terrible film masterpiece!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw81urzR_9Q&feature=PlayList&p=EC640D6B24970506&index=25

Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2cLmbCyzhE

Attack of the Giant Gila Monster (1959)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3b0NWljlPw&feature=PlayList&p=EC640D6B24970506&index=8

Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek43qsMoiUw&feature=PlayList&p=EC640D6B24970506&index=11