There's nothing like a bit of reality to spoil nostalgia. I was sitting in a 67 Mustang convertible with Margo the last time I enjoyed a Drive-In movie. I can't remember the movie, but the popcorn was fresh, there were a million stars out that night, and movie goers were respectful of each other most of the time. Those were the days, during the 60's, when going to a Drive-In on a week end was the in thing to do. So, to jolt some of those memories back for this column, I took the family to a Drive -In this past weekend. More on that later.

We can thank Richard M. Hollingshead of 212 Thomas Avenue, New Jersey, for inventing Drive-Ins. Back in the 1920's, Hollingshead, a sales manager for his father's Whiz Auto Products Co., experimented in his driveway by hanging a sheet for a screen in his backyard nailed to some trees. With a 1928 Kodak projector on the hood of his car, he projected his test movie onto the screen.

He placed behind the screen a radio to broadcast sound. To find the best possible delivery, he experimented with the car windows up, down and even half way. He even tested for weather conditions using his lawn sprinkler as a rainstorm.

There was one recurring problem though for Mr. Hollingshead. If cars were parked behind each other, the folks in the rear cars couldn't see the entire picture. So he continued his experiments lining up cars in his driveway and spacing them at various distances and position. He placed blocks under the front wheels to find the correct spacing and the correct angles to build ramps for the cars to park on. On May 16, 1933, Hollingshead received patent number 1,909,537. This was the first patent for a Drive-In Theater.

With an investment of $30,000, Hollingshead opened the first drive-in on Tuesday June 6, 1933 , showing "Wife Beware," starring Adolph Menjou. The Drive-In, a 400-car theater with eight rows and a 30 by 40 foot screen, was located on Crescent Boulevard, in Camden New Jersey. Patrons paid 25 cents for the car and 25 cents per person.

Unfortunately, the in-car radio speaker system was preceded by RCA Victor's "Directional Sound." Three main speakers were mounted next to the screen. It provided sound but not good enough for cars in the rear of the theater or neighbors who lived near by. It would take a law suit against the Harper Drive-In in Detroit in 1939 to come up with the new "solo sound reproduction," the audio box in your car approach.

Between 1933 and 1939, 18 Drive-Ins sprouted up in the country. By 1942, there we 95 Drive-Ins in 27 states. After the war, and the beginning of the baby boom generation in 1946, Drive-Ins increased to 155. By 1948, there were 820 drive-in theaters across the U.S. There even was a Drive-In and Fly-in for small planes in 1948. Ed Brown's Drive-In and Fly-In of Asbury Park, New Jersey had a capacity for 500 cars and 25 airplanes. The planes taxied into the back rows.

To win over the hearts of this new entertainment system, new drive-ins often would host an "open house" during the daytime, attracting as many as 400 visitors. The owners would show customers how to park, how to use the sound system and marvel at the wide variety of food available in the concession stand.

By the end of the decade, drive-in theaters were full of kids. Theater owners created playgrounds in the area between the front row and the screen. Folks would often come early so the kids could play, and then take a trip to the concession stand. It was a lucrative business.

The drive-in boom was on its way. By 1958, there were 5000 Drive-ins and some were huge! The Troy Drive-In in Detroit, Michigan and the Panther Drive In in Lufkin, Texas held 3,000 cars each! But size didn't always matter.
The Harmony Drive-In in Harmony Pennsylvania and the Highway Drive-In in Bamberg, South Carolina each held only 50 cars.

During this hey day of drive-ins, theaters added miniature trains, pony and boat rides, talent and animal shows , horseshoes, and miniature golf. Many Drive-Ins would open their gates as much as 3 hours before the movie so customers could bring the kids early and they began to serve a wide variety of dinners that included fried chicken, sandwiches, hamburgers, and pizza, along with the usual popcorn, soda, and candy. Some allowed you to order from the car and the food was delivered by a car hop.

To increase sales the intermission trailers were invented. While they worked, they often were entertaining enough (for the kids) so one parent had to go fetch the food while the rest stayed and enjoyed (or made fun of) the trailer.

New York State was one of the first 10 states to have a drive-in movie theater. The first opened in August of 1938 at Valley Stream, Long Island. The year 1963 recorded the most drive-ins in New York with 154. In 1998, it was down to 33, the same number as in 1948, yet still ranks in the top ten.

How many of you remember the Super 50 Drive-in (Ballston Lake), Mohawk Drive-In (Colonie), Auto Vision Drive-in (East Greenbush), Dix Drive-in (Hudson Falls), Fort George Drive-in (Lake George), Latham Drive-in (Latham), Hudson River Drive-in (Mechanicsville), Tri City Twin Drive-in (Menands), Riverview Drive-In (Rotterdam Junction), and the Indian, Ladder Drive-In (Voorheesville). All of these are now part of history.

Yet, we still have a few left in the Capital District. There's the Hollywood Drive-In in Averill Park; the Malta Drive-In in Ballston Spa; the Hi-Way Drive-In in Coxsackie; the Glen Drive-In in Glens Falls; Hathaway's Drive-In in North Hoosick, and the Jericho Drive In in Selkirk. There are 851 Drive-Ins still showing in the U.S.

And now to my most recent experience. We drove up to the unnamed Drive In and found a pretty decent spot. However, within a few minutes, several SUV's, and small trucks found their spot in front us. As the back doors sprang up, and kids lit from the back, they proceeded to get on top of the SUV's, spread their blankets and sit!! I remember mumbling out loud," I'm sure their parents are not going to let them sit on top when the movie starts. They do know that their mobile house on wheels may be a tiny bit tall for my regular sized subaru behind them!!!" In the old days, trucks and vans had to park in the REAR!

Nope, the movie started and not only did the kids sit tall, they whip out their glow in the dark necklaces and started whirling them around. One of the other kids who decided to sit in the driver's seat hit the brakes (read that brake LGHTS) every time a scene switched. This is in between the mother who had to turn the inside lights on every time her cell phone rang (every four minutes). Three times I had to get out of the car and tell those kids to lay down. The mother was too busy talking on the cell phone.

By the way, even my kids didn't like "The Kid" or "Rocky and Bullwinkle."

So much for nostalgia!