A strange, and for some, uncomfortable question lingers in my mind these days — whatever happened to the magic of the drive-in theater? It’s a question that rose amidst the chaos of daily news and my mundane cup of Schenectady Joe every morning. Why? Because change, my friend, is a cruel master — one that we’ve allowed to overshadow such long-forgotten gems as the drive-in theater.
Sure, we have our digital streaming platforms — Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, the works. And don’t get me wrong; it’s rather convenient to explore the vast library of films without leaving the house. The concept is mindbogglingly simple and painfully unsophisticated at the same time.
However, (and perhaps this can be chalked up to my notorious reputation as a grumpy local) this doesn’t come close to the experience of a classic outdoor drive-in theater — one which, in its heyday, could evoke an unrivaled sense of shared community, the unbeatable excitement of catching a new release under the stars, and the sweet intimacy of backseat romance.
Come along with me for a moment, and let’s revisit a simpler time when neon signs sprawled across flickering 35mm frames narrating hushed whispers of car-side service, greasy popcorns, and a good ole’fashioned double feature. Remember that thrilling anticipation in the slight tremors of your car’s engine as it idled, awaiting the spectacle of light and shadows projected onto a massive screen?
Take, for instance, the Bellevue Theater right here in Schenectady. Opened in 1949, it was a staple for residents, fans doing the jitterbug to tunes pulsating from the jukebox, long before my first job behind the counter slinging sodas and nachos. The dance pad would empty as dusk crept in, replaced by cars jockeying for the best viewing spots. The Bellevue held an unseen tether that seemed to connect every heart in the premise to the magic on the screen.
Compare that to the telling of the exact joyful moments occurring simultaneously by thousands of others at over 4000 theaters across the U.S during the peak of this phenomenon in the 1950s. Can online streaming platforms replicate that? Absolutely not!
I remember once, on the eve of my fifteenth birthday, I suffered through a painfully long shift at the Bellevue. The consolation prize? An advanced screening of the original Star Wars. Alone in my dad’s Ford Pickup with an oversized bag of popcorn, the opening crawl echoed in the open air, a cinematic baptism that forged an unbreakable bond between an impressionable teenager from Schenectady and the extraordinary world of film.
Technology, coupled with the rise of multiplexes in the 1970s and 80s, led to an unfortunate decline of drive-in theaters. But what technology introduced, it can repair, can’t it? Imagine modern drive-ins with digital screening, blu-tooth transmission allowing for personalized sound experience in your vehicle, an app-based concession ordering system — it’s oddly appealing. Additionally, these modern updates comply with our current quests for social distancing norms.
On a more emotional note, wouldn’t it be spectacularly nostalgic for someone like, say, Brian McCarthy, lifelong Schenectady resident (who, rumor has it, tuned fifty this year), to share this archaic experience with his family, his grandkids perhaps?
Do we not cringe every time we hear about the struggle to keep conversation alive at the dinner table? So chock full are we with our digital worlds that we lose the simple pleasure of shared experience.
Reviving the drive-in theater could be answering more than just a nostalgic demand; it could be addressing a deeper societal need, providing the warmth of a shared experience that still seems to escape our digital realm. So, I argue fervently for the revival and re-modernization of the drive-in theater not just for old sods like me who wax eloquently about the past but also for a new generation yet to revel in its unique glow.
This might seem to be the passion-fueled ramblings of some grumpy old man lamenting the good old days, but dig deeper, and you’ll find it’s an invitation, a petition for us to reconnect with the communal experience and magic that only a drive-in can deliver. Why squint at a movie on a phone or tablet when you can have the cinematic cathedral that is the night sky as your viewing dome?
Perhaps it’s high time we went back to the beginning to move forward. The drive-in theater beckons, folks.
