Wednesday, July 10, 2002
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Wednesday, July 10, 2002 |
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Enjoy a movie from the comfort of your own car My love for movies was reinvigorated this weekend, not because of the films I watched but because of the venue I watched them in. My friends and I went to the Starlight Drive-In in Atlanta on Saturday night and had a blast. I had not been to a drive-in since I was around seven years old. I saw Disney's "The Fox and the Hound" and cried my eyes out. I regained my eyes soon afterwards and began seeing the empty shells of former drive-ins for years to come. Though there was a drive in near the University of Georgia I never went there and I had not even thought of going to the Starlight until a friend of mine mentioned it. It is located at 2000 Moreland Avenue and has six screens that show double features of new films. On Saturday we watched the Adam Sandler comedy "Mr. Deeds" and followed it up with a viewing of "Spiderman." For the younger readers out there who think I am making up stories about so-called drive-ins, (they are also the people who have only seen record players in museums or garage sales) drive-in movie theaters were first built in the 1940s and hit their peak of popularity in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Their popularity was increased when they began to offer dinners, some with car-hop service, (car hops are like the waitresses on skates on "Happy Days") and rides and games for children. In 1955, Georgia had 130 drive-ins. There are currently only four that remain in operation. The other three are located in Commerce, Jesup and Blue Ridge. Fayetteville used to have a drive-in, the 85 Drive-In, located before Dixie Land on Ga. Highway 85. There were also drive-ins in LaGrange, Forest Park, Newnan and Griffin. Popularity began to decrease in the 1970s and as cable television and VCRs became the norm, drive-ins went the way of the dinosaur. Unlike the dinosaur, drive-ins have made a comeback. Parents who used to go to the drive-in when they were children began to bring their children and theaters that closed down re-opened. One drive-in theater in Florida now has 13 screens and people are lining up to get into the drive-ins on a weekend night. There were a few problems at Starlight, but they were out of the control of management. First off, it rained for about 15 minutes and we had to move back inside the car. Secondly, several planes flew overhead and a few trains went by and blew their whistle and temporarily drowned out the sound, which comes in over an AM or FM radio signal, depending on which you prefer. Other than that, it was a perfect way to spend a summer evening. Patrons are allowed to bring picnic baskets and coolers to the drive-in, but no dogs. The gates open at 8:30 p.m. and I highly recommend getting there at least half an hour early. The Starlight has one special movie night a month where old monster movies are shown on one of their screens. The next monster movie night is Sunday, July 21 and the films will be "Zombies of Mora Tau" and "Creature with the Atom Brain." Tickets are $6 per person and children under the age of 11 are admitted for free. The admission price allows patrons to watch both films on the screen. For more information, visit the Starlight on the web at www.starlightdrivein.com. |
