Mar 26
The love for Drive-In Theaters (aka the first post)
The Zen of Film, mmh… GoingZen about film is easy, only a few things in life spark our emotion as much as film does. When someone shows dislike of a film, theme or topic we like, we surely will invest a lot of effort to finally persuade her or him of the opposite.
The other thing to keep in mind while meditating about film is: “what are our first film experiences”, what are the memories that made us the film-lover we are today. In a recent post Joel writes about his first memories related to film. It’s an interesting journey to go back and ask this question yourself or others. And while I don’t want to elaborate too much about my own film-moments here, I’d like to mention one strain Joel mentions that surely ows its share in me becoming a film nerd: Drive-In Theaters.
I can’t remember if it was American Graffiti, Eskimo Limon or just a good load of kitchy memorabilia from the US 1950s and 60s. But I am a fan of American Diners, Googie, Tiki and the icon of that golden time - the Drive-In. It’s the window-mounted speakers, the cheapo Lobby and Snack-Bar, the great cars of that time and the personal memory of the first film with your girlfriend there. If you are into pinballs, Bally’s “Creature from the Black Lagoon” will bring back a lot of those memories.
And finally, for those of you who never had the chance to visit a Drive-In, be sure to check out this great site dedicated to the memory and perservation of the Drive-In culture. Variety features an article that claims that Drive-Ins aren’t dead - good to hear! Currently 383 locations in the US alone. BTW: I still need to visit the Mission Tiki Drive-In…
