Marion Pellicano Ambrose
If you
use GOOGLE as your search engine, you probably say today’s “doodle” which
celebrates the opening of the first drive in theater on June 6, 1933, during
the “Golden Age of Cinema”. Seeing the doodle brought back so many memories for
me.
I
remember being so excited that my family was going to the movies! My mom got us
into our warm pajamas and we set up blankets and pillows in the back seat of
our 1957 Ford Fairlane 500. It was torture waiting for it to get dark, but the
sun finally set and we drove out to the huge field that was the Drive in
Theater, in 
I can
hardly remember any of the movies we saw at the drive in, just flashes of
memory: a tiny man fighting a huge spider with a needle, a cowboy tied to a
wagon wheel by indians, and John Wayne. I’m sure we saw several John Wayne
movies since my dad was a big fan. What I do have a crystal clear picture of is
the drive in itself. I can see the poles we parked by, on a mound of dirt. On each pole was a
gray, metal contraption that piped the sound of the movie into our car when we
attached it to a partially rolled down window. I remember having to drive over
2 or 3 mounds trying speakers until we found one that worked. Once the movie
started, the crackly sound filled the car and all eyes were on the gigantic
screen at the front of the lot.
I can
still recall the thrill of going to the refreshment stand with my father at
Intermission. There were hamburgers, hot dogs and other treats pre-made and in
silver foil wrappers. Ice cream, candy, popcorn, and soda were also available
and placed in cardboard trays to be carried back to the car. There was also a
children’s playground for kids to burn a little energy during intermission.
After
intermission, the movie began again. This is about
all can remember. Being 6 or 7 at the time,I never got to see the end of a single movie because, I always
fell asleep. All I recall is waking up in my bed the next morning,
having been carried safely by my dad and lovingly tucked in by my mom. I don’t know
what I felt then, but today as I think of it, I feel overwhelming love and
gratitude to my parents for giving me this kind of childhood. I wish I had
remembered moments like this while they were still here so I could have told
them.
The
era of drive in movies has passed, but there are still many ways parents can
share moments with their children that will create these same type of
nostalgic, treasured memories. I tried to create them for my children and to my
great joy, my daughter talks about her favorite memories of our excursions from when
she was little. It’s my greatest hope that, when I’m gone, she and my son will continue to
remember and cherish these special family moments, and know how much they were loved.
Thanks for a trip down memory lane!
ReplyDeleteOh wow! Does this bring back memories!
ReplyDelete