It’s pretty ironic. An anachronistic entertainment venue, struggling to survive in the era of the multiplex, suddenly becomes the perfect solution to the problem of how to safely watch a movie with hundreds of other people without the risk of getting sick. It’s all outside, and you’re safe in your own car, enjoying your own refreshments (assuming you purchased a bring-your-own food permit from the theater operators).
I’m happy for the drive-ins that have managed to stay in business until now to enjoy this renewed popularity.
It’s been out there since 1949, seemingly out in the middle of nowhere. But the Star View is a survivor, and is doing business creatively during the current pandemic. (Here’s the link to its website.)
Here are a few recent photos.
And here are a few vintage ads.
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| June 17, 1950 Sandusky Register ad |
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| June 18, 1955 Sandusky Register ad |
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| June 20, 1955 Sandusky Register ad |
Click here to visit the Cinema Treasures website, which has a history of the Star View and a great photo of its original wooden movie screen – when it was on fire!
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Back in the early days of this blog, I featured a lot of old Ohio drive-in theaters that I had photographed or visited.These included Lorain Drive-in, Aut-O-Rama Drive-in in North Ridgeville, Tower Drive-in, Midway Auto Drive-in, Madison Skyway Drive-in, Sandusky Drive-in and Carlisle Drive-in.
2 comments:
Loved going to the drive-in as a kid in our pajamas. Always fell asleep after the first movie (2nd movie usually was R rated I think) and Dad would carry us into bed when we got home. Glad the remaining drive-in's are doing well during these trying times!
They are making a comeback. Here in Virginia, this one opened in 2009 and is doing really well. But it is in an area where you have to drive an hour to any movie theater. And they do double features too. https://www.goochlanddriveintheater.com/
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