History of the Holiday Drive-In

Fun Fact: I've NEVER been to the drive-in! Shocking, I know. Since we have this super fun contest going on, I decided to do a little research about the history of the Holiday Drive-In.

The idea of watching a movie outdoors was born in 1921

In 1921, Claude Caver applied for a special permit from the city and screened the very first drive-in movie in downtown Comanche, Texas. Cars parked bumper-to-bumper to screen silent movies from their vehicles.

The first drive-in movie theater opened in 1933

Years later, Richard M. Hollingshead Jr. experimented with speakers mounted behind a screen nailed to the tree in his back yard. He measured the distance sound traveled, and determined the size and spacing that cars would need for a clear view of the screen. In 1933, Hollingsworth opened the country’s very first drive-in movie theater in Camden, New Jersey on a 40 ft by 50 ft screen.

Sound improvements helped the drive-in gain popularity

In 1941, RCA introduced speakers with individual volume controls which could be removed from their mount and placed in the car. At the peak of drive-in culture in the 50s and 60s, drive-in theaters accounted for nearly 25% of the movie industry.

Fast forward to today, and the Holiday Drive-In located in Reo, IN is now one of the oldest American drive-ins still open. Since 1955, they have added more screens, and made improvements, to make the movie experience more comfortable. Speaking of open...Drive-In season officially starts April 19, 2019!

Source: [Holiday Drive-In]