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Drive-in movies back in fashion By Sandra Landen Machaj CORRESPONDENT
Traveling along Chapel Hill Road it is not possible to miss the giant screen of the McHenry Outdoor Theatre located at the corner of Chapel Hill Road and Lincoln Highway. All last summer and fall, it was not only the giant screen that caught one’s attention but also the traffic jams caused by cars lining up to attend the evening movies at the McHenry Outdoor Theatre. “Last year was a busy time for us here at the theater. With so many activities closed down, people were looking for entertainment to attend outside of their homes for their families,” said Scott Dehn, owner of the McHenry Outdoor Theatre. “Going to the outdoor movies is a way of sharing the experience of watching a movie on a large screen with friends and neighbors, while still adhering to social distancing norms brought to us by the pandemic.” Because of the pandemic, the theater was limited to a decreased number of automobiles that were allowed in the theater. Tickets were sold at the gate so it was not unusual to find cars lining up long before the 6:30 p.m. opening time and blocking traffic on Chapel Hill Road. “When this occurred, we had to open early to keep from creating a traffic jam. When we began to interfere with traffic on the road, tick-
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Going to the outdoor movies is a way of sharing the experience of watching a movie on a large screen with friends and neighbors, while still adhering to social distancing norms brought to us by the pandemic.” – Scott Dehn McHenry Outdoor Theater owner
ets were sold and the cars ushered into the theater with tickets being sold out on some days by 2:30 p.m. This year should be different as we will be allowed to operate at full capacity, thus holding twice as many viewers as last year,” added Dehn. If going to an outdoor movie is a memory from their childhood, and now one that they are introducing to their own children, it will be an enjoyable event. That memory may include sitting in the back of a pickup truck, using folding chairs next to the automobile, or remaining inside the car to enjoy the movie. No movie, indoor or out, can be enjoyed without popcorn. So of course, a visit to the Concession building is needed before or during the show. The concession stand offers popcorn, soft drinks, and soft jumbo pretzels. For those looking for a hardier meal, nachos, hot dogs, and burgers can be purchased. But don’t forget to wear your mask when entering the con-
cession building. They are required because of the pandemic protocols. A bit of history The McHenry Outdoor Theatre originally opened under the name of the Skyline Drive-In. While it opened in 1946 Dehn said, the history of drive-in movie theaters goes back to June 6, 1933, when the first “park- in movie” opened in New Jersey. The new “park-in movie” was the creation of Richard Hollingshead, who was looking to create a more comfortable way to enjoy watching a movie, rather than sitting in the uncomfortable movie theater seats of the time. Hollingshead did not have to look further than the comfort of the seats in his automobile and he patented the idea of the park-in theater where one could enjoy the movie while sitting in their automobile or pickup truck. His company, Park-In Theaters Inc. was started with an initial investment
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A lone auto arrives early for the outdoor theatre. Once the gates open the entire lot will fill with a variety of automobiles filled with anxious families waiting to view a favorite movie.
of $30,000. The first movie played was “Wife Beware” starring Adolph Menjou. While the initial theater he opened would only remain in business for three years, other park-in theaters began to sprout up throughout the nation. The outdoor theatre was advertised as family entertainment. Costs were kept low with tickets priced at 25 cents per person and no car was charged more than $1.
Many of the early theaters had a playground in front of the screen and a few even had petting zoos to occupy the children and wear them out before the movie began. The disadvantage of the outdoor theater was that the movie could not be projected until dark and during the summer in many areas, that did not occur until 8 or 9 p.m. The advantage was to parents who did not have to hire babysitters. They brought
their children with them, tired them out on the playground and would then herd them back to the automobile where they would watch the cartoons. Cartoons were always shown before the movie features and usually before the cartoons were concluded, the younger children would be asleep in the backseat of the car. Thus allowing the parents
See DRIVE-IN, Page 4
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