Drive-ins: the marriage of the modern automobile and Cinemascope

It's said that the drive-in grew out of the drive-in restaurant business, extending the in-your-car convenience to include the silver screen. The first was opened in Camden, New Jersey, in 1933 by Richard Hollingshead Jr, who saw it as a way of expanding sales for his auto products business. A kooky entrepreneurial idea maybe, but no more so than Michelin's 'road map' of restaurants.

My first drive-in experience was the Southline in Fairy Meadow, that wonderfully whimsical name for one of Wollongong's northern suburbs. Located on swampland at the corner of Balgownie Road and the Princes Highway, Southline's construction was delayed because the police were concerned about traffic congestion. With 682 cars arriving and leaving for every session, you can understand why.

The Southline finally opened in Ocotber 1957 with an invitation-only screening of the award-winning Picnic starring Kim Novak and William Holden. The screen was 33 x 14.6 metres and the complex had a restaurant, buffet, light refreshment and confectionary bars as well as a children's playground. Admission was 5 shillings per adult and 1 shilling per child.

We were hot on the heels of opening night in our Vauxhall Velox saloon. Not only was I going out at night, I was experiencing the magical marriage of the modern automobile and Cinemascope. We pretty much followed the ritual of queuing endlessly to get in, finding our parking spot, stocking up on food and drinks and attaching our speaker to the car window before settling back for the evening's entertainment. We broke with ritual when my father drove off with the speaker still attached.

Clientele seemed to divide neatly into parents with young kids and older kids wanting to make out. Which leads me to my last drive-in experience in the 1970s in the Canberra suburb of Watson, where both the film and a budding romance were cut short by a pea-soup fog.

Drive-ins were at their peak in 1958 (who wasn't?) and many closed in the 1980s. Since the 1990s there's been a revival, with old ones reopening and new ones being built. You can find out more about drive-ins in Australia at driveinmovie.com

If you're interested in the history of Australian cinemas, drive-ins and theatres look into Cinema and Theatres of Australia (CATHS)

Many thanks to David Kilderry's Drive-ins downunder: a tribute site for info and the pic of the speakers.