The American Drive-In Movie Theater - Softcover

Sanders, Don; Sanders, Susan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0760317070 ISBN 13: 9780760317075

Publisher: Motorbooks Intl, 2003

Synopsis

The drive-in movie theater brought together two distinct American institutions: cars and movies. Since the earliest drive-ins of the 1930s, these entertainment complexes have been an integral part of American culture. Their appeal stretched to people from all corners of the country, offering a place for social gathering and various amusements. Take a ride down memory lane in this entertaining look at every aspect of the drive-in movie theater: the architecture, the marquees, the cars, the food, and much more. Black-and-white and color photos, along with period ads and other memorabilia, provide a highly illustrated tour from the origins of the drive-in, through its heyday in the 1950s, its decline, and its subsequent revival.

About this title

Review:

Tracing the history, geography, and ideology of the American drive-in movie theater, authors Don and Susan Sanders present a densely illustrated look at American culture at its most shallow, sensual, and delightful. Noting the need of the newly created class of motorized, moneyed teenagers of the 1940s and '50s to find a dark and private place for their pubescent pastimes, the Sanders place the origin of this outdoor entertainment form in the birth of popular culture. The sections on the amusement park-style rides, refreshments, and attractions that were used to lure the bored and their cash to this form of voyeurism are especially delightful (the "Mono-Rocket" ride and the new high-speed food dispensers provide intriguing images of capitalist inventiveness). In spite of its Pollyanna-ish tone, The American Drive-In Movie Theater works as both a celebration and an insightful analysis of this passing phase of pre-couch potato folly.

About the Author:

Don and Susan Sanders of Dallas are ardent enthusiasts of the American Road.  With an intense interest in roadside Americana, they travel the nation's forgotten highways searching for historic icons of American's past.

About this edition

• Publisher: Motorbooks Intl
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0760317070
• ISBN 13: 9780760317075
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160