Gutbrain Records

Sunday, 18 May 2008

Last night I finished reading Kerry Segrave's Drive-In Theaters: A History from Their Inception in 1933. After I finished it, I couldn't sleep and lay awake until about 4:00, filled with dread and anxiety for some reason. Perhaps it had something to do with this photo (reproduced in the book) of Charlton Heston as Moses on a drive-in screen in Utah.

The whole time I was trying to fall asleep I had Ennio Morricone's music for The Battle of Algiers (a Pentagon favorite) stuck in my head. It's not soothing. At one point I managed to trick my brain into playing some sappy Morricone love theme instead. It worked for a few minutes but then we were back to the Algiers march. When I finally did fall asleep, I had nightmares about zombies.

Apparently there was a drive-in in the Bronx, from 1949 to 1983. During the golden age of the drive-in, many places offered free bottle-warming services for people who came with infants. At some drive-ins you could drop off your laundry on the way in and pick it up on the way out, after the movie. At some drive-ins, employees would do your grocery shopping for you while you enjoyed the show. Playgrounds and dance floors with live music were common.

The first of a very few European drive-ins was in Rome and opened on August 19, 1957. I would have liked to go to that one! It was called Drive-In Cine and offered espresso at the concession stand along with soda, popcorn, hot dogs and other typical American fare. It's capacity was 750 cars and 250 scooters.