Drive-Ins

Eighty years ago the drive-in theater was born

Was your last trip to the movies a memorable experience? Maybe not. But years ago, people could have as much fun at the movies as they did watching the film.

The days of the drive-in theater
In 1933, Richard Hollingshead created a unique moviegoing experience when he opened the first outdoor theater. At this New Jersey "drive in" theater, people watched a movie from their cars for the first time. The popular idea spread, and by the mid-60s there were around 5,000 drive-ins across America.

At a drive-in, the entertainment began before the movie started. Playgrounds, pony rides and more provided lots of fun for the kids. Halfway through the movie, dancing drinks and singing hot dogs appeared on the screen. Hungry people would then flock to the concession stand for a small snack or a full meal. The drive-in provided a whole evening of inexpensive entertainment.

In the 1980s, however, VCRs, cable TV and rising property prices almost caused the death of drive-ins. People didn't go to them as before. But some drive-ins survive, and new generations of moviegoers are now enjoying the experience.


Grammar Gym
Hello, friends. Welcome to the Grammar Gym. My name is Liz. Our HISTORY article this month is about drive-ins. It’s a fun and interesting article. However, when it comes to HISTORY articles, not everyone is so interested in past events. It the case of today’s article, the writer could have jumped right into the history of drive-ins, but that would make a lot of readers lose interest. So what does the writer do to capture the readers’ attention?

She begins by asking a question:
Was your last trip to the movies a memorable experience? With this question, the writer invites her readers to think about a personal experience.

This creates a bridge and allows the readers to connect with the subject of the article. So next time when you’re writing or talking about a subject that is full of facts that might appear boring or not meaningful to readers or listeners. Don’t just jump right into your subject and lay out all the facts.

Instead, ask a personal question relating to your topic. This will make your readers or listeners more interested in what you have to say. And that’s it for today. This is Liz from the Grammar Gym. See you next time.


Info Cloud
You know, Steve, I think it’s a real shame that many drive-ins died out.

I think so, too, Ken.

In addition to the several reasons our lesson mentions, there’s one more reason for the death of drive-ins: the multiplex.

Ah, yes. The multiplex is a special kind of movie theater. The prefix “multi-” means many or more than one. So a multiplex is a movie theater complex with multiple screens or auditoriums, maybe 6, 10 or even more.

Many multiplexes are part of a shopping mall, but they don’t have to be. Some multiplex theaters were built on the sites of former drive-in theaters.

Now that’s pretty ironic. But you have to admit, a multiplex theater has many advantages over the drive-in. In addition to offering more movie choices, it offers more showings for each movie so you don’t have to wait a long time for a particular movie to start.

Multiplex theaters also make good business sense. A theater owner can convert his single screen theater into a multiplex by dividing the large auditorium into a handful of smaller ones, thereby, generating more profit.

But those auditoriums tend to be pretty tiny like over-sized living rooms.

Which is why I try to avoid them.


Language Lab
memorable adj. 值得記念的, 難忘的, 重大的 [memo 記憶]
- The trip to Africa was a memorable time for Alison.
- The actress' memorable performance won her several movie awards.

mid-60s 60 年代中期。
- a painter in the mid-60s
late 晚期 - late 70s -70 年代晚期
early 早 - early 50s - 50 年代早期

a concession stand n. 只有具有許可，經營權的攤位
a small business that sells food, drinks, or other things at sports events, theatres etc
concession 經營權, 許可/ stand 攤販
- The concession stand at the fair sells popcorn and soda.
- The parents of the football team took turns running a concession stand.

generation n. 指一代或同代的人 [gen]出生
- The family ring was passed down from generation to generation.
generation 機械設計的新的版本，新的設計
- The company's newest generation of computers are a great success.


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