Visit one of the few remaining drive-in theaters

Posted by Bill on Thursday, May 15, 2008   |   No Comments

There was a day when hundreds of drive-in theaters dotted the face of the Midwest. But today only a few dozen survive in our section of the country, and only about 500 remain nationwide. According to Drive-In Theater, this is the breakdown of the number of still-operating driven-ins in the 12-state Midwest region: IL (15), IN (24), IA (3), KS (13), MI (12), MN (8), MO (16), NE (4), ND (1), OH (42), SD (7) and WI (9).

Actually, I was a little surprised that there were so many still running. And I was really taken aback that there were so many left in our state. In fact, before researching this, I was personally aware of only one drive-in—the Capri near Coldwater—still showing movies. For Michigan, the peak occurred in the late 50s-early 60s when more than 100 drive-ins aired flicks during the spring and summer. In fact, that number held strong through the 1970s. By the end of the 80s, though, the number had fallen to less than 50, and today there is an even dozen according to Michigan Drive-Ins.

While the heyday of drive-in theaters was the 1950s and 60s, the idea is decades older. The driven-in was invented by Richard Hollingshead of Camden, New Jersey. He was tinkering with the idea as early as 1933, and Drive-In Theater says June of that year saw the opening of the first “drive-in theater.” In the beginning, Hollingshead lined cars up in his driveway, building crude ramps to get the correct angle for proper viewing from all the cars. The projector was a vintage Kodak, and the screen was nailed to trees in his yard. The period from 1933 through 1939 saw modest growth in driven-ins, including theaters in Akron and Cleveland, Ohio and Detroit, Michigan.

By the outbreak of World War II, the number of drive-ins was about 100. Understandably, not much happened on the drive-in front during the war, but the 1948 total across dozens of states had swollen to nearly 1,000. The late 1950s was the high-water mark for U.S. drive-in theaters with nearly 5,000 in operation. In the following years, the numbers began declining.

The Michigan Drive-In site lists the following as still-operating drive-in theaters in Michigan. I would definitely call to verify operations and check schedules before visiting.

Capri Drive-In, Coldwater—517/278-5628
Hi-Way Drive-In, Carsonville—810/657-6684
Cherry Bowl Drive-In, Honor—231/325-3413
U.S. 23 Twin Drive-In, Flint—810/238-0751
Getty 4 Drive-In, Muskegon—231/798-2608
Ford-Wyoming 1-5 Drive-In, Dearborn—313/846-6910
Ford-Wyoming 6-9 Drive-In, Dearborn—313/846-6910
Sunset Drive-In, Hartford—269/621-4194
5-Mile Drive-In, Dowagiac—269/782-7879
Devil’s Lake Drive-In, Manitou Beach—517/547-5657
Compuware Sports Arena Drive-In, Plymouth—734/927-3284

Although there are a few hundred old drive-in theaters left, there are only two drive-in theater/motels in the country as far as I can tell. Visit one of these and you can watch the movie from bed in your room. One is the Fairlee Motel & Drive-in Theater in Fairlee, VT (802/333-9192). Monte Vista, CO is home to the other one, the Best Western Movie Manor (719/852-5921).

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