Drive-In Theater New England Memories
Do you remember the first time you went to the drive-in theater? Back in the 70’s in our area of New England we probably had 6 or 8 of them that were close enough to get to on a Friday night. Today I think there are only 4 or 5 in all of New England.
The first time I went was in 1969. It was called The Merrimack Park Drive-In in Methuen, MA. My best friend’s mom took me and my mother to see a double bill, “True Grit” with John Wayne and “The Odd Couple” with Jack Lemon and Walter Matthau. We loaded into the Country Squire wagon and had a great old time.
When I got older my friends and I would go to the drive-in almost every weekend. It was always a good time. To save money a few of us would pile in the trunk of Dan’s car and sneak in. I swear that some nights Dan would drive in seemingly all alone. But they took the fun out of that when they starting to charge by the carload.
My sons have never been to the drive-in and I suppose, if I don’t bring them soon, they may never get a chance as drive-ins are disappearing fast. Admittedly, it’s not the best way to see a movie—bad sound, mosquitos, too hot, too cold—but it is something that should be experienced before they are all gone. Plus if you go, you get to hear those famous words interrupting the movie.
“ The concession stand is closing in five minutes. “
Blog in and let us hear some of your drive-in stories.
After we posted this blog a friend sent these pictures along. They are photos of the E.M. Loew’s Merrimack Park Drive In right after it closed in 1985.
My sister and I spent a lot of time playing on those swings.. Funny all the speakers are missing…Not that I had anything to do with it. This was the nearest Drive In near our house when I was growing up in various streets of Tower Hill in Lawrence. Mom Always packed a picnic and after we had dinner my sister and I would beg to go to the swings even if the movie was about to start. It was fun watching from up a little closer. One night when the family was here my Dad starts sceaming from the front seat…. Marone !!!! what the f^&* and he opens the car door jumps up and starts shaking his leg until a praying mantis comes loose from his under his pants leg …Scared the S@$@ out of him and we all had a great laugh. Later on as a teen I went there with friends on several occasions and it seems we always forgot to remove the speaker before driving off wish I still had one today…
I remember one nite at the old drive in in Lowell, right off of rt 495 where the Home Depot now stands..My friends and I went to see the Ali/Frasier fight that was taped and shown at the drive in about 2-3 weeks after the fight actually took place. My friend ripped off a case of Miller from Kealy Farms where he was working. I was 17 at the time and weighing 130 lbs soaking wet, I was sick for 3 days!!!
I love the Drive In. My first time at the Drive In was when I was around 5 or 6 years old. My mother would take my sister, brother and myself to the one in Haverill off of Rt 495 quite often. We would always hang out at the playground before the movie and I remember my mother always yelling at us to come back to the car. At that age, we would go to see all the Disney movies. I remember “That Darn Cat”, “Mary Poppins” and my all time favorite “Herbie the Love Bug” (all episodes). My mother would also have her girlfriends and their children meet us there. We had a caravan of cars all in a row. The parents would walk back and forth between the cars, all the while yelling for the kids to “shut up and watch the movie” or “stop hitting your sister”. It was great fun. She would pack a cooler of snacks but we always bugged her for a dollar to get something at the concession stand. Usually it was an ice cream. We would have to wear our pajamas so we could go right to bed when we came home. We would bring our pillows and blankets too. My mother owned a station wagon and she would park back end facing front and she would open the back door so we could lie down and watch the movie. I often fell asleep before the end of the second movie. I remember waking up when all the cars were honking their horns when the last movie was over.
When I was a teenager and had my own license or friends with a license we would pile into someone’s car and hide a six pack or two in the trunk. I remember going to see “Animal House” at the Drive In. All my friends had already seen it so they were laughing mildly. It was my first time seeing this movie and I was rolling on the ground laughing. Everyone in the cars around us were looking at our car. My friends could not understand why I was laughing so hard. Maybe it was the six pack talking…
To this day, I still go to the Drive In. There is one still open in Milford NH on Rt 101. I have taken my kids there since they were around 7 or 8. It was the same story. I brought a bunch of snacks. They brought their pillows and blankets. I can’t even remember the movies I have taken them to see. Probably some Disney movie. Instead of staying in the car, we brought lawn chairs and we would turn the volume up on the AM radio station that the sound was broadcast on since someone finally realized they were losing too much money on the lost boxes on the pole. Once my kids turned 13 or so, they no longer wanted to be seen with me. The last time I remember going with them, they met up with some other kids they knew from school and I think I watched the movie alone!
I still go to the Drive In in Milford. I have gone with a friend of mine and her family, only it was my turn to fall asleep. My friend and I have even gone alone but instead of bringing a six pack, we have graduated to cheese and crackers and a bottle of wine.
Here is the link to the Mildford Drive In. The website is a formating mess but it has the history and other cool facts. This is their 50th Anniversary!
If you hear someone laughing uncontrollably, just roll up your window.
http://www.milforddrivein.com/
retroplanet.com does not condone hiding a six pack or two in the trunk or ripping off a case of Miller from Kealy Farms
I remember the riverview .. the first movie i saw was flipper!