Old Shellhead & A large slice of Americana

Went to see three flicks at the local Drive-In last weekend (yes, we are lucky enough to have a real, actual Drive-In Movie Theater within 30 minutes of our house- a couple of em’ even) The wife and I checked out Kung Fu Panda, Indy 4 & Iron Man in a triple feature.
We’d never been to the Drive-In together before (which kinda surprised us both since we’ve been together close to a decade) but overall we had a blast.

The food was your standard Drive-In fare, slushies, funnel cakes, etc. Good greasy stuff you shouldn’t eat on a regular basis basically. But on a Drive-In night out? All bets are off.

The movies were a mixed bag. Kung Fu Panda was cute, as expected. Indy 4 was (for me anyway) a letdown. In fact the more I think about it the less I like it.

But Iron man? Well, old Shellhead certainly delivered some standard summer blockbuster fun. I really enjoyed it and actually look forward to a sequel. Well played Mr. Downey Jr., well played indeeeeeeeeed.

But it’s like I told my wife. You don’t actually go to the Drive-In for the flicks. You go for the experience. The weekend of the 7th was the 75th anniversary of Drive-In’s in America, and at the height of their popularity there was more than 5000 in America. That has since dwindled to about 700, which is a shame…it’s a unique experience that I think everyone should have the opportunity to try at least once.

There’ s nothing quite like kicking back on a warm summer night, the smell of Honeysuckle in the air and the buzz of insects dying down as it gets dark, and then seeing the giant screen light up. Our triple feature wound up around 4:30am, and the snack bar was even serving breakfast before the last flick, which was pretty interesting.

We wound up getting home around 5am and crashing…slept most of the next day away in fact. But still, it was a great time and we had a lot of fun.

As a matter of fact I first saw Star Wars at a drive-in theater back in ‘77. Granted I was about six years old and my brother tricked me into thinking an ad for the local electric company was the beginning of the movie (he liked to torment me like that)…but still. great times from what I remember of it.

It’s still early in the season, and if you live anywhere near a Drive-In I encourage you to load up the family and friends and take in a flick. It’s cheaper than going to some sterile, cookie-cutter megaplex with their overpriced soft drinks and stale popcorn, and it lets you actually enjoy the fresh outdoors.

In short, it’s an experience you and your family may not get to enjoy in the near future, and it’s a slice of Americana that is, unfortunately, slowly dying away.

That being said, it’s a shame. So, get out there and enjoy it while you still have the chance.