What Have You Lost? No.6

Do you ever feel like somehow, despite advancements, the world is somehow less connected than you experienced growing up? Recently, I started a discussion on things we’ve lost along the way and invited readers to tell me how our social fabric has changed in their lifetimes. I’d love it if you’d tell me what you miss.

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What Have You Lost? Drive-In Movie Theaters

While movie theaters allowed dozens of people to watch the same film at the same time, drive-in theaters invited you to watch that film together. As least that’s what several readers said, as they expressed their disappointment over the demise of outdoor cinemas–one more piece of community that has been mostly driven to extinction in the last generation.

The memories of drive-ins tended to be warm ones, full of popcorn and sodas and perching with friends on hoods of cars in the open air.

The movie screen that protruded into the sky, with familiar landmarks in the background, made the cinema lot seem like shared space. It gave attenders the illusion of joint-ownership, like Hollywood and it’s celebs were just a natural extension of the high school football team which brought the town’s families to another patch of grass with the same kind of energy.

Customers waved as they passed the familiar vehicles of neighborhood and school friends, all the while hunting or the perfect viewing spot. And then the enchantment began. An illuminated big screen came alive against a star-lit sky. And the enchantment of Hollywood seemed to shoot from the screen onto neighbors and classmates as they reclined in pleather bucket seats or stretched out on blankets in the open-air.

But while drive-in theaters were widely well-received, rising costs and competition drove these outdoor flicks and the memories they created to near extinction.

And now they are relegated, mostly, to mere nostalgia.

While we can’t reconvene our childhood communities for a showing of Star Wars or Indiana Jones or whatever our flick of choice may have been, we can still bring people together around film-watching. Here’s some ideas for doing so:

• Invite people over to watch a movie. Turn down the lights and serve up the buttered popcorn and icy cokes. Whether it’s a one night movie marathon or a once-a-week gathering to watch the latest releases, you not only can watch the films in the comfort of your own home but there are no theater managers to kick you out before you can debrief it together.
• Make the drive.  There are still a small number of working drive in theaters spread across the country, with most states still boasting multiple locations. Some day when the weather is nice, find one near your home, gather some friends and take a roadtrip to nostalgia.
• Set up your own. Does your workplace, school or church have access to a projector? Plan an outdoor event where you show a movie on the side of a building or pop up screen. Find out whether you need a license for your showing at Swank.Com. Also, be aware of special arrangements available for schools and public libraries.
• Attend the premiere of a big film with a group of friends. Pre-purchase tickets in advance via a site like Fandango to ensure your group gets seats. Grab a meal before or coffee and desert afterward and make a night of it.
• Put together an Oscar party. Before the Oscars air, have guests fill out a ballot in which they guess the winners in each category. (These are available on the internet. A simple Google search will turn up multiple sources.) Go fancy and have people dress up red-carpet style or dress down and go Super Bowl casual as you watch the results together.
• Find a movie that was filmed in your area and go visit it together. This map lists 2,001 films and their set locations.
• Be an extra. Watch the newspapers or sign up here to get emails about films that come to your area. Although you may not live in a region where the movie industry camps out often, you might be surprised how many times directors choose off-beat locations in unexpected states for privacy or savings.

Don’t forget to add your ideas for bringing people and movies together here!

Read previous posts about the local ice cream store, cell phone addictions, front porch conversations, picking people up at the airport or riding bikes in the community.