Tue 6/18 @ 9:40PM
Alas, I’ve never been to a drive-in theater. Known as “passion pits” during their heyday in the 50s and 60s, they were places where, it was said, teenagers went to make out (and more). But they also attracted families who could load everyone in the car, pay one price and not worry about the kids disturbing nearby patrons.
They were largely a suburban phenomenon, where land was cheap and there was plenty of it in the years prior to the subdivision and shopping mall boom. (I grew up in inner city Chicago, with four neighborhood theaters in walking distance, but no drive-ins for dozens of miles.) They began to disappear by the 70s, when development expanded to claim that cheap land and home entertainment options exploded (The latter also did in those neighborhood movie palaces.) As far as I can tell, only three remain across all of northeast Ohio, the closest being the Aut-O-Rama Twin in North Ridgeville.
And good news for drive-in fans: the Aut-O-Rama is hosting Retro Tuesdays, a double bill on one of its twin screens, now through the end of August. See such timelessly entertaining classics as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Pretty in Pink, Forrest Gump, The Outsiders and Footloose (heavy on teen films, clearly!)
This week the offering is the 1984 fantasy film The Neverending Story and another fantasy-style film from 1986, Labyrinth, which featured David Bowie as the King of the Goblins. Both involve children whose adventures are triggered by reading a book.
The theater has a full-service concession stand; outside food and drink aren’t allowed, although you may bring bottled water. Films start at 9:40 and 11:50. (Remember, it gets dark late — daylight savings time was another factor in killing off drive-ins.) Get tickets here.
North Ridgeville, OH 44039