Play set | theater:Movieland Drive-In Theater

This play set recalls the popularity of drive-in theaters a long-gone feature of the urban and rural night. The drive-in theater consisted of a very large outdoor screen, a projection booth, and a concession stand serving popcorn, hot dogs, pizzas, and other quickly prepared foods. These features were surrounded by the large parking lot where each parking space was noted by a waist-high metal post that supported two speakers. Each car secured the speaker in the window so all occupants could hear the movie as they watched the big screen. The first drive-in operated in New Jersey in 1933, and the outdoor theater reached its hedyday in the 1950s and 1960s when Americans watched movies at more than 5,000 theaters. First advertised as family entertainment, the drive-in theater eliminated the need for a babysitter: round up the kids, set them in the back seat while Mom and Dad watch the family friendly feature, and just let the kids fall asleep when they tire. As outdoor theaters gained in popularity, they became a favorite date for teenagers with wheels who wanted privacy. The media and parents frowned on affording kids so much unchaperoned time:they labeled drive-ins as "passion pits" and shook their fingers at couples who patronized them. The popularity of the drive-in waned as it competed in the late 1970s and 1980s with color television, cable television, the multiplex, the VCR, and other forms of entertainment. The number of drive-ins declined rapidly in the 1980s, but to this day, there are a few drive-ins left, still entertaining Mom and Dad and the kids in their jammies in the back seat.