Making Out at the 87 Drive-In, Fredericksburg, Texas' 87 Drive-In Theatre. (original) (raw)

The 87 Drive-In opened to great fanfare on June 11, 1949. I don't know the name of the movie that played that first night, but one of the early films shown at the 87 Drive-In was the The Kissing Bandit starring Frank Sinatra. I've been told the kissing on the screen was a drop in the bucket compared to the lip action in the audience.

There was a reason drive-ins were called passion pits.

The 87 Drive-In had spaces for 300 cars. The original screen was 50 ft. by 50 ft. There was a recreational area for kids up front along with seating space for adults - all surrounded by a 7 ft. fence.

A night at the 87 Drive-In was a bargain - 2aheadtogetinnotcountingthenumberoffriendsyoucouldstuffinthetrunk.Childrenunder12gotinfree.Oncertainnightsthepriceofadmissionwas2 a head to get in not counting the number of friends you could stuff in the trunk. Children under 12 got in free. On certain nights the price of admission was 2aheadtogetinnotcountingthenumberoffriendsyoucouldstuffinthetrunk.Childrenunder12gotinfree.Oncertainnightsthepriceofadmissionwas5 a carload.

Often on weekends the 87 Drive-In showed a double feature. Connoisseurs of fine cinema could see Beach Blanket Bingo and I was a Teenage Werewolf for the price of 1 ticket.

It's been a long time since I've been to a drive-in, but I had an experience a while back that reminded me how much fun watching a film under the stars, both celestial and cinematic, could be. On a trip to San Antonio my wife and I saw John Wayne's "The Alamo" in Alamo Plaza in front of the Alamo. It was unforgettable.

In the 1950s, at the peak of drive-in mania, there were about 4,000 drive-ins across the country. Then cable television, VCRs and DVDs put most drive-ins out of business.

Land prices in cities skyrocketed causing developers to swallow up drive-ins for strip malls.

For most of us a night at the drive-in is part of an era that has vanished from the American landscape.

Fredericksburg's 87 Drive-In is long gone, but there are about 400 drive-ins across the country still in business.

Drive-ins are not extinct, but they are on the endangered species list.