Relive the excitement of the drive-in experience through a documentary, rare photographs, lively stories, and entertaining tales from Don Sanders, co-author of The American Drive-in Movie Theatre at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 28, at the Allen Public Library.
For those who recall watching movies under the stars, this program will evoke memories of packing school mates into a vehicle, including the trunk, to take advantage of $4 a car night. The sights and sounds included intermission ads featuring dancing snacks, children running wild in the playground, and reminder messages to return the speaker to its harness before driving away. From the first theaters of the early 1930s to the successful venues of today, Don Sanders will tell the delightful history of the drive-in.
Drive-ins dotted America’s landscape and were sometimes the only theater in town. Stunning artwork on the back of the screen captivated people’s attention as they drove by, such as the huge bear raising its paw that adorned the Circle Drive-in in Waco or the impressive short horn cow featured on Ft. Worth’s Cowtown Drive-in. Elvis Presley, John Wayne, Frankie Avalon, and Annette Funicello all recalled the pleasures of the drive-in experience.
Don Sanders produced a PBS documentary called Drive-in Movie Memories, starring John Bloom and Leonard Maltin, that will be presented at the beginning of the program. This film documents the drive-in’s birth and development, its enormous popularity with audiences of all ages, its decline and comeback. Featured in 35 film festivals, including being selected as the opening night film at Telluride, USA Today, Hollywood Reporter and The New York Times offered rave reviews of this documentary. With guest appearances on Good Morning America, CBS Morning News and the Today Show, Don Sanders observes, “Drive-ins are one of America’s greatest cultural icons!”
Don Sanders also co-authored The Great American Drive-in in 2007 and Drive-in Movie Memories in 2000.
The library is located at 300 N. Allen Dr. Sponsored by the library, the program is free. Call 214.509.4911 for more information.
