Do you remember the drive-in? I don't think there was anywhere else you could go for such little money and have the experience of a double feature, while sitting in the relative comfort of your car. Movies have always been very big in my family (as have inexpensive outings) so going to the drive-in was an exciting event.
We would load up the backseat of the car with me, sometimes one of my friends, blankets, pillows, and snacks and head to the DeAnza drive-in. Usually my friend and I would start out on a blanket in the parking space next to our car so that we could see better, but we would gradually find our way back into the backseat and be asleep by the end of the second movie.
My favorite Disney movie is Sleeping Beauty, partly because of the way the Evil Maleficent and her accompanying music by Tchaikovsky still gives me chills, partly because of how cute Prince Philip is, even if he is a cartoon. One of the main reasons is because I remember being four or five and thrilled with the animation and the music and Maleficent while perched in the open window of our Ford LTD, resting my arms and head on the roof of the car, with my dad's arm securely clamped around my back so that I didn't fall.
I remember seeing my tough grandpa with the closet full of guns and the camp in the Everglades, get choked up over the closing scenes of Beaches. I had seen the movie a few weeks earlier with my best friend and my friend's big sister and her best friend and my friend's mom and her best friend, all six of us weeping copiously at the end, so I knew what was coming. Of course, Papaw played it off, but I knew the truth.
I remember watching the end of Fatal Attraction out of the rear window of the car, eyes and mouth wide open as Glenn Close just would. Not. Die. Not that my parents would have ever taken me to see Fatal Attraction, it just happened to be on the screen behind our car. I saw several other movies I wasn't supposed to see in that manner. Soundlessly, so they lost some of their impact, but it was sort of like having Cinemax unscrambled sometimes.
I had my first taste of sushi at the drive-in. My parents had recently discovered a pan-Asian take-out place and my mom had started eating California Rolls on a regular basis. One night, peering through the two front seats at the roll, I asked if I could try one. Now that I've had real sushi, I'm sure I would find it disgusting, but at the time, it was the most amazing thing I had ever tasted.
Happily, the DeAnza drive-in is still open. If you're in Tucson, go. Tonight.
5 comments:
I so miss drive-ins. Miss them more than I can explain!
I saw a double feature of Forces of Nature and Analyze This at the DeAnza drive in almost 8 years ago now. We had a pizza delivered to the drive in. It was awesome.
My mom used to take us to the Drive in too. The Scottsdale 6, in Scottsdale, it's still open too. I saw all sorts of Disney movies there too, in the back seat of our 1969 Gold Chevy Impala. We would eat fishsticks and tater-tots. What fun.
Wow! I am amazed and happy that the DeAnza is still open! We had lots of good times there - remember that we used to bring folding lawn chairs in the trunk for you and your friends to relax on in the neighboring parking place while you enjoyed your snackies.
One thing that stands out for me is that the DeAnza was where we saw The Last Starfighter for the first time - it was the second-bill movie and we had no idea what it was about. It was our first look at what could be done with CGI - the effects were crude by today's standards but very impressive back in 1985, and what a fun story!
Ah, the popcorn popped at home and brought in brown paper bags; the smothered steak sandwiches; and, later, the sushi. Good times, good times. Next time we visit Tucson we'll have to plan a trip to the DeAnza!
T-K
This may come as a huge shock, but I've never been to a drive-in. At least that I can remember. It's possible I went as a baby, but that doesn't really count. Sad, I know.
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