The Google homepage doodle associated with this day – June 6, 2012 – prompted me to do some reminiscing.
If you noticed this fanciful bit of artwork, you’ll know that it’s related to the 79th anniversary of the first drive-in movie theater which opened in Camden, New Jersey on June 6, 1933. Clicking on the Google doodle created to mark this bit of American history leads to a number of search engine results on the topic of drive-in movie theaters.
The Google doodle experience brought to mind my own experiences with a drive-in movie theater that was part of life here in ‘River Country’ for a number of years, the M-60 Drive-In on M-60 between Three Rivers and Mendon. It’s been closed for many years – since 1983 according to one account – but many of the structures that were part of the facility are still standing, including the projection screen, ticket booth and the building that housed the projection equipment and concession stand.
If you’d like to share some of your memories of the M-60 Drive-In – or drive-in movie theaters in general – feel free to do so by using the ‘Leave a Reply’ comment form at the bottom of the page. And, for a bit more information about the M-60 Drive-In from Michigan Drive-Ins.com, click here.
If you’d like to view the video associated with the Google homepage doodle regarding drive-in movie theaters, click here.
Bruce Snook
River Country Journal
Ahhhh…those photo’s do bring back some childhood memories indeed. I remember this drive in theater and I do believe there was one also on the outskirts of Sturgis in the early 70′s. My Dad had a ’69 Plymouth Roadrunner and he’d take the family and go to the A&W Rootbeer Stand in White Pigeon and then on to the drive in.
We still do the same on occasion with our kids to this day as there is still a very wonderful drive in in Coldwater (Capri Drive In), which was listed number 4 in the New York Times Top 10 drive ins in the nation. If you go in to Coldwater a bit past the drive in theater there is Als Drive In which is the same old style drive up rootbeer stand type restaurant. It was fun when the kids were just older than toddlers, back when I still had my 63 SS Impala or my 70 Buick GS convertible….I have some good pictures and memories of the kids at the drive in, and my older son (now 11) saw his first movie at a drive in. They still have a special day in October that celebrates the invention of the drive in and goes in to great detail of the history and the eventual demise of the drive in theater…the final dagger being daylight savings time making daylight well in to the evening making window of waking hours vs actual conditions dark enough to actually see the screen a prett narrow window. They have a wonderful website and email to folks each week the coming attractions.
We’d also on occasion made it over to the Drive in over in Dowagiac that still used the old hardwired speakers that were on a stand that you would clip to your window to get sound (it’s been 8 or 9 years since we have made it over that way so I don’t know if it is still open, but there was a wonderful drive in rootbeer stand.
I’d encourage folks to go check these places out and take the kids….while these facilities still exist…there aren’t many left as the photo’s in the above article will clearly support.