The drive-in movie theater is a Route 66 invention, or at least a Route 66 natural. The first one opened in Camden, New Jersey in 1933, but the form found its perfect expression along highways like Route 66, where the flat topography and the car culture and the warm summer nights of the Southwest made outdoor movie watching a genuine pleasure rather than a novelty.
At the peak in the late 1950s, there were more than 4,000 drive-ins operating across the United States. Route 66 had them at regular intervals from Illinois to California. You could pull in after dinner, hook the speaker onto your window, and watch a double feature without getting out of the car — which was, for families with young children, a genuine logistical advantage. The kids could fall asleep in the back seat without anyone having to carry them out of a theater.
The films shown at drive-ins were often B-movies — genre films, horror films, westerns — because drive-ins could negotiate cheaper rental rates for second-run pictures. This created an interesting ecosystem where films that might have died in urban release reached large audiences of car-bound Midwesterners and Southwesterners.
A few Route 66 drive-ins are still operating. The 66 Drive-In in Carthage, Missouri, is one of the best-preserved examples, still running on most summer weekends. The screen is enormous. The lot fills up. People bring lawn chairs and set them up outside their cars.
The car and the movie were always a natural combination. The road just needed somewhere to stop long enough for the story to finish.
We are offering licences for ROUTE 66® Beer in specific territories. An invitation to others to become part of this story. To carry a piece of the road with them and to contribute to the story. We will share a percentage of royalties with Route 66 associations to keep the story alive.
The journey continues. This story is brought to you by ROUTE 66® BEER. Find us at ROUTE66BEER.COM
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