 Summertime Treats Posted by Tawny Weber Jun 14 2012, 2:38 am I love summer. I mean, really, I’m an equal opportunity season kind of gal, giving all 4 a fair shake. I could write 4 odes a year to the wonderfulness that is whatever that current season happened to be. The only thing I have issue with is being cold. I hate–with a passion usually saved for ugly shoes and liver–being cold. I think snow is pretty an am happy to play in it, but only as long as I have proper winter clothing layered on, and a hot fire and equally hot drinking (preferably spiked with alcohol) waiting inside. But that’s my ode to winter. Right, today is supposed to be about Summer. I love Summer! I love ice cream and homemade snow cones. I love tiny clothing and cute sundresses. Sandals and bare feet that show off funky fun pedicures. Car shows with all those great muscle… um, cars. Vacation and the beach and lolling around by the pool pretending I have nothing else I should be doing. Ahh, yeah. Some of my favorite things. But one of my absolute, very very, top of the list favorite things is the Drive-In Movies. All my life, that’s been one of the best summertime treats. As a kid, I saw Cinderella at the drive in. I saw it again a month later through the back window of the car while the rest of the family saw Our time at the drive-in took a serious nosedive when our oldest daughter got a job at the local movie theater, complete with complimentary movies for her parents (yay). Then, for awhile, they closed the drive-in, so it just became a new habit to go to the theater for free. Especially since the colicky baby wasn’t a baby any longer *g* But a few years ago, they reopened! So guess where I’m going this weekend? How about you? Is the drive-in movie a major part of your life? Was it when you were a kid? What’s your take on drive-ins versus walk in theaters? Oh hey- I almost forgot another reason I love summer… I have a book out!! Have you checked out the Blazing Bedtime Stories, Volume VI? WILD THING is my take on Andromeda and Perseus love story, with a little twist of Medusa in there to add some fun *g* Of all the books I’ve written, this is the first I can imagine on the big screen. Probably because I saw Clash of the Titans at the… wait for it… Drive-In Movies!!! TweetPosted in Tawny Weber Comments38 thoughts on “Summertime Treats” |
  
12 Bandita Days of Christmas
Anna Campbell
Anna Sugden
Annie West
Aunty Cindy explains it all for you
Australian Authors
Bandita Booty
Bandit Booty
Beth Andrews
Caren Crane
Cassondra's blogs
Cassondra Murray
Christie Kelley
Christine Wells
Christmas
coming attractions
contest winner
debut
Donna MacMeans
guest blogger
historical romance
Holidays
interviews
Jeanne Adams
Joan Kayse
Jo Beverley
Jo Robertson
Kate Carlisle
Launch Party
movies
paranormal romance
prizes
prize winner
Romance
romance bandits
Susan Sey
Suzanne Ferrell
Suzanne Welsh
T-shirts
Tawny Weber
travel
Trish Milburn
Uncategorized
writer's life
writing life 
|
|
 |
||
And as a parent, it was the perfect answer to family outings with a colicky baby who only calmed when outdoors, or at night. 
Hi Tawny,
Can’t wait to hear what you think of Snow White and the Huntsman. I’ve never been to the drive in and wouldn’t even know where they still have them. I would like to experience seeing a movie in a drive in. I enjoy seeing movies at the theater, I just wish it wasn’t so expensive here. We went to see The Avengers in 3D and the ticket price was $18.
Jane, don’t take the rooster to the movies! He likes popcorn too!
And he’d make shadow puppets on the screen. So disruptive!!
Jane, congrats on the rooster!
Ack!! That’s a lot for a movie ticket. I wish you could try out adrive-in, too. It’s a totally different movie-going experience. Closer to seeing it at home on the couch, but outside LOL. There is a casualness in being able to talk, to stretch out, and really get comfy that just isn’t an option in a theater.
btw, I LOVED the Avengers. I’ll have to let you know if Snow White stacks up *g*
and YAY on the Rooster Nabbing! Congrats.
Tawny, what a fun post – although down here in Australia, we’re hunkering down to winter. It’s been really cold. Today was a little bit warmer but it’s definitely not beach weather. Well, unless you’re wrapped up in a mink coat! Your post brought back memories. We used to go to the drive-in all the time when I was a little kid. It was cheap entertainment back then and you got two great features. And if the movie was boring, there was no such thing as bucket seats. We kids used to just go to sleep on the back seat of the huge old car we had. How times change! I remember seeing Born Free and North by Northwest and a million Disney movies at the drive-in. Such fun!
Brrrr. Winter. I do love many things about the season, not the least of which is the feeling that it’s time to close the doors and snuggle up by a fire
But the actual cold part? Ack! I hope you’re staying warm, Fo.
I loved the drive-in as a kid. It was always a treat, and my mom would pop a huge paper bag of popcorn and get redvines
And there was something soothing, wasn’t there, about falling asleep in the backseat with a movie still playing.
*sigh* I missed out! I never went to a drive-in. We don’t have them over here, and there wasn’t one near us when I lived in VA or in NJ.
We don’t go to the cinema enough. Love the experience, though have to admit the popcorn is way better in the US. We never get our act together in time to go to see something … By the time we do, it’s usually moved on to the next thing. Though we did make the effort for Harry Potter. Some films are just meant to be seen on the big screen!
Anna, we don’t go often enough, either. We got out of the habit when the boy was small.
I agree some things are better on the big screen. The magnificent scenery in LOTR loses some of its grandeur when viewed on TV. Ditto, the sweeping western US vistas in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which was on a lot recently.
LOTR was EPIC on the big screen. Even watching the DVDs on my mom’s massive, take up half the living room wall, monster TV isn’t the same
Isn’t it funny how we get out of that movie habit. We did the drive-in a lot when my youngest was little, but as soon as she was old enough to not be a disruption we started taking her to both. But it tended to only be the kiddie films, and then after awhile it was her and my hubby going so I could have writing time. Before I knew it, poof, the movie habit was broken.
Awwww, that’s a bummer, Anna. If you come here to CA, I’ll take you to the drive-in
It’ll be all kinds of fun.
James and the girls love movie theater popcorn. I’m a snob about the artificial butter flavor, so tend to pop my own lower-fat, real butter (hmm, an oxymoron?) bag and bring it. Our local theater is fine with that, but a lot aren’t, I guess.
Oh yeah! HP is definitely big screen mandatory. I saw all 7 the first night they were out, usually at the midnight showing. That’s probably the only movie I’ve managed to dedicate myself to getting to the theater for. Because as much as I love them, I just don’t get out that often *g* For instance, there are 4 or so that I’ve wanted to see in the last month and only made it to 1. That’s a high for me.
The drive-in where I lived as a kid became a car lot way before I hit my teens, I liked going there even if I usually fell asleep before the movie was over.
The only problem I had with the drive in was the sound, mom and dad in front I was always in back and I didn’t get a speaker.
Dianna, I remember those speakers as having weird sound quality. I’m a night owl, so I didn’t fall asleep, but my mom wasn’t much for the second feature. The “family” films were usually first up anyway.
Its a shame so many drive-ins are gone
I think the falling asleep is a part of the kid/drive-in ritual, something all children should be able to enjoy *ggg*
But the sound. Oh man, it was horrid when I was a kid. We used to drive around and around to find the slot that hadn’t had the speaker wires cut by vandals.
Then they changed it to an AM radio, but the station was horrid, too *g* The last decade or so (which man, makes me feel old to type) has been so much better – the station is clear, the speakers are as good as your car has and everyone gets to hear it
Tawny, there used to be several drive-ins around here. Now there’s only one, in the next county over. It isn’t very convenient. The boy and his friends went there last week, for the experience, but I’ve never been.
There was a drive-in three or four miles from our house when I was growing up. My family went there often. When I was in college, just before the era of mandatory seatbelts, the drive-in was doing $5 a car admission. My high school friends and I squeezed nine people into a Chevy Impala (bench seats). I don’t even remember what the movie was, just the lunacy of getting there and back.
I saw a drive-in on the TV show Haven (Syfy channel). It films in Nova Scotia, so there’s at least one drive-in there.
It is a great experience
So Americana.
Our drive-in used to have $10 a car admission during the week, and by-the-person pricing on weekends during the summer. The other seasons they are only open weekends. They run the fleamarket there on weekends, too
I hope that’s enough to keep them in business for a long time!
My husband used to fill up the trunk of his Chevy Caprice (huge) with people to get them in when they were teens. I think he said he’d got about 8 people in there once LOL
Generally speaking, my car isn’t as comfortable as a movie theater seat; my windshield is never that clean to see the movie perfectly; and I don’t like the heat or mugginess of a summer evening. The purpose of going to the movies is for the air conditioning. *LOL* I don’t like January sub-zero cold, but I do prefer cool to hot. So…I’m not as big a fan of the drive in. All my childhood memories of movies take place in a theater–I saw Sleeping Beauty in the theater, loved it. I was 4. Magical. And my brother would take me to movies quite a bit. It was great.
Oh yeah, muggy heat would definitely ruin the experience!! We used to bypass the windshield issue as teens and park the truck backward, open the little hatch window so we could hear (and had a boombox tuned to the radio station that was broadcasting the movie soundtrack) and pile up lawnchairs and sleeping bags. But that was a total teenage thing *g*
I love it when siblings take younger siblings to the movies. I’m not sure why, it just seems sweet.
The GR at the drive-in? DISASTER !!
This DOES bring back memories, Tawny. Many of my childhood Friday nights were spent in the family station wagon at the drive-in. Loads of blankets and pillows with the back of the car pointed at the screen and my parents sitting in lawn chairs next to the lowered tailgate to keep three kids and a fat dachshund named Fritz corralled in the car.
We saw lots of Disney movies – That Darn Cat, Tomasina, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.
And dozens and dozens of Westerns! John Wayne on the Big Screen ! The Sons of Katie Elder. The Searchers. And other westerns as well, The Magnificent Seven – I STILL love that film!
There aren’t any drive-ins around where I live now which is a real pity. It was always a great time!
Oh man, I love that you brought the dog to the drive-in
That’s the best!!
I think the kiddie aspect of the pillows and blankets and movie treats will always be one of my favorite childhood memories
Like you say, it’s a shame so many theaters are gone
And Oh man, can you just imagine that naughty rooster disrupting everyone’s movie fun? He’d think he was the star and try to fly across the screen acting out all the parts.
Oh I have not been to a Drive-In movie in years.. In my teens we went oll through the summer to our local Drive-In near our cottage. I can’t remember all the movies I saw, but I do remember that is where I saw Love Story.. Oh what memories I have.. I also saw a great movie with Lucielle Ball and Henry Fonda called Yours Mine and Ours.. what a great comedy thia was.. And of couse there were all the James Bond movies . But my all time fav movie I saw was Elvis and Ann*Margaret in Viva Las Vegas.. Ah those were the days.
Kathleen, those are such GREAT movies!! I’m a major Lucille Ball fan
And Elvis had to be glorious on the big screen.
To me a drive-in has a romantic feel. You can cuddle up to your date in the privacy of your own car and still watch a movie. I wish they still existed.
They are romantic, aren’t they, Gail
It’s so hard to cuddle in a walk-in theater, but bench seats and the drive-in are perfect!
I remember going to a drive-in only a few times as a girl. There is a drive-in about 40 minutes away, but I’ve only been to it twice. I’m not sure why, but it just doesn’t appeal to me. It could be romantic, I suppose, but….I guess it’s not my thing.
Not a drive-in fan? How about the regular theater? Or do you prefer to wait for the movies to hit DVD and enjoy them at home? I’m a little of all three, myself
Shamefully I have never been to a drive-in, but I love reading about them…
Ahem… there’s a drive-in in Contra Costa County. Just sayin’
Bet the kiddos would love it.
Bet they would! Hmmm….
Tawny – What a fun nostalgic post!
Growing up, the only way the entire family could go to the movies together was at the drive-in. I remember seeiing Ben Hur at the drive-in as a kid.
As a teen, I went to the drive-in with other girlfriends. and then with boyfriends…er…can’t tell you what movies were playing when there with the boyfriends
Drive-ins offer certain advantages to more public theaters.
As parents, we took the kids to the drive-in just so they could have the experience because drive-ins were quickly disappearing from the landscape. I don’t think there’s any open around here any more which is a shame.
Congrats on the new release!
LOL Donna. Oh yeah.. there are some great advantages to drive-ins!! And not just that they often combine current and vintage movies.
That’s awesome that your kids got to experience the drive-ins before they faded away.
and thank you!!! I’ll admit, Wild Thing is one of my favorite stories, so I’m super excited to share it with readers now
Tawny, we love the Drive-In. Well, I guess I should say my kids and I love it – my husband is an early riser so he’s not thrilled about getting home at 2 am
We go to the Drive-In at least once a year and are planning on going when my son’s gf comes up for a visit as she’s never been to one. Have fun and congrats on the release of Wild Thing. Love that story
LOL Beth, I hear ya. My husband love going to the drive-in, but usually negotiates his way out of the second feature because he falls asleep. Since his snoring makes hearing the movie difficult, I tend to give in.
I love that you have a yearly drive-in ritual. That’s going to be fun. You’ll have to let me know what movie you all go see, and how the GF likes the experience.
I didn’t think drive in theaters were still around. What a great way to enjoy the summer – I miss the outdoor movies. I am a bit spoiled by the stadium seating in the theater, but I would love to see one outside again.
I’m starting to think ours might be one of the last left standing, Dianna
I like stadium seating for sure, but isn’t it fun to just chill on a nice evening and watch a movie *g*
Drive in was the only way we saw movies as a kid. It was really cheap back then & we loved it! You could bring your pillow & blanky. You could get snacks. You could play on the swings before the movie. No drive in’s left on LI, NY, but I think there is still one in Lake George.
How about you? Is the drive-in movie a major part of your life? Was it when you were a kid? What’s your take on drive-ins versus walk in theaters?
When I was a kid, we had a drive-in called ‘The Max Drive-in Theatre’ over at 8-Mile Plains. When it went broke, the carpark was left there; as was the massive screen; however everything built up around it. The Gateway Arterial was built behind the screen, the carpark let the weeds through the bitumen and the speakers were eventually either stolen or smashed by vandals. In the end, when a massive storm hit, the screen was torn down by the Brisbane City Council; as it didn’t look like anything in particular.
Now, it’s been turned into another carpark for the ‘Park’n'Drive’ for buses across the road. So, that carpark hasn’t been wasted; since it was already there in the first place, they didn’t have to do much to it – just take out the bumps and level it out and put a better lot of guards on the gate.
Most of our drive-ins around Australia have closed up. There’s mainly only 3 on the east coast that are still going; and I’ve been to two of them. I went to one at Capalaba – which closed up when the big cinemas opened i n the shopping centre down the road. Then, there’s Yatala (pronounced: ‘Yat’la) Three Screen Drive in… that’s three massive screen with three different movies. Wicked, eh? You just tune you radio to the one you want; point your car in its direction and enjoy.
Then, there’s the Coburg Drive-ins in Melbourne… this is also 3 big screens… same deal with your radio. But the place you go and get your food is crawling with guys trying to pick up every chick within coo-ee! Some of them tried their little spiel out on me and told them to get bent (in worse language than that, I can tell you) and they deducted immediately that I was from Brisbane.
But a funny situation used to occur when I was young. Mum and Dad used to get our family in for only 3 people. I used to pretend I was sleeping in the back seat and so they’d be charged for only 3 people seeing there was sleeping 4 year old in the back seat; and parents in early 80′s didn’t believe in babysitters.
Drive ins were a big part of my childhood. It was much cheaper to load up the car than go to movie theater. One of my most fond memories of a drive-in was the summer night my mom and I went to see a marathon of all 5 of the original Planet of the Apes movies. I was ready to leave after movie 2, but by then Mom was hooked. We rolled home with the sun rise.