The Pike Drive-In was a single screen built in 1954
with one of the largest car capacities in the country. In 1991 after a
storm the main screen was replaced and screen 2 was added. In 1996
screen 3 was added. The Pike closed for one season in 2001 and
reopened in 2002.
All movies shown in
classic 35mm.More to come.
 
The American Tradition called the
"Drive-In Theatre"
The First Drive-In Theater was invented
by Richard M. Hollingshead. who worked out the details of designing a
drive-in theater by mounting a 1928 Kodak projector on the hood of his
car and hanging a sheet for a screen in his backyard in New Jersey.
Richard placed a radio behind the screen for sound, then started to
test his idea.
One main problem
that became apparent was that with cars parked behind each other, the
cars at the rear would not be able to see the whole picture, due to
the car in front. Richard lined up cars in his driveway spacing
them at various distances and placing blocks under their front wheels
he was able to find the correct spacing and the correct angles to
build ramps for the cars front tires to park on. Shortly afterwards
Hollingshead was granted a patent on the design.
 Hollingshead opens the first Drive-In Theater
Tuesday June 6, 1933 on Admiral Wilson Boulevard at the Airport Circle
in Pennsauken NJ, a short distance from Cooper River Park. It offered
500 slots and a 40 by 50 ft screen. He advertised his drive-in theater
with the slogan, "The whole family is welcome, regardless of how noisy
the children are". The first film shown was "Wife Beware". The
facility only operated three years, but during that time the concept
caught on in other states, and later parts of the world..
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