![]() Ironically, this has reversed itself over time and drive-ins are usually the only places to see double features today. Admission was 25¢ for each car and an additional 25¢ for each person, somewhat higher than the prevailing price at the indoor houses at the time, who were also offering double features. The problem of obtaining first-run films for drive-ins remains to this day to some extent. Opening night was June 6, 1933, and it was known simply as "Drive-In Theatre" although the actual name was the "Automobile Movie Theatre." Opening night was packed with cars, and the first film ever shown at a drive-in was the 1932 release of "Wives Beware," which was in second-run status at the time. in Camden, but technically the theatre was just over the Camden town line, where the name of the road changes. The location is usually reported as Admiral Wilson Blvd. On May 16, 1933, the day the patent was granted, work began on constructing the drive-in on Crescent Boulevard in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey. Oliver Willets, an executive of Campbell's Soup, also bought stock in the company at the time. Edward Ellis, a road contractor, was brought in to grade the lot of the first theatre in exchange for stock. Richard assigned his patent to the company immediately. The two men then formed a company, called Park-In Theatres Inc. First off though, he needed to get some financial backing which came from Willie Warren Smith, his first cousin and parking lot operator. The next thing on the agenda was to build the first drive-in in order to promote the idea to the public as well as potential investors. The application for patent was filed on August 6, 1932, and it was later granted by the patent office on under patent number 1,909,537. ![]() This arrangement of ramps was the core of his concept and Richard felt it was strong enough to be patentable, allowing him to collect royalties from future drive-in operators for a period of 17 years, the standard time limit for patents. The final solution was a series of terraced ramps whose height increased as you parked closer to the screen. He spent several weeks arranging vehicles in different configurations to solve the visibility problem. He also reasoned that in order to ensure that all of the vehicles had an un-obstructed view of the screen, they would need to be positioned in a special way. He turned on his sprinkler to simulate rainfall, and placed a radio behind the screen to provide the sound. He started by placing an old Kodak projector on the hood of his car, projecting the movie onto a screen nailed to a tree. It is not clear why he dropped every other aspect of the idea other than the outdoor theatre, but soon Richard, 30 years old by this time, was experimenting with the concept in his back yard on 212 Thomas Avenue in Riverton, New Jersey. From this, his first notion was to create a deluxe gas station, designed like a Hawaiian Village, that would feature a restaurant and outdoor movies where the customers could mingle while their cars were being serviced, utilizing Whiz Auto Products of course! He had noticed that even though the depression was in full swing, folks continued to go to motion pictures at their local theatre. ![]() It dawned on him that in terms of buying habits, people gave up Food, Clothing, Autos and Movies last, in that order. His preference was to have a cash business, as he didn't like the idea of going into debt. began thinking about new business concepts. finished school, he took a position with his father's company as general sales manager.Īlways on the lookout for new ideas, Richard Jr. The inventor's father, Richard Milton Hollingshead, Sr., owned and operated a business that first sold harness soap, later moving on to selling a complete line of automotive products under the name of the "Whiz Auto Products Company." After Richard Jr. ![]() The drive-in theatre was the brainchild of one Richard Milton Hollingshead, Jr.
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