Oct. 8: El Rancho Drive-In Theatre, Palatine Bridge NY

El Rancho Drive-In marquee with screen in background

Photo from the El Rancho Drive-In Facebook page

It’s Day 281 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. Another fairly short, scenic, one-hour drive took me from Malta NY to the El Rancho Drive-In Theatre in Palatine Bridge NY.

I couldn’t find much online about the history of the El Rancho. It opened in June 1952, and early reference books say it was owned by Clifton R. Hall, Jr., who operated the indoor Colchester in Downsville. The Motion Picture Almanacs list him as the owner through at least 1966.

In October 1975, the El Rancho attracted the attention of The New York Times, and not in a good way. “The state police arrested the operator … after nearby residents complained that they could see X‐rated films from outside the theater. Troopers said (the man) had been charged with public display of offensive sexual material, a misdemeanor, and released in $100 bail. They said motorists driving along Route 5 and nearby residents had complained that they could see the movie screen.”

The MPAs of 1982-88 listed the El Rancho’s owner as “Hallmark”. Your guess is as good as mine, but I doubt if they sold greeting cards.

Darci and Bill Wemple bought the El Rancho in 1996. In 2013, they wrote that the drive-in “has seen banner days, and hard times. It is the little slice of Americana that has survived poor economies, severe weather, the video era, the computer generation, and now it faces… Digital conversion. Our customers, as well as our family, love El Rancho. It’s an entertainment medium every generation can enjoy, and the only entertainment in our farming community!” As you might have guessed, the occasion was Honda’s Project Drive-In, and the goal was to land a free digital projector, but that didn’t happen.

Instead, we turn to The Daily Gazette of Schenectady, which wrote in June 2016 that the digital conversion had come to the El Rancho. “The Wemples made the significant financial upgrades themselves, and did not ask their customers for any contributions. That’s one reason the Wemples ask visitors to buy hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn and the usual assortment of candy bars from their snack bars, and not bring food in with them.” And that’s pretty much all I know.

The occasion on this Sunday night was the drive-in’s annual Fall Scare-A-Thon weekend. The second two movies in the triple bill were pretty scary, but I only count the first, which was The Goonies. That left me saying “Hey guys!” for the rest of the night, but it was a nice, gentle warm-up of a first feature in case any kids were in the crowd.

Miles Today / Total: 48 / 32691 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: The Goonies / 177

Nearby Restaurant: The Village Restaurant, a stone’s throw away in Canajoharie, is a nice little local diner. My lunch was straightforward, but it was just a prelude to the real reason to drop by – the amazing pies. A slice of apple pie and plenty of coffee were just the antidote to a rainy day.

Where I Virtually Stayed: The closest hotel was another one of those nice Mom and Pop types, the Palatine Motel. The people were friendly, my room was clean, and it even had the full set of modern amenities. The money I saved with the low rate gave me plenty for breakfast elsewhere in the morning.

Only in Palatine Bridge: Just across the Mohawk River in Canajoharie, there once was a factory that made Beech-Nut gum and baby food. Now just across the street from that site is the Arkell Museum, which contains a whole lot of Beech-Nut memorabilia and displays about the Erie Canal.

Next stop: Ozoner 29, Broadalbin NY.

Oct. 7: Malta Drive-In Theatre, Malta NY

It’s Day 280 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It was nice to have a really short drive for a change, barely 40 minutes from the Hollywood Drive-In Theatre, northwest of Averill Park NY, to the Malta Drive-In Theatre, in Malta NY of course.

Out in front, the Malta has its own historical marker. It reads: Malta Drive-In Signs / Open-air theater started in 1949 by Sarto and Leona Smaldone, drive-In purchased in 1988 by brothers Ed and Tom Caro, in operation for over 50 years.

But that’s not all the history we can find for this drive-in, which opened as a single-screen. There’s a gold mine of information in the Saratogian‘s 2006 obituary for Leona. Her sons Bill and Ron said “that their mother had as much or more to do with building the drive-in as their father.” Bill said it took a lot of work to fill in the field off Route 9 and level it for the drive-in. His mother was out there every day, directing workers and driving the project even when Sarto became discouraged. Sarto, who was mayor of Saratoga Springs for two terms (1970-73), passed away in 2002 at the age of 97.

The Smaldones sold the Malta in 1977, and the Caros are the drive-in’s third owner. So who was in the middle for at least a decade and didn’t rate a mention on the marker? Christopher Bietka was the manager in a June 1986 newspaper article. That’s the only clue I could find.

So now we turn to the current owners, brothers Tom and Ed Caro. Before purchasing the Malta, Ed managed the Greenville (NY) Drive-In. After they bought the Malta, the brothers built a second, year-round business adjacent to the drive-in, The Furniture Theater, that was active until just a few years ago. They added a second screen for the 2008 season, and Tom told the Saratogian, “A business that’s been doing the same thing for almost 60 years to almost double itself is exciting.” They also increased the restroom size to handle the additional customers.

The next major change came after the 2012 season when the Malta upgraded to digital projection. In an interview with the Ballston Journal, Ed said they had to insulate both projection booths and hook up to the internet. With the new equipment in place, the Malta is ready for more decades of continuous operation. “We’re committed to running the drive-in for a long time.”

The YouTube video of the day is a time capsule of a visit to the Malta in 2003 when it still had just a single screen. Though I must caution you, if anyone asks how old you are, tell the truth, okay?

I was really excited about seeing the Blade Runner sequel on its opening weekend. Add some standard concession stand snacks and a bottle of Saratoga sparking water, and I was ready for a great Saturday night at the show.

Miles Today / Total: 33 / 32643 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Blade Runner 2049 / 176

Nearby Restaurant: At Carson’s Woodside Tavern, the view is as important as the food. With a fireplace inside, the windows looking out at Saratoga Lake provide a great atmosphere, although the college football on the TVs also caught my attention. For lunch I had a simple turkey and swiss sandwich and a tossed salad. And a beer, because this is a tavern after all.

Where I Virtually Stayed: I found another one of those hotels set up for folks to stay a couple of weeks or one nights. The Home2 Suites in Malta provides full kitchenettes in the rooms, a patio with a fire pit, an indoor pool, and a combination laundry / workout room. The breakfast bar in the morning was an interesting take on the standard hotel provisions.

Only in Malta: In nearby Saratoga Springs, where the Malta’s founder was mayor, they have the Saratoga horse racing track and the long-titled National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. There are statues of Secretariat and Seabiscuit and a long row of those little jockey statues, each with different colors. It’s a great place to look around, as long as you like horse racing.

Next stop: El Rancho Drive-In Theatre, Palatine Bridge NY.

Oct. 6: Hollywood Drive-In Theatre, Averill Park NY

Hollywood Drive-In marquee with a rainbow in the background

Photo from the Hollywood Drive-In Facebook page

It’s Day 279 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It took over an hour and a half to drive from Barkhamsted CT to the Hollywood Drive-In Theatre, northwest of Averill Park NY.

I’ve been sweating out different drive-ins’ histories for weeks. This time, I’ll let the Hollywood’s own History page tell the story, with only a bit of my editing.

The Hollywood Drive-In Theater is located on (NY State) Route 66 just eight miles outside of Troy. The theater was built in 1952 by the late James Fisher who oversaw the operation for the next 16 years.

In the beginning James, his wife, Beatrice, and son Frank kept the theater open year round. It ran seven nights a week in the spring and summer months and on weekends September through May. For the colder weather the theater offered heaters for the cars at no charge. The heaters plugged into the side of the speaker pole.

In 1968 Frank took over the business from his father and still enjoys running it to this day. He has learned everything from the projectors to the concessions when he was just a teenager, working with his father and through trial and error, and has improved the theater tremendously from those early days.

The theater began with two pre-1950’s carbon arc projectors which held 2000 foot reels. Then came 6000 foot reels and the projectors had to be reconditioned to handle the larger reels. After that the projectors were changed to Xenon which gave off a more brilliant light, and they added a platter system.

As of April 2012 the theatre has converted to a digital projection system with Dolby digital sound, projected onto a 36- by 88-foot screen. In 1952 the theater held 250 cars but has expanded over the years and now can accommodate approximately 400 cars.

I’m back. To read more about the Hollywood, you could read Frank’s 2009 interview with All Over Albany, where he said, “The drive-ins that are open are as popular today as they used to be. There was a time in the 70’s when it was really, really bad — when a drive in couldn’t get first-run movies. They got a bad name somewhere along the line. But the nostalgia kind of brought them back.”

About the only thing I couldn’t find for the Hollywood was a good video. I was happy to be able to visit on its final Friday of the season. Too bad it doesn’t stay open all year any more.

Miles Today / Total: 77 / 32610 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: The Lego Ninjago Movie / 175

Nearby Restaurant: About halfway between the Hollywood and Troy is what is probably the closest restaurant, Paolo Lombardi’s Ristorante in Wynantskill. It’s a solid white linen Italian restaurant with a wide variety of dishes. I was tempted by the filet mignon but figured that pasta would be Paolo’s specialty, so I picked the parmesan chicken. That worked great for me.

Where I Virtually Stayed: I think the closest hotel to the Hollywood is the Hilton Garden Inn in Troy. Since I was happy to find an HGI close by, I’ll stick to that explanation. There was a fireplace in the lobby to greet me from the seasonal autumn air. My room had the full complement of modern amenities. The very nice HGI breakfast buffet was included because I’m a Gold level Hiltoner. Good stuff!

Only in Averill Park: Samuel Wilson (1766-1854) was a meat packer from Troy just up the highway. His name is purportedly the source of the personification of the United States known as “Uncle Sam,” according to Wikipedia. During the War of 1812, his company supplied a few thousand barrels of meat to soldiers stationed nearby. They knew of Wilson and his local nickname and started calling the barrels, marked E.A.-U.S., property of Uncle Sam, and it just snowballed from there.

Next stop: Malta Drive-In Theatre, Malta NY.