Category Archives: New York

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

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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.

Oct. 1: Overlook Drive-In Theatre, Poughkeepsie NY

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It’s Day 274 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. I was desperate to find a drive-in still showing movies on a Sunday night, so I drove about three hours from Mendon MA to the Overlook Drive-In Theatre, just east of Poughkeepsie NY.

The Overlook was built quickly in 1949 and opened on Sept. 10 that year. It was constructed and owned by a group headed by Harry Lamont, who later went on to own several other theaters in the region.

Sid and Ida Cohen bought the Overlook in 1955, and from there I’ve got two great histories to work with. The most obvious is the embedded YouTube video of the day, The Last Projectionist, which focuses on the Overlook and its personnel. There’s also a great essay by Virginia Repka-Franco on Classic New York History.

At some point, the Overlook was passed down to Fred and Barbara Cohen, who continued to run it into the 2010s. The huge grassy lot, which accommodates about 700 cars, has remained about what it must have looked like when it opened.

There’s a snapshot of the place in 2002, courtesy of an article in The New York Times. Then-manager Andy Cohen told the Times, ”It’s the last vestige of American freedom. How many places are left where patrons may see a double feature for $6, bring a dog, fish in a creek, drink a beer and even light a cigarette?” There had once been fencing between the Overlook and Wappinger Creek at its western border, but I guess by then it was okay to go fishing there again.

I should also point out that the creek is a major reason why the Overlook continues to operate. The drive-in is in a flood zone, proven in 1955 when the concession stand had eight feet of water. “Because it is in a flood zone, the land has virtually no value,” the Times wrote, noting that any other developer would have to raise the land to build on it.

In 2002, they were already using AM and FM radio sound for the movies because someone stole all the speakers years ago “after a published joke, apparently taken seriously, that drive-in speakers were bringing a $200 reward each.” Even as collectors items decades later, they’re still not that expensive.

So I sat in the grassy field with coffee and a hot funnel cake watching the latest Kingsman installment surrounded by trees on a cool, pleasant evening. I’m sure glad the Overlook is still around.

Miles Today / Total: 179 / 31967 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Kingsman: The Golden Circle / 174

Nearby Restaurant: The Mill House Brewing Company offers up a fine Sunday brunch. Fried chicken and waffles are a wonderfully unhealthy way to start the week, so I grabbed a pint of Oktoberfest beer to counteract any negative effects. I left the Mill House very happy.

Where I Virtually Stayed: Resting up for another busy week, I went back to another Hampton Inn. The one in Poughkeepsie offered cookies at check-in, and my king study room had the full set of modern amenities. Breakfast was just as nice as I would expect, with hot items to supplement the continental standards. Now I’m ready to drive!

Only in Poughkeepsie: The Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge over the Hudson River opened in 1889, lost its tracks due to a fire in 1974, and in 2009 was reborn as the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park, open to pedestrians. It runs for over a mile, suspended 212 feet above the river, and is part of a network of hiking trails.

Next stop: Wellfleet Drive-In Theatre, Wellfleet MA.

Sept. 27: Four Brothers Drive In, Amenia NY

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It’s Day 270 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. My drive of almost four hours today was a bit longer than my typical day’s trip, but I was so excited that anybody would be showing movies on a Wednesday night at this time of year. So I headed almost due south from Bethel VT to the Four Brothers Drive In in Amenia NY.

A few decades ago, Amenia hosted what may have been the smallest permanent drive-in in the USA. From 1965 through 1983, no more than 54 (the Poughkeepsie Journal says 44) cars at a time squeezed in behind an auto body shop to watch a movie on a 32-foot-wide screen. (The world record holder for smallest drive-in, at 36 cars, remains the Jericho Drive-In in the Australian outback.)

Less than a mile down the road from that long-forgotten site stands Four Brothers Pizza Inn, the Amenia outpost of a small regional chain. Since that location opened in 1978, it’s possible that someone there remembered the old Amenia Drive-In. In 2013, owners Paul and John Stefanopoulos (sons of William and nephews of the other three founding brothers) decided to add a drive-in theater to their restaurant. It would be nostalgic, quirky, and state of the art. So that’s exactly what they did.

“People can relate to it no matter what their age,” Paul told Rural Intelligence. “We wanted to make it a place you could come and hang out with your family or on a date.”

This drive-in’s features and decor are amazing. There’s an art deco painting on the projection building wall, a classic four-letter square “LOVE” in lights, a water fountain and a fire pit (not in the same place). Patrons can order food from the restaurant and have it delivered to their car, where other employees will wash the windshield on request. There’s even a charging station for electric cars, the first at a drive-in theater but I’ll bet that’ll become a popular feature very soon.

There’s mini-golf, which is always a smart addition, and the Four Brothers also hosts weddings at the drive-in. On Throwback Thursdays, they show classic movies. I’m just a little sad that I missed one of those.

Rural Intelligence wrote that the original four brothers “often told their children that one of the first things they did when they came to America in the 1970s was go to the drive-in. They had a dream in the back of their minds that someday they would open their own.” I can’t imagine a better little drive-in than the Four Brothers, where the web site says “We are a boutique cinema in pursuit of magic.”

The YouTube video of the day is the first of a two-part series where the brothers explain what they wanted in a drive-in and what it looks like now. Be sure to click on Part 2. Also, if you get Food Network, check them out on the Drive-In Date Night episode of Farmhouse Rules; check for its next air date here.

For me, the best part of the Four Brothers experience is that it’s actually showing movies on the last Wednesday night of September. Sure, it’s a fun place, but the most important thing is the restaurant lets it stay functioning seven nights a week.

Miles Today / Total: 176 / 31635 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: It / 170

Nearby Restaurant: It would be impolite if I didn’t eat at the Four Brothers Restaurant, where pizza and other Italian food are the specialties. Along with big Greek salads, so that’s what I had in my intermittent quest to eat healthy. It had the feta cheese, cucumbers, olives and peppers mixed into a nice heap of lettuce.

Where I Virtually Stayed: Since there aren’t a lot of hotels near the Four Brothers, I picked a bed and breakfast that was close by, the Hilltop House. I reserved one of the rooms with a private bath, in consideration of my fellow guests, and was surprised how good the wifi was in this century-old mansion. The next morning, I ate an amazing breakfast on the screened porch and was ready to face another day.

Only in Amenia: Every year the town holds a Strawberry Festival in late spring. The Amenia Library, founded in 1938, co-sponsors the event, featuring a silent auction, baked goods, and a book sale. The 2017 festival took place on May 20 at the Four Brothers Drive-In.

Next stop: Mansfield Drive-in Theatre, Mansfield Center CT.