Would you pay for this drive-in upgrade?

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Jay and Bella Emanuel

For all the times I’ve written about Jay Emanuel Publications, I’d never seen a photo of the man till I found this one. His wife Bella’s got a great smile, don’t you think? (Courtesy of PhotoboothJournal.com. Used by permission.)

I’ve been reading through a few old issues of Motion Picture Exhibitor. That’s a weekly magazine put out by Jay Emanuel Publications, which also published the annual Theatre Catalog. The Jan. 18, 1967 issue includes an article about an interesting new product. Allow me to transcribe:

ST. PAUL, MINN. – Drive-in movie theatres are being invited to “net increased profits” by reserving premium-priced seats with a new control console that also plays a role in concession sales.

Hollywood Loge, Inc., distributor of the “Reserva-Seat” console, which replaces a conventional speaker stand, says the console justifies higher admission charges – a 25 cent premium is suggested – and should boost concession sales during the movie. The console includes back-to-back hi-fi speakers, an integral two-way intercom to the concession stand for carhop service, and a softly lit menu display board.

Reserva-Seat consoles are limited to the best 10 per cent locations in a drive-in, generally those near the concession stand. The locations should be chosen to give patrons privacy and prestige, the company said.

“The key to increased profits,” the company explained, “is a special Reserva-Seat key that is rented to the patron at the boxoffice and entitles him to a reserved drive-in parking space. Each key is coded to a specific console. At the console the patron uses the key to turn on the hi-fi speaker. Once the key is turned it cannot be removed except by a master key; this prevents pilferage, duplication or unauthorized use.”

Touching a special Honeywell pushbutton signals the concession stand; then the order is phoned in over the speaker. Other Honeywell switches tie in the movie sound track when the key is turned, as well as turning on an “in use” light. The console also has a non-reset counter showing how many times the reserved seat has been rented. (End of article)

I’m sad to say that the article had no illustrations, but that console sounds a lot like what you’d find at a Sonic drive-in restaurant, plus keys. According to NATO (the Theatre Owners, not the Treaty Organization), the average movie ticket in 1967 was $1.22, which would make that recommended surcharge about 20 percent. Would you pay an extra $2 today for a primo reserved parking slot with carhop service? I might have tried it, but I never got the chance.

Suffice it to say, you don’t see Reserva-Seat keys anywhere, and I doubt that the idea caught on. A quick search of the trademark office turned up nothing on Reserva-Seat, alive or dead. The Minnesota Secretary of State says that Hollywood Loge, incorporated six months before this article, dissolved in 1991. Rest in peace.

What it takes to be almost a drive-in

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photo from the MAIN Facebook page

photo from the MAIN Facebook page

When you think of a drive-in theater, you’ve got a picture in your head. If someone asks you whether a given business is a drive-in theater, it’s usually a pretty easy call. I wrote about this a couple of months ago, and now there’s a fledgling business in West Virginia that illustrates the gray area between Yes and No.

From all indications, MAIN Movies has been doing a great public service. This summer, it launched by showing free movies on a field owned by the Belpre OH Volunteer Fire Department, selling concession items and asking for donations to defray licensing fees. As chronicled in the Parkersburg News and Sentinel, owners JD and Leann Nicolais named their company after three daughters (Madison, the late Arabella, and Isabelle) and their family name.

MAIN used an inflatable screen and a “compact but powerful projector” that couldn’t handle rain. They had earlier tried something similar in Parkersburg’s City Park. “We just saw a need for cheap entertainment, for families to come out and literally spend $10 for a whole family to watch a movie,” JD said. It was outdoors, but everyone used lawn chairs or blankets, so it definitely wasn’t a drive-in.

According to the prolific posts on MAIN’s Facebook page, in early August they decided to switch to a true drive-in format and needed a “place to leave a screen up”. After asking around, the family settled on the 4H campground across the Ohio River in Mineral Wells WV. MAIN ran a haunted woods attraction in October and movies most weekends, though the battles with precipitation were exacerbated by the possibility of flooding.

A few days ago, the Marietta OH Times ran a story of the new drive-in. The MAIN charged just $8 per carload and sold pizza, snacks and sodas. From the story and a few Facebook posts, after a few weeks at the new location, they built a new 24-foot screen, larger than the inflatable one. “The screen is temporary and completely movable,” JD said. “But the goal is to find a permanent location that will allow us to have a larger, permanent screen.”

The Times story ran on November 5. The same day, MAIN posted on Facebook, “Looking for a business opportunity? We have decided to move and would like to leave the business here. You will receive every single thing we have for movies including an inflatable screen.”

A campground with a permanent drive-in screen and regularly scheduled movies? That sounds like Sokol Park in suburban Omaha NE. But a temporary screen, erratic schedule, and an owner that’s leaving the business? New management might change the situation, but for now I’d say that MAIN Movies is almost a drive-in.

Harpersville AL reopens with a new name

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The Harpersville (AL) Drive-In, which closed last year, reopened on October 8 this year, according to a story in the Shelby County Reporter. New owners Phillip and Stacy Padgett expanded the concession menu to add burgers and hot dogs, but the biggest change is the new name: The Twilight 280 Drive-In.

One thing that hasn’t changed yet is the projection system. Both screens still use film, though Padgett plans to upgrade to digital at some point. He also plans for the drive-in to host special events throughout the year.

You know, in all the years I’ve followed drive-in news, I’ve never seen this many startups and reopenings in such a short time. That this should all happen in the fall rather than the typical spring drive-in wake-up season just makes it all the more remarkable. Good times!

To read more about the Padgett’s plans and the new The Twilight 280, and to check out a photo from the Reporter article, you need to go read it!