Drive-in movie coming to a TV near you?

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There are a lot of movies that are easy to find. They’re available for streaming through Netflix, or in high rotation on cable TV channels, or in the markdown bin where you buy DVDs. Then there are special, cult movies that are unavailable to rent and cost serious cash to buy. One of those movies, one you might care about, is the 1976 classic Drive-In, which is coming to Antenna TV at 3 in the early morning (Eastern time) this Tuesday, July 23, otherwise known as the late, late night of Monday, July 22. (It repeats at 7 am EDT this Thursday, and again at 5 am EDT on July 27.)

Antenna TV is one of those digital sub-channels that are available for free from over-the-air broadcasters. Some cable systems it, but you might have to resort to hooking up your digital TV to a real antenna. You can find a full list of Antenna TV stations in this PDF.

Here’s Amazon’s description of Drive-In: This slice-of-life comedy both documents and satirizes small town life in a rural Texas town where the only entertainment in the day is the roller rink and at night the local drive-in. Hosting a cross-section of the town’s population, the drive-in comes to life at night – parents show up with their kids in tow, teenage paramours arrive with their dates, and the local gangs fuel their rivalry – under the gigantic screen and at the snack bar. The film playing is a ’70s staple: the disaster movie. (A satire named Disaster ’76.) Tension builds on the screen and also among the patrons. Director Rod Amateau, producer/director of legendary television series “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” and “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis,” is no stranger to comedy, and this off-beat, little-known film (with a lesser-known cast) is a hilarious flashback to the seventies.

There’s a pretty good 70s country music soundtrack. but the movie’s main appeal is that it gives us a pretty good idea of what it was like to go to a drive-in movie back then. Reviewers from Amazon and IMDB recommend it, and I do too. Especially this week when you can see it for free.

Developer hopes to build Tennessee drive-in

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Here’s some good news for a change. According to WSMV, Nashville’s news leader, a developer called Black Eagle Holding wants to build a new drive-in theater in Murfreesboro TN. The 28-acre site is a wooded area that includes buildings that were once part of Nashville’s original airport. You can see the group’s Facebook page here.

The nest step for Black Eagle is to get approval from the local Board of Zoning Appeals, which will hold a hearing on the question on August 14. The usual NIMBY opponents are making the usual arguments, but it sounds like Black Eagle has done its homework and lined up the personnel they need to get it passed.

So how big is this drive-in going to be? Black Eagle attorney Ted Goodman told WSMV, “We’re hoping, actually, it will be the largest single-screen drive-in theater in the United States.” The Shreveport Times quotes him as saying the planned drive-in would hold 500 cars. Uh, no, then that won’t be the largest. Just among drive-ins I’ve visited, Bengies (Middle River MD) and the Boulevard (Kansas City KS) each hold more than 500 cars.

I think we’re going to see more drive-ins built in the next decade than we saw in the last 10 years. I’ve got my reasons, which I’ll explain in a future post or two. Meanwhile, let’s be glad that someone else recognizes how fun (and profitable) a drive-in can be.

South Dakota drive-in to close this year

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The Daily Republic of Mitchell SD relayed some sad news this week. The Starlite Drive-In will close for good at the end of the 2013 season rather than purchase digital projection equipment. The tiniest ray of hope is that, although owner Jeff Logan doesn’t plan an reopening the Starlite, he will go through his standard winterization process. “We are going to run it right into the end, and then put it into mothballs,” Logan said.

According to the Starlite’s Facebook page, three Mitchell SD men built the Lake Vue Drive-in, which opened in May of 1949. “It was only the third drive-in in South Dakota. In 1963, Rod Hanson bought it. Logan purchased it in 1976 and renamed it the Starlite. He ran it until 1986 when the drive in business went bust with the advent of HBO and home video. He re-opened it in 1993 as drive-ins saw a resurgence.”

Just a few months ago, we reported how the Starlite had upgraded its movie selection. That translated into better business, but it wasn’t enough. “It’s been one of our best years in a long time,” Logan said. “Even when you’re doing as good as we’re doing, when you do the math, the projections aren’t there.”

You should go read The Daily Republic’s original story, plus a rehash with a few more details by the Associated Press. I don’t know why these drive-ins think they can’t survive on classic films and nostalgia. I need to find out more about that.