Marion Pellicano AmbroseIf youuse GOOGLE as your search engine, you probably say today’s “doodle” whichcelebrates the opening of the first drive in theater on June 6, 1933, duringthe “Golden Age of Cinema”. Seeing the doodle brought back so many memories forme.
Iremember being so excited that my family was going to the movies! My mom got usinto our warm pajamas and we set up blankets and pillows in the back seat ofour 1957 Ford Fairlane 500. It was torture waiting for it to get dark, but thesun finally set and we drove out to the huge field that was the Drive inTheater, in 
I canhardly remember any of the movies we saw at the drive in, just flashes ofmemory: a tiny man fighting a huge spider with a needle, a cowboy tied to awagon wheel by indians, and John Wayne. I’m sure we saw several John Waynemovies since my dad was a big fan. What I do have a crystal clear picture of isthe drive in itself. I can see the poles we parked by, on a mound of dirt. On each pole was agray, metal contraption that piped the sound of the movie into our car when weattached it to a partially rolled down window. I remember having to drive over2 or 3 mounds trying speakers until we found one that worked. Once the moviestarted, the crackly sound filled the car and all eyes were on the giganticscreen at the front of the lot.
I canstill recall the thrill of going to the refreshment stand with my father atIntermission. There were hamburgers, hot dogs and other treats pre-made and insilver foil wrappers. Ice cream, candy, popcorn, and soda were also availableand placed in cardboard trays to be carried back to the car. There was also achildren’s playground for kids to burn a little energy during intermission.
Afterintermission, the movie began again. This is aboutall can remember. Being 6 or 7 at the time,I never got to see the end of a single movie because, I alwaysfell asleep. All I recall is waking up in my bed the next morning,having been carried safely by my dad and lovingly tucked in by my mom. I don’t knowwhat I felt then, but today as I think of it, I feel overwhelming love andgratitude to my parents for giving me this kind of childhood. I wish I hadremembered moments like this while they were still here so I could have toldthem.Theera of drive in movies has passed, but there are still many ways parents canshare moments with their children that will create these same type ofnostalgic, treasured memories. I tried to create them for my children and to mygreat joy, my daughter talks about her favorite memories of our excursions from whenshe was little. It’s my greatest hope that, when I’m gone, she and my son will continue toremember and cherish these special family moments, and know how much they were loved.
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