66 Drive-In Theatre - Route 66 - Carthage MO
by Susan Rissi Tregoning
Title
66 Drive-In Theatre - Route 66 - Carthage MO
Artist
Susan Rissi Tregoning
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Oh, the memories of hot summer nights at the Drive-In!
Although technically an innovation of the 1930s, the drive-in came of age sometime between the late 40s and early 50s. In the beginning, it provided an evening of affordable entertainment before many people had televisions, and later on, it was just plain ole fun. By 1956, there were around 4500 drive-in theaters scattered around the country.
Very few drive-ins remain today. Most have been lost to suburban sprawl, and the few still around are not as historically intact as the 66 Drive-In in Carthage, Missouri. Originally opening in 1949, the 66 Drive-In has parking for 400 cars and seating for 18 walk-in customers. It closed in 1985 after 36 years of entertaining the masses.
The 66 Drive-In reopened in 1998. At that time, they did away with the old squawk boxes in favor of radio frequency sound, but the forest of speaker poles is still there, and not much else changed. That’s what makes it so nostalgic. The original neon sign out front advertises the double feature for the weekend to those passing by on Route 66. Admission tickets are still purchased at the tiny Streamline Moderne glass block ticket booth. The setting is still rural, and the 66-foot high screen still has the original playground below it.
It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003
Copyright 2022 Susan Rissi Tregoning
Uploaded
June 18th, 2022
Statistics
Viewed 1,020 Times - Last Visitor from Portland, OR on 04/14/2024 at 7:01 PM
Embed
Share
Sales Sheet
Similar Images
Recently Viewed
