There was no better place to see Grindhouse this past April than at the drive-in! (Photo courtesy of Akira Hanabusa)
Three years ago I had pretty much given up drive-in movie theaters to my increasingly musty memory, convinced that there was only one lot in town—the Vineland, way out in the City of Industry. Then my nephew came to town for a week of summer movie fun and his mom said he wanted to see a movie at the drive-in. I told her I’d take him, naturally assuming we’d be headed to the Vineland. But a quick look on Drive-ins.Com revealed that there was one drive-in in the nearby area that I’d never been to, and locals were dropping comments on the drive-in site about how great it was and how it just had a new high-powered illumination system installed. There was also mention of a open call for ground-floor membership in a new drive-in movie appreciation society. I signed up immediately, and then my nephew went out to see this drive-in for ourselves. The drive in was, of course, the Mission Tiki Drive-in in beautiful downtown Montclair, CA, and that night was the start of a rekindling of a love affair with the drive-in that, on the crest of the summer of 2007, is still going strong.
And of course, that little club I joined in July of 2005 was the Southern California Drive-in Movie Society. There were eight people present for that initial meeting in the snack bar of the Mission Tiki. By the time we next got together, at the Van Buren Drive-in in Riverside later that month, two had been pared away and a core group of fanatics had emerged. We started out simply as a fan club—we all traded stories of our favorite drive-in experiences that first night, and one member, Kathy Beyers, an avid drive-in historian, showed off a prodigious photo album full of great shots of drive-ins active and deceased from all over the world. But none of us really had much of an idea that it would ever be more than that. Three years later, SoCalDIMS (as it will be referred to hereafter) has its own Web site, designed by founding member and defacto SoCalDIMS lightning rod Sal Gomez, and an e-mail membership roster boasting at least 300 names, addresses and e-mail addresses.
The club has also established a fruitful association with the DeAnza Corporation, owners and operators of the Mission Tiki, the Van Buren and the Rubidoux Drive-ins here in Southern California, and several others in such far-flung locales as San Diego, Tucson, Arizona and Atlanta, Georgia. SoCalDIMS was instrumental in helping conceive and promote last summer’s ginormous allday-all night 50th Anniversary Party for the Mission Tiki, and Sal’s heavy-duty footwork ended up securing a half-hour of prime airtime during KCET’s September 2006 pledge drive for a program devoted entirely to the Mission Tiki and drive-in nostalgia hosted by popular TV personality Huell Howser. And through a bit of dogged determination, SoCalDIMS established a relationship with Juan Gonzalez, the manager of the Vineland, and helped him convince Pacific Theaters, which owns the drive-in, to install Technalight on all four of their screens, the last ones in the Greater SoCal area to not be so brightly illuminated.
And who knows what’s coming up for 2007? One thing that we’ve decided to do is get out of the snack bar. For the past two years, we’ve established a monthly presence at a drive-in and set up camp near the refreshment counter, talking to folks, listening to drive-in stories, making friends and establishing connections. But this summer we decided that we wanted to be out on the lot too. From now through the foreseeable future, SoCalDIMS “meetings” will take the form of tailgate parties that’ll take place right there on the lot. The good folks at the Mission Tiki facilitated our very first tailgater in April—the weather was a little drizzly, but nobody cared because the movie we were there to see was Grindhouse and it was great fun gathering about 40 or so drive-in fans together a couple of hours before the movie for fun, food and heavy anticipation of the evening’s entertainment. Someone even brought along his full-size propane grill and did up dogs and burgers right there under the screen!* Opinion was divided on Grindhouse itself—I should say, everyone seemed to love Planet Terror and be utterly put off by Death Proof, whereas I thought Planet Terror was loads of fun that was one-upped by the formal and thematic triumph of Death Proof. But that didn’t dampen the evening. Nor did the fact that everyone left after Grindhouse, leaving me alone as the sole survivor to witness the evening’s second (third?) feature, the grisly but forgettable The Hills Have Eyes 2. The get-together was a rousing success from the standpoint of getting a bunch of drive-in fans together to enjoy a movie that couldn’t have been a better fit for the whole experience. That night Sal and I decided that this party atmosphere was the perfect format for all our future SoCalDIMS meetings.
Which brings me to this weekend, when the next SoCalDIMS Drive-in Movie Tailgater will get under way, this time at DeAnza’s charming three-screener, the Rubidoux, a little further out in Riverside, but well worth the trip. Ex-Tiki projectionist and SoCalDIMS friend extraordinaire Jeff Thurman is threading the reels at the Rubidoux these days, and there’s simply no one better at what he does than Jeff. He’ll make sure that the evening’s feature, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, will be shown off in all its spectacular visual glory through the magic of Technalight on their big Scope-capable main screen, and that’s where SoCalDIMS will be parked this coming Saturday night, May 26.
If you’re in the Southern California area and would like to join us under the stars and the SoCalDIMS banner Saturday night, say no more! You’re in! Just show up at the Rubidoux (here’s how to get there) and look for the SoCalDIMS banner. A word to the wise, however: We have made arrangements through the management for early admittance to anyone who identifies themselves with SoCalDIMS.
But here’s the caveat: though it was previously announced that we would be allowed us through the gates early-- 6:00 p.m.-- in order to get ourselves situated before the big crowds start coming in, we’re gonna have to get there a bit earlier. Sal and I were out at the Rubidoux last weekend for Shrek the Third (I don’t wanna talk about it), and we found out just how early folks that regularly go to the Rubidoux get in line for opening weekend of a blockbuster release. How early, you ask? REALLY EARLY! By 6:30 p.m. the front section of the lot showing Shrek was nearly full-- remember, these lots are not nearly as big as the ones at the Mission Tiki-- and the show didn't start until 8:20 p.m.!
We've since communicated with management again, and they suggest that if you're planning on attending May 26th with SoCalDIMS, you should be at the front gate, parked in the auxiliary parking lot, NO LATER THAN 5:30 p.m. This will ensure that everyone will be there and ready to enter the lot by 6:00 pm. sharp. The reason this is important is that the box-office will be opening very shortly afterward to accommodate the gigantic crowd expected for all three screens that night (Pirates, Shrek & Spider-Man) and they don't want traffic backing up onto Mission Blvd.
You are most definitely invited to come out with SoCalDIMS at the Rubidoux this coming Saturday night. Just remember-- you must be there and ready to go inside by 5:30 p.m., otherwise not only may you not get parked together with our main group, but you may not get in, period.
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There’s also a whole lot going on this summer on the drive-in front besides SoCalDIMS. All four area drive-ins—the Vineland, the Mission Tiki, the Rubidoux and the Van Buren (home of the world’s best drive-in snack bar) are going full steam with a full slate of summer movie entertainment as only they can feature it. Yet there’s a new game in tgown as well—the first new drive-in in Orange County, and in all of Southern California, for that matter, in several decades. It has all the familiar drive-in trappings, yet it’s not exactly traditional—what it is, is inflatable. Yes, folks, welcome the Star-Vu Drive-in, and it premiered last weekend with Shrek the Third to packed lots and rave reviews from drive-in starved folks in and around the Costa Mesa area, where the drive-in has set up camp—on one of the parking lots at the Orange County Fairgrounds. Sal, SoCalDIMS founding member Christ Utley and I were invited to the preview party last Thursday night. I couldn’t make it, but Chris and Sal did, and despite some initial reservations, both were duly impressed. Sal filed this report for SoCalDIMS:
“On May 17th members of the local media as well as drive-in aficionados were treated to a preview of a new concept in drive-in movies.
In one section of the parking lot on the Orange County Fairgrounds, a group of baby boomers have given birth to the NEW Star Vu Drive-In. Mary Jean Duran, Jeff Teller & Bob Deutsch (forgive me if I missed someone) decided that Orange County had long been without the drive-in experience. They have now changed that for the foreseeable future. Not since the last drive-in in the O.C. was demolished over 10 years ago has there been a drive-in to cater to local families and those from other neighboring cities. The closest they could come was the Vineland Drive-In in the City of Industry or the Mission Tiki in Montclair.
The Star Vu Drive-In is located near the main entrance of the O.C. Fairgrounds. The Westside Grill, Snack Shack, as well as the restroom building are all existing structures that have existed since the fairgrounds were upgraded several years ago. The Westside Grill building also houses the projection booth. Here is a short video clip that was shot with a small digital camera on preview night. It will give you an idea on the set up for this drive-in.
Several members of the media and their families were in attendance and the management of the drive-in spared no expense. The Snack Shack served up hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, soft drinks, bottled water, finger pastries and a large celebratory cake that was cut and served to all the evenings guests. Oh, and did I mention this was all complimentary?
Pre-show entertainment was provided by a DJ with his own light show. Elvis also made and appearance to help kickoff the inaugural season, and in conjunction with the evening’s screening of Shrek 2, Austin Powers was in attendance to spread around some good MOJO for a long and profitable life as SoCal’s newest drive-in.
A post-viewing critique: This drive-in is a work in progress and the owners fully admit it. They were very open to suggestions, and I am sure if you attended last night or this weekend’s showings you will begin to see changes in ticket-taking procedures, parking assignments and other infrastructure details that dedicated drive-in theaters may not need to deal with.
The one suggestion I have is that the larger SUV/Truck parking may need to be assigned, because the sight lines may not be the best for these larger vehicles. What I mean is, the screen, although large enough, does not sit tall enough to provide a clear view if you are sitting in a high profile vehicle and happen to be parked behind another high profile vehicle. These larger cars may need to be staggered as the rows grow from two to three to four deep.
As far as picture brightness is concerned, some of us have been spoiled with the wonderful Technalight presentations we’ve become accustomed to at the Vineland, Mission Tiki, Van Buren and the Rubidoux. And although the Star Vu does have a fantastic state-of-the-art projection system, the 7,000-watt lamphouse is really going to need to work to overcome the outside lighting that will bleed onto that inflatable screen.
Yet, I still I cannot stress enough how much we need to support this venture. With the soaring cost of land in major urban areas and the loss of enough open land, this type of drive-in model may be the norm for future drive-ins in metropolitan areas for years to come.”
Thanks to Sal for filing the report from the Star Vu. It’s good to have the input from a dedicated drive-in fan to balance the generalized TV and newspaper reports that highlighted this newsworthy opening.
UPDATE 5/23/07: Here's Entertainment Weekly's Chris Willman on the Star Vu: "A Drive-In Grows in the O.C."
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I would be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to clue all drive-in fans in on an upcoming film (still in production) that should be a pretty comprehensive and worthwhile treatment of the state of drive-in theaters in America. Filmmaker April Wright has been on a journey throughout the country shooting drive-ins, the ones that are dead and gone as well as the ones that are thriving, for a new documentary she’s directing entitled Going Attractions: The Rise and Fall of the Drive-in as an American Icon. The title sounds somewhat grim and pessimistic, but Wright’s movie promises to celebrate the memory and the renewed interest in the drive-in as well as its checkered history. She even corralled me for almost an hour during last year’s 50th Anniversary Tiki Invasion for an long interview, pieces of which might just make it into the final product. Of course I’ll keep you abreast of all new developments on this project, and I continue to wish April good fortune in the production of this movie.
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And speaking of fascinating developments, Shawn Levy, film critic for the Portland Oregonian (and SLIFR friend and supporter) has been following a story since February that bodes well for Oregon drive-in fans (a membership in which I count myself)—owners of the Clinton Street arthouse in Portland have apparently bought up the entirety of a drive-in in Oceanside, California—projectors, snack bar, everything—and moved it up to Portland with the plans of rebuilding it on an as-yet-unspecified site and programming it much as they do the Clinton Street—indie fare, arthouse hits and cult movies. Now THAT sounds like a road trip to me! (Eh, Blaaagh?) It’s been a while since I’ve read any updated material on this story, so I’ll try to find out where the project stands (a lot can happen in four months) and file a follow-up in the near future.
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And if we're mentioning Oregon drive-ins, I must note that it’s been a while since I’ve been to the 99W, Brian Francis’s lovely little drive-in on the outskirts of Newberg, Oregon. So when I stumbled across this great cartoon from Oregon writer-blogger M.E. Russell, not only was I delighted, but I was also shocked—I was there at the 99W that summer for the very double feature he attended! (Join me now in a chorus of “It’s a Small World,” won’t you? No?) Russell captures the experience exceptionally well and with good-natured humor. Here’s hoping the 99W lasts for many more years— it, and owner Brian Francis, are among the really good guys.
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EASTBOUND AND DOWN!!! Finally, just because it’s drive-in season all around the rest of the country now (in Southern California, it’s always drive-in season), here’s two links you need to click on right away to get you in the mood. First, check out SLIFR favorite Wagstaff’s outstanding tribute to one of the great drive-in movies, Hal Needham’s Smokey and the Bandit, over at Edward Copeland on Film.
And if you’ve got several hours to spend idly paging through a great collection of ads and other drive-in-oriented delights, please check in with Charles Bruss’s newly updated Drive-In Thru Wisconsin Web site, a thoroughly cheerful and entertaining tribute to the drive-ins of Mr. Bruss’s region that will convince you that drive-in fever knows no geographical restriction.
(Thanks to Mr. Bruss for the great original Smokey newspaper ad!)
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Have a great drive-in summer, wherever you may be! And if you’re in or near Riverside County this Saturday night, come on over to the Southern California Drive-in Movie Society, bring a bucket of chicken, have some potato salad, some chips, and shoot the shit with us for a while. Who knows? It might even be more fun than the movie!
* UPDATE 5/23/07 9:39 p.m. A couple of items: First, I got an e-mail this morning from the management of the Rubidoux requesting that anyone who does join us for our little outdoor soiree please refrain from grilling at this event. They are anticipating sell-outs all around and are concerned about danger to other patrons. Second, you may have to enjoy this tailgate party without me, because about a half-hour ago somebody rear-ended me on the freeway on my way to work. Luckily, my rear fender and taillight took the brunt of the hit, and neither my daughter or I were injured. But the drive-in wagon may be in the hospital for this one. I'll keep you informed!
UPDATE 5/27/07 9:07 p.m.: Well, as expected, my little driving misadventure ensured that I would not be attending last night's SoCalDIMS tailgater at the Rubidoux Drive-in. But I almost feel like I was there due to this excellent report (complete with video) filed by stalwart SoCalDIMS siren Sal Gomez. Sal, you've definitely sailed the high seas for this one and made me regret even more that I couldn't be there. True, we'll always have Grindhouse. But there's always June too!
It’s Howard Hawks' birthday today. He would have been 113. If you haven’t seen most or any of the following movies, do yourself a favor—clear out the TiVo, make room at the top of your Netflix queue and start the incredible journey. (Some of these are not yet on DVD, but if you have Turner Classic Movies, keep your eyes peeled):
Only Angels Have Wings (1939) 
The Dawn Patrol, The Criminal Code, Come and Get It, Twentieth Century and, of course, Scarface (now on DVD) are all terrific movies. But just look at that period from 1936 to 1948, starting with Come and Get It and ending with Red River. Not counting the uncredited jobs, has any other great director ever had a 12-year streak like that one? Maybe Ford. Maybe Bunuel. Maybe Altman. Maybe Godard. When a baseball player goes on a streak like that, one of the things said about him is that he’s “unconscious.” But there’s nothing unconscious or automatic about any of the movies Hawks made in this period. And he still had The Big Sky, Monkey Business, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Hatari!, El Dorado and, most importantly, Rio Bravo still in his deck. 
