Page 10 - cr54

The giant Metro Twin Clayton, for much of its life the biggest and best trading Drive-in in Victoria.

There were few other all-family After a 50-year journey that drive-in not only provided filmed
activities that did not involve sitting included converted halls and live entertainment and food, but other
around the TV. The new outdoor theatres, spartan silent picture houses, distractions like playgrounds,
screens were massive, each car had an wondrous palaces and the expansion of jukeboxes, trains, pools, ponies and go
individual speaker with a volume the suburban hardtops, the business had karts. These other amusements ensured
control and some offered car-hop once again found that pictures screened families arrived early, so there was a
service direct to your car by signalling outdoors was where the money lay. The greater chance that the evening meal
with a switch on the top of your era of the drive-in had arrived. would be bought and eaten at the drive-
speaker. The order would be taken and Drive-ins catered very much to the in restaurant or café.
the food brought directly to the car. On family and were in tune with the Early drive-in food offerings were
warm nights families sat on outdoor expanding home and car ownership of much more elaborate than what we had
chairs next to their car or up on the the average Australian. They experienced before or since. Chefs
lawn under the screen. It did not matter spearheaded the trend of informality at would arrive mid-afternoon to prepare
if the baby cried or the chip packet the pictures as patrons discarded their delights ranging from steak and kidney
rustled. hats and suits and the kids even wore pie to prawn cutlets and Pluto pups
Many Australians still smoked, and their pyjamas. (known as battered savs in some states).
this was fine at the drive-in, unlike their Prices were generally more Full sit-down steak and fish meals
indoor cousins where the practice was affordable than hardtops and drive-ins were offered, and many larger drive-ins
banned. offered a full program including two had several food serving areas aside
Suburbs and towns across Australia features cartoons, a newsreel and shorts. from the main cafeteria.
saw their iconic local cinemas shuttered The busiest locations repeated their BBQs were very popular -often
and demolished, their audiences program twice on weekends or offered with a wild-west theme to cash in on
transferring allegiance to giant-screen ranch (western themed) nights and one of the popular early drive-in genres
picture paddocks on the outskirts. horror shows at midnight. of film. You could choose your own
In many rural areas the new drive-in Drive-ins were built near vast tracts steak and have it grilled to your liking
screen vied with the wheat silo as the of new homes. Families were looking at most of the Skyline Drive-ins, then
tallest structure on the horizon. for places to go in their cars and the add salads and scalloped potatoes.

10 2007 CINEMARECORD