Dad and Going To The Movies

Though my mom really loved going to the movies, my dad hardly never, ever went to the movies. In fact, I can only remember going to the movies with him three times in my entire life. The first movie was "Darby O'Gill and The Little People"in 1959 when I was 7 years old and it was at a drive-in theater. Drive-ins were always fun to go to as a child. The theater that I remember as a child had a playground up under the large painted screen. It has several different rides such a merry-go-round, swings and other playground equipment. It was primarily used by children during the intermission of the movie. I also remember some type of announcement letting you know how much longer the playground would be open. And, at the beginning of the intermission some short little film would come up and tempt your tastebuds with all kinds of pictures of goodies being sold at the refreshment center. One example is shown below:

There were some unique features and rituals that took place when you went to the drive-in. One of them was purchasing the mosquito killer. It was a coiled thingy that you lit, sat it on the dash of your car and smoke came out of it and it was supposed to keep the mosquitoes from bothering you. Check out the little film below. Maybe that will help explain it for those of you who never had this experience.

There was also the way you parked your car. You pulled up onto a little hilly area so that your car faced toward the screen and it tipped up the front of the car so that you could sit back, relax and see the screen. You drove up next to a post that had a speaker on it and you attached it to your car by rolling up your window a little and attaching it to the glass.










Tifton also had a drive-in theater years ago. I can remember going to that theater on occasions when the family came to visit with Grandmother and Granddaddy McGhee.

The other two movies seen with Dad were in regular walk-in theaters. Mom and Dad had gone to see "The Sound of Music" with another couple on a date night. Dad was so impressed with the movie that he took us kids to see the movie on January 13, 1969(how do I know the date - I found it written in an old diary of mine). I don't remember what the occasion was when we went to see "To Sir, With Love". I just know these are the only movies I remember attending with Dad. Mom, on the other hand, is avid fan of movies such as I am and we've seen many, many together. We have even been known to sit through three in a row occasionally.

There was something to be said for the old drive-ins. I think it helped bring families together. You got to sit together in the car or spread a blanket on the ground next to you. You could partake of food that wasn't regular fare at home. You could participate in the whole experience together - as a family. Yep, that's something to wish for in these days and times.