A 1938 Miami Drive-In flyer. Some flyers provided additional information. This was mainly to emphasize convenience. 'Any type of dress is good for the Drive-in Theatre, you can smoke, talk and relax in your own car without disturbing the neighbours'.  

However, it only started when the speakers in the front of the car came. This increased the number from 820 in 1948 to 4,063 Drive-in movie theaters at its peak in 1958.  

During the baby boom of the late 1940s and early 1950s, many young families discovered the drive-ins. It really was a family affair in the 1950s. You could bring the children and babies and you could smoke there. It was a lot more flexible than a real cinema. Many drive-ins added playgrounds. The catering establishments on the sites also contributed to the positive experiences of the young families. They were certainly able to provide the hundreds of customers with food and drink during the breaks. Cartoons were shown during the intermissions and there was a clock that counted down to the moment the film resumed. Over the years, carts were introduced to pass the cars for the sale of food and drink. There were also heaters in the car. In 1948  a new concept was added, conceived by Ed Brown, pilot. He opened the Drive-In and Fly-In Theater in Asbury Park, New Jersey where 500 cars and 50 planes could watch a movie. A runway was constructed where the planes could land and taxi to the rear rows. The Circle Autoscope Drive-In in Albuquerque even had a screen per parking lot. The largest drive-in was Johnny's All Weather Drive-in in Copiaque, New York. There was room for 2,500 cars and 1,200 seated spectators in an air-conditioned room including a restaurant. There was even a petting zoo.

In the late 1960s, the drive-ins were often only visited by young couples who appreciated the privacy. They were popularly referred to as 'passion pits'. This teen culture has been immortalized in films like American Graffiti and Grease. In the 1970s it was mainly the cable TV and VCRs that kept people away. The normal cinemas were also getting bigger, more seats, more comfort due to air conditioning and above all more and larger screens. Showing the big movies was also a problem. A normal movie theater could show a new big movie several times a day and not just in the dark. As a result, the drive-ins were dependent on b-movies and sex films. These sex movies allowed many drive-ins to survive for years to come. In addition to these sex films, events were also organized during the day such as flea markets and church services.  Shankweiler started broadcasting on AM in 1982. The speakers are still in use. In 1986 they were the first to switch to FM stereo sound. In 1990, 910 were still in active use. Today there are about 400.  

The reasons for the near disappearance of the drive-ins were many, the biggest being the rise of television in the home and the value of the land itself. The drive-ins were often constructed outside the cities. As the cities grew, land was needed and its sale brought in money. The succession of the owner was also a problem. They were often family businesses whose children had no interest in taking over the Drive-in. The end of the baby boom is also said to have played a part as well as the introduction of daylight saving time, which left parents feeling that the first movie started at 10pm too late for the little ones.  

Fortunately, the drive-in never ended. On the contrary. New complexes are being opened again, old ones are being put back into use and modernized with new screens and FM radio stations. Due to the new, expensive, techniques it is also possible to show the latest films. Richard Hollingshead would be proud.