The Drive-In meaningfully contributes to the complex picture of outdoor cinema that has been central to American culture and to a history of US cinema based on diverse viewing experiences rather than a select number of films.
Drive-in cinemas flourished in 1950s America, in some summer weeks to the extent that there were more cinemagoers outdoors than indoors. Often associated with teenagers interested in the drive-in as a 'passion pit' or a venue for exploitation films, accounts of the 1950s American drive-in tend to emphasise their popularity with families with young children, downplaying the importance of a film programme apparently limited to old, low-budget or independent films and characterising drive-in operators as industry outsiders. They retain a hold on the popular imagination.
The Drive-In identifies the mix of generations in the drive-in audience as well as accounts that articulate individual experiences, from the drive-in as a dating venue to a segregated space. Through detailed analysis of the film industry trade press, local newspapers and a range of other primary sources including archival records on cinemas and cinema circuits in Arkansas, California, New York State and Texas, this book examines how drive-ins were integrated into local communities and the film industry and reveals the importance and range of drive-in programmes that were often close to that of their indoor neighbours.

- 272 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Half-Title
- Title
- Contents
- List of illustrations
- Acknowledgements
- Note to the reader
- Introduction
- 1 Place
- 2 Programme
- 3 People
- 4 Pictures
- Conclusion: The drive-in and cinema history
- Notes
- Archive collections and databases consulted
- Select bibliography
- Index
- Copyright
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Yes, you can access The Drive-In by Guy Barefoot in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Media & Performing Arts & North American History. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.