Which comes as a great comfort for many. I suspect that most folks who came of age in the 1950s and '60s remember their nights at the drive-in with fondness. Thankfully, in recent years drive-ins have experienced an unprecedented resurgence. Abandoned drive-ins are being revived and refurbished and, in the last year or so, a handful of brand new outdoor theatres have been erected. It's become hip again to go to the drive-in and young marrieds are learning what their parents knew long ago: Money saved on babysitters can be spent at the concession stand, so why not let the kids sack out in the backseat while you enjoy the movie?

So it is fitting that THE AMERICAN DRIVE-IN MOVIE THEATRE is now available. Here is a volume that will interest today's drive-in patrons and those who recall the golden age of ozoners. The book's authors, Don and Susan Sanders, trace the history of the drive-in all the way back to the early days of the moving picture.

The book is divided into chapters devoted to the major eras of the life of the drive-in. The first chapter, "Preview of Coming Attractions: 1900 to 1945," explores the drive-in's roots. It will surprise some readers to learn that outdoor screenings are nearly as old as the movie themselves; there exist records and photos of such screenings in city of Honolulu, Hawaii, for example, at the turn of the century, in a vacant lot against the side of a building. There was also a variety of indoor theatre popular during the 20s, known as an "airdrome," which was contained within four walls but had no roof.

In ensuing chapters, developments and improvements in the drive-in experience are given thorough coverage. Where once the movie's sound was blasted through giant P.A. speakers, beginning in 1946, theatres began to offer the in-window speaker so familiar to us today. Concession stands began to offer more in the way of refreshments and snacks, not limiting themselves to the same popcorn, candy and soda that indoor theatres offered; at the drive-in, one could have a full, if not a terribly nutritious, meal. Some theatres had a laundry room, others boasted a supervised nursery. Most had a playground down front that helped keep the little ones occupied during the wait for the film to begin and those swings and merry-go-rounds no doubt helped to tire out those same youngsters, insuring that Mom and Dad were able to enjoy the show in peace.

THE AMERICAN DRIVE-IN MOVIE THEATRE takes the reader through every development, every improvement (successful or otherwise), in the history of the outdoor bijou and does so with the aid of a wonderful collection of photographs, posters, blueprints, renderings, and advertising material. These visual reminders of an earlier time are, in and of themselves, worth the price of the book; you may well find yourself feasting only on these visual reminders your first time through the book. But you'll return to read the Sanders' informative and entertaining text. The history of the drive-in is, in many ways, the history of American popular culture in this century and it is well-represented by this book.

--Brett Leveridge