(MCH) The Marysville Drive-In Theatre Traditional Cache
Hidden : 10/22/2013
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: micro (micro)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works
Looking for a different adventure?

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:




The Michigan Cinema History (MCH)
caches are dedicated to the local creation, viewing, or enjoyment
of movie and cinema-related items in the local area.

This can include, and is not limited to people,
places, and things of Cinema or both past-and-present.

This series is a companion to the
Detroit Cinema History (DCH)
and
 Ontario Cinema History (OCH) series.

 Most Drive-In Movie Theaters consist of a large outdoor screen (either a wall painted-white, or a complex steel-truss structure with a complex finish), a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars.

The original Patent Drawings.

The idea originated in the early 1930's in Camden, NJ. and was Patented by Richard M. Hollingshead. His idea began as an experiment in his driveway with a Kodak Projector, mounted on the hood of his car, aimed at a screen that was attached to some trees. He tried different techniques and finally worked-out the parking-arrangement and spacing to allow everyone that attended, an unobstructed view of the screen. Once he had this idea in- place, he was granted a Patent in 1933 and He opened his first Drive-In Theater soon thereafter. This facility only lasted a few years before closing, but the idea caught-on elsewhere to become part of the American Pop-Culture and Landscape to-this-day.

Typical-style of Drive-In Theater Speakers with the Volume Knob.

Sound was originally produced from Speakers in the main screen tower, but the quality wasn't that good and many attempts were made to improve it. In 1941, the RCA corporation found a solution and along-came the in-car speakers with built-in volume controls that most drive-in patrons would come to know. These were better than the original Sound, but still had a very "tinny" sound to them. Later-on, as the technology improved, this system was replaced with Radio Broadcast equipment to allow the sound to be transmitted directly to the vehicles. This was an improved process for sound and also kept damage to the wired Speakers and/or patrons cars that would happen when folks would leave, after a good show of their favorite film, and some people would "forget to remove the speaker" and damage both the speaker and/or their cars in the process (i.e. Windows, or scratches/dents, etc.).

The popularity of the Drive-In's soared after World War II and peaked in the 1950's and 1960's. The theaters would provide cheap, family entertainment including many having a Playground (or other things) for their youngest patrons. For colder-weather, in-car heaters were also offered at many Theaters, much like the Speakers had been.



This type of heater plugged in to 120vAC (not 12V car power)
 to warm your car during cold nights at the drive in movie.

The Concession Stand (or Snack Bar) would have food that could be served very quickly. Hot Dogs, Pizza, Cheeseburgers, Popcorn, Soft Drinks, and a host of other "food" could be found there to enjoy along with the show. This is usually where the Theater makes most of it's profits and much of the promotions are geared towards that area.

An "intermission cartoon" to entice patrons to the Concession Stand.

This was vital to the success of drive-ins, as food revenue increased steadily during the late 1940s and 50s. While some operators experimented with talk-back speakers to take orders and deliver food to the car, others had mobile carts patrolling the lots selling snacks. Over time, owners discovered that concessions could be sold at a high mark-up and that revenues did not have to be shared with film distributors.

Another Intermission Ad

To this day, food revenue remains extremely important to exhibitors, especially with film rental rates going as high as 80% on opening weekends for some features. In order to promote the concessions, most locations used the now-famous drive-in intermission films, popularized by the Filmack Company, featuring dancing hot dogs and countdown clocks that were supposed to mesmerize the audience members, wet their pallets and open their wallets.

Many Theaters even had "car-hops" like their Drive-In Restaurant counterparts to make the experience even more appealing for their patrons.

A car-hop, taking an order (California)

The Drive-In owners would later allow other-uses for their large amounts of space which could only be used for the Theater after-sunset. This would usually generate more income for the theaters and some of these uses included Flea Markets, Swap Meets, and even Outdoor Church Services.

A typical Flea Market at the Mission Drive-In, San Antonio, Texas, 1984

Over time, with the advent of other sources of entertainment, as well as the rising cost of Real Estate and other economic factors, Cinematic Landmarks such as these have been slowly disappearing over the years, leaving less than 500 across the United States currently. Many of those which were closed were later demolished and the real-estate used for other things such as Office or Retail Space, with some being replaced on the exact same land with Mutli-Plex indoor Movie Theaters. Some properties have just been left vacant with nothing remaining there but an empty field. However, a very-select few that were closed have even re- opened to be given a new-life with new patrons looking for a very unique movie-going experience.

Many folks feel that these Gems of Americana are very much an endangered part of the landscape. Most, if not all of them, have very fond memories of their time spent there and would love to be able to revisit their favorite Drive-In Theater once again.
Michigan Cinema History:
The Marysville Drive-In Theatre
1120 Gratiot Ave. - Marysville, Michigan
OPEN: 1950 | CLOSED: 1986 | Capacity: 900


The Day the Screen Fell: 1988 Demolition of the Marysville Drive-In
The Marysvile Drive-In was originally owned by Alex Slendak and later operated by Wisper & Wetsman, a group that managed and owned many theatres across the State of Michigan.  The theatre was listed as opening in the either 1950 or 51 and had almost instant-popularity with the general public.

When it opened, it was a single-screen facility, and remained as-such throughout its entire existance here, even though many other Drive-Ins would eventually split into 2, 3, 4, and even as many as 10 separate screens for the entertained public.

Vehicle capacity was listed at 900 for this "ozoner" (as many Drive-In Theatres were nicknamed) and for the Blue Water area, this was plenty of space to keep the theatre filled-up most of the time.

The popularity of the Marysville Drive-In theatre grew from its opening night and kept growing, becoming a popular place to be and just "hang out" by folks of all ages.  Most of the weekend nights, during good weather, the theatre was filled to capacity.

Because it was out "in the country", folks would be able to even hunt pheasant or other wild game during daylight hours and in-season, of course.

For the evening showings, most of the time the Marysville would have double-features, with the first film re-showing after the second one had completed.  Most of the time, the drive-in was a good value for the money as it would be a good evening's entertainment for folks of all ages including children being admitted for free many times.

1973 Aerial of the Drive-In


For the first decade or so, the Marysville was a seasonal Drive-In, as during the colder months it was just too-extremely cold for patrons to sit idling their engines to keep warm in the cold, Michigan winter nights.  In-car heaters were installed in the mid-1960's and allowed for the Marysville to be open year-round for it's patrons and families to enjoy the show.

During the warmer months in order to help control insects, the management would "smoke" the whole drive-in complex. The foggers were known to have some issues where they'd catch-fire in some Drive-In locations. This technology did improve over time however and had fewer-issues as time went on.

In the early-1980's the draw to the drive-in still brought folks in from many miles away....and business was good for the Marysville....but that wouldn't last for too-much longer.  It would only be a few short years later and business had rapidly declined enough due to home-video and other sources of entertainment that the decision was made by the owners to repurpose the 13+ acre site for something else. 

In mid-1986, the Marysville Drive-In would close for it's final time.  The Sign on the Marquee read: "Closed for the Season"...but the "new season" never would come.  In April 1988, demolition began and plans for a shopping-strip-mall that was thought to be more profitable than the Drive-IN Theatre had been.

It didn't take long for demolition of the Marysville.  Less than 30 minutes after demolition began, the big screen of the Marysville Drive-In Theatre fell and crashed to the ground. 

After the structures were removed and the debris cleared, a 10-unit shopping center was constructed on the site and tenants began to move in.  It's not known how well this did, considering the economy had not done so well after the center opened and many of those tenants would later close-up and move-away.



2004 Aerial View

The Drive-in was an experience that many people cannot get out and enjoy much anymore.  The viewing and experience of watching a movie from the comfort of your own automobile, truck, or van.

Economics changed as time went on, and many drive-ins closed in the mid-to-late-1980s and early 1990's. The introduction of VCRs and other at-home entertainment meant more people were either staying home to watch movies or going to indoor movie theatres which were getting bigger screens and Dolby sound. This evolution would lead to the decline of "going to the movies" and folks staying-home.

Land values and prices began to go up and the suburbs gradually expanded around it. As the area built up, property taxes also increased until the cost of the taxes on the 20+ acres that most drive-in's occupied were more than the net income the theatre generated.

After little more than half a century, the era of the Drive-In Theatre ended. Most people that visited Drive In's consider themselves lucky. Most don’t remember what movies they saw but many of them do remember how exciting it was to be outside late at night, loading up at the snack bar and then then trying not to fall asleep while watching the flickering movie screen from the comfy backseat of the car.

One theater goer summed up her feelings. "You just worry sometimes that it will be all gone. We felt so sorry to see those others all go. We really enjoyed this place."

Many folks feel that the Drive-in Theater is a part of an Endangered Americana that is missed by all who treasured the times that they had there.

IF you have more information, pictures, or memories of the Marysville Drive-In,
 please feel free to share in your logs and I will try to add it to the Cache page.
Thank You.

Please BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS and as always, Enjoy the Hunt!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Rayvtugrarq YCF

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


Attributes

No attributes available

Advertising with Us

Inventory

There are no Trackables in this cache.

View past Trackables

What are Trackable Items?