Driveway view (after demolition)
The popularity of the Drive-In theatre grew from its opening night and kept growing for many years afterwards. It became 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.
For the evening showings, most of the time the Drive-In 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.
When it first opened, the Walake Drive-In was pretty-much seasonal for it's patrons. This was because during the colder months it was just too-cold to enjoy the show without freezing or possibly running out of gas in your car just to keep the heat on. In-car heaters were installed later-on and allowed for the patrons to enjoy the drive-in year-round which definitely drew the crowds during the sometimes bitter cold Michigan winter nights.
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 many drive-ins across the country. Unfortunately, that draw would begin to fade with other sources of entertainment such as computers and home-video sales and rentals. In the mid-1980's, the decision was made by the owners to close the Walake and sell the land to repurpose the site for something else.
After the drive-in structures were removed and the debris cleared, the land remained vacant for several years until a residential developer acquired the property and began building homes here, with many of the folks that moved-in never knowing the history of the land that their homes now stand upon.
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.
1967 Aerial view of the Walake
The Walake was the subject of a newspaper article once,
aside from the movie-ads, but only after it was closed
(Detroit News article)
Death Of A Drive-In - Passion pit succumbs to time, cable TV The fires at the Walake passion pit have burned out. The drive-in has closed for good. Like hundreds of drive-in theaters, the Walake in Commerce Township has succumbed to rising land values, VCRs, cable television and mosquitoes. The Walake opened in the late 1950s, when there were more than 4,000 drive-ins around the country. When it closed, the number of outdoor screens had dropped to fewer than 3,000. The property was sold to developers who may build a shopping center, township officials said. The speakers and projector were removed. Last spring, the screen came down. Tom Price, who worked at the drive-in for almost 30 years, sat across the street that day and watched. "It gave you an eerie feeling." he said. "They just unbolted it, and down it went."
Now the Walake is little more than a vacant lot marked by dusty tracks from long-gone cars. For years, said Price, this was the "Walake passion pit," a dark, protected spot for teen-agers seeking experience and adults seeking seclusion. Price had one rule of business as manager: "I never asked anybody their name," he said. "That way we never got any problems." In the early days, the Walake was a family attraction, drawing long lines for Snow White and Seven Dwarfs, West Side Story and One Hundred and One Dalmations. Parents brought coolers of pop and beer, and children clambered over the carousel and the monkey bars. But alcohol eventually was banned, and the playground was dismantled because of lawsuits. "People would dump their kids up there, and if kids got hurt they'd sue us," Price said.
Price, who now works as a superintendent with the Oakland County Road Commision, saw humanity's darler side after sunset. Cheating the drive-in was, after all, a national pastime. Parents regularly lied about their children's ages to get them in free. One person ran a sound wire underground so he could sit outside the drive-in and hear while he watched. Price always looked for cars that rode low. "All kinds of people - it didn't make a difference what walk of life - they were all in the trunk." he said. Yet they were characters and Price said he will miss them. There was a guy who dressed up like a sea monster and rapped on people's windows during the horror movie. "Boy, that sucker scared some people," Price said. There was the young man who served as a volunteer in the Big Brother program. He'd bring a camper full of kids and set up a telescope in the back row.
And there was the man in his 60s who showed up every Saturday night no matter what movie was showing. "He was the nicest old guy," said Price's wife, Wanda, who often helped out at the drive-in. "I think he just wanted to be out with people." "Then," said Price, "there was the night that two people were in a car naked, and a cow stuck its head through the window. Whoosh! That car tore down the ramp with both of them still naked." In the darkness of the drive-in, people lost their inhibitions - and other things, too. After the show, the lot would be littered with plastic cups, wrist watches, wallets and underwear. In the '80s, Price started finding needles. By then, said Wanda Price, the customers had changed. "years ago, if you catch somebody making out in the car, the girl would get embarrassed and try to cover up," she said. "In the last few years, the girl would tell you, 'Get lost, buster. Come back when we're done'" Now, said her husband, people will have to find safe haven elsewhere. "I have no idea where they'll go," he said. (Detroit News 9/13/87)
Aerial after the Walake closed