Help Save An American Institution With Project Drive-In

In 1933, a man named Richard Hollingshead opened the first "Automobile Movie Theater" in Camden, New Jersey, and the American Drive-In was born.  The rest, as they say, is history.  Unfortunately, history may be all that remains without your help.  As the Hemmings blog recently posted, by the 1950's, over 4,000 drive-in screens existed.  Now, there are only 368.  Those that survived have fought off television, multiplexes and the internet, but now face their most serious and imminent challenge:  digital projection.  In less than three months, a majority of American drive-in theaters will face closure because the motion picture industry will stop distributing movies on film, and distribute only digital copies. 

A digital projector costs about $85,000 per screen, and is beyond the means of many drive-in theater operators, some of whom are small, family operations.  Without digital projectors, however, those screens will go forever dark.  Project Drive-In is attempting to save this classic piece of American culture.  Honda will donate five digital projectors to the drive-ins that get the most votes at the Project Drive-In website.  So go to  Project Drive-In and cast your vote for your favorite drive-in.  There is also more information on how you can help, even if it is just going to a drive-in this summer.

For those of you in the Memphis area, you will be relieved to know that the venerable Malco Summer Drive-In has already converted to digital projection.  As a result, you are free to vote for another worthy drive-in that needs your help.