Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre

Last updated
Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre
Shankweiler's Drive-In Movie Theater sign, Orefield, Pennsylvania.jpg
Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre
Location Orefield, Pennsylvania, United States
Coordinates 40°38′42.11″N75°35′40.32″W / 40.6450306°N 75.5945333°W / 40.6450306; -75.5945333
Capacity 300 cars
OpenedApril 15, 1934
Website
www.shankweilers.com

Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre is a single-screen drive-in movie theater located off of Route 309 in Orefield, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the oldest operational drive-in theater in the world [1] [2] The four acre theater generally operates during weekends in the colder months, while playing films seven days per week during the summer season. [3] [4] Admission gives patrons access to both nightly movie showings.

History

Shankweiler's was opened by Wilson Shankweiler on April 15, 1934, making it the first drive-in theater to open in the state of Pennsylvania and the second drive-in theater to open in the entire United States. [1] [5] While passing through Camden, New Jersey, Shankweiler had learned about the first-ever American drive-in theater, opened less than a year before by Richard Hollingshead. [6] He decided to bring the business to Pennsylvania with the goal or attracting visitors to his other businesses. [7] Originally located behind his restaurant and inn, the original drive-in was called Shankweiler's Auto Park and described as a "bedsheet hung between two poles." [8] [9] Audio was broadcast to the audience through two large speakers. [7] According to future owner Paul Geissinger, the lot had previously been a landing strip behind the hotel for pilots to fly in to visit. [10]

2017 Shankweiler's Drive-In Movie Theatre,Orefield, Pennsylvania.jpg
2017

In 1939, a new model RCA Victor projector was introduced. [11] In 1948, Shankweiler's installed speaker poles and car speakers. [1] Hurricane Diane in 1955 caused severe damage to the screen and projection booth at Shankweiler's, prompting the construction of a new snack bar/projection booth and installation of a new CinemaScope movie screen. [12]

The Shankeiler family continued to run the businesses, selling the restaurant in the mid-1950s. Shankweiler died in 1963 and the drive-in was sold in 1965 to Robert Malkames who had been leasing it for several years prior. [13] [14] [7] Under Malkames' ownership, the theater in 1982 adopted micro-vicinity AM radio broadcasting to deliver movie soundtracks to patrons, though the car speakers remained in place. [12] [1]

Malkames sold Shankweiler's to Paul and Susan Geissinger in 1984. [14] Paul Geissinger had worked at Shankweiler's since 1971. [10] In 1986, Shankweiler's was an early adopter of delivering movie sound via FM broadcast stereo; although their website describes them as "the 1st Drive-in to feature audio in FM broadcast Stereo," the Dromana 3 Drive-In in Melbourne, Australia had introduced FM stereo two years earlier in 1984. [12] [15] Later, Shankweiler's sound system was upgraded in 2002, and featured fully digital video projection and sound equipment in 2013. [12] [14] The 2013 conversion to digital cost $120,000 and was necessary to continue showing new releases, which would no longer be distributed in 35 mm. [16]

In 2005 and again in 2010, Shankweiler's was used as a filming location for the movies Rounding First and Bereavement. [17] [18] In 2015, the Geissingers listed Shankweiler's Drive-In for sale, and then re-listed it for sale in 2018, with an asking price of $1.2 million. [14]

In November 2022, the theater was sold to Matthew McClanahan and Lauren McChesney, of The Moving Picture Cinema, a mobile movie theater based out of Allentown, Pennsylvania. [19] [20] The theater resumed operations and is now open year-round. [21] In April, 2024 the drive-in celebrated its 90th anniversary. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Movie theater</span> Venue for viewing films

A movie theater or cinema, also known as a movie house, cinema hall, picture house, picture theater, the pictures, or simply theater, is a business that contains auditoriums for viewing films for public entertainment. Most are commercial operations catering to the general public, who attend by purchasing tickets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">THX</span> Theater standard and American audio company founded in 1983 by George Lucas

THX is an American audio company based in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is known for its suite of digital high fidelity audiovisual reproduction standards for movie theaters, screening rooms, home theaters, computer speakers, video game consoles, car audio systems, and video games. The THX trailer that precedes compliant films is based on the Deep Note, with a distinctive glissando up from a rumbling low pitch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Home cinema</span> Home entertainment system that aims to replicate the experience of a movie theater

A home cinema, also called a home theater or theater room, is a home entertainment audio-visual system that seeks to reproduce a movie theater experience and mood using consumer electronics-grade video and audio equipment and is set up in a room or backyard of a private home. Some studies show that films are rated better and generate more intense emotions when watched in a movie theater, but convenience is a major appeal for home cinemas. In the 1980s, home cinemas typically consisted of a movie pre-recorded on a LaserDisc or VHS tape; a LaserDisc Player or VCR; and a heavy, bulky large-screen cathode-ray tube TV set, although sometimes CRT projectors were used instead. In the 2000s, technological innovations in sound systems, video player equipment, TV screens and video projectors have changed the equipment used in home cinema set-ups and enabled home users to experience a higher-resolution screen image, improved sound quality and components that offer users more options. The development of Internet-based subscription services means that 2020s-era home theatre users do not have to commute to a video rental store as was common in the 1980s and 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drive-in theater</span> Cinema format

A drive-in theater/theatre or drive-in cinema is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, 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. Some drive-ins have small playgrounds for children and a few picnic tables or benches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WEGA</span> German audio and video manufacturer

WEGA was a German audio and video manufacturer, manufacturing some of Germany's earliest radio receivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DTS, Inc.</span> Series of multichannel audio technologies

DTS, Inc. is an American company. DTS company makes multichannel audio technologies for film and video. Based in Calabasas, California, the company introduced its DTS technology in 1993 as a competitor to Dolby Laboratories, incorporating DTS in the film Jurassic Park (1993). The DTS product is used in surround sound formats for both commercial/theatrical and consumer-grade applications. It was known as The Digital Experience until 1995. DTS licenses its technologies to consumer electronics manufacturers.

Sight & Sound Theatres is an entertainment company that produces Bible stories live on stage. Based in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Sight & Sound operates two theaters: one in Ronks, Pennsylvania and the second in Branson, Missouri. Each year, more than a million people from around the world attend performances at the theatres. It has been a major tourist attraction of Pennsylvania's Lancaster County, and is considered the largest faith-based theater company in the nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4D film</span> 3D film with in-theater physical effects

4D film is a presentation system combining motion pictures with synchronized physical effects that occur in the theater. Effects simulated in 4D films include motion, vibration, scent, rain, mist, bubbles, fog, smoke, wind, temperature changes, and strobe lights. Seats in 4D venues vibrate and move.

Pacific Theatres was an American chain of movie theaters in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of California. Pacific Theatres was owned by The Decurion Corporation which also owned and operated ArcLight Cinemas. In 2008, it sold its store locations in San Diego to Reading Cinemas. In April 2021, Pacific Theatres announced they would not be reopening any of their theater locations after being closed since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2021, the company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Following the closure, some former Pacific locations were acquired by AMC Theatres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civic Theatre of Allentown</span> Cinema in Allentown, Pennsylvania, US

The Civic Theatre of Allentown, also known as the Nineteenth Street Theatre, is the oldest cinema in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The theater opened on September 17, 1928. It hosts live theater, educational programs, and screens art house films. In July 1957, the property was purchased by Allentown's Civic Little Theatre. Since then, stage productions have been performed at the theater. In 1994 the company officially changed its name to the Civic Theatre of Allentown. Its building on 19th Street was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Mall</span> Shopping mall in Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.

The South Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located on Lehigh Street south of Interstate 78 exit 57 near Allentown's southern border with Salisbury Township and Emmaus in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania.

Emagine Entertainment Inc. is an American movie theater chain based in Troy, Michigan, operating 28 cinemas in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Emagine is ranked as the 9th largest theatre chain in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boulevard Drive-In Theater</span>

The Boulevard Drive-In Theater is a closed drive-in theater, located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It was one of two drive-in theaters in Allentown; the second one was Cinema Treasures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumberland Drive-In</span> Movie theater in Newville, Pennsylvania, US

Cumberland Drive-In Theatre is an outdoors movie theater located in Newville, Pennsylvania. It is capable of hosting 400 vehicles and has a 45 by 96 foot movie screen. As of August 2013, it has been operated by the same family for over 60 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema Village</span> Movie theater in Greenwich Village, New York, US

Cinema Village is a three-screen movie theater in Greenwich Village, New York. It is the oldest continuously operated cinema in Greenwich Village.

The Mahoning Drive-In Theater is a drive-in theater located in Lehighton, Pennsylvania, along Route 443. Opened in 1949, the Mahoning was one of many drive-in theaters that became popular in the United States following World War II. Attendance at the Mahoning waned by 2014, but the theater has since gained a resurgence in popularity due to the management's decision to screen primarily older cult films and B movies rather than newer releases. It is the last remaining drive-in theater in the US to screen films in 35 mm every weekend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt's BBQ</span> Barbecue restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Matt's BBQ is a barbecue restaurant in Portland, Oregon's Boise neighborhood, in the United States. The business has also operated in Beaverton. It has been featured on the Food Network series Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Sibling restaurant Matt's BBQ Tacos, also located in Portland, opened in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yia Vang</span> Hmong-American chef

Yia Vang is a Hmong-American chef in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Potter, Christy (2015-06-06). "Lehigh Valley's historic drive-ins and movie theaters". The Morning Call. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
  2. ↑ "Oldest drive-in cinema". Guinness World Records. 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  3. ↑ "Moviegoers Finding Nostalgia at Drive-ins". The Morning Call. 1992-08-23. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  4. ↑ "Events". Shankweiler's Drive-In. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  5. ↑ Segrave, Kerry (2006-04-21). Drive-in Theaters: A History from Their Inception in 1933. McFarland. p. 222. ISBN   978-0-7864-2630-0.
  6. ↑ "The History of Drive-In Movie Theaters (and Where They Are Now)". New York Film Academy. 2017-06-07. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
  7. 1 2 3 Cathers, John T. (1962-07-03). "Shankweiler's Drivein Theater is Marking 30th Anniversary". The Morning Call. p. 58. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  8. ↑ "Social Events". The Morning Call. 1936-08-09. p. 16. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  9. 1 2 Althouse, Michaela (2024-04-02). "America's oldest drive-in movie theater to celebrate its 90th anniversary". PhillyVoice. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  10. 1 2 Varghese, Romy (2007-03-04). "A true Hollywood story". The Morning Call. p. 102. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  11. ↑ "Auto Park Theatre at Shankweiler Hotel to Open Tonight". The Morning Call. 1939-04-02. p. 15. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre > History". www.shankweilers.com. Archived from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
  13. ↑ "Shankweiler's the Memories Live On". The Morning Call. 1994-03-10. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Wagaman, Andrew (2018-01-18). "Shankweiler's Drive-in, oldest drive-in theater in the country, is for sale". The Morning Call. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
  15. ↑ Cardilini, Les (1984-01-05). "Enjoy the drive-in with true stereo". The Age. p. 30. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  16. ↑ Kneller, Ryan (2013-04-28). "Drive-ins get digital makeover". The Morning Call. pp. A33. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  17. ↑ Longsdorf, Amy (2006-09-28). "Valley scenes are stars of coming-of-age drama "Rounding First'". The Morning Call. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  18. ↑ Longsdorf, Amy (2011-02-26). "Lehigh Valley gives the creeps to horror film". The Morning Call. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  19. ↑ WFMZ-TV (2022-11-05). "Shankweiler's Drive-In sold to new owners". WFMZ.com. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  20. ↑ "The Moving Picture Cinema". The Moving Picture Cinema. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  21. ↑ Itzcovitz, Rose (2022-11-11). "Opening night at Shankweiler's Drive-in makes a splash as folks watch movies under the stars, raindrops". WFMZ.com. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.