SATURDAY MORNING CONFUSION

I was looking through Facebook the other day and saw someone had posted something that brought back fond memories for me. The FB page posts pictures and videos from pop culture in the 60s, 70s and 80s. The one that got me thinking was of an ad for the Saturday morning cartoon line up on CBS. It made me sad because today’s kids don’t have that any longer on Saturday mornings.

What we now have on Saturday mornings are more news programs, as if we needed yet another Today show as well as the weekday show, the after show and the after after show. Come on, with 24 hour news channels do we really need this? It’s no wonder we know every detail of Kim Kardashian’s life since there isn’t enough stuff to fill all of these shows.

I just pulled up the listings for this coming Saturday from 8-9:30. ABC has local programming, Jack Hanna’s Wild Country and Ocean Mysteries. CBS has a show about Henry Ford, Recipe Rehab and CBS This Morning (their version of the Today Show). NBC has of course the Today Show and local programming. You have to go to Disney or the Cartoon Network to find cartoons and most of those are either concerned with social issues or live action programs with the latest tween star rather than cartoons.

How many of you remember all of the lyrics to this opening? The video also includes some of the intros and endings as well.

I’m guessing almost all of you were singing along with Bugs and Daffy. And if you were to sit down and watch one of those classic cartoons you’d be happy to see that they’ve held up quite well after all these years. So much so that collections of these Warner Brothers cartoons still garner top dollar. Many of us know exactly what comes next when someone says “No, it’s duck season”. How many of you don’t automatically have a rabbit come to mind when you hear the words “What’s up, doc?”

Saturday mornings as a kid were all about freedom. You didn’t have to go to school that day and mom & dad more often than not tired from work, stayed in bed late. If not they had things to do that didn’t involve you so you had control of the TV set. Bowls of cereal filled with sugar were covered with milk and eaten in front of the set so you could watch your favorite weekly show. If you weren’t allowed to eat in front of the TV it became the fastest meal ever devoured so you could get there.

Think back to all of those shows we watched and all of the things we learned. We learned about team work from the Justice League and the Super Friends. We learned about rock music from cartoons featuring The Beatles, The Jackson Five, The Osmonds, The Monkees and of course that classic rock group The Archies.

 

You're singing again, aren't you?

We had adventure and time travel, science fiction and ghost chasing. Even though we asked where are you we knew where Scooby Doo was. He was in our living rooms on TV in front of us. Kids has crushes on Penelope Pitstop and you didn’t have to dig deep to realize that Dick Dastardly was a bad guy. It was tough to tell which hero was dumber, Dudley Doright or George of the Jungle. Popeye always won against Bluto and the Coyote never seemed able to catch the Road Runner. Mighty Mouse was there to save the day and Jerry always got the better of Tom. We were even exposed to culture when the CBS Saturday Film Festival presented films from around the world that involved kids. And if you heard the phrase “Hey hey hey…” you knew that Fat Albert was around.

The fact is that most of us watched these programs and grew up quite normal. But people with good intentions came along. I can’t stand people with good intentions sometimes. They thought that cartoons were doing more harm than good. These were the same people that thought every kid in America was poking out their playmates eyes after watching the Three Stooges (we weren’t). They wanted to put an end to cartoons. They wanted kids to stop eating sugary cereals. They wanted kids to get out and play soccer and baseball and football even though at the time we were doing all of those things every night after we got done with homework and then on weekend afternoons. For some reason they found those 3 hours we spent in front of the TV on Saturday morning something they needed to save us from. Now it’s gone.

Like I said, I miss those days. Every now and then I pull out a collection of Bugs Bunny cartoons and watch them. If I can do it on a Saturday morning over a bowl of cereal it just makes it that much better. So I encourage you to let your kids and grandkids see what they missed out on. Some Saturday pop in a DVD of your old favorite cartoon programs from Saturday mornings. They’re available. Load up a bowl of cereal for your kids/grandkids with Cap’n Crunch. Sit back with them in the living room in front of the TV and soak up that joy of being a kid again.

And if you miss what it was like then here’s a treat. Some ads for Saturday morning programs from the past I found online. I think I need a bowl of cereal right now.

MUSIC DESERVES A PLACE...

I just finished watching a rerun of the show BEHIND THE MUSIC, this time about Hall & Oates and it got me thinking. Hall & Oates have been a big part of the lives in this household. I was a fan of their music and my wife was one of those giggly type fans of Daryl Hall for a while at one time. I enjoyed their hits, their videos and probably everything they ever wrote. But I never truly appreciated them until time had passed and I was able to sit back and listen to them all over again after some time apart. And that's something that all music has to offer.

Let me side step a bit and just talk music for a moment. We have a problem in this country where equal time and money is being offered to continue music programs in school but sports gets complete attention. I have nothing against sports getting support and money. It needs to happen. But music does as well. Using myself as an example I can tell you why. For sports, especially in high school, it was something I watched and enjoyed, rooting for the home team. But it wasn't me; it wasn't something I was involved in with the exception of cheering the team and playing in the band at each game. It wasn't something that I took forward with me and could involve me down the road. The same can't be said of music.

When you learn about music you take it forward with you. Twenty years after a music class you could take out an album/CD/mp3 of Bach, listen and then realize that amazing thing that was his music. The man has been dead well over 250 years and yet we still listen to his music. The same holds true with pop music. Songs that I listened to in high school are still around for me to enjoy. The same isn't true of those football or basketball games I went to. So why is it that they get more funding than music programs? I'm not saying cut them; I'm saying they both deserve attention and support.

So where do Hall & Oates come into this? A love of music is where. As I watched the program each note that played had memories attached to it. Not just memories but emotions as well. I know there were a number of people who made fun of the duo for various reasons. In high school the fear of being gay (keep in mind this was the 70s) had guys making fun of their album cover for DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES, referred to as the silver album. No truth behind rumors but teens can be stupid. Their fun loving videos had critics ridicule them during the 80s. And their never ending stream of hits made jealous people give them hell later on. Again the critics turned on them because they weren't edgy. No they weren't. Instead they were giving people something they enjoyed that they loved doing and that has held up much longer than the edgy people critics adored.

If you don't believe me pull out any issue of ROLLING STONE magazine from the earliest to most current editions. Look at the albums and artists that they hold in high esteem and praise unendingly. Then (if you chose something older than 5-10 years) notice how many of those highly praised critic darlings are still around or even listened to. I've often felt that by intended to present themselves as arbiters of tastes, critics often raise a snobbish nose in the air when something good is present to prove they are above the fray. All it ever did for me was show me what to avoid and what to enjoy.

Okay I got distracted again. Back to Hall & Oates. As I watched the show I kept marveling at the amount of music they had written and performed and how important it was to me. The memories and emotions came flooding back to me. Some were personal and others were nothing more than emotions that the music and lyrics elicited in me then and now. For someone to be able to do something like that is amazing. These two gentlemen, along with several other co-writers, had that ability then and now.

Music back then also did something that kids today may never get the chance to experience. Several things actually. First off they may never get the chance to hear actual music being played either on CD or live. Bands too often want canned music, in particular pop icons. Computerized and autoloaded vocals are abundant. That's sad. Secondly while music has always been a business there were tons of artists in the past who poured their hearts and soul into their music. Again, the creation of music as a product has led us to pop charts filled with performers who do little in the way of being honest and putting themselves into their music. That too is sad.

So what is someone to do? I would say to start with go back the basics. Go back and discover that great music of the past that is there for all to enjoy in so many ways. Youtube offers tons of those old classics. Mp3s aren't that expensive and can be downloaded. CDs have reduced in price and can be had for less than when they were initially released. When you find that music rejoice in it. Let it pour over you once again like it did the first time.

Looking back I've been thinking about Hall & Oates after that show. I thought back to each album they made. I've got all of them in one form or another, at least by the duo. I still have a few solo CDs to pick up. As I thought about those albums and looked through them I found another item that kids today will never experience. That's the joy of finding a great song located in the middle of the hits, songs that never played on the radio but were on the album and were sometimes better than the hits themselves. Almost every band had that but today? It's all about the hits, downloading single songs and missing out on the rest.

Using Hall & Oates think about it. You may remember ABANDONED LUNCHEONETTE and the hit single "She's Gone". But "When The Morning Comes" and "Las Vegas Turnaround" are great too. BIGGER THAN BOTH OF US had "Rich Girl" but it also had "Back Together Again" and "Do What You Want To Do...". VOICES had "Kiss On My List" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin" but it also had "How Does It Feel To Be Back" and "Everytime You Go Away". Then there were the albums that didn't generate the number one hits but had great music as well. ALONG THE RED LEDGE featured "It's A Laugh", "Melody For A Memory" and "I Don't Wanna Lose You". X-STATIC had "Wait For Me" and "All You Want Is Heaven".

As for Hall & Oates they carry on, still touring. Daryll Hall has found a home with the internet crowd first with his show LIVE FROM DARYL'S HOUSE where he brings in current pop artists to his home to have fun playing his songs and theirs. He just had another show on the air called DARYL'S RESTORATION OVERHAUL which is about him restoring his new house from colonial times. John Oates records solo as well as touring with Hall. And all the albums that happened after their run at making history as the best selling duo of all time have been just as good as the early ones. 

Here's a suggestion. Go to your closet and find those old albums or CDs. Put them on and give them a listen, from start to finish not just searching for the hits. Choose someone not on the charts now. Some ideas? Alice Cooper "Under My Wheels". The Allman Brothers "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed". America "Riverside". Art Garfunkel "Traveling Boy". Atlanta Rhythm Section "Champagne Jam". Bachman Turner Overdrive "Gimmee Your Money Please". The Band "The Weight". Billy Joel "Summer Highland Falls" or "Miami 2017". Black Oak Arkansas "Lord Have Mercy On My Soul". Blood Sweat and Tears "Lucretia Mac Evil". Bloodrock "DOA". Blue Oyster Cult "Career Of Evil". Bob Seger "Nutbush City Limits". Boz Scaggs "What Can I Say". Buddy Miles "Them Changes". Burton Cummings "My Own Way To Rock". Carole King "So Far Away". The Cars "Moving In Stereo". Cat Stevens "Wild World". Chase "Handbags And Gladrags". Cheap Trick "Hello There". Chicago "Introduction", "South California Purples", "Loneliness Is Just A Word" and "Happy Cause I'm Going Home" (sorry I'm a huge Chicago fan). Cinderella "Shake Me". The Clash "Train In Vain". Climax Blues Band "Couldn't Get It Right". The Commodores "Machine Gun". Concrete Blonde "Bloodletting". Cream "I Feel Free" and "Strange Brew". CSNY "Carry On" and "4 + 20". Culture Club "I'll Tumble 4 Ya". Curtis Mayfield "Move On Up". That's just a partial list from my collection from A through C. Maybe I'll post more another time. Sure there are hits in the mix I shared but I bet it made you remember those songs and say to yourself "Oh yeah, that one. I haven't heard that in ages!"

There was a time when my stereo system meant the world to me. My record collection was huge. I still have a huge music collection but the stereo disappeared. I now listen from my computer. As I think about the music I spent time listening to in the past it makes me think that maybe I need to revamp my audible accessories once more and buy a nice stereo system that can tie into the whole entertainment realm here at home. Maybe it's time.

IS ROCK AND ROLL REALLY DEAD?

Recently Gene Simmons of KISS made the comment that rock n roll is dead and that is was murdered by digital downloading. I think he's half right but not correct in how it came to be. He blames downloaders for wanting something for nothing. The fact is before downloading became the norm those of us who grew up in the 60s and 70s were making copies of our favorite music using cassette decks. That's how the whole mix tape concept got started. The artists at the time were ticked at anyone doing so and came out against it but it kept going.

The reason for recording wasn't really about wanting something for nothing, it had to do with the high costs of buying an album at that time. Most people who buy music are young people and always have been. That same demographic worked part time jobs and had no disposable income to spend on non-essential items like records. So what many did was buy an album, share it with a friend and record it. If a group of 5 friends bought 5 different albums and shared them they saved part of the money it would have cost to buy those other 4 albums (less the costs of a blank cassette). Had they not done so, they would not have bought the other 4 albums. By listening to that music, by becoming aware of it, they in turn bought tickets to see those acts live or to buy merchandise they otherwise might not have. Most always thought of recording music as expanding the music they listened to rather than killing it. If you found another group you liked then you might buy that next album the group/artist did. If the artwork was great then nearly everyone bought it.

So going back into that last paragraph what was it that killed rock n roll? It was the money record companies charged for the records they were selling. The same thing happened with CDs. Laws were enacted to try and insure that record companies weren't gouging customers. The idea was that when CD technology became universal that the costs for producing a CD would drop and so should the price of those CDs. The record companies never did what they were supposed to and left the prices at the expensive level making more profits as the costs to make a CD decreased. Eventually they were finally pressed on the issue. I remember clearly what happened. The CDs released by established bands remained at the high prices while up and coming or new bands had the prices for their CDs chopped dramatically. I remember when a hot band had a CD for $15 the day of release and on the same shelf was a CD by a new band for $7. Using this formula the record companies could show the average costs of a CD had dropped when in reality the hot band CDs were still the same price.

Now go and see what the artists were making off of those CDs at the time. Most made pennies on the dollar from each one sold. They made more from merchandise and touring (KISS is well known for merch). So if a band made say even $1 from the sale of a $15 CD where did the money go? The record company of course. They used it to promote other bands at times, used it to pay for fancy office space, used it for payola to get radio stations to play their music (note that radio has died somewhat like CDs with the internet; my take on that is the problem with stations playing only one style of music per station. So much for diversity.), they made sure they had plenty of drugs for their acts (a huge expense) and spent exorbitant amounts on promotion that wasn't really needed...then again many of them owned the promotional companies so they were basically shifting money from column A to column B.

What downloading did was make the record company nearly unnecessary. Today groups find their market via the internet. Word of mouth spreads about a group and everyone goes to their web site if they're good. They don't bother downloading an entire album because a number of times the entire album sucks with 1 or 2 good songs. I can name on my fingers the number of albums I bought years ago where the entire album was excellent. Most had half good, half bad songs. The thing is a new artists can reach his market without the record company. They can sell their CD online as downloads for about half of what the record company was charging and the majority of that money will actually go to the artist rather than the record company.

I really don't think rock n roll has died at all. Record companies have and will continue to do so until they realize the digital age is here. Make downloads affordable and people will flock to them. At 99 cents (even though that seems cheap) if someone bought an entire 15 song album we're still at $15. Did the cost of production reach that figure? I honestly don't know but doubt it. Again, the digital age has made it possible for people to build a recording studio in minutes using a computer and the right program and equipment. The old studios are closing up shop left and right (watch the movie SOUND CITY). How successful would an album be if the cost per song were 50 or 25 cents? We may never know.

So is rock n roll dead? No way. Look at any local club and you'll find all sorts of music being played, much of it rock n roll. You'll find metal, punk, pop and more every week locally. By checking out the clubs and buying the home made CDs of those bands you continue to support rock n roll. Maybe not to the tune of millions of dollars that many of those bands from Simmons time earned, but enough for them to do well.

In reading 3 autobiographies from the members of KISS (Simmon's was the only one I haven't read) I can tell you that the amount of money they were making was astronomical. In the end they lost an astronomical amount of money as well due to bad business decisions, poor management of their money and spending it on luxurious hotels, cars, women, drugs and more. While they basked in glory (that they did indeed earn) and become caught up in the excess that the music business was prone to, kids across the world were flipping burgers for several hours just to be able to buy that latest album.

So who is more responsible for the so called death of rock n roll? The kids who downloaded music? The record companies that wanted to charge more than was needed? The bands/performers who felt they deserved to be able to indulge in any and every thing available to them no matter what the costs? I tend to think it was the last two. The fact that a kid can still pick up a guitar, learn a few chords, get a few other friends together with him/her and play at a local night spot tells me that the music isn't dead but the business end of it that preached excess is.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING...

One of the great things you get to witness as you grow older is the changes that happen all around you. Some of them are fantastic. Others are terrible. One that I've watched happen is a change in culture from one that preached tolerance. It morphed into actual tolerance. But the sad truth is that the tolerance that it became is slowly become intolerance of a different sort.

Along with the intolerance is a disappearance of civility among people. It seems people just don't have any stop mechanisms left that tell you not to do something stupid, say something stupid or just be plain inconsiderate. On the other side of the coin people tend to take the smallest of words and actions and twist them into mountainous offenses that they feel deserve far too much attention. The worst culprit of them all that I see these days is the term cultural appropriation.

The basic definition of cultural appropriation is "...the adoption of some specific elements of one culture by a different cultural group." Thank you wikipedia. There was a time when this would have been hailed as something fantastic. I mean to think someone would be so into a different culture as to adopt a portion of that, that they would recognize it and try to incorporate it, assimilate it into the mainstream, well that was a good thing. Gone are those days, replaced with a need to find something wrong in almost everything in the world. Instead of hailing it as this assimilation it's now viewed as trying to do harm to the very people you're trying include. As I said for some reason everyone wants to view everything as an attack as opposed to a celebration.

Recently I've read or heard about some things I thought were absolutely astounding that were found offensive by the politically correct crowd. More amazing was that a number of them happened at college campuses, supposedly the home of free speech and thought! At Dartmouth "...The Phi Delta Alpha fraternity and Alpha Phi sorority had planned a “Phiesta” event on Saturday, a week before Cinco de Mayo, inviting paying guests to hear music, sip “virgin pina coladas and strawberry daiquiris” and enjoy Mexican-themed snacks like chips and salsa, guacamole and burritos, The Dartmouth reported. The event was to raise money for “cardiac care,” according to the newspaper". It was canceled. Why? Because one student of Mexican descent was offended by it. He claimed they were culturally appropriating the Mexican heritage but weren't Mexican. In fairness the picture they posted on a cultural media site was a bit over the top (it showed 2 students in sombreros climbing over a chain link fence) but the intent was nothing more than a party. Where as in the past that would have made for a humorous article in NATIONAL LAMPOON, it is now viewed as something evil.

At another college a fundraiser was planned with students wearing coconut bras, grass skirts and drinking pineapple flavored alcoholic drinks planned by the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, called FIJI for short since 1894, at the University of California, Irvine. A single student of Fijian descent complained and was then joined by the school's Asian Pacific Student Association claiming that the fraternity was “tacitly committing an act of cultural appropriation and publicly projecting their ethnographic ignorance.” They demanded that the fraternity “Tell members of your organization to stop wearing our traditional/cultural attires, they don’t know jack shit about its cultural significance” and that the FIJI frat must stop using the word FIJI because using the word Fiji is racist. Really? Racist? Not to mention the fact that with the exception of tourism groups in the south pacific I don't know of any culture there that wears grass skirts and coconut bras. As yet these same people haven't protested the tons of stores across the country that sells both of these items for theme parties each and every summer. I'm guessing that's not for off though.

At the AMA awards Katy Perry decided to wear a geisha outfit, had cherry blossoms falling around her and had several dancers in kimonos. Oriental groups complained saying she wasn't Asian and was trying to culturally appropriate their identity. Some considered it racist. A video Perry did had her as an Egyptian queen and a group complained about a necklace one of her servants was wearing which forced the company behind her to digitally edit the necklace out. No Doubt once had a video with cowboys and Indians and they were lambasted and took the video out of airplay. Selena Gomez at a Billboard awards performance appears in Hindi dress including a bindi on her forehead; groups complained, it disappeared. Khloe Kardashian wore an Indian head dress to her nephew's birthday party and the Indian community called her insensitive for wearing it.

The thing that gets me about all of these items is that people find everything about them so offensive. With all of the truly abhorrent behavior in the world, with the truly tragic things that happen the world over, is this the best that people can come up with to be offended by? In almost all of these offenses people weren't setting out to make fun of a group of people or to cause them harm and yet in the hyper sensitive world today there is almost someone somewhere who will be offended by almost everything. There will always be someone who takes offense to every possible item out there. Those that are the most ridiculous to me are people who have no connection to the supposedly offended group but feel the need to show how offensive an item is.

The one group that seems to be the most "guilty" of cultural appropriation is the one group that seems to have nothing that can be appropriated: white people. I imagine there could be something out there that could be taken as offensive but I can't think of any large number of items there could be. Perhaps white Polish people could be offended by Pollack jokes or Irish people offended by drinking jokes. There are jokes about English people with bad teeth (thank you Austin Powers). For the most part these are all tied into jokes that people get are jokes. Those offended by them usually don't get up in arms. But there's something about white people in general that I don't think the easily offended seem to get.

Take a look at this picture.

 

What do you see? For me, I see a blank canvas. It is a square devoid of color that's waiting for a drop of color to be added. A wide combination of colors will turn that blank canvas into a beautiful picture. Back in the sixties this was something that people strived for when it came to civil rights for example. A world where people weren't separated by the color of their skin, their ethnicity or their point of origin. Instead a place was being formed where none of these things would matter and instead of a pure white country we would live in a world filled with color and true diversity, a term hijacked in recent years. That canvas would be the melting pot that this country has claimed since its inception.

But that's changed now. Rather than be a place where we can accept people from all walks of life people find offense in every small detail that might, MIGHT, take from a culture they belong to simply by the place of birth of their ancestors. They take offense to someone using a symbol of their religion with no intent of malice or understanding of what the offense even is. They take offense to those who aren't their color or from their point of origin using things from their heritage with no intent of malice at all. Everyone seems to want to find offense in everything going on today rather. Had nothing been said in most of these cases then no one would have known, no one would have jumped on a pedestal to claim offense and perhaps, in some cases, some good would have been done.

Can you imagine a world where the politically correct ruled? There would be no Mexican themed restaurants because that would be offensive. Toss out the guacamole and chips. And isn't there more things than tacos in Mexican cuisine and how does a bell come into play there? There would be no pizza places or Italian restaurants. Forget Chinese restaurants with their Chinese symbols and cherry blossom decor. McDonald's would have to change for fear of offending the Scottish. Auntie Anne's would have to go because uncles aren't included. Why Five Guys Burgers and Fries but no Five Gals, no Jill in the Box to offset Jack? Is Moe's culturally appropriating Mexican food by offering burritos? Since Roy Rogers was a cowboy should Indians be offended that there is a restaurant chain named after him? Is the Tilted Kilt offensive to Scottish people? Maybe it's racist to call a place "WHITE" Castle. Fat people would be offended by the name Big Boy. Could Texans be offended by Lone Star Steak House? The only reason Burger King gets a pass is because Dairy Queen offsets it by making a royal pair.

With the whole rigmarole about the Washington Redskins what about team names? Maybe the people who moved here from Norway would be offended by Minnesota laying claim to the Vikings. Atheists could be offended by names like the Angels or the Saints. Tuna lovers would be upset by a name like the Dolphins. Short people might be hurt by the name the Giants. Since Redskins is bad why isn't the Chiefs an act of cultural appropriation? Could religious groups be outraged by a team called the Wizards? If the team is not completely composed of Latin Americans, how can San Diego State be called The Aztecs? Alcoholics Anonymous might find offense to a team called The Boilermakers. I'm guessing the Irish are more proud of The Fighting Irish rather than offended, unless there is a pacifist Irish group that is upset. If you don't see why the Rhode Island School of Design's hockey team, The Nads, could be offensive never mind.

The thing it there is something out there to offend everyone. People, lighten up! And I don't mean that as in skin tone so don't go there. I mean don't seek out the worst in people's intentions. Don't think that by simply putting on a head dress, wearing a particular style of dress or celebrating a holiday that doesn't belong to that person's culture it means something evil is going on. Life is far too short to be offended by everything in this world. Work towards the good in life, worry about the big things and don't get wound up over the small ones. And maybe the best thing would be if people decided to try and make this world the place we once talked about, a world where any mention of someone else's color, ethnicity or culture was accepted as a compliment instead of an insult. Truth be told the majority of people who raise a stink over something so minor usually do so either to get attention or to find a way to use it to make money.

How about we try to incorporate every group out there into one? Stop trying to pull everyone apart and let's get together instead. Embrace the fact that people love you for who you are, from where you came from, for the color of your skin and for the differences that you bring to the table. Realize that the majority of the people in this world admire you for all of those things and if they mention them or bring them into an event or name their intent isn't to show it as a bad thing but because they admire you and want to bring you into the bigger picture which is a place where we're all part of one big happy family instead of a house full of weird brothers and sisters living in separate rooms getting pissed off because someone looked our way.

The more offended people get at things like the names of teams or celebrating Cinco De Mayo even if you're white, the more problems will come of it. Why not go back to that empty canvas and try adding your color to it instead of trying to bleach everything off of it?

THE DRIVE-IN EXPERIENCE!!!!!

Warmer weather is on the way and soon vacations will kick in, ball games will take place and picnics will pop up in parks across the country. And one other thing will take place in towns that are fortunate enough to have kept alive a grand tradition in American culture: Drive-Ins will be open!

The Drive-In started longer ago than most would think, the first being patented in 1932. By 1948 there were 820 Drive-Ins across the country. But it was in the fifties when Drive-Ins reached their peak popularity with close to 5,000 Drive-Ins in existence by 1958. They begin to slowly fade away in the sixties and seventies and that has continued. Owners found that they could make more money selling off the land their Drive-In was on to developers. It wasn't worth the battle for some. Those that have stuck it out do so because of their love for the medium.

And who could not love it? Anyone who has not experienced a Drive-In has no clue what those who love them are talking about. They have no concept of what it is all about, why anyone would want to go sit outside and listen to a small metal speaker play the soundtrack when a perfectly good 3-D version of the latest hit can be seen indoors complete with air conditioning. If you know someone like this and have a Drive-In nearby, kidnap them and take them to the Drive-In. Let them experience it and tell them to soak it all in rather than complain about the missing AC.

The Drive-In was and remains an experience. Think back to your childhood, the first time you went to a Drive-In. The sun was setting and it wasn't near dark and yet when you pulled up the first thing you saw was a brightly lit sign with flashing bulbs forming an arrow pointing to the entrance. On that sign was a list of what was playing that night and with luck what was coming next week. The traffic was backed up but the slight breeze kept you from having to inhale the exhaust fumes of the car in front of you, packed tight with teens on their way in or another family out for the night. Looking up you could see the name of the Drive-In written in neon on the back of the screen, a screen which seemed larger than any you'd ever seen before. Your father pulled into the ticket booth, paid the full car price and in you went.

Not yet in the actual area you drove forward, a fence blocking your view of what was to come. As the fence slowly descended you saw it all, a filed of gravel or sometimes gravel drives with grass parking areas for the cars. Row upon row of posts holding two speakers, one for cars on either side, could be seen. Up front the portions put together to make the one big screen were visible but it didn't matter, it was still huge. And below that was a playground filled with kids already swinging, teeter tottering or spinning on a playground merry-go-round.

Finding the perfect spot was a task to which your father was up to. Cruising up and down the various lanes, looking for that spot that was just right, not too close and not too far, with enough of an incline so that even those in the back seat could see the screen over the head rests. It also had to be close enough to the concession stand that all bathroom breaks could be taken care of quickly without missing the movie or so that the walk from stand to car was not so distant that half of the popcorn purchases spilled on the way back.

The playground was a place to behold. While today no one would think of leaving their child unattended, in the past it was a safe haven where no one was disturbed or kidnapped. It was a place where you could go before the movie began and play to your heart's content. At least until the first previews began. While a certain number of injuries occurred here (sorry about the chin sis), for the most part this was safe school type playground toys. The worst part of the playground was when they had a particular item everyone loved and you had to wait in line for a turn to get on. For the kids it was a fun time, for the adults, some time to spend alone without the kids there begging to go to the concession stand.

The concession stand. That holy grail of treats that were advertised from just prior to the movie beginning to the intermission between. The minute you finally parked you began to notice it. The aroma of freshly popped popcorn blew across the early evening breeze and instilled a craving that was more intense than you could handle. If it weren't for the playground you'd be begging to go to the stand immediately. Once you returned from the playground it was of the utmost importance that you dragged your mom or dad there.

Concessions stands differed from place to place. Some were simple structures that gave you the basics. Others were things of beauty. I recall one that impressed the minute you walked in. The walls were paneled and spread every 3 feet were posters of coming attractions. There was no way you would leave without checking each and ever one. The stand itself had chrome rails to direct you down the line and each and every portion of the counter was brushed stainless steel. As you moved down the line you were exposed to glass doored bins that held goodies from hot dogs to hamburgers to pizza burgers to the ever popular Castelberry Pit Cooked Barbecue Sandwich. Next were trays with bright orange lights illuminating cups of Buttercup popcorn or boxes of popcorn. Then came the drinks. Some places poured them fresh from machines we now see at fast food joints. Some had cups filled and ready to go. The most impressive, for a child, was the place that had a person with a hose like you see in your sink but that would, with the press of one button or another, dispense either Coke, Sprite, Root Beer or some other flavor...all from the same handle! Lastly was the candy rack, filled with the same treats movie lovers have grown to adore...Goobers, Raisinets, Caramel Creams, M&Ms and more. Dad paid and it was back to the car, goodies in hand.

Perhaps the neighbors had come to the Drive-In too, or someone your folks knew. They'd stand around a bit talking, discussing their day and their lives. They'd laugh and joke and talk about what they came to see, which movie they thought would be best. More friends they knew would come along and they'd enjoy each other's company before the sun finally set and the movie would begin.

As it got dark, you settled in for the first movie. With any luck previews started your night, followed by a cartoon or two, just as dusk began and before it was dark enough to actually watch the movie you came to see. Pajamas were put on, a blanket spread over the top of the car and you and your siblings lay down to watch that first movie. Back at the concession stand dad had made sure to see you weren't bitten by mosquitoes by purchasing a Pic mosquito coil. He lit the end and it slowly burned down sending forth those noxious fumes that would keep all bugs away.

At intermission it was always time to hit the concession stand, at least for a bathroom break if not for more goodies. The only difference was this time the amount you took back wasn't near that of the first visit. Perhaps a drink to share. If you loved previews of coming attractions this was your time. During the intermission you were able to watch ads for things you might have missed at the concession stand and now wished you hadn't. While the colors on the ads were long since faded or turned purple, the items they talked about still looked great. The countdown began between ads, showing us the minutes until the second feature began. Finally that movie started. The weakest sibling always fell asleep first. The movie lover stayed awake all night long.

The movie would end; the announcer would thank you for attending their theater and remind you to replace the speaker before leaving. Dreamy siblings were put in the car, you joined them and watched as the line of red tail lights headed for the exit. If your dad waited you noticed cars still parked around the lot not realizing (until your teen years) just why they would still be there. Finally you headed home, amazed at the entire spectacle of that evening and ready to experience it once more. 

You see, in attending that Drive-In you weren't simply going to a movie. You were becoming part of a community. You were in your own fenced in world, enjoying that which you loved most in the days before you could download or stream anything you wanted to see. And actually being a part of the community was more exposure to people than most have today. In a world where we spend most of our time relating to other people by posting on Facebook or Twitter, where we rarely leave our houses and where we socialize via media instead of face time, the Drive-In gave us that one on one experience with other people. It wasn't just about seeing the movie, it was about going out. It was about being among other people. Sadly, those days seem to be less and less now.

My recommendation is to go out to a Drive-In when it opens nearby. Experience what it's like. Don't complain about the bugs and the heat; take a hand fan and some Off. Make sure that your kids have the chance to see what a Drive-In is really like. Let them play on the swings without feat of minor scrapes, let them have fun. Take some food with you if you like, but make sure you by popcorn that is fresh and drinks that aren't flat by hitting the concession stand. Have friends go to and make a night of it. Heck, invite the whole neighborhood and have a block party at the Drive-In! Above all support your local Drive-In, don't let it just become another part of American culture that dies with time. As those who continue to go to Drive-Ins will tell you, they're still doing business and people are still having a great time. Become one of those people.