6-02-2023 4:47am

90 YEARS OF

Jeff Barto Editor

The Bengie's is the only drive-in movie theater around. The one in Timonium closed in the 80s. You must experience an evening at a drive-in before they all are closed. (see article below)

INFO HERE

Bengie's ARE open FRIDAY, SATURDAY, & SUNDAY, Rain or NOT !

.... Special 67 & 90 Year Anniversary Event, TUESDAY, June 6!..
On June 6, the Bengies will be celebrating our 67th Anniversary as we "cross over" to our 68th Season. Our GRAND OPENING was June 6, 1956..., it is also the 90th Anniversary of the creation of the Drive-In Theatre, being that the first TRUE drive-In theatre opened on June 6, 1933! (Camden, NJ, Richard Holligshead Jr.)

So we will be celebrating this in several ways, as ON June 6 , our Drive-in Association is putting emphasis on the "AUTHENTIC DRIVE-IN THEATRE" site (Sponsored for the members of the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association, which traces its history beginning right here at the Bengies in 1998.)

For this particular SPECIAL day, we look to OPEN and present 2 films that played here in our first season (1956) as well as quite a few times through the years, and are still popular today.

DouBBle Feature

"Rebel Without a Cause" (1955, PG13) IS ONE OF THE MOST "ICONIC" films of the era and was nominated for Three 1956 ACADEMY AWARDS. Jim Stark is the new kid in town. He has been in trouble elsewhere; that's why his family has had to move before. Here he hopes to find the love he doesn't get from his middle-class family. Though he finds some of this in his relation with Judy, and a form of it in both Plato's adulation and Ray's real concern for him, Jim must still prove himself to his peers in switchblade knife fights and "chickie" games in which cars race toward a seaside cliff. "Rebel Without a Cause" starring James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo, will show FIRST on Tuesday, June 6 just after our twilight opening at 8:30pm.

Then after INTERMISSION, our co-feature for this program is a science Fiction adventure in wider screen, "FORBIDDEN PLANET" (1956, G) is TOP rated on the IMDB at 7.5 Stars as one of the best Science Fiction films of that year, and it still plays well today. "FORBIDDEN PLANET" stars Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen AND Robby the Robot. A starship crew in the 23rd century goes to investigate the silence of a distant planet's colony, only to find just two survivors, a powerful robot, and the deadly secret of a lost civilization."FORBIDDEN PLANET" rated G, will show after "Rebel Without a Cause" but you MUST BE IN BY BOX OFFICE CLOSING (10PM) TO SEE THIS SHOW!

On Tuesday, June 6, The Box Office will Open at 7:30pm, for an 8:30pm show start at Sunset!. The Box Office will CLOSE Promptly at 10pm, so our employees can enjoy some of this event as well! As ALWAYS: Be in before the box office closes because NO ONE may enter the theatre after the Box Office is closed, Persons attempting entry will be pursued for Trespassing and any and all remedies under Maryland Law.

A Little Help PLEASE. To get the media's attention on this important 90th celebration, we urge you to contact your favorite media sites or stations and Channels, and ask if they are going to cover the 90th anniversary of the DRIVE-IN THEATRE! Please alert them if you think this is matter worth their attention! Thank you!

Other things to know..........

CASH ONLY AT THE BOX OFFICE !! NO CREDIT CARDS ARE TAKEN AT THE BOX OFFICE-- We do take OUR Gift cards at the Box office BUT NO CREDIT CARDS. If you purchased your tickets on line, you must purchase the outside food and beverage permit AT THE BOX OFFICE where CASH ONLY (or the Bengies Drive-In Theatre Gift Card) is taken.

Visa and MasterCard and ONLY Visa and MasterCard are taken in the SNACK BAR.
Purchase your tickets ONLINE OR you may arrive and purchase tickets in the normal way, with cash or a gift card at the Box Office.
Cash only (or our gift cards) at the box office. Visa and MasterCard are taken in the snack bar for your food and merchandise purchases.
What's Coming to the BENGIES? YOU can send your ideas to us via our website, see the "COMING SOON" page and use "MOVIE REQUESTS" form. OR just click here: MOVIE REQUESTS
..................CONNECT with US! :

YOU contact US: Comments, Info, Movie Requests Suggestions etc. (http://www.bengies.com/Contact.php)

Also Contact us and connect via: Twitter (@Bengies) Facebook (Facebook.com/Bengies)

Snapchat: (Bengies1956) Instagram (@Bengies1956)

WE contact YOU: Sign up for TEXT alerts AND/OR our Email list "The Voice" at: http://www.bengies.com/WeContactYou.php

Bengies Drive-In Theatre

3417 Eastern Blvd. Baltimore, MD 21220 Since 1956
Feature & Show Time Information: *NEW* 410 391-1956 OR the Good 'ol Original: 410 687-5627

THE HISTORY OF DRIVE-IN MOVIE THEATERS (AND WHERE THEY ARE NOW)

By: New York Film Academy

Many people hear stories of their grandparents going to the drive-in theater for a Friday night hangout, but do you know the history of the classic movie experience?

Though there were drive-ins as early as the 1910s, the first patented drive-in was opened on June 6, 1933 by Richard Hollingshead in New Jersey. He created it as a solution for people unable to comfortably fit into smaller movie theater seats after creating a mini drive-in for his mother. Appealing to families, Hollingshead advertised his drive-in as a place where “The whole family is welcome, regardless of how noisy the children are.”

THE HISTORY OF DRIVE-IN MOVIE THEATERS

The success of Hollingshead’s drive-in caused more and more drive-ins to appear in every state in the country and spread internationally as well. Drive-ins gained immense popularity 20 years later during the 1950s and ‘60s with the Baby Boomer generation. There were over 4,000 drive-ins throughout the U.S., and most were in rural areas. They maintained popularity as both a space for families to spend time with each other as well as an affordable date night option.

Drive-ins could only show movies during certain times of the year and were dependent on decent weather. During the ‘70s oil crisis, people downsized their cars in order to save money on the inflated cost of gas, making it uncomfortable to watch movies at the drive-in. To make up for lost revenue, drive-ins began losing their family-friendly atmosphere by showing exploitation films like slasher horrors as well as adult content. The development of the VCR made it more appealing to stay at home and watch movies without paying for a movie at the drive-in.

Slowly, drive-ins began to lose their appeal. To have an effective drive-in, it had to be on at least 15 acres of land. Economically speaking, it became more practical for owners to close their drive-ins in order to sell their land to developers to build malls or multi-building complexes.

DRIVE-IN MOVIE THEATERS: WHERE THEY ARE NOW?

Even though drive-ins are not nearly as popular as they used to be (with some arguing that they will be obsolete within the next decade), there are still drive-ins in business throughout the country. Modern drive-ins vary, but many show current films as well as older films. A lot of them also plan double feature nights. Just like a classic drive-in and a regular theater, they sell refreshments like popcorn, candy, and soda. Some even have playgrounds for families to entertain their children.

For now, there are over 300 drive-ins still in operation. Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania have the most drive-ins still in operation in the U.S., with each state having almost 30 left. Unfortunately, Hawaii, North Dakota, Wyoming, Alaska, Delaware, and Louisiana no longer have any that are still in business. But no matter the fate of America’s drive-ins, they will always be a nostalgic and cultural icon.

Here are some drive-in movie theatres still in operation today:

Northeast

Narrow Gauge Drive-in, Farmington, Maine
Northfield Drive-In in Hinsdale, New Hampshire
Fairlee Motel and Drive-In Theater, Fairlee, Vermont
Wellfleet Drive-In Theatre, Wellfleet, Massachusetts
Rustic Tri-View Drive-In in North Smithfield, Rhode Island
Mansfield Drive-In Theatre in Mansfield, Connecticut
Warwick Drive-In in Warwick, New York
Shankweiler’s Drive-In Theater in Oroville, Pennsylvania
Delsea Drive-In Theatre, Vineland, New Jersey
Bengies Drive-In Theatre, Middle River, Maryland

Southeast

Hull’s Drive-In, Lexington, Virginia
Sunset Drive-In Theater, Shinnston, West Virginia
Malco Theatres, Memphis, Tennessee
Sauerbeck Family Drive-In, Oldham County, Kentucky
Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre in Vance County, North Carolina
Highway 21 Drive-In in Beaufort County, South Carolina
Blue Moon Drive-In Theater, Gu-Win, Alabama
Iuka Drive-In Theatre, Iuka, MS
Stone Drive-In Theatre, Mountain View, Arkansas
Stars N’ Cars Drive-in Cinema at John Schneider Studios, Livingston Parish, Louisiana
Starlight Six Drive-In in Atlanta, Georgia
Silver Moon Drive-In in Lakeland, Florida