Perhaps a random question, but has anyone ever noticed that nearly every "teen" oriented sitcom in the 90's still featured at least one episode with the characters going to a drive-in theater? I'm pretty sure over the years I can recall seeing episodes of Full House, Family Matters, Boy Meets World, and Saved By The Bell just to name a few where either much of the episode's action took place at a drive-in, or at the very least a drive-in was referenced. Per Wikipedia, there's even an episode of Step By Step featuring a drive-in that takes place all the way in late 1995. I even remember some cartoons (such as Doug and Rocko's Modern Life) featuring drive-in's as a "current" thing.

Even back then, this seemed weird to me because I've never once seen an actual drive-in theater anywhere in my area at any point in my life, and I had always perceived drive-in's as something that started dying out in the 1970's. Maybe that was just me though. Were drive-in's still thriving in some areas in the 90's? If not, then why would they have been featured in so many 90's shows aimed at kids and teenagers?

Perhaps a random question, but has anyone ever noticed that nearly every "teen" oriented sitcom in the 90's still featured at least one episode with the characters going to a drive-in theater? I'm pretty sure over the years I can recall seeing episodes of Full House, Family Matters, Boy Meets World, and Saved By The Bell just to name a few where either much of the episode's action took place at a drive-in, or at the very least a drive-in was referenced. Per Wikipedia, there's even an episode of Step By Step featuring a drive-in that takes place all the way in late 1995. I even remember some cartoons (such as Doug and Rocko's Modern Life) featuring drive-in's as a "current" thing.

Even back then, this seemed weird to me because I've never once seen an actual drive-in theater anywhere in my area at any point in my life, and I had always perceived drive-in's as something that started dying out in the 1970's. Maybe that was just me though. Were drive-in's still thriving in some areas in the 90's? If not, then why would they have been featured in so many 90's shows aimed at kids and teenagers?



I drive past a drive in every day I go to work... they play movies on the weekend.  When I moved here in 1996 it was operational.  It closed sometime in the 00s but reopened a couple yrs ago. (Santa Barbara Ca)


I seeing The General's Daughter at a drive in 1999  (Mesa or Tempe Az)

I was at a drive in once in near Indiana Beach in 2008 to see The Dark Knight. I personally found the environment too distracting and found it hard to focus on the film.

But to answer your question, I have no idea. There was something else I noticed about sitcoms recently that seemed out of date, but I don't remember what it was.

I drive past a drive in every day I go to work... they play movies on the weekend.  When I moved here in 1996 it was operational.  It closed sometime in the 00s but reopened a couple yrs ago. (Santa Barbara Ca)


I seeing The General's Daughter at a drive in 1999  (Mesa or Tempe Az)



I was at a drive in once in near Indiana Beach in 2008 to see The Dark Knight.


Hmm, interesting. As I said, I've never actually seen a drive-in theatre in my life, so I always brought into the notion that they died out during the 80's. But, I live in an area that could be charitably described as a major dump, so that may not be the best judge. If drive-in's were still fairly prevalent into the 90's (and possibly even into the 00's) then that would go a long way towards explaining why they still appeared so frequently on 90's television.

Hmm, interesting. As I said, I've never actually seen a drive-in theatre in my life, so I always brought into the notion that they died out during the 80's. But, I live in an area that could be charitably described as a major dump, so that may not be the best judge. If drive-in's were still fairly prevalent into the 90's (and possibly even into the 00's) then that would go a long way towards explaining why they still appeared so frequently on 90's television.



I will say they weren't as popular in the 90s as they were in the 50s-70s..... I think they were more of a novelty  than the norm by the 90s but they were definitely still around in some areas in the 90s.   

We used to go to drive-ins in the 1960s and 1970s. I think the last time I was at a drive-in was 1980.  I can't recall seeing drive-in's much after that, although I'd see the odd one here and there.

Since I didn't watch teen oriented shows in the 90s and I can't say much about that.

Perhaps a random question, but has anyone ever noticed that nearly every "teen" oriented sitcom in the 90's still featured at least one episode with the characters going to a drive-in theater? I'm pretty sure over the years I can recall seeing episodes of Full House,

Yeah... in fact, the 117th episode of "Full House", which originally aired in spring 1992 (late season 5), has D.J. going on a date with a teenage rock singer to a drive-in theater, but Danny, the father, is not comfortable about it once Kimmy tells him the details, so he takes Jesse and Joey with him to the drive-in. Once the men find D.J. and her date there, D.J. becomes humiliated and goes home with them. This episode was shown on Nick last night.



Even back then, this seemed weird to me because I've never once seen an actual drive-in theater anywhere in my area at any point in my life, and I had always perceived drive-in's as something that started dying out in the 1970's. Maybe that was just me though. Were drive-in's still thriving in some areas in the 90's? If not, then why would they have been featured in so many 90's shows aimed at kids and teenagers?

I only went to a drive-in with my family as a little kid sometime in the 1980's, and have some recollection of it. Come the 1990's, I still saw a few of them in existence, but they were eventually bulldozed in favor of sit-down theatres or other types of establishments. Not sure if there's any around today, though. :-\\

We used to go to drive-ins in the 1960s and 1970s. I think the last time I was at a drive-in was 1980.  I can't recall seeing drive-in's much after that, although I'd see the odd one here and there.


Yeah, my parents have talked about there being a drive-in theater here in our small town back during the 70's that they used to frequent. It closed down sometime in the early 80's, and that combined with the fact that I've never seen another one anywhere that I've gone in my lifetime led to my perception that they had ceased to exist nationwide during the 80's.

I'm actually starting to wonder now if the drive-in's convenience as a plot device is one reason why they lingered on sitcoms so deep into the 90's. When you think about it, if you're doing a typical "dating" episode, it's much easier to set up the scenes in a drive-in setting than in a traditional, modern movie theater.


Yeah... in fact, the 117th episode of "Full House", which originally aired in spring 1992 (late season 5), has D.J. going on a date with a teenage rock singer to a drive-in theater, but Danny, the father, is not comfortable about it once Kimmy tells him the details, so he takes Jesse and Joey with him to the drive-in. Once the men find D.J. and her date there, D.J. becomes humiliated and goes home with them. This episode was shown on Nick last night.


Yep. That was my inspiration for the topic. ;)

Yeah, my parents have talked about there being a drive-in theater here in our small town back during the 70's that they used to frequent. It closed down sometime in the early 80's, and that combined with the fact that I've never seen another one anywhere that I've gone in my lifetime led to my perception that they had ceased to exist nationwide during the 80's.

I'm actually starting to wonder now if the drive-in's convenience as a plot device is one reason why they lingered on sitcoms so deep into the 90's. When you think about it, if your doing a typical "dating" episode, it's much easier to set up the scenes in a drive-in setting than in a traditional, modern movie theater.

I guess that may be the reasoning for it. I know that some scenes from various episodes of "Saved By The Bell", particularly the later seasons, which aired in the early 90's, do have several scenes in sit-down movie theaters (as it is a teen-based sitcom, with the main characters going on dates and stuff). I also watched "Hangin' With Mr. Cooper" periodically in the mid-1990s, and there was one episode from 1995 with a scene set in a sit-down theater. Not sure if I can recall any later programs with "movie theater" scenes (at least live-action, as these are).




Yep. That was my inspiration for the topic. ;)
Awesome. 8)

I guess that may be the reasoning for it. I know that some scenes from various episodes of "Saved By The Bell", particularly the later seasons, which aired in the early 90's, do have several scenes in sit-down movie theaters (as it is a teen-based sitcom, with the main characters going on dates and stuff). I also watched "Hangin' With Mr. Cooper" periodically in the mid-1990s, and there was one episode from 1995 with a scene set in a sit-down theater. Not sure if I can recall any later programs with "movie theater" scenes (at least live-action, as these are).


Well, now that you mention it, there is the infamous "Littlest Sea Lion" episode of Full House where D.J., Steve, Michelle and Stephanie have Kimmie sneak them into a movie in a regular sit-down theater. Come to think of it, that episode might actually be in the same season as the D.J. drive-in episode.

Yeah... in fact, the 117th episode of "Full House", which originally aired in spring 1992 (late season 5), has D.J. going on a date with a teenage rock singer to a drive-in theater, but Danny, the father, is not comfortable about it once Kimmy tells him the details, so he takes Jesse and Joey with him to the drive-in. Once the men find D.J. and her date there, D.J. becomes humiliated and goes home with them. This episode was shown on Nick last night.

I only went to a drive-in with my family as a little kid sometime in the 1980's, and have some recollection of it. Come the 1990's, I still saw a few of them in existence, but they were eventually bulldozed in favor of sit-down theatres or other types of establishments. Not sure if there's any around today, though. :-\\


Jeff there's one in Goleta  (45 miles north of you)... I pass it everyday at work... the other night I worked a late shift and they were showing a movie... they actually screen relatively new flicks 

I just checked the website...this week they are screening Rise of the Guardians & The Hobbit.  I thought they were only open on weekends but they are open every day this week...not sure if that's an adjusted schedule because of the holiday

http://www.westwinddriveins.com/theaters/santabarbara.htm

We used to have 2 Drive-Ins here in my town.  One still exists on the edge of town as part of a Family Fun Park, but the one that was in town was torn down and replaced with a shopping centre sometime back in the late 80s. 

Drive-Ins are not as common as they used to be, but in the 80s and earlier, they were the place to be.

We used to have 2 Drive-Ins here in my town.  One still exists on the edge of town as part of a Family Fun Park, but the one that was in town was torn down and replaced with a shopping centre sometime back in the late 80s. 

Drive-Ins are not as common as they used to be, but in the 80s and earlier, they were the place to be.


1989 and earlier?  ???

I was born in 1979. There was a drive-in theatre near where I lived in the 1980s. I think it closed down sometime between '86 and '88.  I passed by it quite often, but I never actually saw a movie there.

I don't think I've ever seen a drive-in theatre in real life besides that one, and I've lived in and visited quite a few places. As someone said, I always saw them as something that went into rapid decline after the 70s. I find it amazing that there were all these episodes of TV shows in the 90s that featured drive-ins. I can't picture watching a movie at a drive-in as being a commonplace activity for most people back then.

I can see 'Full House' and those family shows showing drive-ins because it creates an environment of innocence, nostalgia, etc, etc.

Weren't those show supposed to be shows that made you feel warm and the kind you'd watch with your family?

I was born in 1979. There was a drive-in theatre near where I lived in the 1980s. I think it closed down sometime between '86 and '88.  I passed by it quite often, but I never actually saw a movie there.

I don't think I've ever seen a drive-in theatre in real life besides that one, and I've lived in and visited quite a few places. As someone said, I always saw them as something that went into rapid decline after the 70s. I find it amazing that there were all these episodes of TV shows in the 90s that featured drive-ins. I can't picture watching a movie at a drive-in as being a commonplace activity for most people back then.


Yeah, the thing that's always odd to me is the way the characters going to a drive-in is presented in these 90's shows. Never as a novelty, or for the "nostalgia" factor, but rather more in a casual "hey you guys wanna go to see a movie at the drive-in?" kind of way. Like it was totally normal for a 16-year-old in 1995 to take his date to see a drive-in movie in the same way Richie might have done on an old episode of Happy Days.

It wasn't just limited to "teen" shows either. Some people might recall one of the final episodes of Cheers from early 1993 that featured some of the guys from the bar seeing a movie at an old drive-in. However, that particular drive-in was about to be demolished, and the guys were visiting it one last time for the sake of novelty, so that makes more sense given the time period.

Well, now that you mention it, there is the infamous "Littlest Sea Lion" episode of Full House where D.J., Steve, Michelle and Stephanie have Kimmie sneak them into a movie in a regular sit-down theater. Come to think of it, that episode might actually be in the same season as the D.J. drive-in episode.

It was. Episode #108 of the series; middle of the 5th season (late 1991). I remember that one; Kimmy sneaks them in, like you said, then the Tanner girls get in trouble for it.

Jeff there's one in Goleta  (45 miles north of you)... I pass it everyday at work... the other night I worked a late shift and they were showing a movie... they actually screen relatively new flicks 

I just checked the website...this week they are screening Rise of the Guardians & The Hobbit.  I thought they were only open on weekends but they are open every day this week...not sure if that's an adjusted schedule because of the holiday

http://www.westwinddriveins.com/theaters/santabarbara.htm

Many thanks; I haven't been up that way since the end of August, but we just drove on through via Hwy 101. I'll look for it on the Google Maps. :)

I can see 'Full House' and those family shows showing drive-ins because it creates an environment of innocence, nostalgia, etc, etc.

Weren't those show supposed to be shows that made you feel warm and the kind you'd watch with your family?


Yes definitely.

Many thanks; I haven't been up that way since the end of August, but we just drove on through via Hwy 101. I'll look for it on the Google Maps. :)



It's right off of hwy 217. Very close to the Santa Barbara airport and UCSB.

Yes definitely.


My favorite family show of the 90s was Family Matters with Steve Urkel!  ;D

I think they still existed in certain places, actually they still do now even. Though I agree, I think by the '80s they were starting to become seen as a thing of the past and many of them were closing or gone.

1989 and earlier?  ???


Nah, I mean I wasn't there but I get the idea drive-ins were the place to be up until maybe about 1982. I think by '89 they were falling out of favour though of course that's nearly a quarter century ago so I'm sure there were a lot more than now.

Whistledog is from Canada though and many things tend to last a few years longer oop there than they do here.

Nah, I mean I wasn't there but I get the idea drive-ins were the place to be up until maybe about 1982. I think by '89 they were falling out of favour though of course that's nearly a quarter century ago so I'm sure there were a lot more than now.

Whistledog is from Canada though and many things tend to last a few years longer oop there than they do here.


Ahh, so it was more of a pre-1980 thing.

It's right off of hwy 217. Very close to the Santa Barbara airport and UCSB.

Thanks again, that certainly helps. :)

My favorite family show of the 90s was Family Matters with Steve Urkel!  ;D

And there was an episode later in that series which had Steve Urkel taking Myra to a drive-in in his Isetta (the little car he drove with the door situated on front).

Ahh, so it was more of a pre-1980 thing.


Well I was born in 1990 but I think so.

My favorite family show of the 90s was Family Matters with Steve Urkel!  ;D


When Steve always took Myra to a drive-in.

When Steve always took Myra to a drive-in.

There was one episode which featured the two of them at a drive-in, which I described in my above post:


And there was an episode later in that series which had Steve Urkel taking Myra to a drive-in in his Isetta (the little car he drove with the door situated on front).


Not sure if they went there in other episodes.

It might've been a key part of the setting. If they want a romantic encounter between characters...what better location than a drive in on a summer night where you're going to have more personal space than an indoor theater

I'm trying to remember if there was a drive in theater revival in the 90's...but I don't think there was

Yes they were still around but slowly dying off. The only one left in NJ today is way down south closer to Philly

Nj used to be littered with them. probably at least 40. Many down the shore

It might've been a key part of the setting. If they want a romantic encounter between characters...what better location than a drive in on a summer night where you're going to have more personal space than an indoor theater

I'm trying to remember if there was a drive in theater revival in the 90's...but I don't think there was

Yes they were still around but slowly dying off. The only one left in NJ today is way down south closer to Philly

Nj used to be littered with them. probably at least 40. Many down the shore


Yeah, I don't think it was due to any sort of "revival" fad because, as I said, teens going to Drive-In's on these shows was usually treated in a very casual, no-big-deal kind of way. After much thought, I've come to pretty much agree with your first point. An outdoor theater was probably just a better setting for dating scenes than an indoor theater.