Driveway Drive-In

[Opera Ghost]

This little blurb keeps popping up in other threads, so thought I start an actual thread on it.

In short, several years ago, after our son was born, we started what I called "The Driveway Drive-in" on 4th of July. We had a bit of a block party, cookouts, and then later in the evening some "discrete" fireworks on the street.

I had purchased an Optima Projector from Circuit City for Halloween use, but then got the idea to project a movie on to a screen outside. We began running "Independence Day" every year, sometimes followed by the original "Day the Earth Stood Still".

As the kids got a little more mobile, we found the need to move to the back yard, so it's now the backyard Drive In.

As a family, we like to do theme meals with events that we attend, and do this as well with the movies which we project.

I use my lap top to run the movie, projected and sound thru wireless speakers, onto a 4'X8'X 2" sheet of rigid foam, which is hung from the patio. The wide screen movies seem to work better with this, and 4X3 usually take a few adjustments in distance to get most of the top and bottom on the screen.

Bugs were a problem this year, so I picked up some tiki torches which have also added ambiance.

We program for kids, although we'd love to do some horror, but need to mindful too, as the height of screen can be seen by the neighbors behind us.

This summer we decided to do it every Saturday night, and we've projected "Batman" 1966, "Pirates of the Caribbean/Black Pearl", "Blackbeards Ghost" "Superman", "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" to name a few things.

Lawn Chairs, and blankets are the furntiure.

Add guests, and enjoy.

[Dr. Jitters]

Very cool, Opera Ghost.  We've been doing the backyard theater thing for a few years now too.  Almost every weekend I put up the screen and we watch something Friday and/or Saturday nights.  Lawrence of Arabia is coming up, but we've done several spooky movies too, though generally acceptable for kids.  It's much less work than owning a drive-in theater and you get to choose anything you want to watch!

At Halloween I bring the screen up to the drive-way against the garage and show spook show trailers or whatever.  Good times.  This Halloween I may show a public domain movie after 9:00 or so, maybe House on Haunted Hill -- with Emergo, of course!

If you haven't checked out the Backyard Theater forum, there's a lot of great stuff and people there.  www.backyardtheater.com

[Opera Ghost]

Very cool, Opera Ghost.  We've been doing the backyard theater thing for a few years now too.  Almost every weekend I put up the screen and we watch something Friday and/or Saturday nights.  Lawrence of Arabia is coming up, but we've done several spooky movies too, though generally acceptable for kids.  It's much less work than owning a drive-in theater and you get to choose anything you want to watch!

At Halloween I bring the screen up to the drive-way against the garage and show spook show trailers or whatever.  Good times.  This Halloween I may show a public domain movie after 9:00 or so, maybe House on Haunted Hill -- with Emergo, of course!

If you haven't checked out the Backyard Theater forum, there's a lot of great stuff and people there.  www.backyardtheater.com

Thanks Dr.! I think there a few here how were looking for more info like this.

We'll probably start Halloween scrngs this weekend with "Mad Monster Party" and I've ordered a couple of A&C movies. I've a disk as well which has old policy trailers bumpers and interstituals for Snack bar and Intermission and coming soon which are also always fun. I seem to think there was one for a Horror Nights at the Drive in Ad, but will need to check it out again.

[Most Horrible]

What a cool idea Opera Ghost!

[charp13]

We're crawling out of the woodwork!   Our set up is smaller scale. We bought a Sharper Image projector at Marshalls for $49 and ordered an HP Duet screen from Walmart.com.  We've only shown ours outside on the deck, so far Alice in Wonderland and several episodes of The Last Airbender. We can only run ours thru my ipod/iphone and we have som small speakers. I can hardly wait to incorporate our projector into our Halloween display!  Keep the ideas coming!

[Moonshadow]

What a great thread! This is an awesome idea. I will have to tell my video enthusiast hubby. Now that it is starting to cool down here in the desert, it would be great to watch a movie on the patio.

[Opera Ghost]

What a great thread! This is an awesome idea. I will have to tell my video enthusiast hubby. Now that it is starting to cool down here in the desert, it would be great to watch a movie on the patio.

Yes it makes for a much more sociable gathering, than in the house on a warm evening!

[charp13]

Ok- OG, I'm all fired up and I already told my grandson that we are going to show Tim Burton's Willie Wonka on Saturday night and eat lots of candy! Once you tell a 5 year old, there's no turning back. He just started Kindergarten and he's doing so well in school, I told him we would do something cool over his Labor Day weekend. I'm probably going to find all kinds of weird looking treats and go to Party City to find purple tablecloths and stuff to decorate with. I downloaded the movie from Itunes and it was only $9.99.  A lot cheaper than going to the theater and we can talk loudly if we want to.

[Opera Ghost]

Ok- OG, I'm all fired up and I already told my grandson that we are going to show Tim Burton's Willie Wonka on Saturday night and eat lots of candy! Once you tell a 5 year old, there's no turning back. He just started Kindergarten and he's doing so well in school, I told him we would do something cool over his Labor Day weekend. I'm probably going to find all kinds of weird looking treats and go to Party City to find purple tablecloths and stuff to decorate with. I downloaded the movie from Itunes and it was only $9.99.  A lot cheaper than going to the theater and we can talk loudly if we want to.

Make sure you look for lotsa Wonka treats! And BTW....same applies to a 2.5 year old as well. Mind like a steal trap!

[charp13]

Oh yeah....I think Nerds are a wonka candy.  I'll have to investigate more of Wonka Products. And I think it's weird that little kids remember everything now days. I could tell my kids stuff like- "sure, yeah, right, we'll get one later" and they would forget 5 minutes later!  They would see a commercial and forget what toy or food product was being advertised in 10 minutes. But my grandson recites the opening narrative to every cartoon and talks along with the commercials. Creepy!

[Jim Bertges]

My friends and I did something like this back in 1972. We had two movie nights, renting 16mm prints and having a bunch of friends over. The first night we ran Island of Lost Souls and I had come into (don't ask how) a bunch of Zodiac decorated porcelain plates that we handed out as prizes, just like dish night at the Bijou in the old days. The second movie night a couple of months later we had a double feature, the 1933 Alice in Wonderland with Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, W.C. Fields and a ton of other stars in odd roles and after a break we ran the 1951 Lost Continent with Caesar Romero and Sid Melton. It was great fun and the only way you could see any of those films other than waiting for them to show up on TV back in those pre-home video days.

[Opera Ghost]

My friends and I did something like this back in 1972. We had two movie nights, renting 16mm prints and having a bunch of friends over. The first night we ran Island of Lost Souls and I had come into (don't ask how) a bunch of Zodiac decorated porcelain plates that we handed out as prizes, just like dish night at the Bijou in the old days. The second movie night a couple of months later we had a double feature, the 1933 Alice in Wonderland with Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, W.C. Fields and a ton of other stars in odd roles and after a break we ran the 1951 Lost Continent with Caesar Romero and Sid Melton. It was great fun and the only way you could see any of those films other than waiting for them to show up on TV back in those pre-home video days.

Great stories Jim! Love the Nostalgia of it all.

[Dr. Jitters]

Great stories Jim! Love the Nostalgia of it all.

I agree.  Dish night!  That's great.  I've done this with super 8 too, but not 16.  Hopefully more people will post their stories.  I'm sure many here had gatherings where they projected a movie for friends, indoors or out.

Have fun with the Willie Wonka night, Charp13!

[Moonshadow]

I agree.  Dish night!  That's great.  I've done this with super 8 too, but not 16.  Hopefully more people will post their stories.  I'm sure many here had gatherings where they projected a movie for friends, indoors or out.

Have fun with the Willie Wonka night, Charp13!

Agreed, I love hearing these "movie night" stories!

Many years ago, before my friends and I all scattered to the four corners of the world -or the US at least -we would have movie nights and different food themes. One time might be 'make your own burrito' night, and we'd cook up beans, meat, guacamole, and all the other fixings for burritos, and let folks go at it. We also did make your own burger, pizza, and ice cream sundae nights. Did I mention that this was before I got serious about my health? 

[marsattacks666]

O.G.
That sounds like a fun and great time, cool idea. I wish I were there.