WATERTOWN, Tenn. (WTVF) — If you didn't know, Tuesday marked a big anniversary for an American tradition.
There's nothing like a night at the drive-in movies. The Stardust Drive-In in Watertown has been up and running since a double feature of Finding Nemo and Pirates of the Caribbean in 2003. The place has been around 20 years, but it was a different anniversary that brought NewsChannel 5 to Watertown on Tuesday.
"June 6, 1933 was the opening of the very first drive-in in Camden, New Jersey," said Barry Floyd, owner of the Stardust Drive-In.
Tuesday was the 90-year anniversary of the drive-in movie theater.
Drive-in movie theaters hit their peak in the 1950s. It was a time people were coming out to see classic monster movies like The Blob. At that time, there were more than 4,000 drive-in movie theaters across the country.
According to the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Assocation, there was a big drop in numbers in the 80s when land value increases led to theaters being sold. The group said there are now a bit more than 300 drive-in theaters across the country, 13 in Tennessee.
The numbers are a lot smaller, but Floyd said that's just made the theaters we have that much more special.
"Most drive-ins across the country are run by mom and pop, family owned businesses," he said.
Floyd said his Stardust Drive-In is a combination of state-of-the-art equipment and nostalgia. Most nights, he's playing the biggest new releases in the country, but Wednesdays this summer bring the retro films to the screen too.
"The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, Shrek, Willy Wonka," Floyd said, listing some of the Retro Wednesday choices. "We've got Grease and Dirty Dancing coming up. We've got ET and Back to the Future coming up. We're ending it with the original Friday the 13th, and Stephen King's Christine. It's going to be awesome."
90 years after the opening of the very first drive-in theater, there's still nothing like a night at the movies.
"One of the neatest things my wife and I will do is after the movie starts, she and I will go strolling between all the rows and you can hear all the kids laughing. You can see families together, sharing times together. That's what makes it special for us," Floyd said. "I still enjoy it."
Another drive-in theater is coming to middle Tennessee. There are plans for a new one to open in the Coopertown area next year.
