Intermission or
Sex in the Drive-In

Sex on the drive-in was a monumental headache for the exhibitors. Sex in the drive-in caused them no end of trouble as well. That the drive-in afforded an excellent opportunity for sexual activity was obvious to observers from the very beginning. The editorial writer of Motion Picture Daily commented, "The Romeos who lost out in the back seats of picture houses when ushers and super-service came into the deluxe houses are waking up in a new world."

The inventor of the first drive-in, and the owner of the one at Camden, New Jersey, Richard Hillingshead, found himself having to deal with angry parents.Uniformed policemen were hired at some drive-ins to combat amorous adolescents in the very early years. By 1945 the idea that drive-ins were passion pits was well entrenched. So entrenched that residents of a Toronto suburb complained about more "petting parties" at new proposed drive-ins. Seeking to reassure them, Canadian Drive-In Theatres Ltd. hired two policemen and 30 ushers to break up any necking.

Each drive-in faced the same problems but they were quick to reassure people that "the reputed petting party trade is a very minor part of the total patronage. We have promoted our place as a family theatre and if you watch the cars as they come out you will see that it is the family trade we are getting. We keep plenty of attendants on the lot and the cars are parked from the front in the order they enter. There is no such thing as parking in isolated spots." The truth lies somewhere in between.

Sex on the Drive-In

Drive-ins have been plagued by sex - sex in the drive-in and sex on the drive-in. Both have brought many problems to owners and operators of outdoor theatres, with the on-screen sex perhaps the most troublesome.

The bulk of attacks directed against drive-ins for the content of the films they screened came beginning in the mid- to late-1960s although a few incidents took place prior to that. In the fall of 1951 letters to the editors of Detroit newspapers complained about the nature of films at area drive-ins. H.F. Reves, a writer for Boxoffice, investigated the situation, finding such ads in the Detroit Times as: Fort Drive-In: Three adult hits... The Burning Question, Guilty Parents, and How to Take a Bath. Grand River and Gratiot drive-ins: "Revealing all the facts of life! Children must be accompanied by parents. Now it can be shown! It will amaze you. Exposing the stark naked facts of life!"

A showing of "Hurly Burly" brought sheriffs to the Division Drive-In in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for the opening-night screening. No complaints were received that night, with no action taken by police either. It had been approved for theatres across the country but on the last show night, area lawmen confiscated the film. A Michigan Catholic archdiocesan newspaper headlined: Two Drive-Ins Push Sex Films. And on it went, the moralists against the freedom lovers. Even as late as 1969 in the state of Alabama, the state police raided six drive-ins, seizing six different films: Inga, Starlet, Thar She Blows, Barbette, The Shanty Tramp and the Secret Lives of Romeo and Juliet. All the managers were charged with violating an anti-obscenity law that prohibited any display of nudity except in art galleries. Charges of contributing to the delinquency of minors were laid against some of the managers. Hours of operation became limited to 1:30 am closing and many types of films were restricted.

Sex on the drive-in made itself an issue in the 1970 re-election campaign of 66-year-old U.S. Senator Roman Hruska (R., Neb). The senator, a noted opponent of violence and pornography, was part owner of a chain of drive-ins located in Omaha and Lincoln as well as one in Carter Lake, Iowa. Running against Hruska was Frank B. Morrison, who labeled Hruska a smut peddler and glorifier of brutality because of the type of films played at his drive-ins. Films cited by Morrison included: The Blood Drinker, Catch-22, The Shanty Tramp, and Easy Rider.

During the 1970s and 1980s, much of the assault on drive-ins was lead over the type of films they played by fundamentalist religious types. In the 1980s, films such as Star Trek II, On Golden Pond, The Ten Commandments and Grease II were playing as well as The Other Woman and Cindy and Donna.

By today's standards, these films are mild. But they did play a critical part in the slow death of the drive-in.