At the Drive-In

Imagine warm summer nights, seated in your car or near it on a blanket or chair, sipping a drink and snacking on your favorite concession stand snack, while waiting for the deepening evening sky to progress into darkness. And then it’s time for the colorful images projected on the towering screen to transport you into another world for a few hours. Nights at the drive-in are a mid-century American tradition that Greene County is still lucky enough to continue.

Nothing is quite like the experience of watching a movie at the drive-in. It’s so much more informal than heading to the nearby multiplex – you can eat and drink and rustle that popcorn bag as noisily as you need to for those last kernels, talk, fidget, and relax, all while enjoying a new release or an old classic. Before the movie starts, children are often found playing on grassy areas between cars and in front of screens, working out some last minute energy in preparation for the upcoming movie.

Richard Hollingshead opened the first drive-in theater in Camden, NJ in 1933. He experimented at his home by showing movies and testing several configurations for the projector, screen, sound and car spacing before settling on just the right one. Once he had it, he applied for a patent and opened the Automobile Movie Theatre, with the slogan “The whole family is welcome, regardless of how noisy the children are.” This slogan is still the primary thought behind most drive-ins, which is why they are a favorite form of family entertainment.

The concept caught on and in 1934 the second drive-in in America – Shankweiler’s Drive-In in Orefield, PA, was opened (and is still the oldest operating drive-in.) Drive-ins began to spread across the United States and peaked in the late 1950s to early 1960s with over 4000 drive-ins open. But this golden age began to lose its glow and drive-in numbers began to decline. Multiple reasons are listed as part of the drive-in decline, including land costs, VHS movies, and Daylight Saving Time. The decline continued into the 80s and 90s, but a revival appeared to be on the horizon in the late 90s and early 00s as old drive-ins were purchased and renovated. But in the early 2010s, drive-ins were dealt a blow when the movie industry announced that going forward, movies would be digital and film projectors became obsolete. Currently there are a little over 300 drive-ins open in the United States; 27 of those are in Pennsylvania (including the oldest operating drive-in), making it the #2 state with the most drive-ins, following New York.

By some accounts, the first Greene County drive-in theater opened in 1946 in Carmichaels; however, no actual record of the drive-in exists before 1948, when the 1948-49 Theatre Catalog listed the Carmichaels Drive-In as being under construction. The Evening Standard newspaper of Uniontown also wrote about an early lawsuit against the drive-in’s owners that claimed, “when the theater was opened in 1948, reddog and earth was heaped up near the headwaters of a brook.”

BoxOffice magazine mentions in its July 17, 1948 issue that, “The drive-in on Route 88, which will be opened within a few days, is unique in its screen tower construction. Cemenstone Corp., Neville Island, is producing the 53x50 screen tower in blocks poured at Neville Island and fabricated here. These blocks are 22 and 28 feet long, 6 feet wide and 4 inches thick. The tower itself is supported by four concrete posts, the weight being over 90 tons for the 45x33 screen. Louis Stuler and Durward Coe are owners of the drive-in.” The 1949-50 Theatre Catalog confirms the drive-in as open and owned by Lou Stuler and Durwood (or Durward or Duard) Coe.

Sometime in the early years of the 1950s, the name had transformed from the Carmichaels Drive-In to the Skyview, although there would continue to be multiple spellings of the name in various newspapers and write-ups; it was alternately listed as Sky View, Sky-View, SkyView and Skyview over the years.

The original capacity for the drive-in was listed in different sources as 225 and 350, and it increased to 450 by 1963; the current owners say that it can fit about 450 comfortably but will hold a maximum capacity of 500 cars. Ownership was listed as Stuler & Coe from 1952 to 1966; although Stuler would die at age 47 in 1961 from a heart attack, Coe continued to own the Skyview. Later owners would include Cinemette Corporation of America in the late 70s and early 80s, and then switch over to G&G Theaters, Inc… until 1988, according to listings in the Motion Picture Almanacs.

It’s guessed that the second screen was added somewhere around 1986, during its ownership by G&G. The original screen also received additions to assist in showing widescreen movies at this time. In the early 1990s, David Ganoe took over the management of the theater. After a couple of disappointing trips with his family to the drive-in, David reached out to owner Sorrel Naft. After a few meetings, Naft was interested in David’s ideas for the drive-in and they became partners.

Thanks to David’s dedication, the drive-in began to thrive again. He cleaned the place up, instituted a family-friendly atmosphere, and revitalized the snack bar offerings. While operating the Skyview, Davis was also instrumental in moving the theater towards playing first-run movies. David worked with the booking agent to push the matter and eventually the drive-in received it’s first first-run showing and it has maintained those first-run movies ever since.

Later, David prepared to leave the Skyview and head to Florida for other job opportunities. He stayed on for about a year after ending the partnership to help the new manager, Chuck Walker, with the transition. “I still miss it,” David says. “It was the best time in my life. I’m proud of what I did. It was a lot of work, but I loved what I was doing and I got to meet so many people. I just loved it.”

Drive-ins hold fond memories for both Liz and Chuck Walker. Liz had attended drive-in movies with her parents in Ohio and Chuck, who grew up in the area, had attended movies at the Skyview. Once they moved to the area after leaving the military – Liz was in the Army and Chuck the Air Force – they began attending movies at the Skyview. Liz started working at the Skyview in 1999 and Chuck became manager in 2001. They bought the drive-in in April 2007 and have worked tirelessly to maintain the nostalgic feel of the drive in while keeping up to date with technology.

In 2013, drive-ins across the country faced the dilemma to “go digital or go dark” as movies began the switch from film to digital. The Walkers, with the help of Southwestern PA Rural Exploration, prepared a video and entered Honda’s Project Drive-In to win a digital projector. Sadly, the Skyview did not win and faced the possibility of going dark. To prevent that, the Walkers pooled available funds, and along with money received from donations and loans, bought two digital projectors to keep the Skyview open. One projector was upgraded in 2017.

The Walkers have also implemented other repairs and renovations to keep the Skyview in shape. “We have repaired and updated the awnings on the snack bar, updated the kitchen equipment, updated the sound equipment and FM transmitters, and removed the over growth of trees and piles of stuff around the lot to make it more presentable. We updated to a point of sales system and are accepting credit and debit cards.” She adds, “Unfortunately, we are unable to keep the speakers working since the parts cannot be sourced or replaced economically. We find it difficult to even find parts for the speakers on the lot.”

The Walkers have tried a variety of events at the drive-in, including a car show, flea market/farmer’s market, and a Halloween movie weekend. While the market didn’t work out, the car show and Halloween weekend have been successes for the drive-in and continue on. They also sell Skyview t-shirts, hoodies, hats and lanyards at the concession stand.

“When we purchased the drive-in, the Skyview was the last drive-in in our county and one of only two theatres operating in Greene County. Now the Skyview Drive-In is the only theatre in Greene County. Watching the movies under the stars with your family and/or friends is an experience most will not forget,” Liz shares. “We keep the drive-in open so everyone that wants to experience it can. It’s the nostalgia of an almost forgotten time period when family togetherness was most important.”

For Todd Tamanend Clark, going to the drive-in is still an experience he remembers fondly. He recalls watching a movie at the Skyview for the first time at a young age, ”I first attended the Skyview Drive-In in Carmichaels at the age of five in August 1957.” He remembers watching a lot of classic monster movies there, including The Fly (1958), The Blob (1958), House on Haunted Hill (1958), The Lost World (1960) and many more.

The Waynesburg Drive-in opened on June 29, 1950 with a showing of the Boy from Indiana, starring Lon McAllister. It sat on a little more than nine acres, held 300 cars and featured one screen. At the time of its opening, it was owned by Louis Stuler and Durwood Coe. At one point it was owned by Stuler and Wilson. Sometime in the 1970s, it was a Cinemette theater. Ohio Movies, Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pa sold the drive in to Levine Iron and Metal Co., located in West Waynesburg, on June 26, 1979 for $50,000. It was located in West Waynesburg Roy Furman Highway (formerly Rogersville Road) and was about one mile from the courthouse. A handful of years later, it closed.

It’s much harder to find information and pictures on the Waynesburg Drive-In, but we were able to talk with Bryan Hixenbaugh, who worked there for a few years in the mid-to-late 70s and others shared their memories of the theater on Facebook. Bryan spent three summers during high school working as an usher at the drive-in. “I was an usher,” Bryan writes. “I got to watch free moves, made sure people were parked right, speakers working, and came back in morning to clean the grounds, some of the stuff you would find!” Bryan also shared a story about typical drive-in mischief when applying for a job there, ”We snuck in, in the trunk of a car, the night we applied for the job.”

Joyce Phillips shares, “I remember when we had our own drive-in right here in Waynesburg and we would go right before dark.” She adds, “While we waited they had a small play area and we got to go play.” Joyce also remembers heading into West Virginia to see movies at the Blue Horizon Drive-In in Morgantown.

Dewey Litten remembers that Waynesburg Drive-In had a “fog propeller they would turn on when it got foggy because of the creek nearby.”

Southwestern Pennsylvania is lucky because, within a two hour drive, there are approximately 10 drive-ins open and still showing movies: the Skyview (Carmichaels, Pa), Brownsville Drive-in (Brownsville, Pa), Comet Drive In (Connellsville, Pa); the Evergreen (Mt. Pleasant, PA), the Dependable (Moon, Pa), Riverside (Vandergrift, Pa), the Sunset (Shinnston, WV), Hilltop (Chester, WV), and the Palace Gardens (Indiana, Pa). There are even more just outside the limit of that two-hour drive. Most of these drive-ins play new features, but some of them offer classic films, film festivals, special events and more, like the nearly film-exclusive Mahoning Drive-in in Lehighton, PA. What makes the Skyview special is that since its opening in 1948, it has continuously operated without closing down, something many drive-ins can’t claim.

Currently, many drive-ins are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But what better way to watch a movie while maintaining the necessary social distancing than sitting in the comfort of your own car, dressed for comfort, and watching a great flick? So support your local drive-in and keep the tradition alive!

If you have any additional information or pictures about the Waynesburg Drive-In or Skyview Drive-in, please give us a call 724-627-2040, email Danielle@directresults.us, or send us a message on Facebook.

Published in June 2020 GreeneScene Magazine.