The First Drive-In Theater

The First Drive-In Theater: The Story of Its Creation and the Woman Behind It

This post is copied from, or based on, the writings of Rick Grenda in his Facebook Group, About South Jersey.

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More than 100 years ago, an article appeared on the last page of the Courier-Post, announcing the construction of a revolutionary outdoor movie venue — the Drive-In Theater. Just two days earlier, the U.S. Patent Office had approved Richard M. Hollingshead Jr.’s invention. To protect against potential patent infringement, the entire project had been kept secret until that moment.

Hollingshead had already secured a plot of land on the north side of the newly named Admiral Wilson Boulevard. Once his patent was granted, he rushed to complete the project. But why would the wealthy general manager of the successful R. M. Hollingshead Chemical Co. enter the theater business? The answer: his mother, Emma.

Emma Hollingshead was a large woman who loved going to the movies but found traditional theater seating uncomfortable and restrictive. Determined to solve this problem, her son began experimenting with outdoor movie viewing. In the driveway of their Riverton home, he placed a movie projector on the hood of his car and used bedsheets attached to trees as a makeshift screen. These early trials led to his groundbreaking idea — a theater where people could watch movies from the comfort of their own cars. He even used this convenience as a key selling point in early advertisements.

When it came time to name his creation, Hollingshead considered “Automobile Movie Theater” (too long) and “Park-In Theater” before settling on “Drive-In Theater.” The world’s first Drive-In Theater officially opened on June 6, 1933. Initially, it gained attention as a novelty, but it quickly ran into challenges.

The theater used state-of-the-art RCA speakers mounted around the screen, requiring patrons to keep their car windows open — an invitation for mosquitoes from the nearby Cooper River swamps. The sound quality was poor, with noticeable delays for those in the back rows. It would take several more years for window-mounted speakers to be developed. The picture quality was also limited by the technology of the time, and weather conditions like rain, fog, and even bright moonlight could interfere with visibility.

Another major challenge came from movie distributors, who viewed the Drive-In as a competitor to traditional theaters. They prioritized established theater chains when releasing new films, making it difficult for Hollingshead to secure top-tier movies. On top of all this, the theater debuted in the middle of the Great Depression, making financial success even harder to achieve.

Despite its innovation, Hollingshead’s Drive-In Theater closed after just three seasons, operating for only 14 months in total. The idea was ahead of its time. However, after World War II, improvements in technology and infrastructure helped the concept gain widespread popularity. By the 1950s, Drive-In Theaters had become a cultural phenomenon, with over 4,000 in operation across the United States.