In the Fifties the place to show off your Date and your Car was the Drive-in.
                    You also went on a Friday or Saturday night to see who your friends were with.
                    This was the place to see and be seen. It didn't much matter what movie was
                    showing, you just went to hang out. You also were thinking later maybe you
                    could get to "first base" with your date half way through the movie.

                    For those who don't know what a drive-in was like, think of a large gravel and
                    dirt field, usually at the edge of town. At one end is a large screen and a concession
                    stand. You parked your car on a little mound pointed toward the screen. To hear
                    the movie you hung a small metal encased speaker on your car window. The sound
                    quality (if it worked at all) was usually bad. If it rained really hard you had the added
                    thrill of getting stuck in the mud.

          Does today's multi-plex or shopping mall compare to this?
          I don't think so.
In 1948 there were 820 Drive-ins, by 1958 the number had grown to 4,063. All those Drive-ins needed Movies and Hollywood was happy to crank them out. The plots were thin, the acting was bad, the special effects were crude. No one seemed to mind, the movie was only an excuse to be alone in a dark car with your girlfriend. Something to do between "make-out sessions".

Some of the more popular movies were the Sci-Fi and Horror movies, this was the best way to get your date to cling to you. (okay, the secrets out). Below are some movie posters of films that might have played in your area. It's interesting to note that some of the better artwork is from movies that were not very good. Also remember that the posters were in color but most of the films were black and white. Most films played at the drive-ins were NOT big budget items, but like I said, no one cared.

Click on highlighted text to see the the full sized image.
 
 

 
Drive-in Poster File List
Image  File Name  Size
  20-mill  46K    50ftw 63K    7year  33K
  african  38K    asphal  64K    atomic  60K
  bait  78K    beast  93K    busstop  17K
  conquer  64K    crab-mon  46K    dayearth  46K
  devgirl 21K    forbid  59K    gamma  69K
  gentsb  47K    godzil  77K    islande  84K
  married  36K    mole  37K    pill  59K
  rebr  58K    them  63K    xman  61K