Day Trips

Photo by Gerald E. Mcleod

The Last Drive-In Picture Show in Gatesville comes alive as the sun drops below the horizon. On weekend nights, the crowds arriving in minivans and pickup trucks open their tailgates, throw blankets in the back, and settle in for a double feature.

Gene Palmer says that his clientele at the drive-in is about half out-of-towners and half locals. "Gatesville has always been very supportive of the drive-in."

He should know. Palmer started working there as a high school student when the theatre opened in 1950. In 1964, he purchased the outdoor theatre. At one time he also owned the drive-in in Temple, but when it closed he put all of his efforts into the Gatesville theatre.

Palmer is a friendly and unassuming guy who often works at the front gate collecting the $10 per carload. He's not locked in a ticket booth, but walks around talking with the guests. "The funny thing is that when the other drive-ins began closing in the 1980s, our business started to pick up," Palmer says. The old folks come for the nostalgia, and the families come for the inexpensive entertainment that the whole family can enjoy. The teenagers think it is something brand-new.

Among the changes that Palmer has made was adding a small room of theatre seats with a big picture window a few feet from the outdoor screen. "It's the junior high room," he said with a chuckle. On a recent cool spring night, it was full of giggling teenage girls and shy boys. The high school students are parked on the back row. The little kids are with their parents. It's great marketing to give the junior-high teenagers their own space.

This is one of the few drive-in theatres in the county that also has a walk-in movie theatre. A different double feature shows in the 200-seat theatre. Both indoor and outdoor screens are open on weekends throughout the year.

Outside, the cars begin to filter in an hour before showtime. Although the parking lot still has the poles that once held the speakers, the movie's sound comes through a car's FM radio. One family set up a grill, table, and lawn chairs. Many of the little kids came dressed in their pajamas waiting for the first feature to begin.

Drive-ins began in New Jersey in 1933, and the number grew with America's love of the automobile. The Drive-In Short Reel Theatre in Galveston became the third drive-in theatre in America on July 5, 1934. At the industry's peak, there were approximately 4,000 outdoor theatres nationwide, with 388 in Texas. Today, there are 15 drive-in movie theatres in Texas showing family entertainment.

The Last Drive-In Picture Show is at 2912 S. TX 36 south of downtown Gatesville. For information on what's playing, call 254/865-8445 or go to www.drive-ins.com/showing/txtlast. 

1,030th in a series. Collect them all. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of Day Trips 101-200, is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.