19 Classic Photos That Show the Magic of Drive-In Theaters

Long before streaming and reclining seats inside movie theaters, summer nights meant piling into the car, rolling the windows down, and watching a movie under the stars. From classic cars lined up in rows to cuddled-up teenagers enjoying a date night, these vintage photos of drive-in movie theaters give us those warm, fuzzy feelings only nostalgia can dredge up.
1. ‘Waiting in Line to Get Into the Drive-in Theater in the 1970s’

2. A Full House at the Drive-in Theatre in South Bend, Indiana, 1950s

3. Cartoons Showing at a San Francisco Drive-in Theater, 1948

4. Back When It Was Hard To Tell Your Own Car Apart From Your Neighbor’s

5. Movie Theater Food Was Way Better at the Drive-in

6. The Best Views

7. Caught Sneaking In

8. ‘Teenage Girls at the Drive-in Movie, 1957’

9. A Car Hop Taking an Order at the Drive-in

10. A Couple of Lovebirds at a Drive-in Theater, 1961

11. Drive-in Snuggle Sessions

12. A Scenic Utah Drive-in, 1958

13. The Very First Drive-in Theater in Los Angeles, 1935

14. ‘River of No Return’ Playing at a Westbury Drive-in Theater, New York, 1954

15. What a Movie Lineup

16. A Passionate Drive-in Movie Kiss in the Early 1950s

17. Hanging Out at the Drive-in in New Jersey, 1979

18. A 1977 Marquee

19. A Drive-in Theater in the West Virginia Hills, 1950s

Want more vintage content?
Take a look at 15 Vintage Photos Discovered at Yard Sales and Thrift Stores and 29 Vintage Airline Photos That’ll Make You Miss the Good Ol’ Days of Flying for a peek into the past.