As I have a strict rule about not reviewing films here that I haven’t seen theatrically, this will not be a review of Alexander Monelli’s lovely documentary At The Drive-In (though I do highly recommend watching it, particularly before reading this). Rather, this will be, in part, an essay of my own experiences from the past year, and, partially, a years-later addendum to the documentary.
To begin, like many of you, I was getting a little stir-crazy a few months into Covid. Particularly with going to the movies being a huge part of my life, I was eager to get back to seeing things on the big screen and catching up with friends.
Enter The Mahoning Drive-In Theater.
Now, I’d heard of The Mahoning before last June; I’d heard of it before the documentary came out; and I even knew people who attended (and beyond), but there were some psychological hurdles for me to get over. For one, it’s two hours from where I live? That’s a little far for a night-time excursion. For another, people camp there? I was a Boy Scout drop-out; I’m good on camping. And lastly, you know, it’s outside, in the Summertime? Not exactly ideal for my housecat sensibilities.
Fast forward back to June 2020, and I’m so desperate to get back to the movies that I’m quickly starting to bargain all this stuff away: Oh, it’s a two hour drive? Who cares? I’m working from home and I’ve got little else on my social calendar. People camp there? I’ll just go for the evening and drive back after the movies. It’s outside? Great! Outside is better than inside while Covid’s happening.
So, I finally pull the trigger and go to see, of all things, Superman III & IV on 35mm film. Not only that, but, unbeknownst to me before my arrival, I have friends already there in the front row.
So, I go, and I have a great time, because it’s a place for great times. And a few weeks later I book a hotel room in Allentown and go for a weekend, this time for some Bat-mania. And, a few days after that, I go to my first Tunnel Vision Tuesday show (Hard Boiled). And, not even a week later, I’m at my first Sunday night show (Rock ’n’ Roll High School). And on, and on, and on.
A year to the day after my first trip, I’m tired, I barely even know my name, but I know I’m going to be at the drive-in quite a bit this week! Let’s just say it: I’m a full-blown Mahoning junkie.
Now, if you’ve seen the At The Drive-In documentary, you know part of the 2014-onward Mahoning story (a crucial part, no doubt). You know how the theater faced down the threat of no more first-run film prints by leaning into full retro, despite many doubts from many quarters (including the studios providing prints). You know that, not unlike the ending of UHF (oops, spoiler!), they managed to turn a profit that first full retro season and hold onto the business.
But, if that’s all you know, there’s a lot you don’t.
For one, some of the faces you saw in the documentary are no longer there, but many still remain. Jeff is still overseeing (and cutting paychecks[!], as the workforce is no longer all volunteer); Virgil is still the booker and all-around major-domo; Jess is now senior manager (and still the longest-serving employee); Mark (the “drives all the way from New Hampshire” guy) is now general manager; James [aka J.T] is not only still livening things up with his costumes, but also designs and helps build some outstanding photo ops; and superfan-turned-volunteer Rob is now a projectionist.
However, as we know from Dunkirk, sometimes survival itself is victory, but what if I told you that the Mahoning has not only survived since first-run film prints stopped being made, but has thrived? And what if I told you that the pandemic-time actually sowed the seeds to take it to another level?
It’s true. All of it.
I mean, look at my story. You think I’m the only one who finally went to The Mahoning because everything else was shut down during Covid? I can tell you, I was not alone. But not only did the Drive-In get many first-time customers last year, they got first-time event sponsors as well. With indoor conventions/festivals/etc. a no go, entities such as IFC, actor Bruce Campbell, and Monster-Mania held events at The Mahoning in 2020; all of which laid the groundwork for a jumbo-sized weekend in July 2021 with horror host Joe Bob Briggs and all the power of the Shudder network coming to do his show The Last Drive-In from The Mahoning.
But that’s not all! Believe it or not, there’s more than just horror (and sometimes action) at The Mahoning. Since the Drive-In is not a first-run theater (honestly, it’s basically a museum at this point, in the best way possible), they have been allowed access to the notoriously stingy Disney film vaults. They’ve already shown a couple well-known classics this year in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, as well as some darkhorses such as Return to Oz. Personally, I’m holding out hope for a Rocketeer screening.
Finally, in a total 2021 move, The Mahoning started a Patreon (of which I am a Simplex aka top tier member). Not only does it help keep the lights on, but it allows for special opportunities for top-level Patrons to once-a-month see a selection from the theater’s own vast grindhouse collection.
So, come one, come all, to The Mahoning Drive-In Theater, with its giant Cinemascope screen, and still running the original film projectors since it first opened in 1949. Whether you’re a casual movie fan, a 35mm film zealot, or perhaps just a humble parent with some kids, The Mahoning has something for just about everyone.
A year after my first trip, I can hardly imagine life without it.