Rebuilding History

By Liv Stecker

 

The first drive-in movie theater in the United States was opened in 1933 in New Jersey, setting off a nationwide trend that peaked in the 1950s and 60s as whole families trundled into double features and teenagers found the perfect date in the privacy of their own cars. More than 4000 drive in theaters were in operation during the heyday, until the 1970s oil crisis hit, along with the evolution of home entertainment, as television became colorized and Video Cassette Recorders were invented. Suddenly families could watch feature films on their own couches at their whim. In addition to these technological advances, a new concept called Daylight Savings Time was introduced, adopted globally, and dusk got moved back an hour, making show times later and less family friendly.  Theaters everywhere felt the sting.

 

Drive in theaters across America began to decline through the 1980s until a small resurgence in the 90s gave them a mini-comeback. It was nothing like the glory days however, and by 2013, there were less than 400 drive in theaters still operating in the United States. 

 

One of these artifacts was nestled among the gentle swells of the Colville Valley, right between Colville and Kettle Falls. Opening in May of 1953, the Auto-Vue Drive In drew audiences from over Sherman Pass, up and down the river and out of Canada for all of the hit movies. The Auto-Vue enjoyed perpetual success until VCRs and cable TV began to eat their way into the revenue, and a trip to the drive in became an infrequent luxury for rural families. 

 

Hanging on through the summers, the Auto-Vue was a nostalgic tradition for many local people that was shared by generations. Not without mishap, mind you, as anyone who grew up going to Auto-Vue can tell a story about a time that the sound got out of sync with the picture, or the picture gave out all together, or any other number of memorable technological misfortunes. But they always came back for more, cramming bodies in for the carload nights on Sundays and hoping for the best. 

 

In April of 1974, the Auto-Vue was purchased by Earl Wisner. He and his son Steve owned and managed it until Earl passed away. Picking up the torch, Steve has preserved on. Steve began working at the drive in at 16 years old and is still the energy behind the business. Years of working with local teenagers as the staff, Steve says: “It’s kind of like teaching Junior High for 30 years.” He laughs. “I am ready for a break.” Most of his work now is behind the scenes, instead of doling out popcorn and sodas. 

 

In recent years, changes in technology have made it more difficult to get newly released films for the old 35MM filmprojection equipment that has always run at the Auto-Vue.A full upgrade to digital operations would cost in the area of $92,000 to accomplish, which is only slightly less than the cost of a replacement for the weather worn and not-long-for-this-world screen that tottered precariously during the last drive in season. 

 

The cost of these improvements meant only one thing to Steve Wisner: having recently invested a massive amount to digitize the walk in Alpine Theater in Colville, there was no way to cover the expense of upgrading the drive in. He announced the impending closure to the community and was met with an immediate outcry. Local residents couldn’t stand to see the end of an icon of their collective childhood. Fundraisers were held and donations were gathered through an online site, and Wisner new the story of the Auto-Vue wasn’t over yet. 

 

With a little help from his friends, a bit of crowd funding, and some resourcefulness, Wisner has found a way to keep the Auto-Vue alive. Using funds donated by local residents intent on keeping the drive in open, the theater was able to salvage an all steel screen from a Soap Lake drive in that closed 30 years ago. Wisner and local builder Bob Trudell reconstructed it piece by piece, assembling the steel reinforced ribs and new foundation for maximum protection from wind damage and long-term weather exposure. It’s a major upgrade from the old screen that was constructed from cedar. 

 

The formidable price tag of the switch to digital projection technology puts that project a little further out, and while Wisner says the occasional new release movie comes out in the old 35MM format, for the most part the theater is reliant upon recently released Blu-ray and DVDs for showing purposes. It’s not the optimum arrangement, Steve admits, “it would be better if we had the new releases in the theaters. That’s what the people want to see.” He says. But for now, it’s the best way to get your good old-fashioned drive in fix around. 

 

The Auto-Vue Theater reopened to the public for the July 4th weekend, and presents a new double feature every weekend. It is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday night,tickets cost $5.00 for adults and $1 for kids 11 and under. Sunday nights are still $10 for a car load, although now-a-days it is recommended to observe current seat belt laws when arranging car loads. The box office opens at 8:00 PM and the movies begin at dark. Sound is played through the FM radio of your car. 

 

The Auto-Vue drive in is a piece of local and nationalhistory that represents a bygone era of family outings and shared community adventures. The kick-start that local fundraising efforts gave the drive in is a token of that ideal that still lives. In the spirit of barn-raisings and grange potlucks, there’s a sense that anything can be accomplished if everybody pitches in – even keeping a drive in theater open.  If you would like to help with the continued evolution of the Auto –Vue Drive In, donations can be made at http://www.gofundme.com/3nx3fs . There’s still a long way to go before the theater is all the way up to speed, but it’s still here, and like the rest of the community, it moves at it’s own speed.