It ain't like it used to be at the drive-in theatre
Fewer rowdy teenagers and a lot more kids at the drive-in lot in 1982
The drive-in movie theatre had evidently lost some of its edge by the time the 1980s rolled around.
As of the summer of 1982, reporter Dana Karkheck explained to CBC viewers that "people actually come to watch the movie," as opposed to being there for... other pursuits.
But there were still lots of kids going to to the show — actual children, whose baby boomer parents were bringing them there.
Hence the playground equipment seen at the highway-adjacent, Toronto-area drive-in that Karkheck visited for his report.
No more window-mounted speakers
It wasn't just the audience that was changing back then, but also the audience experience.
Instead of having to mount a chunky speaker on their car window, as in the past, moviegoers merely had to connect a wire to their car antenna to enjoy the movie.
But Karkheck predicted that even this more convenient setup would not stave off the eventual demise of the drive-in.
"The land they're on is worth big bucks and operators are only too eager, they say, to sell to developers," he said.
