06/06/2022
Happy National Drive In Movie Day! If you live near Baltimore but haven't gotten to experience Bengies Drive In Movie Theater yet, cancel your plans tonight and check them out!!
SPECIAL SHOWING
DouBBle Feature
June 6, 1956, was the day the Bengies first opened. We are excited to celebrate our 66th year of continuous operation and to be one of the 11 Drive-In Theatres featured in “BACK TO THE DRIVE-IN”!
June 6 is also National Drive-In Movie Day. Richard Hillingshead Jr. opened the first drive-in movie theatre in Camden, New Jersey, in 1932. The drive-in was created for seniors who found it hard to sit in indoor movie theaters comfortably. He made a small drive-in theater for his mom in his driveway and placed a big screen in his backyard with a Kodak projector on his car. Later, in 1932, he used the same technique to open his first patented drive-in theatre. It had a parking space for 400 cars. The goal was to cater to the entire family in the open air. The first movie played in the theatre was the popular British Comedy “Wife Beware.”
We have a great DouBBle Feature in store for you! We encourage “GREASE” themed costumes!
7:30 PM - Box Office Opens
8:45 PM - “BACK TO THE DRIVE-IN” - (Drive-Ins Only Advance Screening)
Synopsis:
When the pandemic hit, drive-ins were suddenly the only safe venue in town, with press coverage about how drive-ins are “back,” and how they are thriving.
But this documentary goes behind the headlines to learn the truth, spending a whole night with 11 very different drive-ins in 8 states all over the country, from preparations before the customers arrive, to selling tickets, opening the snack bar, and getting the movie on screen, we discover these family-owned businesses are actually struggling to survive.
This doc is about authentic drive-ins and the passionate people who run them, but more broadly, it highlights questions about the future of the theatrical experience and the challenges of many small businesses wondering whether they will survive and make it to the other side of the pandemic.
9:30 PM - Box Office Closes
Must be in by 9:30 - “GREASE” (1978) PG