Chris Utley… I realize that this is a relaxed forum… But posting a link to Facebook and what is generally considered to be a historical collage of bits and pieces is not considered to be an archive… The reference doesn’t have to be parenthetical but it does have to have some element of reference to the topic. Many have honed in on “2001 A Space Odyssey” it was released around April of 1968… Which would’ve certainly shone up in the drive-ins by August of that same year.
I assume when you say that there are tons of references to the Thunderbird Drive-In… You must mean in the terms of coming from “bizarro world” (a Superman reference) in which there is absolutely zero gravity in weight of references to the Thunderbird Drive-In… Or perhaps this is opposite day… When up is down… And left his right… Unless your link has been redacted or altered in some way there is absolutely no reference to the Thunderbird Drive-In… That I can see with my physical eyes… Perhaps I should try transcendental meditation… or soul travel… Or should I look with a divining rod… Or perhaps a seeing-eye dog…umm how about carbon dating….
Not that you protest too much… your initial review is dank and does not reflect a factual overview of the history and community of the Thunderbird Drive-In. Your comments have been reviewed by those who lived in (at the time) the newly constructed white brick apartments to the east of the screen.
The Yiddish film industry, addressing your schlocky, evil, nuisance reference, was far better known for the exploitation of the island descends of the West European North Atlantic. Immigrant American females indigenous to the northern islands a.k.a. the Irish and Scottish and British immigrant females were far more exploited sexually than any other immigrant group arriving in the Americas. The entire sexual exploitation industry was built on the backs of these young and middle-aged females. The point here is that in the 1960s and 1970s families who live in the area of the Thunderbird Drive-In had to pull their blinds and entertain their children with age appropriate activities before sending them to bed and school. The novelty of applying the same theme to Americans of Continental African descent and was short-lived and produced very few movies. The point here is that the prior demographic had its own phonographic, poorly produced, shoddily directed, celluloid abominations that solidified the theme of evil among this group. The volume of schlocky produced movies was not numerous enough to support two seasons at eight months each to supply daily drive-in theater viewing. It is well accepted that each group sees its own people in their best light even when they are evil as perceived by others. Think of the Original Americans and the nonindigenous American treaties for an example of how the truth is written and how it is perceived. The treaties still exist and can be reviewed. The same can be said for the Palestinian plight here in 2009.
The residents and parents of the apartment building differ with your perception and openly admit that during the last days movies were shown that supplied hope, virtue, and nobility and they could sit outside and watch the screen with the children. These parents now range in age between 50 and 75 and I am in contact with them. They do admit that the Thunderbird drive-in was in heavy rotation with the types and the themes of the movies were being displayed in an effort to attract business. They also say that during this time the Goody-Goody had shut down for a complete restoration before it reopened.
Morals and dogma are often viewed from philosophical perspectives… is quite possible that a few of the Thunderbird Drive-In management decisions were reflective of the incoming fight against the VCR in Betamax and later VHS and reflective of the changing technology that was all the rage for its convenience with the new incoming demographic.
During much of the time of this transition I was living in Petah Tikva, Israel and later Hong Kong/Kowloon teaching programming to the natives, but I am from St. Louis and can rely on these live-in sources as to the view of the last days of the Thunderbird Drive-In from their windows.
The Thunderbird Drive-In provided a wonderful family atmosphere for many years including those just before closing. The last movies that were shown there were Star Wars, Close Encounters, Smokey and the Bandit, Annie Hall, The Kentucky Fried Movie, Saturday Night Fever, The Spy Who Loved Me, and The Rescuers just to name a few.
Many years prior to the closing we were entertained with movie hits like Doctor Zhivago, Thunder Ball, The Bible, 2001 Space Odyssey, You Only Live Twice, The Dirty Dozen, To Sir with Love, Funny Girl, Bullitt, The Odd Couple, Valley of the Dolls, The Aristocrats, Airport … then of course there was the occasional R-rated movie… that exploited women of european descent, but this was a rare feature and shown only as the last movie.
The Thunderbird drive-in was located on the border of St. Louis City and St. Louis County, in an offstreet location that is accurately described as an industrial park. Much of the entertainment industry had a business somewhere near this location along Natural Bridge and up into Normandy. I recall a filling station being across from the Goody-Goody Restaurant, and a Dance Club slightly down and across the street. General Motors and the Corvette plant were two blocks away inside St. Louis city limits and many families connected to the General Motors plant were patrons of the Thunderbird drive-in.
I also recall when they constructed some new white brick apartments across from the Thunderbird drive-in some of the children and their visiting relatives told me that when the parents went to sleep… they would sneak out the window using lawn chairs (on the first level), run across the street and turn up the speakers in their pj’s, while aiming them at the new apartment complex. They would then climb back in the window and place lawn chairs on their bed, get snacks from the refrigerator and watch 2001 Space Odyssey and features like this. Good wholesome fun…
I seem to recall that they had a playground in the left rear corner for some time. The theater house itself was always clean and well-maintained, I recall my dates telling me that they like the restroom at the Thunderbird Drive-In.
Chris Utley… I realize that this is a relaxed forum… But posting a link to Facebook and what is generally considered to be a historical collage of bits and pieces is not considered to be an archive… The reference doesn’t have to be parenthetical but it does have to have some element of reference to the topic. Many have honed in on “2001 A Space Odyssey” it was released around April of 1968… Which would’ve certainly shone up in the drive-ins by August of that same year.
I assume when you say that there are tons of references to the Thunderbird Drive-In… You must mean in the terms of coming from “bizarro world” (a Superman reference) in which there is absolutely zero gravity in weight of references to the Thunderbird Drive-In… Or perhaps this is opposite day… When up is down… And left his right… Unless your link has been redacted or altered in some way there is absolutely no reference to the Thunderbird Drive-In… That I can see with my physical eyes… Perhaps I should try transcendental meditation… or soul travel… Or should I look with a divining rod… Or perhaps a seeing-eye dog…umm how about carbon dating….
Not that you protest too much… your initial review is dank and does not reflect a factual overview of the history and community of the Thunderbird Drive-In. Your comments have been reviewed by those who lived in (at the time) the newly constructed white brick apartments to the east of the screen.
The Yiddish film industry, addressing your schlocky, evil, nuisance reference, was far better known for the exploitation of the island descends of the West European North Atlantic. Immigrant American females indigenous to the northern islands a.k.a. the Irish and Scottish and British immigrant females were far more exploited sexually than any other immigrant group arriving in the Americas. The entire sexual exploitation industry was built on the backs of these young and middle-aged females. The point here is that in the 1960s and 1970s families who live in the area of the Thunderbird Drive-In had to pull their blinds and entertain their children with age appropriate activities before sending them to bed and school. The novelty of applying the same theme to Americans of Continental African descent and was short-lived and produced very few movies. The point here is that the prior demographic had its own phonographic, poorly produced, shoddily directed, celluloid abominations that solidified the theme of evil among this group. The volume of schlocky produced movies was not numerous enough to support two seasons at eight months each to supply daily drive-in theater viewing. It is well accepted that each group sees its own people in their best light even when they are evil as perceived by others. Think of the Original Americans and the nonindigenous American treaties for an example of how the truth is written and how it is perceived. The treaties still exist and can be reviewed. The same can be said for the Palestinian plight here in 2009.
The residents and parents of the apartment building differ with your perception and openly admit that during the last days movies were shown that supplied hope, virtue, and nobility and they could sit outside and watch the screen with the children. These parents now range in age between 50 and 75 and I am in contact with them. They do admit that the Thunderbird drive-in was in heavy rotation with the types and the themes of the movies were being displayed in an effort to attract business. They also say that during this time the Goody-Goody had shut down for a complete restoration before it reopened.
Morals and dogma are often viewed from philosophical perspectives… is quite possible that a few of the Thunderbird Drive-In management decisions were reflective of the incoming fight against the VCR in Betamax and later VHS and reflective of the changing technology that was all the rage for its convenience with the new incoming demographic.
During much of the time of this transition I was living in Petah Tikva, Israel and later Hong Kong/Kowloon teaching programming to the natives, but I am from St. Louis and can rely on these live-in sources as to the view of the last days of the Thunderbird Drive-In from their windows.
The Thunderbird Drive-In provided a wonderful family atmosphere for many years including those just before closing. The last movies that were shown there were Star Wars, Close Encounters, Smokey and the Bandit, Annie Hall, The Kentucky Fried Movie, Saturday Night Fever, The Spy Who Loved Me, and The Rescuers just to name a few.
Many years prior to the closing we were entertained with movie hits like Doctor Zhivago, Thunder Ball, The Bible, 2001 Space Odyssey, You Only Live Twice, The Dirty Dozen, To Sir with Love, Funny Girl, Bullitt, The Odd Couple, Valley of the Dolls, The Aristocrats, Airport … then of course there was the occasional R-rated movie… that exploited women of european descent, but this was a rare feature and shown only as the last movie.
The Thunderbird drive-in was located on the border of St. Louis City and St. Louis County, in an offstreet location that is accurately described as an industrial park. Much of the entertainment industry had a business somewhere near this location along Natural Bridge and up into Normandy. I recall a filling station being across from the Goody-Goody Restaurant, and a Dance Club slightly down and across the street. General Motors and the Corvette plant were two blocks away inside St. Louis city limits and many families connected to the General Motors plant were patrons of the Thunderbird drive-in.
I also recall when they constructed some new white brick apartments across from the Thunderbird drive-in some of the children and their visiting relatives told me that when the parents went to sleep… they would sneak out the window using lawn chairs (on the first level), run across the street and turn up the speakers in their pj’s, while aiming them at the new apartment complex. They would then climb back in the window and place lawn chairs on their bed, get snacks from the refrigerator and watch 2001 Space Odyssey and features like this. Good wholesome fun…
I seem to recall that they had a playground in the left rear corner for some time. The theater house itself was always clean and well-maintained, I recall my dates telling me that they like the restroom at the Thunderbird Drive-In.