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The giant Metro Twin Clayton, for much of its life the biggest and best trading Drive-in in Victoria.

            There were few other all-family    After a 50-year journey that    drive-in not only provided filmed
          activities that did not involve sitting  included converted halls and live  entertainment and food, but other
          around the TV. The new outdoor    theatres, spartan silent picture houses,  distractions like playgrounds,
          screens were massive, each car had an  wondrous palaces and the expansion of  jukeboxes, trains, pools, ponies and go
          individual speaker with a volume  the suburban hardtops, the business had  karts. These other amusements ensured
          control and some offered car-hop  once again found that pictures screened  families arrived early, so there was a
          service direct to your car by signalling  outdoors was where the money lay. The  greater chance that the evening meal
          with a switch on the top of your  era of the drive-in had arrived.   would be bought and eaten at the drive-
          speaker. The order would be taken and  Drive-ins catered very much to the  in restaurant or café.
          the food brought directly to the car. On  family and were in tune with the  Early drive-in food offerings were
          warm nights families sat on outdoor  expanding home and car ownership of  much more elaborate than what we had
          chairs next to their car or up on the  the average Australian. They  experienced before or since. Chefs
          lawn under the screen. It did not matter  spearheaded the trend of informality at  would arrive mid-afternoon to prepare
          if the baby cried or the chip packet  the pictures as patrons discarded their  delights ranging from steak and kidney
          rustled.                          hats and suits and the kids even wore  pie to prawn cutlets and Pluto pups
            Many Australians still smoked, and  their pyjamas.                 (known as battered savs in some states).
          this was fine at the drive-in, unlike their  Prices were generally more  Full sit-down steak and fish meals
          indoor cousins where the practice was  affordable than hardtops and drive-ins  were offered, and many larger drive-ins
          banned.                           offered a full program including two  had several food serving areas aside
            Suburbs and towns across Australia  features cartoons, a newsreel and shorts.   from the main cafeteria.
          saw their iconic local cinemas shuttered  The busiest locations repeated their  BBQs were very popular -often
          and demolished, their audiences   program twice on weekends or offered  with a wild-west theme to cash in on
          transferring allegiance to giant-screen  ranch (western themed) nights and  one of the popular early drive-in genres
          picture paddocks on the outskirts.   horror shows at midnight.       of film. You could choose your own
            In many rural areas the new drive-in  Drive-ins were built near vast tracts  steak and have it grilled to your liking
          screen vied with the wheat silo as the  of new homes. Families were looking  at most of the Skyline Drive-ins, then
          tallest structure on the horizon.   for places to go in their cars and the  add salads and scalloped potatoes.

          10  2007 CINEMARECORD
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