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Division Director George Griffith Jnr.
begged to differ. He headed a syndicate
which built the first drive-in at
Burwood, based along the lines of its
North American cousins.
Roc Kirby, operator of the
Melbourne suburban Kirby Theatres
circuit founded by his father George,
was one of many eyes watching
developments at Skyline Burwood.
The accountants for Kirby Theatres
were Bill Spencer and Ted Alexander.
Bill Spencer, who owned land on
Whitehorse Road Croydon, asked Roc
what he knew about drive-in theatres.
Roc replied that he knew all about
them, and that they should build one on
the land at Croydon. Whilst it was true
that Roc knew something of drive-ins,
Birth of the Drive-In he acquired all the additional
knowledge required very quickly.
Hugh Wallis, a refrigeration
By David Kilderry mechanic and operator of a small
Adelaide cinema circuit, experienced
It is generally acknowledged that Hollingshead by this time had all the excitement of Skyline Burwood
the drive-in theatre was born on the returned to the auto parts business. He on a trip to Melbourne and decided that
night of June 6, 1933 in Camden, New died in relative obscurity, comfortable he could build one in Adelaide.
Jersey USA, and that its inventor was at least in his own mind about what he
Construction commenced at a site in
Richard M. Hollingshead Jnr. had achieved.
West Beach and in a short time his
Decades beforehand, many outdoor The drive-ins built across the US in drive-in was achieving the success of
cinemas existed in both the USA and the 1930s struggled due to the lack of a Burwood.
Australia. These venues were popular suitable sound system. The sound was
In Western Australia the Highway
in beach resort areas and remote either blasted from a single large
at Bentley and Skyline Floreat Park
locations, a simple solution to the speaker from atop the screen tower or
led the charge in 1955, but they were
problem of a scarcity of buildings large from several speakers located across the
pipped at the post by an outdoor
enough to hold audiences clamouring drive-in field; some were even located
cinema at Rolleystone that
for the cinematograph. beneath the car and the sound vibrated
accommodated 65 cars. Before that the
Some of these outdoor theatres up through the floorboards! Anyone small seaside resort of Dunsborough
reportedly included car within a mile or so complained bitterly boasted horse and carts lined up
accommodation, so it would be naive to of noise escaping from the field. It was amongst the Ford model T's in front of
suggest that the first patrons to ever not until RCA developed the in-car a large calico screen, way back in the
view a film from a car were in New speaker in the 1940s that the solution 1930s.
Jersey on that June night. was found.
Tasmania’s first drive-in, at Elwick
Hollingshead does deserve the At the end of World War 2 all the in Hobart, was built in the middle of a
credit however for developing the elements were in place for a drive-in racetrack! Projection and sound were
concept of the drive-in as we know it. explosion. By 1958 5,000 drive-in installed by Westrex.
He filed a patent for his invention, but theatres had been built in North Queensland boasted an excellent
it was determined that there was America.
climate for the drive-in experience.
nothing new in what he had developed Sir Norman Rydge, the Managing
Amongst the first to open was
except for the formed gravel mound Director of one of Australia’s two giant
Capalaba, equipped by RCA. Westrex
known as the ramp, the design of which theatre circuits - Greater Union -
and RCA were two of the companies
enabled the viewers' vehicles to point commented in 1949 that drive-ins
providing the specialised drive-in
upward towards the giant screen. would not be successful in Australia.
equipment required by drive-in theatres.
The screen was placed high upon a As far as he and Ernest Turnbull, the Expansion into NSW was delayed
screen tower in order that several Managing Director of Twentieth by the lack of suitable local planning
hundred cars could view it, rather than Century Fox and the head of Hoyts in laws. When drive-in regulations were
just those in the front row. Australia, were concerned, there was no finally passed, their strict and costly
Decades of court battles dogged need for the expense of a new theatre requirements ensured that NSW would
Hollingshead as he fought to enforce circuit. Television was still years away lag behind the growth in other states.
the novel aspect of his idea, and receive and the hundreds of theatres in the Reports of clouds of dust stirred up
royalties from new drive-in operators. country controlled by the majors by vehicles at Burwood and at other
Ultimately, a court ruled that a pile of produced big profits. early drive-ins clearly influenced the
dirt could not be the subject of a patent. In Victoria Hoyts’ Southern

8 2007 CINEMARECORD