Not to be hyperbolic, but the movies have always been a holy place for sweet refuge throughout my somewhat turbulent life.
Even though I was a late bloomer on the first-run movies front—mostly because my family barely had the money for important things like groceries, bills and funerals, let alone entertainment—the movies still found me eventually.
The first time I went to the movies was at a birthday party in 1989 to watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. A year later, I moved to Oklahoma City and walked to Penn Square General Cinema nearly every week. It was my engine of imminent survival.
But it wasn’t until several years ago that I had my first drive-in theater experience, as chronicled here. Since that day, I have been a regular at the drive-in during the summer months in Oklahoma City, especially in my single years.
Yeah, a date would start great, sure, but invariably the would-be match would usually go south when they wanted something more from me, like an elongated kiss or full-on necking. Sorry, ladies, but I paid for this movie, and I am going to watch it!
(And you wondered why I stayed single for so long…)
Since my triumvirate of strokes a few years ago, my cinema outings—especially the drive-in—decreased significantly, only going two or three times a year. Could that be my old age slowly creeping up on me?
As I was talking about this dilemma with my wife one day, she told me that she had never been to a drive-in movie. With a mixture of all the theatrical gusto and undeniable disgust that I could manage, I told her to scratch this item off her bucket list because this weekend we would be popping her drive-in cherry.
Of course, we decided on one of the best drive-ins in the country—at least by my estimation—the Winchester Drive-In, 6930 S. Western Ave., with the neon cowboy mascot tipping his flashing ten-gallon hat to all interested parties on Western.
While the gates didn’t open until seven, by the time we got there at around six-thirty, the line of cars was around the block and down the road. Though I was a little miffed, my wife was thrilled about the camaraderie of the drive-in experience.
As the cars and trucks started slowly cruising though the $10 per-person box-office gate, we cautiously slid into the property and, finding the best place to park, settled in the second row, my car’s undercarriage bumping against the uneven pavement.
As my wife was setting up our lawn-chairs, I tuned my portable radio to 100.9 FM, and the pre-show playlist of Beatles and Beach Boys was pitch perfect.
Kids were playing toss near the wide screen, folks around us were setting up their mobile entertainment centers and, without fail, my loyal dog Sean was with us too, making friends with all our parking lot neighbors.
Sitting under the emerging stars as the bright day turned to endless dusk, the movie was going to start soon. As part of her enduring education in Oklahoma customs and mores, I desperately wanted my wife to try the snack bar.
“It’s not ironic at all,” I told her. “Nothing here is.”
As we walked into the snack bar, the line quickly formed. I told her about not only the treats and confections that a proper refreshment counter should have, but the truly Okie foodstuffs like the Winchester’s trademarked, deep-fried, heart-clogging Chicken Tenders Basket ($14.00).
With our movie snacks acquired, we came back to our mesh chairs and, once flopped in, I presented my bride—and, of course, Sean—with the caloric wonders of the Winchester’s snack bar.
The large chicken tenders, about four of them, and, combined with the extra crispy French fries and a side of honey mustard, weren’t too bad. She shared them with Sean, his head lying in her lap.
I had the Footlong Corndog ($8.50) that, though by appearances just a 12-inch wiener in a corn batter coating, was alright… but it left me wanting in comparison to all the other corndogs I have had in my lifetime.
As the natural light faded and the double-feature of Scary Movie (bad) and The Backrooms (good) started, we each had my favorite Mexican drive-in snack, the Churro ($4.00 each) sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and, reportedly (according to the menu) accompanied with a Nutella dipping sauce, although sadly ours arrived without. But nevertheless…
It’s showtime!
The hours slipped by, and with my arm around her shoulder, we sleepily watched the double feature roll to a close.
As we packed up our chairs and headed home, my wife already talking about what we should come back and see next, I realized the Winchester had worked its magic once again. It wasn’t just about introducing her to a drive-in movie—it was about sharing one of those increasingly rare Oklahoma experiences that still feels timeless.
And for a few hours beneath that giant screen and starry sky, everything felt exactly as it should.
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Follow Louis Fowler on Instagram at @louisfowler78.
