Restored Drive-In Movie Speakers Are A Blast From The Past
If you're lucky enough to live near a drive in movie theater then you know that in order to hear the movie you have to turn on your car radio. It didn't used to be that way. At one point in time (decades ago) you'd pull up next to a post with 2 speakers on it, turn off the ignition and prop one of the speakers on your window "sill" and enjoy the flick.
Now drive-in movie speakers are somewhat collectible. Here's how my aunt and uncle found and restored a pair of vintage drive-in movie speakers and hanging post to go with all of the other 50's & 60's decor in their totally awesome (can't believe I said that) retro room collectibles.
We've taken our kids to The Big Mo on a couple of occasions and had a blast. The Big Mo' Drive-In is near Columbia, SC (Monetta) in the middle of thousands upon thousands of acres of peach trees. Personally, I would rather have the drive-in speakers for sound rather than tuning in to the broadcast signal for the car radio. You don't have to worry about draining your car battery if you're listening to the movie speakers and everyone tends to stay in the car, whereas with the car radio option people find themselves sitting in a lawn chair just outside of the car. You decide which you'd like more, speakers or the car radio.
Where Can I Get A Pair of Drive-In Movie Speakers
Here's the scoop on Uncle Bob's drive-in movie speakers from the man himself:
The speakers are original ones (Mark II) that we restored. We purchased them at yard sales and flea markets. They were probably used in our local Valley Drive-In Theater in Newark during the 50's and 60's. We found most of the original parts (speakers, wiring and knobs) available on the internet for the restoration. Can't remember all the costs but these are not expensive to find or restore.
There you have it...everything you need to know to have your very own drive-in movie speakers in your home retro room.
Related
More great stuff about drive-in's on The Fun Times Guide
Take a step back in time by taking a virtual tour of Uncle Bob's retro room. Go to the bottom of the page for all of the links to the cool 50's & 60's decor.
I have all the parts for many of drive in movie speakers also complete sets as well. call 1-772-408-6838 ask for Curt.
Dear curious,
I've had to contact my uncle regarding your inquiry about the drive-in speaker parts and here is his response for you:
I had to do some digging on this one.......since it was two years ago that the speakers were worked on. Anyway the company was SPECO at 800.633.5913 e mail: info@speco-usa.com. They seemed to have a good inventory of parts, but you need to know exactly what model of speaker you have since they have parts for many brands and models.
well i sure would be interested on where you found the parts (volume knobs / dial / internals?
i have a set i just aquired and want to restore them.
Heck, I didn't even know they did away with the door speakers!! Guess it's been a while!!
Bob's Sister