Honda Trying To Save A Piece Of Americana
By Jeff Gilbert, CBS Detroit
TORRANCE, Calif. (WWJ) - Honda has launched an effort to save the drive-in theater.
The number of drive-ins has dwindled in recent years. Now, many others are preparing to close because they can’t afford the $75,000 to convert to digital projection.
The new effort is being launched through a web site called Project Drive-In.
“Cars and drive-in theaters go hand-in-hand, and it’s our mission to save this decades-old slice of Americana that holds such nostalgia for so many of us,” said Alicia Jones, Manager of Honda & Acura Social Marketing at American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
Drive-ins first opened in 1933 to mass popularity and reached their peak after World War II during the 1950s and ’60s when there were more than 4,000 across the country.
Jones continued, “We’re committed to helping the remaining drive-in theaters flourish with the move to digital projection.”
Honda is asking people to vote for their favorite drive-in. When the project is over, the company will give five drive-in’s new digital projection equipment.
In addition, a number of Honda dealers will turn their parking lots into temporary drive-in theatres.
Drive in theaters reached their peak of popularity in the 1950′s. They began to dwindle in number in the sixties, to where many metropolitan areas, including Detroit, only have a handful of drive-in theaters today.
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Email: jdgilbert@cbs.com
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Twitter: @jefferygilbert
