It's just before 8:30 p.m. on Friday and carloads of people wait in anticipation at 14th Avenue and Lacey Boulevard for Jeremy Smith to roll back the chain-link fence that stands between them and one of the last operating drive-in theaters in California.

Smith is the on-site manager of the Kings Drive-In, which has hosted thousands of patrons since the late 1940s when films like "Joan of Arc" and "Mighty Joe Young" were shown on the theater's single screen.

Over the decades those classic films have given way to newer, action-packed family films such as "G-Force" and "Aliens in the Attic," but the experience of watching a movie under the stars has stayed the same.

"A lot of people are just going to the drive-in because there's no experience quite like it," said the theater's owner, Tom Graff. "You can smoke, you can change your baby's diapers and you can go in your jammies."

Like other remaining drive-in movie theaters across the country, the Kings Drive-In has experienced a renaissance over the last four to five years, said Graff, who has owned the theater since 1978.

Most recently he said the theater has seen a 30 to 40 percent increase over last year -- which may have something to do with the admission price of $8 per carload of six -- a bargain for those affected by the recession.

"It's much more reasonable for those people who can't afford to go to the indoor [theater]," Graff said.

Patrons like Juan Rodriguez of Lemoore come to the drive-in monthly because it's $50 less than taking his family of five to a multiplex, and they get to see two movies.

"It's way cheaper and we get to bring our own popcorn and drinks," he said.

But Rodriguez and his wife, Sonia, also get a thrill out of seeing their three children snuggled with pillows and blankets in the back of their truck -- an experience they remember from their childhood.

"I remember coming with my family when I was young and doing the same thing," said Sonia watching her children settle in before "G-Force" began on Aug. 21.

Not only are more people like the Rodriguez family visiting the theater from within Kings County, Smith said more are coming from as far as Bakersfield and Fresno.

"They lost their drive-ins and they don't want us to close down," he said.

History of the Kings Drive-In

Graff estimates that the Kings Drive-In was built in the late 1940s as thousands of soldiers returned home from World War II and began what would become known as the baby boom.

"I can't actually find out [exactly] when," he said. "I've called the building department and they seem to be in a blue haze over it."

According to the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association, the first drive-in theater was invented in New Jersey in 1936, but the trend didn't fully catch on until after World War II, because of the scarcity of metal and rubber used for tires.

Following World War II, thousands of drive-in theaters were erected throughout the United States, reaching a peak of 4,063 nationwide in 1958.

Graff is the third owner of the Kings Drive-In, which is one of only 18 drive-ins that continue to operate in California out of only 383 that remain nationwide, according to the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association.

He purchased it from the late George Peterson, who enlarged the screen from 60- to 100-feet-wide while he owned the drive-in -- making it the largest screen in California, according to Graff.

Peterson died several years ago, but interestingly enough remains close to the drive-in from his burial plot in the Grangeville cemetery.

"He's buried as close to the drive-in as you can get," Graff said.

At the time Graff purchased the drive-in in 1978, he co-owned several theaters throughout California in Carmel, Salinas and Turlock.

But he struck out on his own for the first time when he purchased the Kings Drive-In.

Within a few months he got rid of the traditional drive-in speakers that could be hung from car windows. Instead he purchased a short-range transmitter and began broadcasting the sound for the films over 91.1 FM.

"The drive-in speakers are the poorest you can possibly get," he said. "So the lousiest car radio in the world is infinitely superior to the best drive-in speaker."

Other than the speakers, not much has changed.

They continue to show second-run films from the looming 100-foot-screen, which are run from two large projectors housed in the same building where the snack bar sits.

Keeping the nostalgia alive

Smith has worked at the Kings Drive-In since 1989 when he was still in high school and worked alongside his father, Michael.

He now lives in a house at the front of the theater and admits that keeping the theater going hasn't always been easy.

Maintaining the sound and projection system has been one struggle.

"I've had to improvise a lot on the machines and the sound system just to keep them working," Smith said.

Keeping profit margins at an acceptable level has been another.

They've increased their prices by $2 per carload since 2007 when they increased prices from $6 to $8.

Smith said they see 100 to 150 cars on Fridays and Saturdays but attendance dwindles to as low as eight cars by the middle of each week.

Graff said they've had repeated offers to buy the land for as much as $2.5 million, since it sits at a heavily traveled intersection.

"We have somebody come by practically every month that wants to buy the drive-in, but we have refused to sell so far; for just sentimental reasons I guess," he said.

Graff, 81, still maintains control over which second-run movies are shown and attempts to choose those that have successfully opened in major theaters.

"We have that advantage ... if it opens nationally and bombs, then you don't have to play it," he said. "So you just play whatever's popular."

Every Friday the movies are changed and films are typically shown two to three weeks after their national release. "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" is now showing as the main film, followed by "Aliens in the Attic."

The theater is open from March through October, closing from November through February because of fog.

"We can stay open when it rains, we can stay open when it's cold but when it's foggy, there is no point because you can't see the screen," Graff said.

The future of the drive-in remains to be seen, but Hanford residents like Judy Staley hope it will continue for many years.

"I want to be able to take my kids and grandkids one day," she said. "It's just one of those fun things that you don't want to go by the wayside."

Both Graff and Smith would like to see the Kings Drive-In continue to serve as an inexpensive source of entertainment for years to come.

"I have an emotional attachment to it, otherwise it would have been sold," Graff said. "We will sell eventually ... I'm 81, so I can't keep it forever."

This reporter can be reached at 583-2427.

(Aug. 30, 2009)