Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre

Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre
Interactive map of Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre
LocationOrefield, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates40°38′42.11″N 75°35′40.32″W / 40.6450306°N 75.5945333°W / 40.6450306; -75.5945333
Capacity300 cars
Construction
OpenedApril 15, 1934
Website
www.shankweilers.com

Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre is a single-screen drive-in movie theater located off of PA Route 309 in Orefield, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the oldest operational drive-in theater in the world The four acre theater generally operates during weekends in the colder months, while playing films seven days per week during the summer season. Admission gives patrons access to both nightly movie showings.

History

Shankweiler's was opened by Wilson Shankweiler on April 15, 1934, making it the first drive-in theater to open in the state of Pennsylvania and the second drive-in theater to open in the entire United States. While passing through Camden, New Jersey, Shankweiler had learned about the first-ever American drive-in theater, opened less than a year before by Richard Hollingshead. He decided to bring the business to Pennsylvania with the goal or attracting visitors to his other businesses. Originally located behind his restaurant and inn, the original drive-in was called Shankweiler's Auto Park and described as a "bedsheet hung between two poles." While the theater initially showed silent films, audio was later broadcast to the audience through two large speakers. According to future owner Paul Geissinger, the lot had previously been a landing strip behind the hotel for pilots to fly in to visit.

2017

In 1939, a new model RCA Victor projector was introduced. In 1948, Shankweiler's installed speaker poles and car speakers. Hurricane Diane in 1955 caused severe damage to the screen and projection booth at Shankweiler's, prompting the construction of a new snack bar/projection booth and installation of a new CinemaScope movie screen.

The Shankweiler family continued to run the businesses, selling the restaurant in the mid-1950s. Shankweiler died in 1963 and the drive-in was sold in 1965 to Robert Malkames who had been leasing it for several years prior. Under Malkames' ownership, the theater in 1982 adopted micro-vicinity AM radio broadcasting to deliver movie soundtracks to patrons, though the car speakers remained in place.

Malkames sold Shankweiler's to Paul and Susan Geissinger in 1984. Paul Geissinger had worked at Shankweiler's since 1971, beginning shortly after his high school graduation. In 1986, Shankweiler's became an early adopter of delivering movie sound via FM broadcast stereo; although their website describes them as "the 1st Drive-in to feature audio in FM broadcast Stereo," the Dromana 3 Drive-In in Melbourne, Australia had introduced FM stereo two years earlier in 1984. Later, Shankweiler's sound system was upgraded in 2002, and featured fully digital video projection and sound equipment in 2013. The 2013 conversion to digital cost $120,000 and was necessary to continue showing new releases, which would no longer be distributed in 35 mm.

In 2005 and again in 2010, Shankweiler's was used as a filming location for the movies Rounding First and Bereavement. In 2015, the Geissingers listed Shankweiler's Drive-In for sale, and then re-listed it for sale in 2018, with an asking price of $1.2 million.

In November 2022, the theater was sold for $1.05 million to Matthew McClanahan and Lauren McChesney of The Moving Picture Cinema, a mobile movie theater based out of Allentown, Pennsylvania. The theater resumed operations and is now open year-round. In April, 2024 the drive-in celebrated its 90th anniversary.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Potter, Christy (2015-06-06). "Lehigh Valley's historic drive-ins and movie theaters". The Morning Call. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
  2. ↑ "Oldest drive-in cinema". Guinness World Records. 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  3. ↑ "Moviegoers Finding Nostalgia at Drive-ins". The Morning Call. 1992-08-23. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  4. ↑ "Events". Shankweiler's Drive-In. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  5. ↑ Segrave, Kerry (2006-04-21). Drive-in Theaters: A History from Their Inception in 1933. McFarland. p. 222. ISBN 978-0-7864-2630-0.
  6. ↑ "The History of Drive-In Movie Theaters (and Where They Are Now)". New York Film Academy. 2017-06-07. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
  7. 1 2 3 Cathers, John T. (1962-07-03). "Shankweiler's Drivein Theater is Marking 30th Anniversary". The Morning Call. p. 58. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  8. ↑ "Social Events". The Morning Call. 1936-08-09. p. 16. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  9. 1 2 Althouse, Michaela (2024-04-02). "America's oldest drive-in movie theater to celebrate its 90th anniversary". PhillyVoice. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  10. ↑ "Wilson Shankweiler Dies; Noted L.V. Hotelman 80". The Morning Call. 1963-11-09. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  11. 1 2 Varghese, Romy (2007-03-04). "A true Hollywood story". The Morning Call. p. 102. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  12. ↑ "Auto Park Theatre at Shankweiler Hotel to Open Tonight". The Morning Call. 1939-04-02. p. 15. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  13. 1 2 3 Walser, Lauren (2013-06-27). "America's Oldest Drive-in Movie Theater Still Draws a Crowd". National Trust for Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2025-03-27.
  14. ↑ "Shankweiler's the Memories Live On". The Morning Call. 1994-03-10. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Wagaman, Andrew (2018-01-18). "Shankweiler's Drive-in, oldest drive-in theater in the country, is for sale". The Morning Call. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
  16. 1 2 "Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre > History". www.shankweilers.com. Archived from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
  17. ↑ Cardilini, Les (1984-01-05). "Enjoy the drive-in with true stereo". The Age. p. 30. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  18. ↑ Kneller, Ryan (2013-04-28). "Drive-ins get digital makeover". The Morning Call. pp. A33. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  19. ↑ Longsdorf, Amy (2006-09-28). "Valley scenes are stars of coming-of-age drama "Rounding First'". The Morning Call. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  20. ↑ Longsdorf, Amy (2011-02-26). "Lehigh Valley gives the creeps to horror film". The Morning Call. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  21. ↑ Caldwell, Sophie; Shamo, Lauren. "Couple took out $1M loan to save America's oldest drive-in theater—now it brings in nearly $550K a year: 'Who else was going to do it but us?'". cnbc.com. CNBC LLC. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  22. ↑ WFMZ-TV (2022-11-05). "Shankweiler's Drive-In sold to new owners". WFMZ.com. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  23. ↑ "The Moving Picture Cinema". The Moving Picture Cinema. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  24. ↑ Itzcovitz, Rose (2022-11-11). "Opening night at Shankweiler's Drive-in makes a splash as folks watch movies under the stars, raindrops". WFMZ.com. Retrieved 2024-03-21.