Drive in and enjoy

DANA CALVO’S piece on the drive-in revival in Texas [“Going Out to a Movie,” Aug. 28] successfully evoked the appeal and ambience of seeing a movie at a drive-in theater while offering encouraging news as to the health of the outdoor theater in the Lone Star State.

But what about Southern California? The caption under the article’s headline states that “watching the latest Hollywood blockbuster from the comfort of your vehicle may be a fading memory for most Californians....” So goes the conventional wisdom.

There are four thriving multiscreen drive-ins within the general vicinity of Los Angeles and five more in outlying areas of Southern California. Given the abundance of outdoor theaters in Southern California since their inception, nine theaters can hardly be considered a resurgence or a trend. But weekend crowds at the Vineland in the city of Industry, the Van Buren Drive-In in Riverside, and the beautifully remodeled Rubidoux, also in Riverside, are formidable and reliable. And at the Mission Tiki in Montclair, business is very good, particularly since they initiated a tiki-themed overhaul of their facilities and installed a high-powered illumination system that makes each of their four screens look as bright and as clear as indoor projection.

As a member of the new Southern California Drive-In Movie Society, whose goal is to increase awareness of these theaters and encourage moviegoers to patronize them, I was glad for Calvo’s piece but disappointed that The Times missed an opportunity to investigate the scene in its own backyard first.

DENNIS COZZALIO

Glendale

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Editor’s note: Those interested in the Southern California Drive-In Movie Society may contact Chris Utley (the group’s founder) at socalozoners@Com cast.net