About The Oldest Drive-In Cinema In America
The theater currently features state-of-the-art digital projection and sound equipment
A drive-in cinema, also known as a drive-in theater, is a type of movie theater where patrons watch films from the comfort of their own vehicles. These theaters typically consist of a large outdoor screen, a parking area, and speakers or audio systems that broadcast the film's sound to car radios or through speakers installed in each parking space.
Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre is a historic drive-in cinema located in Orefield, Pennsylvania. It is considered to be the oldest drive-in cinema theater in America that is still in operation. In fact, it is the oldest drive-in cinema in the world according to Guinness World Records. It is also listed as America’s oldest drive-in movie theater by National Trust for Historic Preservation. Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce defines it as the oldest continuously-operating drive-in movie theatre in the world.
Wilson Shankweiler, a prominent hotel owner and movie fan, opened Pennsylvania's first drive-in on April 15, 1934 in Orefield. Initially called “Shankweiler’s Park-In Theatre”, it was the second drive-in to open in the United States when it was built.
The theater originally had a capacity of 500 cars and was one of the first drive-ins in the country to use in-car speakers for audio. Today, Shankweiler's Drive-In can accommodate up to 650 cars and has modern amenities like a digital projection system and FM radio transmission for audio.
Movie-lover Wilson Shankweiler opened the drive-in (the first such theater in the state of Pennsylvania) a year after the first drive-in theater in the country opened in Camden, New Jersey. However, the Camden, NJ drive-in has since closed down.
For years, people parked their cars on the 4-acre lot, passing their summer evenings in the glow of the movie screen. But in 1955, Hurricane Diane ravaged the East Coast, all but decimating Shankweiler’s. The projection booth was leveled, as was the shadow box screen.
Basically everything was destroyed, except for the for the entrance archway. It took some convincing, but Wilson Shankweiler, who, by then, was “getting up there in age", agreed to rebuild the drive-in and use the opportunity to modernize it.
A new CinemaScope screen was added and a new concession stand, box office, and projection booth were built. Shankweiler’s was, once again, back up and running. But by the time Geissinger joined the theater’s staff in 1971, the theater had again fallen to disrepair.
He spent the next several years fixing the equipment, calling on the skills he picked up working in his high school’s audiovisual department. Finally, in 1984, he and his wife, Susan, were presented with the opportunity to buy the theater, and they took the plunge. “It was real rough at first,” he says. “Some nights, there were more employees than patrons.”
The Geissingers were competing with televisions, VCRs, and, eventually, huge multiplex theaters for customers. But throughout the last three decades, they have slowly been making upgrades to the space, installing the latest audiovisual technology and redoing the floors and heating and cooling systems.
In 2002 the latest in cinema sound reproduction was achieved with the installation of Red LED Spectral recorded analog soundtrack readers and cinema sound processor, and a new and more powerful FM stereo transmitter. In 2013 State-of-the-Art digital Barco Alchemy Cinema projector was installed.
In 2022 Shankweiler’s Drive-In Theatre was purchased by The Moving Picture Cinema, ensuring the continuation and preservation of the historic cinema. Thanks to their efforts, Shankweiler’s Drive-in Theatre has once more become a popular hangout for Pennsylvanians of all ages during the summer months.
Shankweiler's Drive-In has been featured in several movies and TV shows, including the 1996 film "That Thing You Do!" directed by Tom Hanks. Today, this oldest drive-in theater features state-of-the-art digital projection and sound equipment.
The theater is open seasonally, typically from early April to late September, and shows double features of popular movies. It is a popular destination for families, couples, and groups of friends looking for a fun and unique movie experience.