What finally killed the outdoor theater? Attendance was already declining by the 1970s and the advent of the VCR and the influx of cable TV certainly didn't help matters any. Over time, the economics of real estate had made the large property areas increasingly expensive for drive-ins to operate successfully. Land became far too valuable for businesses such as drive-ins, which in most cases were summer-only. Widespread adoption of daylight saving time made the shows start an hour later and they were subject to the whim of nature as inclement weather often caused cancellations.
So drive-ins began to be less family oriented in a vain attempt at making sales. New gimmicks like horror and shock programs and more adult fare filled the screens. The last showing at the 41 Outdoor was on Sunday, September 25, 1983 and it ran a triple feature of Female Butcher, Body Snatchers From Hell, and Bloody Pit of Horror. It was a far cry from this program in August of 1974:
Ahh, the memories!
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