Screen Towers: The Drive-In Theater in America

Captures the history, cultural impact, and visual beauty of America’s iconic drive-in movie theaters.

Beginning in 1933 and expanding greatly after World War II, mid-century America saw a boom in the construction of large outdoor screen towers on which a projected movie image could be viewed from a parked car. Actually, hundreds of parked cars. This was the era of the drive-in movie theater, which saw the marriage of the automobile and the Hollywood movie. At its peak during the 1950s and 1960s, more than 4,000 drive-in theaters dotted the American landscape, coast to coast.

Starting in 1971, Steve Fitch traveled throughout the United States photographing many of these drive-in theaters, concentrating on the often stunning neon and painted murals that decorated the street-facing (back) side of the tower that supported the white, rectangular screen. These dramatic murals often depicted scenes that related to the local history of the surrounding community, and they could be seen from many miles away. Working with black-and-white film, Fitch mostly photographed at dusk or at night, making striking images that captured the seductive beauty of these roadside monuments.

In 1980, Fitch began working in color with a large-format 8＂ x 10＂ view camera, initially making pictures of the back (street) sides but then shifting his emphasis to the white screen itself and the inside spaces of the theater. This was a period of transition, when more and more drive-ins were being repurposed, abandoned, or even torn down. As Fitch shows, the golden era of the drive-in theater was nearing its end, even as some 285 drive-ins still operate in America, keeping alive, at least for some, the thrill of watching a movie outdoors under the stars, in the comfort of one’s car.

Screen Towers is the first book in nearly three decades to portray the iconic drive-in movie theater in America. Anyone interested in the architecture, culture, and history of the drive-in theater will be smitten by Steve Fitch’s new book