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“Everybody’s at the drive-in, I wanna go…” — Ray LaMontagne, “Drive-In Movies.”
“That was fun!”
Ethel Winslow, Editor-in-Chief of this publication, sat next to Paula Nicewanger, Creative Director, gushing as Paula drove away from the Tibbs Drive-In on the opening night of the 29th presentation of the Heartland International Film Festival. Paula added to the outburst, saying that the concession stand “is HUGE,” and that she had spoken to someone about the change in ownership of the drive-in. From the back seat of Paula’s car, I contributed to the jollities, seconding the fun factor of our Heartland experience at the drive-in.
The drive-in movie experience that I remember involved a giant, boat-like (probably Oldsmobile) automobile filled with children, and a great clanking metal speaker being attached to the partially rolled-down window of the car. I cannot clearly remember the last time I attended a drive-in, but both Paula and Ethel had some recollections. (Which, after some careful consideration, will not be recounted, here.) But this first-night offering had the three Weekly View personnel excited about the experience and reviewing the first offering, Eat Wheaties, a film starring Tony Hale, and produced by David J. Phillips and Dan Norris Webb.
Sid Straw (Tony Hale) is a “lonely executive” with the annoying habit of trying too hard to fit in with his co-workers, all of whom are less than receptive. Sid sees a chance to score points when, as the West coast co-coordinator of his alma mater’s reunion, he sees a picture of a classmate who has gone on to movie stardom. “I know Elizabeth Banks” is his way of trying to ingratiate himself with his bored and irritated co-workers and friends. Sid starts to write to Elizabeth through her agent, so often and obsessively that the agent is granted a restraining order against him that constrains him from attending his college reunion. Sid’s life unravels as he finds it harder than ever to become a part of the lives of the people whom he wants to call friends.
Tony Hale’s handling of the role of someone who is imminently unlikeable, yet who manages to overcome his own repugnance in surprising ways, including befriending and helping a “mail order” lawyer and his family, who return the favor in a surprising way. But the true star of the evening was the Tibbs Drive-In, where Paula and Ethel were able to surf two other screens, one of which was playing Hocus Pocus.
The drive-in experience has, if the Tibbs is representative, evolved to a higher level. There is no clunky steel speaker; you merely tune your radio to the FM station that matches your screen (for the Three Weekly-Teers, it was 89.7). And, as Paula and I discovered — separately, mind you — the restrooms are clean, and for what we could see of the grounds, they were too. As we discussed the experience, Paula was adamant that Heartland should keep the drive-in option as a permanent offering, even after the necessity for maintaining “pod-groups” has miraculously disappeared. As for me, I can hear that high, harmonic rasp coming from Ray LaMontagne on his CD, “Supernova,” singing “Drive-In Movies.”
I wanna go too, Ray, because that was fun.
cjon3acd@att.net