My Younger Adventures At The Drive In Movies - Part Deux: Cruisin' The Drive-In Restaurant

In the era of Drive-ins, both movies and restaurants were quite the norm and it was typically the way for me to socialize. Virtually everyone, especially teenagers and young adults, went to the drive-in restaurants. It was the destination of choice after the drive-in movies, dances, football games or any other weekend event.

My local drive-in restaurant was called Pizza Palace. Typically located on the main drag in town, the parking lot would accommodate about 50 cars comfortably. It was on a corner, so it had three or four entrances, but the main entrance was used most often. This allowed you and your car to be seen by everyone and you would slowly parade your car around the parking lot.

We would enter, turn off our lights, turn on the parking lights and idle around the lot. Ostensibly, you were looking for a place to park, but the real reason was looking to see who was there and hopefully get an open space near or beside a carfull of girls. Alternatively, we were also looking for other cars to possibly arrange a drag race later in the night.

What you ordered depended on how much money you had left. If I was on a date, I always had enough money squirreled away for a hamburger and a coke. On solo runs or with my buddies, we seldom had two nickels to rub together, but you had to order something in order to park and coffee was often all we could afford.

The drive-in restaurant was a rendezvous for amorous teenagers and young adults and it was a crucial part of everyone's particular agenda. It also served as a place where you could show off your car and there were usually a good number of souped up cars to look at.

When I went with a bunch of my buddies, we were always looking for girls and the carhops were usually a pretty hot bunch of lovelies themselves. Attempting to flirt with the carhops was almost like romance 101. Many of us quickly learned what to say and what not to say. A few of us got lucky and then, again, quite a few of us didn't, but the schooling and lessons learned were an integral part of growing up.

I still can remember that era very well. It was a time of innocence, fun and the good times of a young man coming of age.

This Date In History: 1567; Mary, Queen of Scots, marries her third husband, James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, who was acquitted of complicity in her former husband's murder. 1940; Nylon stockings go on sale for the first time in the United States.

1957; Great Britain drops a hydrogen bomb on Christmas Island in the Pacific, becoming the third nation, after the United States and the Soviet Union, with thermonuclear capabilities. 1988; The Soviet Union begins withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan nearly a decade after invading the country.

Picture Of The Day: Mel's Drive-In was featured the classic movie "American Graffiti" and although the movie might have painted a more melodramatic picture of the actualities of the day, it invoked a memorable reminder of days gone by.

The movie also boosted the career of Suzanne Sommers who was the beautiful blonde featured throughout the movie behind the wheel of a 1955 Ford Thunderbird.

Birthdays: L. Frank Baum, American writer and author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz 1856, Pierre Curie, physicist 1859, Joseph Cotten, actor 1905, Richard Avedon, photographer 1923, Jasper Johns American painter, sculptor, and print maker 1930, Madeleine Albright, US diplomat and secretary of state 1937.

Printable Things I Never Told You: 1) I think that age is a very high price to pay for maturity. 2) The transition from junior high school to high school presented a miriad of problems for me initially. It was probably the first time I realized the we were not rich and the adjustments I had to make included a part-time job. It was then I decided that, one day, I would have my own business. 3) Getting older means you don't care where your wife goes, just as long as you don't have to go along. 4) My first dog was a female named Jippy. I say it was my first dog but I was only around two years old. My mom told me she would put Jippy beside me and we would sit outside under a tree. Mom said Jippy wouldn't allow anyone near me except mom. 5) I once thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.

The Hits Just Keep On Coming: Three doctors were driving together to the hospital when they had an accident and all three died. They found themselves in front of the Pearly Gates and St. Peter said, "Gentlemen, I'm afraid Heaven is full. We just don't have room for you here."

The first doctor said, "But, St. Peter, surely you recognise me! I developed the DNA theory, and have helped improve millions of lives through my work." St. Peter shook his head, thinking, and finally said, "You're right, we just have to let you in. Come on, we'll make room somehow."

The second doctor said, "I know you recognise me, St. Peter. I developed the MRI, and because of my machine, millions of people with medical problems are helped." Again St. Peter is moved and says, "Yes, come on in. Surely you deserve to be here, too."

Finally, the last doctor pipes in, "St. Peter, You must also know me, I'm the doctor who developed HMOs." To this St. Peter only hesitates a moment, and then replies, "Yes, you, too, have a place in Heaven, but you can only stay three days."

The teacher asked Catherine, "If you were President what would be the first thing you would do?" Catherine replied, "I would give houses to all the people who are homeless or receive welfare." The teacher said, "You'd be a perfect candidate for the democratic party."

The teacher continued, ''What a worthy goal you have there, Catherine, but you don't have to wait until you're President. You can start now by coming over to my house and cleaning up all the dog poop in my back yard and I will pay you five dollars. Then, we can go over to the grocery store where the homeless guy on welfare hangs out and you can give him the five dollars."

Catherine thought that over for a second and replied, "Why doesn't the homeless guy just come over and clean up the dog poop and you can pay him the five dollars?" The teacher said, "Ah, Welcome to the Republican Party."

Adam was walking around the Garden of Eden feeling very lonely, so God asked Adam, "What is wrong with you?" Adam said he didn't have anyone to talk to. God said he was going to give him a companion and she would be called woman.

God told Adam that this person will cook for you and wash your clothes, she will always agree with every decision you make. She will bear your children and never ask you to get up in the middle of the night to take care of them.

She will not nag you, and will always be the first to admit she was wrong when you've had a disagreement. She will never have a headache, and will freely give "love" and compassion whenever needed."

Adam asked God, "What will this woman cost?" God said, "An arm and a leg." Adam said, "What can I get for just a rib?" The rest is history.......

That's it for today my little rock and rollers. It's Friday and I'm going to AREA 51 and see what trouble I can stay out of. Have a great weekend and more on Monday.

Stay Tuned !