Bill and Barb Frankhouser had a rough start when they became the new owners of the Super 322 Drive-In movie theater in 2001.
Mere months after the drive-in changed hands, a truck crashed into the marquee and destroyed it.
“That was not a good year,” says Barb. “We were just about ready to give up, with the cost of the marquee and the loss of business. But closing just wasn’t an option. We loved it too much.”
The Frankhousers not only rebuilt the marquee, but upgraded to a can’t-be-missed neon sign at the drive-in, off Route 322 past Philipsburg in Woodland.
Barb says she was of the mind, “If we’re going to rebuild this thing, we’re going to make it better than the old one.”
The marquee was the first of a series of improvements the Frankhousers made to the drive-in, which dates to 1950 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Over the years, the owners, who have years of experience in the theater business and have been drive-in aficionados for decades, have ensured the theater’s survival by replacing the old ticket booth, adding a fence to the field, and going digital.
“We knew we would have to go digital someday,” Bill says, “so we started putting the money back slowly. The whole thing came to about $100,000.”
“That’s a lot for a little business, a seasonal business, and part-time, too, because we’re only open on weekends,” says Barb.
“A lot of drive-ins closed because they wouldn’t risk [buying digital equipment], but we went along with it,” Bill says. “It took us eight months to get a government loan.”
From far and wide
Visiting a drive-in theater is novel. According to driveinmovie.com, the number of drive-ins has dwindled from 4,000 in their 1950s heyday to just 325 operating today. Bill says part of the allure is watching a movie on the big, BIG screen.
“Our screen is 85 feet by 40 feet, and the sound is unbelievable,” Bill says.
You also get your money’s worth, with double-feature shows priced at $8 for adults and $4 for children 3-11.
“Another thing we really love is our patrons,” Bill adds. “It’s a very safe place for people to come, and for the amount of money we charge, if you go out to a restaurant, you’re there for an hour, and the next thing you know, they’re taking your plate, making room for other people, which I understand. But here, you’re here all night. We’re really an extremely reasonable venue.”
People of the modern age seem to be catching onto the charm and nostalgia offered by the drive-in and will go out of their way to experience one.
“It just seems to be what people will do nowadays to come to a drive-in,” says Barb. “There aren’t very many, and they’ll drive an hour or more to come to a drive-in. We have people from Huntingdon, Altoona, then the other way, from St. Marys and Punxsutawney. And we get people who are on vacation, and they’re looking for something to do, and in their town they don’t have a drive-in. So they come to ours. Once they get used to it, they’ll come every year. They’ll plan their vacation so they can come to the drive-in. They’ll plan when we get a certain movie, that’s when they’ll come on vacation.”
The Super 322 Drive-In has hosted family reunions and has even been the site of at least one engagement. The Frankhousers themselves have also been included in several documentaries about drive-in theaters, and the theater has served as the set of a film directed by local filmmaker Spencer Folmar.
The Super 322 maintains local patrons who have fond remembrances.
Brian Bailey of Philipsburg says he started going to the drive-in as a child and made lasting memories there with his parents and sister. Now, as a father himself, Bailey says, “I’m trying to pass those traditions onto my girls – a cool summer night, falling asleep in the bed of a truck, good memories.”
Megan Burns, also of Philipsburg, has been frequenting the drive-in for 20 years.
“I really enjoy the vintage charm that the drive-in provides and love that families and audiences of all ages can attend,” Burns says. “I think the owners do their best to cater to different age groups and their prices are always extremely reasonable. When I was in high school, everyone looked forward to going to the drive-in on weekends and seeing the double features – it really gave local kids the opportunity to participate in something wholesome. My friends and I always piled into a pickup and loaded it up with blankets, pillows, blowup mattresses, and lawn chairs. Great memories at the 322 drive-in!”
It’s a community
The Frankhousers are members of a drive-in theater association and say the group is like one big family.
“We share information,” Bill says. “We all work together. [Before we went digital], if another theater needed a part, and I had the part, I’d say, ‘Hey, we’ll meet halfway, and there it is.’”
The drive-in theater community sustains itself because of people like the Frankhousers, who share their passion with anyone who is interested.
“We’ve had people here from China, Germany, Israel, the Czech Republic, France; I can’t even remember all the countries,” Bill says. “We bring them in, we show them around, even in the daylight, and we just try to promote drive-in theaters and how things operate. And I want them to take back to their country that regardless of what’s happening, we’re extremely friendly people.”
“It’s all for the love of the drive-in,” says Barb.
“The theater is 70 years old,” says Bill, “and we want it to stay for another 70, or longer.”
Perfect venue for social-distancing
The Frankhousers says the drive-in is the perfect place to visit during the COVID-19 pandemic because cars “social-distance themselves.” The width of a car with both doors open is more than six feet. The Frankhousers have installed Plexiglas, protective shields, and the Super 322 staff has been diligent about sanitizing the restrooms and snack-bar spaces every hour with hospital-grade cleaning supplies.
Going forward, Barb says, “This is not a normal year. The studios have pulled all the first-run movies, so we’ll just be running retros.”
Offerings this summer have ranged from Twister to Ghostbusters to Black Panther.
Even though indoor theaters are closed, the Frankhousers say that so far this year, business has been slower as fewer people are coming out to spend time in public places. Because the drive-in has been limited only to retro movies this season, it is more challenging to attract a diverse crowd. The drive-in did feature a “live” concert experience with country star Garth Brooks on the big screen in June, which the Frankhousers say went well. Blake Shelton and special guests were scheduled to follow suit in late July.
“We are hopeful that offering something different will bring more people out, and they will become regulars at the drive-in,” Barb says.
The Frankhousers remind patrons that their booker takes a high percentage of the money the theater makes, so, “We have to rely very heavily on our snack bar to see us through.”
The Super 322 snack bar features an extensive menu that goes way beyond popcorn. Credit cards are accepted at the snack bar, but cash is required for admission.
Each show is a double-feature beginning after sunset. As the Super 322 website notes, “no matter what the weather, the show goes on!”
More information is available at super322drivein.com or on the theater’s Facebook page.
Teresa Mull is a freelance writer in Philipsburg.
