A blast from the past is arriving at Beaver Creek Park on Friday.
Don Lindeman’s Retro Drive-in, a portable drive-in theatre, will be showing a 1955 version of “The Fast and the Furious” for the old fashioned price of $10 per car – no matter how many people are packed into the vehicle.
The original American crime film stars John Ireland and Dorothy Malone, and of course, is black and white.
“This excellent movie was the basis for all the modern Fast and Furious films,” Lindeman said.
Introducing old movies to new eyes is one goal, but his ultimate aim is to “keep drive-ins alive – because it is a big part of our tradition.”
Last year, the Retro Drive-in operated for the first time in Lindeman’s hometown of Grand Forks. The venture was so well-received that this summer he’s sharing nostalgic ambience with the Trail area from the Kiwanis’ Beaver Creek Campground.
It’s first come first served for parking, with the movie showing at dusk.
The show is tentatively scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. although may start closer to 9:30 pending sundown.
Sound will be broadcast over FM radio, and guests are encouraged to bring a lawn chair and sit outside.
Hot buttered popcorn, chips, pop and snacks will be available at a concession.
The Retro Drive-in will return to town three more times this month and feature public domain films from the 1950s and ’60s.
“People are excited about keeping drive-ins,” said Lindeman. “We have had lots of feedback. There are some really fabulous movies that are out there that some of the older people are familiar with, and some of the younger people that have seen these shows have said, ‘I didn’t know these movies were so good.'”
The next showing at the Beaver Creek campground is on Aug. 11, with a 1961 film noir called, “Five Minutes to Live,” featuring Johnny Cash and Ron Howard.
Then it’s Double Feature Comedy Horror night on Aug. 18. First up will be a colourized version of the 1959 film, “Plan 9 from Outer Space,” followed by a 1960 indie film called “The Little Shop of Horrors.”
Lindeman will close the Retro Drive-in season on Aug. 25 by showing “Mighty Joe Young,” a 1949 American black-and- white fantasy about a young woman who raises a giant gorilla from infancy then brings him (Joe) to Hollywood seeking her fortune.
He says the movie is much better than the 1998 Disney re-make.
“Bring the family, it’s a great story and special effects,” Lindeman shared. “It may be scary for small children, but our five-year old loved it.”
