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5 Oct 2001

I took off Friday afternoon from work so that I could assist my friend, Rick, with a virus that had infected his computer. The effort took much longer than I expected. By the time I arrived at the Mission, the first feature was over half over. Obviously, this narrowed my movie selections considerably. The only new film in the "second feature slot" was 'Soul Survivor'. I quickly purchased my ticket and moved on to Screen 2.

The temperature had been falling all day and there were predictions of rain. Some radio and television stations were estimating the odds of rain at as high as 80%.

I parked the car 'nose forward' towards the screen. As I opened the car door, the wind cut through my thin shirt like a knife. Finally, I was inappropriately dressed for a night at the drive-in!

I walked briskly across the lot to the concession stand. Business was very light. There were no prepared hot dogs waiting for me. I had to wait nearly five minutes for three of them to be prepared. After the hot dogs were ready, I got a bag of popcorn and a Diet Coke. Just as I was walking away from the cashier, an amazing thing happened. I was recognized by security. Not only was I recognized, the guard went so far as to tell me that he had been "worried about me". My blank look provoked him to continue on that he had identified me as one of the few "regulars". Confronted with the truth, I was forced to admit that I had been to the Mission every single Friday this season.

Leaving the concession stand, I varied my usual routine. Instead of making a survey of the property, I headed back to my car. Why? I didn't want my food to get cold.

Back in the car, I consumed my hot dogs and made a good start on the popcorn as I watched the last 45 minutes of 'Training Day'.

There were two things I found odd about this experience. I felt uncomfortable without my seat belt buckled and the picture on Screen 2 appeared to be of higher quality from inside the car. The seat belt anxiety is clearly the result of years of training and education. The apparent higher quality in the projected image is not so easily explained. It could have been the tinting on the glass, or the road dirt (not having expected to sit in the car, I had neglected to clear the windshield) and bug guts smeared onto the windshield. Why? By dimming the entire image, the defects in the image might become less apparent.

After 'Training Day' was over, I headed off to survey the property. As usual, cars were entering Screen 3 to catch the late showing of 'Rush Hour 2'. Over on Screen 4, 'Don't Say A Word' and 'The Others' had drawn a good crowd. Moving briskly back to Screen 1, I saw the Screen 1 was continuing to have the poorest showing of all four screens. 'Joy Ride' and 'Jeepers Creepers' just weren't enough to draw people out into what was promised to be a cold, rainy night. In short, attendance was down from the previous week. I lay the blame on the predictions of bad weather.

I passed through the concession stand for another two 'cooked to order' hot dogs. As I reached the car, the drizzle started. I had clearly returned to the car just in time. The last preview had just ended as I heard the click of the seat belt buckle. I kept the windows cracked open for most of the movie. Three times, I was forced to close them due to blowing rain. How much rain was it? Just drizzle. Cold drizzle. But not that cold. I could see that many patrons were sitting outside their cars under sheets of plastic. I saw one man climb inside his truck. No, he didn't close the lid. Had I been more appropriately dressed, I would have also sat outside. Finally, I may be able to wear those 'Animaniacs' sweat shirts on a regular basis!

I was surprised to see how many cars were staying for the second showing of the first feature. The last half of 'Training Day' didn't inspire me to want to see the first half. I drove out slowly and made my way home with more than the usual caution.

A total of five, made to order, hot dogs were consumed.

12 Oct 2001   Subtitles

When I left my apartment, I suspected that I might be late to the Mission. I didn't know just how late I would be, or why!

I was cut off at the IH-37 exit from IH-10 and was forced to circle back. That delayed me just long enough that I found my way blocked by a southbound train traveling at a snail's pace! What did I do? I turned lemons into lemonade! I used this opportunity to check out the 'Star Mart' on the corner of Southcross and South Presa. There isn't much that I can say about the 'Star Mart' that hasn't been said about every other convenience store. I was able to secure a supply of Diet Coke.

I eventually made it to the Mission. There was some type of radio station promotion in progress. Cars were in line three deep. The employees working the ticket booth refused to validate my impression that it was a busy Friday night.

I've been anticipating 'Iron Monkey' since I first saw the previews last month. The movie was already in progress when I entered Screen 1. I parked quickly and rushed to the concession stand. Given Ruth's concern that I've been consuming too many hot dogs, I cut back to just two. Well, that and the hot dogs were not 'made to order'. Concession stand business was moderate. I noticed that the other three screens were still running their previews as I exited the concession stand.

Back at the car, I settled in to watch the rest of 'Iron Monkey'. This is the first movie I've seen at the Mission with sub-titles. Being a fast reader, this presented me with no particular problems. I really enjoyed this movie and will see it again in the future. I noticed that many of the other patrons had decided to skip camp chairs and were just sitting on the ground. That is way too far "back to nature" for me!

After the movie was over, I made my traditional survey of the property. Although anti-Mission activists continue to plant false rumors of bad weather in an effort to starve the Mission of patrons, they were not successful this night! There was no rain and the temperatures were moderate. Much warmer than last week! Screen 2 ("Bandits" and "Zoolander") seemed to be about 40% full. Screen 3 ("Joy Ride" and "Don't Say a Word") was doing even better and seemed to be nearly 60% full. That's impressive given the odd shape of the Screen 3 lot. Screen 4 ("Training Day" and "Rush Hour 2") was nearly 80% full. This attendance pattern indicates that the bulk of the patrons are a couple of weeks behind in their movie watching. This pattern may be contributing to lower sales at the concession stand. The further the walk, the less likely people are to go to the concession stand and the more likely they are to bring their own "eats".

The number of patrons coming in at the start of the second feature continues to be high.

I started my car for the return trip at 9:39 PM. I was home slightly after 10:00 PM.

19 Oct 2001 The Movie That Roared!

Remembering what happened last week, I made an extra effort to arrive at the Mission early. On arrival, I noticed the feature combinations being advertised were not the combinations being shown.

The features for Screen 1 were advertised as "From Hell" and "Joyride". The actual features being shown were "From Hell" and "Don't Say A Word". The features for Screen 3 were advertised as "Bandits" and "Don't Say A Word". The actual features being shown were "Bandits" and "Joyride". The features for Screens 2 and 4 matched the advertisement. I doubt this was a printing error. Someone in management must have decided to swap around the second features after press time. The obvious explanation would be an attempt to manipulate the combinations to achieve the highest level of sales possible. But would this work? How many people go to the Mission, check the marquee and then decide to see a movie?

My feature selection for the evening was "From Hell". This sounds foolish but I have actually been asked if "From Hell" has a happy ending. I admit to being astonished into silence the first time this happened. Why would anyone think a movie about 'Jack the Ripper' would have a happy ending?

I parked in my usual Screen 1 position, third row from the screen, three spaces over from the wall. Luckily, no one parked in front of me this night.

I made the usual survey of the property. All four lots displayed light to moderate attendance. Inside the concession stand, I purchased the usual refreshments and returned to my car.

When the previews started, the roaring started. Not a roaring sound like the MGM lion makes. This roaring sound is best described as static on steroids. The roaring was cyclical. The volume went up. The volume went down. And so on, round and round.

As I watched the movie, cars continued to pull through the entrance lanes. It got cool, but I resisted the urge to put on a coat.

After the movie was over, I performed the usual post-presentation survey. I am happy to report that attendance increased in all four lots. The combination of "Iron Monkey" and "The Others", showing on Screen 4, had the lowest attendance. In Screen 3, I was surprised to see the number of cars was higher than last week. Could "Training Day" be getting some positive buzz? I can't imagine that "Rush Hour 2" would be causing the attendance surge! Screen 2, featuring "Bandits" and "Joyride" was doing only slightly better than "Iron Monkey" and not as well as "Training Day". It looks like "Bandits" is a bust. Returning to Screen 1, I decided to implement a new strategy for evaluating attendance levels. I exited the concession stand and turned right. I then walked down past the concession stand for some distance. At this point, I turned and cut across the lot at a diagonal. Picture a triangle, if you will, and you will see why I call this strategy "walking the angle". By the time I reached my car, I was amazed at how well "From Hell" had done. The center area of the lot was nearly full. I also observed "open flame" in several locations. I don't know if these fires were for entertainment, warmth or cooking.

Getting in my car, I exited the Mission at 21:30.

26 Oct 2001 - I Wear A Coat

I've been waiting for weeks to see "13 Ghosts". To guarantee getting a good spot, I arrived earlier than usual at the Mission.

When I pulled up, lanes three and four were closed. This seemed odd given the number of cars pulling into the property. The ticket runners were forced to hustle to keep traffic flowing. When I reached the ticket booth, I overheard one employee ask another why the lanes were closed. He was told there was "a run on the concession stand". Obviously, the implication being that the employees that would normally staff the booth and the two entry lanes were called up to help at the concession stand.

After getting my ticket, I pulled into Screen 1. I've had really good luck lately in Screen 1. When there has been a vehicle in front of me (I've started parking in row three near the ticket booth), it has been a small car. This week, I decided to take no chances and parked in the front row. After securing a prime spot, I went on the usual tour of the property.

Crossing over into Screen 4, I noticed the flow of cars remained steady. Screen 4 had only five cars. I wasn't too surprised by this turnout. Anytime a film has opened at the Mission on Screen 4, with a few exceptions such as "Legally Blonde", the movie hasn't done well. It seems that "Hardball" is not one of the exceptions. I found it interesting that "Bandits" had also dropped to Screen 4 after just one week.

Moving on into the Screen 3 lot, the attendance level was higher. I'd estimate about 15 cars. The features being exhibited on Screen 3 this week are "Training Day" and "Rush Hour 2".

Heading across the sway bridge, which continues to tilt more each week, I entered the Screen 2 lot. Here the actual films being shown differed from the combination being advertised in the newspaper. In both cases, the title feature was "From Hell". The actual second feature was "The Others" and not "Don't Say A Word" as advertised in the Express. I would estimate the number of cars to be between 25 and 30.

Moving into the concession stand, I purchased three hot dogs, a bag of popcorn and a large diet coke. Although there were other patrons in the concession stand, by no stretch of the imagination could the level of business be described as "a rush".

Exiting back into the Screen 1 lot, I immediately noticed the number of cars appeared to have doubled while I was on my survey mission. By the time I reached my car, I would estimate at least 40 cars.

When the previews started, it was "deja vu all over again". The same cyclical roaring sound from last week had returned to torment me, and the other patrons.

Of all the movies being previewed, the only one I can't wait to see is "Eight-legged Freaks". Think of a 1950s giant spider movie remade with current special effects. But, things being the way they are, one giant spider isn't enough. This movie has hundreds of giant spiders.

The roaring sound continued through the first 10 minutes of "13 Ghosts". There were a couple of loud crackling and popping sounds and then the sound went out. A few seconds later, the sound came back minus the roaring.

About an hour into the movie, a car pulled up beside me and a young couple got out. They had two kids with them. At first I thought it was Rick and Sylvia Sambucini. Sadly, it was not them. Cold and disappointed, I reached into my car for a coat. I'm sure it will make my mother happy to know that I was this prepared!

After the movie was over, I stood up and turned around. My mouth dropped open with shock as the number of cars had apparently doubled during the movie.

I made a second quick survey of the property. The car counts in Screen 3 and Screen 4 appeared to have tripled. Screen 2 didn't do as well but I would estimate it still nearly doubled.

Like last week, I used a triangular pattern to survey Screen 1. I moved through the concession stand (business was much better this time), walked down past it, and then turned and crossed the lot at an angle towards my car. By walking "the angle", I get to see more of the lot and can get a better idea of the number of cars. By the time I reached my car, I felt confident that the number of vehicles had truly doubled to approximately 80.

I drove off the property at 2115 and was home at 2145. I had no interest in seeing "Don't Say A Word".

The last few weeks I've noticed that the movies have begun to start so early that many people can't get to the Mission before the shows begin. Also, the number of people coming to see the second features continue to be higher than I would have suspected. Because of this trend, I believe car counts before the movies start have little real value.

I enjoyed "13 Ghosts". It did live up to its slogan; however, I did not like it as much as "House On Haunted Hill".

2 Nov 2001 - Getting A Discount?

Before I get into this week's report, let me make an addition to last week's report. I failed to mention that I saw my very first commercial at the Mission last week. The commercial was for Chrysler. It is unknown if this is the start of a trend.

As I've mentioned previously, I continue to have trouble arriving at the Mission in time for the first showing. Movies are now starting officially at 19:00 and I suspect sooner if it is dark enough. That's great for getting home on a work night. But it isn't great if you have to drive through the evening traffic.

I arrived at the Mission at 19:15. Once again, I was recognized by the security guard. The line was slow and he was bored. He explained to me that the security staff had been cut down from two officers to one. This is either a sign of declining revenues, or a indicator of the lack of behavioral problems among the "winter" audience. The security guard (I really should read his name tag!) commented that he would ask the manager about giving me a discount based on my high level of attendance. I remember the manager. He confronted me regarding my taking pictures of the promotional art for "Planet Of the Apes".

I parked in my usual location in the Screen 1 lot. It became quickly obvious to me that I had missed more than a few minutes of "The One". Not to worry though. I had seen the trailer several times and had no trouble picking up the film part way through. One good thing about a drive-in is that on a good night, you can walk nearly all the way to the concession stand without losing the audio portion of the program.

After picking up my snacks, I returned to the car. "The One" delivered exactly what I was expecting -- fight scenes with a minimum of plot.

After the movie was over, I made a very quick sweep of the property. Given that I'm several weeks behind on writing this report, I find that I'm unable to remember the exact number of cars in each lot. I do recall that attendance was about average and that each screen was doing the usual level of business. For the record, the following table lists the movies and their locations.

Screen 1 - "The One" and "Kiss Of The Dragon"
Screen 2 - "13 Ghosts" and "The Others"
Screen 3 - "Training Day" and "Rush Hour 2"
Screen 4 - "From Hell" and "Don't Say A Word"

"Kiss Of The Dragon" had been at the Mission during its initial release. This is the first time this season that the management has used an actor "theme" when pairing up movies. Both of these movies feature Jet Li in the leading role. You'll also notice that both of these films feature "martial arts" as their primary "special effect". Some might argue that this is simply a pairing based on "martial arts" and that this isn't much different than pairing "race" movies or "horror" movies. I maintain it is different because both films feature the same actor in a lead role. Hopefully, we'll continue to see the "pairing" trend in the future!

8 Nov 2001 - To All Things A Season...

I had known for several weeks that I would be taking a vacation to Las Vegas. Work related issues made it impractical for me to leave the city on any other day except Friday. This caused me some angst as I knew this would end my string of consecutive Fridays at the Mission.

What to do? What to do? I decided to focus on the positive. I might not be able to keep my Friday streak alive but I could keep my weekly attendance streak going! Yes! This was to be my plan!

I decided that I would go to the Mission on Thursday night. Scanning the movie listings, I saw there was only one film being shown that I had not already seen -- "Don't Say A Word". To be honest, it doesn't really matter what movie I see, I'm after the drive-in experience!

I arrived at 20:45. This was only the second time that I had arrived to catch the second feature. There were a couple of cars in line in front of me. One ticket booth was closed and the other was open only one side. There were no runners. As I neared the ticket booth, the security guard looked into the car and recognized me. He made a joke (I think it was a joke) that he was glad to see me "back on the job". I waved to him and pulled forward to the ticket booth window. For the very first time since I have begun going to the Mission, I actually handed my money through the window to a ticket-taker.

Slightly unnerved, I pulled into the Screen 4 lot. As I parked the car, I was overcome by a powerful feeling of deja vu. Last summer, when Regal was still running the Mission, I went to several times during the week with Annette Driscoll. On all of those occasions, attendance had been very, very poor.

As I stepped from my car, I realized there was only one other car in the lot. Yes, just one other car. I walked over to Screen 3 ("Training Day" and "Rush Hour 2") where I counted six cars. I moved across the sway bridge quickly to Screen 2 ("13 Ghosts" and "The Others"). There I found twice as many cars. Yes, I saw 12 cars. I picked up the usual snacks in the concession stand. There was absolutely no waiting. As far as I could tell, there was only one employee inside. I hope for his safety he was not alone. Moving into the Screen 1 ("The One" and "Kiss Of The Dragon") lot, I counted ten cars. Counting the cars in the Screen 4 ("From Hell" and "Don't Say A Word") lot, there were a total of 30 cars in the entire theater. Clearly, this level of attendance doesn't justify very high staffing and may not even justify keeping the theater open on weeknights.

I got back to my car just before the start of "Don't Say A Word". While I prefer to be the only patron in an in-door theater, I feel exactly the opposite about a out-door theater. I was very happy to see Rusty, the drive-in dog, foraging for food nearby. For those of you that don't know it, there are actually two drive-in dogs - Blackie and Rusty. I've not seen Blackie in some time and hope he is okay. There is also a drive-in cat, but I take no comfort from that fact.

"Don't Say A Word" was better than I expected it would be. It managed to hold my interest. After the movie was over, I stood up to put my camp chair in the truck. I immediately noticed a pick-up truck blocking the entrance to the Screen 4 lot. A quick look around the property told me what I had already suspected. All the other screens were dark. This vehicle was waiting for us to leave so that the driver could lock the exit gate. I left as quickly as possible. It was slightly after 23:00 when I pulled out the exit.

While I was glad to have extended my consecutive weekly attendance streak to 28, I was saddened at the low attendance. On the plus side, my patronage that night surely added significantly to the night's revenue. I doubt I was missed the next night.

I'm sure my record of 27 consecutive Fridays will stand for some time!

11 Nov 2001 - Road Trip!

As mentioned in my previous report, I went to Las Vegas for a vacation during the Veteran's Day weekend.

One of the key items on my agenda was to visit the Las Vegas Drive-In Theater. The Las Vegas Drive-In Theater was formerly known as the "Vegas 6 Drive-In Theater". A couple of years ago, one of the screens was blown down by high winds. To date, there are no plans to replace this screen. The drive-in is located in the northern part of Las Vegas at Carey and Rancho. The Texas Station and the Fiesta are the nearest casinos to the property.

I visited this fine establishment last year with Annette Driscoll. During that visit, the attendance was poor, the night was hot and we sat outside our rental car on chairs we bought in a thrift store. This visit would be nearly completely different from that one!

My only opportunity came on Sunday night. I arrived there at 19:45 to find the first features approximately half over. This drive-in is laid out in a manner that can only be described as chaotic. There are two ticket booths with the potential to service two lanes each in much the same manner as the Mission. When I arrived only one ticket booth was manned and only one lane was open. My first thought was "This place must be dead tonight!". This turned out not to be the case. After pulling past the ticket booths, patrons must select a route to a screen. Each route is marked by a set of wooden rails. If you pick the wrong route, you end up at the wrong screen. This happened to me and I ended up in Screen 1 instead of Screen 2. I was lucky to escape Screen 1 for reasons described later in this narrative.

The theater sits on a rectangular piece of property. Only part the property is used for the drive-in. At some point in the past, I believe only a square portion was in use for parking with a long narrow entrance lane back to the street. Much later, a small screen lot was added which parallels the entrance lane and runs back about halfway to the street. This lot is now known as Screen 1. I found it to be approximately wide enough to fit in five or six cars. Yes, five or six cars across. The depth wasn't much greater. I'd estimate seven to eight cars deep. Don't be fooled by that though. These people felt no need to allow a lane between car rows. The distance between rows varied from car to car. Some where five to six feet apart. Others were only two to three feet apart. There are also no dedicated exit lanes. The lot just filled up. Once I realized I was in the wrong lot, I reconciled myself to watching the wrong movie or to watching the correct movie by turning my head forty-five degrees to the left. Lucky for me, the car behind me moved over and I was able to back out of the lot.

Once I got the the correct lot, Screen 2, I found that I had to park in the last row in the lot. In fact, this was also the entrance row into the lot.

Leaving the car, I walked to the concession stand. I was immediately struck by the high level of attendance. Most of the lots seemed to be as full as they could get. Even the "dead" lot in front of Screen 3 was in use. Patrons were parking in this lot and watching the movies on either Screen 2 or Screen 4.

The concession stand at the Las Vegas Drive-In is laid out nearly exactly opposite of the Mission concession stand. At the Mission, patrons purchase products from a central serving island. The walls parallel to the serving island are primarily windows, which allow the patrons and staff to look out towards Screen 1 and Screen 2. The Las Vegas Drive-in concession stand has windows only in the front of the building. Looking through these windows would provide views of Screens 1 through 4. Customers move around the left wall and the rear wall of the building to purchase products. A small island serving station sits toward the back of the room and supports the condiments and drink dispensers. The front of the building is given over to a couple of video games and an air hockey table.

I purchased my usual snacks and attempted to talk to the staff. Only one person had worked at the property the year before. The level of attendance was unexpected by management. I was told by the person who appeared to be in charge that the property was short two people for this level of business. Why was attendance higher than expected? The blame, or the blessing, depending on your point of view, was the (supposed) result of a three day weekend.

Walking outside, I decided to perform a casual survey of the property before returning to my car. In truth, having sat through the four hour-long USO benefit show, I had no interest in sitting down!

In front of the concession stand is a low wall, which extends out about 12 feet from the building. This wall extends out past the front of the building on each side by 10 to 15 feet. The enclosed area has a concrete floor. I suspect this area may have been used in the past for seating.

From the front of the concession stand, Screens 1 to 4 (allowing for the fact that Screen 3 is inoperable) are clearly visible. In fact, it would be possible to watch four movies simultaneously simply by moving your eyes from side to side. No neck movements would be required.

Screen 5 sits perpendicular to Screens 1 to 4. As another example of the strange layout of this property, if you purchased a ticket for this screen, you would just drive straight into the Screen lot. If enough cars parked in this lot, the cars would pack up past the concession stand and back to the ticket booths. Long before reaching the ticket booths, the cars would have blocked off the entrances to the other screens!

This lot is also not very wide. I'd estimate it to be six to seven cars wide except for the first two rows, which appeared to be eight to nine, and 10 to 12, rows wide, respectively.

Screen 6 sits behind the concession stand. This screen lot is even smaller than the Screen 1 lot. The cars varied in depth from four to six cars. Where there were six cars deep, the cars were parked at an angle to the screen because they couldn't get into the lot properly. The shape may be odd and the size small but this is the brightest picture I have ever seen at a drive-in theater. Put simply, a bright light shined a short distance yields an incredible picture.

Returning to the front of the concession stand, I watched the last 30 minutes of Monsters, Inc. I noticed the screen Annette and I had selected last year was the one with the dimmest picture. There were also a couple of other differences. The night was cool, bordering on cold. The only people watching the movie from outside their cars were laying on chairs in the backs of pickup trucks. They were either inside sleeping bags or covered with heavy blankets. Last year, the night was extremely warm and the only patrons inside their vehicles were those people running their A/C units.

I eventually returned to my rental car. I watched "Bones". "Bones" can best be described as a retro-blaxploitation horror film.

The concession stand closed at 22:00 and the movie was over at 22:30. I was forced to leave immediately so that other patrons could back out of the lot.

The ticket price is $5.75 and recommend anyone visiting Las Vegas give this drive-in a try!

16 Nov 2001 - The Motor Runs...

Getting to the Mission in time for the start of the first movie has grown increasingly difficult as the days have grown shorter.

I left my apartment at 18:15, determined to get there on time. I arrived at the box office at 18:50 to find lines six to eight cars deep. Could 'Harry Porter' be this big of a draw? Attendance analysis suggests this was not the case. I suspect management had simply understaffed the theater in expectation of reduced attendance due to the heavy rains that have plagued the area for the last two days. Runners were brought up from the concession stand to speed up the entry process. After I made my movie selection, the security guard looked at me, shook his head and declared "bad choice!". I replied "there's always next week". He laughed.

I drove the car into Screen 2. Here I had a moment of indecision. Should I park the car, rear-facing, or front-facing? I finally decided to go for front-facing. Why? If it was too cool, too windy, or it rained, I could sit in the car. If not, I could sit beside the car and still hear the sound through the car window.

After I parked, I left the car for my nightly patrol of the property. Screen 2 ("Shallow Hal" and "Serendipity") contained approximately two dozen cars. I crossed the sway bridge to Screen 3 ("13 Ghosts" and "The Others"). Attendance here was lower. I counted only eight cars. Moving on, I entered the Screen 4 lot ("The One" and "Training Day"). Here I saw more cars than I would have expected. I counted at least 12 cars. I ended my patrol by walking through the Screen 1 lot. Screen 1 ("Harry Potter" and "Cats and Dogs") had the highest attendance of the evening. I would estimate at least three dozen cars. I found the parking pattern to be interesting. The bulk of the cars were spread out over the first three rows. That makes sense if you wanted to be as close to the screen as possible. After the first three rows, there was at least one car in each row all the way back to the concession stand. All of these cars were approximately on the center viewing line from the screen. Picture a giant "T" and you will get the general idea.

While total attendance seemed about normal compared to previous Fridays, the business level in the concession stand was the highest I've seen in months, perhaps since the end of the summer. Standing in line, I noticed many new employee faces. I asked two of them when they had started working at the Mission. In both cases, the answer was simply "yesterday". Checking out, I noticed the cash registers were also new. The cashier, another new face, was attempting to make up for the poor placement of the drink dispenser by asking people further back in the line if they wanted drinks. If so, she passed the cups over while the current paying customer was readying their money. Bravo!

Returning to the car, I noticed the number of cars had increased and that a steady stream of cars continued to enter the property.

The wind was just chilly. The air was damp. I elected to sit in the car. I remain amazed that the picture quality appears to be improved by watching the film through a slanted piece of tinted safety glass.

After the first film was over, I made my second patrol of the evening. Attendance had approximately doubled in Screens 3 and 4. Screen 1 showed a slight improvement. Screen 2 appeared to have gone up by half.

During the second film, I was forced to periodically run the engine to heat up the interior of the car. I'd call it a pleasant necessity.

As I was driving out the exit, it started to rain. I found the drive home to be very enjoyable. The traffic was light. The radio played some of my favorite tunes. The rain drizzled down as the wipers moved back and forth at a soothing pace.

A couple of other minor points. This was the first showing of 'Cats and Dogs' at the Mission. I supposed it is considered to be a 'kid-friendly' film and a good companion feature for 'Harry Potter'. I was sorely tempted to see 'Cats and Dogs' again as it would be the only film that I've seen at all three active drive-ins I've been to in Texas this year. Perhaps next week.

Oh, I nearly forgot. Three hot dogs and two boxes of Snow-Caps were consumed. And no, I didn't buy them at the Mission for $2.50 per box. I bought my Snow-Caps at Target for 75 cents each.

22 Nov 2001 - A Drive-in Thanksgiving...

I had gone to visit relatives for Thanksgiving. They live south of San Antonio off IH-35. As I was driving back, I decided that I would conserve some gasoline, and avoid some unnecessary mileage, by stopping at the Mission on my way home.

I arrived at the Mission at 6:50PM. Two lanes were open and there were three cars in each lane. If you read about my Thursday night visit to the Mission two weeks ago, then you know that this was a very positive sign for the evening.

This week, the new movies started on Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The Mission got three new films. These three films, combined with "Harry Potter" (which I have not seen), opened up a full spectrum of movie choices.

I opted to see "Black Knight". Why? "Black Knight" was being exhibited on Screen 3, which has the brightest picture of the four screens.

I parked my car "nose-forward" in the Screen 3 lot with the expectation that I would be sitting inside the car. As I got out of the car, the previews began to run. It wasn't even 7:00PM yet!

Two weeks ago, I counted 30 cars in all four screens combined. This night, there were over 30 cars in the Screen 3 lot alone. Could "Black Knight" and "Shallow Hal" have drawn in all these people? Or was it simply the impact of the holiday?

I crossed over to the Screen 2 lot. The number of cars here was lower than in the Screen 3 lot. I counted 22 cars. Clearly, "Monsters, Inc" and "Max Keeble's Big Movie" just weren't much of a draw. I imagine most of the people that wanted to see "Monsters, Inc" did so when it first came out.

Entering the concession stand, I ordered my traditional meal. I was the only customer. Is Thursday just a slow concession night? Or was it simply the impact of the holiday?

I exited out into the Screen 1 lot. This lot is so big that it is difficult to estimate the number of cars from the concession stand. I was able to count 26 cars but I'm sure there were more cars in the front row. Not bad compared to my last Thursday visit but not good either. I've heard reports that "Harry Potter" has been a sell-out in other parts of the city. "Cats and Dogs" remains the second feature.

Crossing over to the Screen 4 lot, I saw the most dramatic improvement in attendance of the night. Two weeks before, there had been only two cars in this lot. On this night, I counted 18 cars. Who would have thought that "Domestic Disturbance" and "The One" would have drawn out this many people?

Returning to the Screen 3 lot, I was happy to see the number of cars had increased. Warmed by my walk, I got out my camp chair and set it up by the car window. I sat outside for the first hour of the film. After that, I decided it was time to move into the car. Several people honked at me when I got into my car. I suppose they thought I was being a wimp. And no, it wasn't because the light came on when I opened the door. I always set the light to "off" before I park the car.

When the movie was over, I noticed all the other people that had been sitting outside their cars moved inside them. I made yet another quick round of the property.
Screen 3 had gained cars during the presentation. Very few of them left during my patrol. This was not the case in the Screen 2 lot. I'd estimate that over half the original cars had left at the end of "Monsters Inc".

In the concession stand, I picked up a hot dog to warm my hands.

Back in the Screen 1 lot, the number of cars appeared to be unchanged. "Harry Potter" was still playing.

Over in the Screen 4 lot, the number of cars seemed to have increased by half. There were at least two dozen cars easily visible.

Returning to Screen 3, I got into the car and drove home. Last week, I vowed to read the security guard's name tag. This week, there was no security on the property. Who knows what will happen next week!

27 Nov 2001 - Cold, Wet & Only Three Paper Towels...

Tuesday is "JAG night". Why does that matter? Rick's wife loves "JAG". As a consequence, Rick is free to leave the house on Tuesday. He suggested that we use his freedom from domestic duties to visit the Mission. Freed from the burden of my Friday attendance streak, I agreed.

Rick was agitated the entire day. He was insistent that we leave "extra-early" so as not to miss anything. Given my track record of arriving late, I reluctantly agreed.

We did arrive early. In fact, we arrived before the box office opened. For the very first time, I was witness to the ritual of "the opening of the ticket booth".

First, a truck drove up from inside the property. The truck parked so as to block off the two right-most entry lanes. The male assistant manager got out of the truck and sprinted over to the ticket booth. A few moments later, the female assistant manager arrived with another staff member. They were carrying two rectangular gray objects. Our eyes were glued to the ticket booth as they went inside. What were they carrying? And why?

The answers came quickly. They were carrying their cash register and ticket printer. Clearly, nothing of value is left inside the ticket booth during non-business hours. Although not an earth shattering revelation, it was an event we had not seen before.

I also noticed something else. Last week, I had been at the Mission on Thanksgiving Day. I was surprised to see that while the movies on exhibition had not changed, some of them had been assigned to different screens. As a result, our movie selection for the evening changed.

We purchased two tickets to "Domestic Disturbance" and drove on to the Screen 3 lot. Like last week, I parked "nose-first" towards the screen. This week, I knew that we would be staying inside the car. It was cold. It was windy. It was drizzling rain.

This was Rick's first exposure to Screen 3. He had previously only seen movies on Screens 1 and 2. Screen 3 would not be his only first for the night!

After parking, I exited the vehicle with the intention of executing my nightly patrol. I didn't ask Rick if he wanted to go. I just got out of the car. Moments later, I heard a car door slam and I knew he had decided to follow me. Curiosity? Hunger? The fear of being alone? Only he knows the reason why and he isn't telling!

I quickly led the way to the "sway bridge". As we reached the middle of the bridge, Rick stopped me to confirm my previously reported suspicions. The "sway bridge" has titled over since the start of the season. A strong gust of wind shorted our conversation regarding the probable cause of this event.

Keeping up a fast pace, we reached the snack bar in good time. I bought the usual. Once again, the hot dogs came inside plastic containers. I suspect that the plastic containers are only used on "slow" nights as they are "microwave safe". The foil wrappers continue to appear on "busy" nights. Rick purchased a drink. He had apparently been considering buying nachos, but rejected the idea because the "cheese wasn't warm yet". I'm sure what he really meant was "your cheese isn't hot enough to still be warm by the time I get back to the car; especially, since the guy I'm with will lead me across half the property on the way".

Whether that is what Rick meant, or not, I did take him back through Screen 1 to Screen 4. After a quick car count, we trekked back over to Screen 3 and the relative warmth of my car.

I know everyone likes car counts. I'll do something different this week by giving the results in a table. Note that this was the INITIAL count observed during the patrol.

Screen 1 - "Harry Potter / Cats and Dogs" - 5
Screen 2 - "Black Knight / Shallow Hal" - 2
Screen 3 - "Domestic Disturbance / The One" - 3
Screen 4 - "Monster's Inc / Max Keeble's Big Movie" - 1

Just as we reached the car, the previews began running. Rick was unhappy that I had failed to clean the windshield before we departed. I reached behind the seat and then handed him a bottle of Windex and some paper towels. His mood improved and he got out of the car. I watched him souse down the windshield with way more Windex than I would have used! He started wiping it off and then stopped. I thought "What now"?

As if in answer to my question, Rick opened the door. "Are these all the paper towels you have"?

My reply wasn't the one he was looking for. "I have an entire roll at home".

He shook his head and closed the door. To his credit, he made a valiant effort to get all the Windex off the glass.

I waited until he got comfortable before pointing out that he needed to clean the inside of the glass too! For those of you that aren't familiar with Texas, a dirty film builds up on the glass. I believe the film is road grime of some type that is deposited on the glass by the airflow through the air conditioner. But I digress.

After more valiant wiping, we settled in to watch the movie. Once "Domestic Disturbance" started, one of the vehicles moved from Screen 3 to Screen 4. The other remaining patron in Screen 3 decided this was a good opportunity to evaluate the view from all the different rows in the lot. He pulled forward. He backed up. He repeated himself until finally he found a row that was just right.

Approximately half way through the movie, Rick exited the vehicle to visit the portable toilet. He explained later how strange it was to be inside it -- the wind whistling across the top of the vent and the raining dripping down inside.

As the credits began to roll, I decided to emulate my fellow movie patron. I pulled all the way up to the first row. This allowed Rick to evaluate the picture quality as seen from the first seven rows.

Given how few people were in the theater, and the observed lack of a security guard, I decided to check out the other lots by car. I would NEVER do this on a busy night. The bridge from Screen 3 to Screens 1 and 2 is a ONE-WAY bridge. Crossing over, we saw there were now two cars in Screen 4. I pulled into the Screen 1 lot. "Harry Potter" was still going. We saw the same number of cars. I then pulled out of the Screen 1 lot and drove around to the Screen 2 lot. The number of cars here had increased to seven.

We were driving slowly across the back of the lot when I saw the projectionist exit the projection booth and head down the stairs towards us. I immediately accelerated to a speed, which he would be unable to match on foot.

We left the Mission and arrived home without further incident.

Oh yeah. While attendance was low, it appeared that nearly every patron had decided to purchase something at the snack bar. If this happens all the time, it could explain why the Mission has remained open during the week. Also, the security guard has now not been seen during my last two visits. This after I vowed to read his name-tag. Is this a cost cutting move? If so, will the low level of patronage prevent any security related problems?

4 Dec 2001 - Success!

The primary purpose of the weekly Mission report is to expose the masses to the joys of the drive-in experience, in hopes that at least a few of them will give it a try. Finally, after 31 reports, it worked!

Rick Stivers, infrequent drive-in patron, had agreed to go with me to see "Behind Enemy Lines". John Miller, a member of our office staff, has teased us for months that he might give the Mission a try. For unknown reasons, he decided that this would be the week that he went "all the way".

Everyone agreed to meet at my apartment at 17:45. This would give us plenty of time to get to the Mission, and to stop on the way to eat, if necessary.

Given the events of last week, I took a roll of paper towels out to the car, where I proceeded to clean both the inside and outside of the windshield. The weather was mild but the evening was projected to be on the cool side.

As I was completing this task, Rick Stivers arrived. He was a few minutes late. His first words were, "Where's John Boy"? I repressed the urge to respond in some flip manner with a reference to Walton Mountain. Instead, I simply replied, "Unknown".

We waited. And we waited. And we waited. Rick grew more and more concerned as the night grew darker and darker. Finally, he suggested we go "stand by the road". As I was dressed in all dark clothing, I expressed doubts regarding the merits of his proposal. Ignoring me, he walked over to entrance to Oak Terrace. He stood there alone, looking first one way and then the other. Finally, I joined him. I'm sure we looked quite strange to the passersby.

Finally, at 18:10, John Miller arrived. He had brought his son with him. I found this interesting, as Chris had previously rebuffed all efforts by John to take him to the Mission.

Although John knew the approximate location of the Mission, I urged him to follow my car. Now later than we expected, getting lost would cost us the previews or worse!

As we pulled out onto Loop 1604, Rick cautioned me, "John doesn't drive faster than 60 after dark".

Damnation! Didn't John know had dangerous it was to drive, at or near, the speed limit?

Remaining calm, I held my speed down to John's maximum and made great efforts to keep his vehicle in view at all times.

Given the speed constraint, we still made good time down to the New Braunfels exit. Remembering that a food stop might be required, I pulled into the Sonic located at the intersection of New Braunfels and Southcross. John did the same. Rick leaped from the vehicle and ran back to confer with John. Yes, a food stop was required.

John parked on one side of the Sonic. I parked on the other. I placed an order for myself and Rick. Rick generously offered to cover the cost of my Diet Coke. After the order was taken, I realized that the Sonic sells corn dogs. My biggest disappointment this season at the Mission was the removal of the corn dog from the snack bar menu. Rick urged me to order myself a corn dog. Once again, this would be his treat. I placed the order and then started looking for something else to do.

Noticing that John was looking in our direction, I began using the car's lights to send him messages in pseudo-morse code. This started a vigorous discussion with Rick regarding the use of morse code to send messages. Did it really matter if you sent "OSO", or "SOS", if you sent the message fast enough?

Rick-(Of course it matters. If you send OSO real fast you get OSOOSOOSOOSOOSOOSO. If you send SOS real fast you get SOSSOSSOSSOSSOS. That's not the same thing at all.

About the time this started to get out of hand, the carhop delivered John's order. He promptly went dark. Moments later, a carhop arrived with our first order. You remember this order; it was the order without a corn dog. Rick expressed concern about the corn dog and wanted to simplify the payment process. He passed money to the girl to cover the current order, the future delivery of the corn dog, and to provide a healthy tip for the curb service. Impressed, the girl promised to check on the corn dog at her first opportunity.

I laughed and turned to Rick. "You realize the next person out the door will have my corn dog and that we'll be forced to pay for it again"?

He denied this could happen. But sure enough, the next carhop out the door brought us a corn dog. Making the determination that explaining the corn dog situation would take far too long, Rick passed more money out the window.

By this time, John and Chris had finished eating. Forming up our convoy, we headed down Southcross to the Mission.

Traffic was now much worse. We had difficulty making the left turn onto South Presa. By the time we reached the Mission, the box office was open and the previews were beginning.

Rick and I had no trouble at the ticket booth. I paid for our tickets and we quickly made our way to the Screen 1 lot. Rick was quite particular about where we should park. I wasn't really concerned as the previews had not yet begun. The night wasn't as cool as predicted, so we decided to sit outside the car.

Once a suitable site was selected, we exited the vehicle. I popped the truck and prepared the car for the evening. I quickly had my camp chair unfolded, the trunk light shield in place and the trunk lid wedge installed. I tuned the car radio to the correct station. I'd long ago programmed the buttons on the radio with the proper stations for each screen.

With all this activity complete, I realized that John and Chris had not yet arrived. Where were they? Had they gotten lost inside the Mission? It could happen to the inexperienced patron!

Moments later, I saw a truck pull into the lot. It drove over next to us and parked. Chris and John had arrived! But what had taken so long? There had been some dispute about Chris' age at the box office. The female assistant manager in the ticket booth seemed unable to believe that Chris was 15. She repeatedly sent the ticket runner out in an effort to verify Chris' age. I know what you might be thinking, but you are wrong. People over 12 are charged $5 for admission. People between 6 and 12 get in for $3. Children under 6 get in free. John was basically insisting that he needed to pay for two adult tickets. The assistant manager seemed bent on charging them for one adult admission and one child admission. In the end, the John won the dispute and the Mission got $10 instead of $8. (I have to wonder if Chris ever realized this woman, who I guess is between 19 to 21, thought he appeared child-like? That could be a blow to the ego!)

The previews started and I settled into my chair. The corn dog was quickly gone. The night air was chilly but still tolerable.

I became annoyed when Rick, John and Chris showed no signs of settling down to watch the movie. Compelled to rise from my chair, I walked over to see what was happening. The radio in John's truck couldn't pick up the radio signal for Screen 1. He had no trouble picking up the signal for Screen 2. He drove around the lot but had no success in any location.

I rolled the windows down on the car and turned the volume up slightly with the expectation that John and Chris would be drawn to the sound in much the same manner as moths to a light.

The tactic worked. They sat over next to me. Rick, having forgotten his camp chair, refused to sit on the bumper of my car. Instead, he sat down on the ground and removed his coat. He rolled his fine leather jacket up into a makeshift pillow and laid down under the stars.

Finally, all in our places, we were shocked by what we saw! The shadow was gone! What shadow?

On the Mission property, there is an electric pole with two transformers. It provides power to the projection booth and the snack bar. Behind the Mission is a park. To the side is a VFW post. The VFW post has extremely bright lights in their parking lot. The glow from these lights tends to wash out the picture on screen 1, and to a lesser extent, screen 2. The light pole blocks some of the glow, thus creating the infamous shadow. The light pole shadow doesn't fall on Screen 2 because of its location.

For reasons unknown, the most offending light in the VFW constellation was not on. It might have burned out. It might have been turned off. The fixture may even have been turned to a different angle. We did not have to know the cause to enjoy the effect! The improvement in picture quality was dramatic! I've never seen Screen 1 looking this good!

Of course, John and Chris had never seen the shadow. That's bad! The shadow not being there has "raised the bar" for picture quality. If they return, and the shadow returns, they may not be as happy with the picture quality.

I could barely contain my excitement at this positive development. Could it get better than this? Yes. And it did!

One of the previews being shown was the trailer for a movie titled, "Kung Pow - Enter The Fist". If it lives up to the trailer, this movie will be hilarious. More important, it might be the movie that lures more people out to the drive-in.

Once I was certain my companions had settled down for the evening, I left for my usual patrol of the property.

Unlike last Tuesday, business was light in the snack bar. Only one employee was visible inside the snack bar.

Exiting into the Screen 2 lot, I noticed that the wind had begun to pick up. I made a quick car count and then hastily walked over to Screen 3. I soon learned that "haste makes waste" can also mean "haste makes for cold feet" as I stepped into a giant mud puddle. My socks were damp for the rest of the evening.

I normally describe the bridge connecting the Screen 2 lot to the Screen 3 lot as the "sway bridge". Apparently, some readers picture this to be some type of rope bridge which requires extreme agility to cross without incident. This is not the case.

The sway bridge is actually well constructed of steel pipes and wooden planks. The reason I describe it as a "sway bridge" is because the footing of the bridge is not solid. The bridge moves from side to side when walked upon. The footing on one side has begun to sink giving the bridge a very impressive, although passable, tilt. You need not be a lemur to cross this bridge!

From Screen 3, I passed to Screen 4, and then back Screen 1.

For those that like car counts, here they are:

Screen 1 - "Behind Enemy Lines" / "Domestic Disturbance" - 6
Screen 2 - "Black Knight" / "Shallow Hal" - 5
Screen 3 - "Harry Potter" / "Cats and Dogs" - 1
Screen 4 - "Monsters Inc." / "Corky Romano" - 2

Tuesday is clearly not a busy night at the Mission.

Back at the car, I consumed my hot dogs and popcorn. My companions seemed to be enjoying themselves. Rick didn't seem quite comfortable on the ground but refused the offer of my coat for use as extra bedding.

After the film was over, we headed to the snack bar for a bathroom break. On the way, another patron leaned out of his car and stopped us. He wanted to know if there was a second feature. We assured him there was and that it would start soon. He was happy to hear this and leaned back into his car. He didn't really seem to be there for the movie. He was in the back seat with an unidentified female companion. His door was open. On the ground next to it was a five-gallon bucket full of ice and beer. Regardless of his reason for attending the film, the Mission still got his $10!

In hopes of luring John into becoming a guest writer for this feature, I urged him to step into the Screen 2 lot and evaluate the attendance. He counted a total of 12 cars. That was a 100% increase from my earlier count. Could "Shallow Hal" really be such a big draw? Apparently, it was.

After returning to our vehicles, Rick and I returned home. John and Chris changed theaters and watched "Shallow Hall". I was concerned that they might get lost during the theater switch but this didn't happen.

A couple of other quick points. No security guard was seen. I also realized that "Cats and Dogs" is the first film to be on exhibition at the Mission at the same time it is available for sale or rent in stores. I would have thought all the prints would have been withdrawn to help support the video release. Apparently, that is not the case. I learned later than Chris enjoyed his visit to the Mission so much that he wants to return in the future. That's good. The next generation of drive-in patrons has to come from somewhere!

14 Dec 2001 - It's Back!

Having taken off Friday, I was able to leave for the Mission early. As I exited off IH-37, I realized that I was so early that I had time to stop at the Sonic for a couple of corn dogs.

I was surprised, and gratified, to learn that the Sonic was having a "2 for 99 cents" sale on corn dogs. Who could resist such a sale? I bought four corn dogs and a large drink for about the same price as a large drink at the Mission.

I had quite a good time driving down Southcross, eating hot corn dogs and drinking a cold Diet Coke. I arrived at the Mission before any of the previews had started. I purchased a ticket without incident and drove on into the Screen 1 lot.

I parked my car in my traditional space in row 3. Corn dog in hand, I started my nightly patrol. I was hungrier than I realized, as the corn dog didn't survive the six-row trip to the snack bar.

I went inside. There were a couple of people in line. I got in line and starting heading towards the popcorn display. An employee stopped me and wanted to know if I wanted my "usual". Given that we were standing by the hotdog display, I could only surmise that he meant my "usual hotdogs". What a time to be recognized! After consuming four corn dogs, I had no room to spare for hot dogs! I was forced to decline. I didn't feel bad until I looked into his eyes. He really, really wanted to sell me those hotdogs. He seemed crushed. Oh well!

Getting popcorn and a Diet Coke, I headed outside to continue my patrol.

As I reached the sway bridge, this eerie, creepy feeling came over me. I felt my skin crawl involuntarily. What was wrong? I stopped. I looked around. I listened intently. I could hear the howling of a pack of dogs in the distance. No, it wasn't the dogs. The dogs were far away. What could be the source of this mysterious feeling?

Resisting the urge to flee, I stood still on the bridge considering the situation. Finally, it hit me. I WAS the ONLY living being in the area. True, there were people in Lot 3 and Lot 2, but they weren't visible from the bridge. But it was more than being alone, it was the drive-in itself. None of the previews had started. The screens were lit only by the light of the moon. The distant fog seemed to wrap around the drive-in, cutting it off from the city. I understood now. At that moment, the Mission resembled a dead drive-in. Oh what a horrible thing!

I shuddered and move on across the bridge into Lot 3. I did not linger long there. I took a quick peek into Lot 4 and returned to my car. As I pulled out my camp chair, the previews began to roll. I've never been so happy to see a Nintendo commercial in my life!

For those that like car counts, here they are:

Screen 1 - "Not Another Teen Movie" / "Corky Romano" - 25
Screen 2 - "Harry Potter" / "Shallow Hal" - 8
Screen 3 - "Behind Enemy Lines" / "Black Knight" - 3
Screen 4 - "Ocean's 11" / "Domestic Disturbance" - 2

Remember, these counts were taken prior to the previews beginning.

As my relief faded, I realized the shadow had returned. The lights of the VFW were shining bright again. Oh, well.

I really enjoyed "Not Another Teen Movie". My favorite scene being the one that begins with a song and ends with a stun gun.

After the first feature was over, I decided to stay for "Corky Romano". I swept through the snack bar for another Diet Coke. I made the rounds quickly. As usual, the car count was up.

Screen 1 - 42
Screen 2 - 11
Screen 3 - 8
Screen 4 - 12

I've seen better Friday nights.

On the way back to my car, I noticed the security guard was back. He appeared to be getting ready to jump-start a battery for a woman with two kids. It looks like security is available on-site only on the weekends.

After "Corky Romano" was over, I returned home, but not without incident. Immediately after getting onto IH-37, a chair fell out of the truck in front of me. A hail of wood splinters, large and small, hit my car. Fortunately, I'm prepared for just such situations and was able to retain control of the vehicle.

To recap: No hotdogs were consumed. Four Sonic corn dogs were consumed.

Oh yes, for those that know the Weekender, this marked the first week in which I was unable to verify the weekly Mission advertisement. How could that be given that my weekly streak continues? Easy, that Weekender covered the period of 7-13 Dec 2001. I was at the Mission on 4 Dec 2001 and then back again on 14 Dec 2001. Now that I'm freed from attending only on Fridays, this is sure to happen more often!

25 Dec 2001 - My Motor Runs...

I drove home to Moore on Christmas Day. As I was getting ready to return to San Antonio that evening, I mentioned to my mother that I might drop by the Mission for a 'Drive-In Xmas'. She became agitated by this suggestion and forced me to promise that I would drive straight home. Like too many other people, she feels any part of San Antonio south of Highway 90 is dangerous. Never mind my personal experiences resulting from 36 previous trips to the Mission this year!

Did I keep my promise? Yes. I drove straight home. I phoned Mom as soon as I got in the door. I reassured her that I was safe. I then put down the receiver, walked out the door and drove down to the Mission. Note that I hadn't promised not to go to the Mission. I only promised to drive straight home.

All of this extra driving made it impossible for me to see a double feature. Reviewing the available selection of second features, I decided to see "Ocean's 11".

I arrived at the Mission and purchased my ticket without incident.

"Ocean's 11" has been moved to Screen 4. As I crossed over the bridge, I turned off my headlights and began searching for a place to park. The credits for "The Majestic" had just started to roll.

Watching movies on Screen 4 is made more difficult by the glare from the lights of the apartment complex on the other side of Roosevelt Avenue. Most of the cars try to park on the left side of the screen so that the screen itself blocks these lights. I've done that myself. On this night, I parked on the right side of the screen. After turning off the motor, I reached over and turned the passenger sun visor all the way around against the passenger window. I then hung a black cloth over the visor to provide an additional shield against the apartment lights. For some reason, these lights are less distracting when sitting outside the car. Sitting outside wasn't an option this night. It was cold. Not "Admiral Peary" cold but pretty close to it for a South Texas native.

Of course, being forgetful, I made things even worse by walking off and leaving the front driver's side window partially down.

My patrol of the property was conducted at an extremely brisk pace. I quickly moved from Screen 4 to Screen 3. I was forced to be extra careful crossing the sway bridge. The wind was up and the handrails were cold. Not "freeze your skin to the metal" cold but close enough for a South Texas native.

I was very grateful to reach the shelter of the snack bar.

The snack bar was doing an extremely brisk business. I was forced to wait in line for nearly 10 minutes. A large group of teenagers had apparently come to the Mission as a group. Each and every one of them bought a snack item.

When it was my turn, I purchased a drink and a bag of popcorn. Why no hot dogs? This trip it wasn't because of the "2 for 99 cent" corn dog sale at the Sonic. No, this trip I was simply too full from eating my mother's cooking. She claims to be a poor cook but if that is true, why aren't there ever any leftovers? I must confess that I did buy a box of Snow-Caps.

As I reached the cashier, I noticed the manager talking to a silver-haired, middle-aged woman. Always desiring information about the Mission, I "overhead" as much of their conversation as possible. In just a few minutes, they discussed a variety of topics including the employees, their work habits, and the manager's belief that the Mission could do more business if it was promoted properly. I still can't decide if this woman was a curious patron, a new member of the Santikos management team or a reporter of some kind. I suppose she could even have been a member of the manager's family who stopped by to visit with him since he was working on Christmas Day. Sadly, like the "mysterious visitors" sighted at the Mission during the summer, I was unable to talk with this woman.

Leaving the snack bar, I raced across the Screen 1 lot, dodging water puddles, back to Screen 4.

As I reached my car, I realized I had left the window down. All the hot air had escaped from my car. Climbing inside, I started the motor and let it run through the remainder of the previews.

I was forced to run the motor several times during "Ocean's 11".

When the film ended, I decided against a second patrol and headed home. The Snow-Caps were not consumed until the next day.

Here are the car counts, for those that like them. Remember, these counts were taken between the first and second features.

Screen 1 - "Ali" / "Not Another Teen Movie" - 27
Screen 2 - "The Grinch" / "Lord Of The Rings" - 6
Screen 3 - "Joe Somebody" / "Harry Potter" - 8
Screen 4 - "The Majestic" / "Ocean's 11" - 11

Clearly, the Mission did better on Thanksgiving Day than it did on Christmas Day. Of course, it is also my experience that Thursday always has a better attendance than Tuesday.

When I saw "Behind Enemy Lines" with Rick Stivers and John Miller, I learned why you shouldn't watch a military movie with military members. I won't do the same to you by directly exposing any plot flaws in "Ocean's 11". For those that don't know it, I've been to Las Vegas 17 times. I will only suggest that you look closely at the map of Las Vegas presented in the film. When my brother went with me to Las Vegas, he commented that "everything looks closer together on TV". You'll find the same perception issue at play in "Ocean's 11".

31 Dec 2001 - Final Thoughts...

I decided that I would complete my "holiday at the drive-in" series by attending the Mission on New Year's Eve. I opened up the latest "Weekender" with thoughts of selecting my movie for the evening.

I was shocked and dismayed to see that the movie show times had been moved up to 6:30PM. As it was already 06:00PM, there were only moments to spare if I was to arrive in time for the previews!

Traffic was very heavy. I didn't actually arrive at the Mission until 06:35PM. Okay, I'm thinking I'm only five minutes late.

I purchased my ticket without incident and drove into the Screen 3 lot. Had the previews just begun? Nope. "Joe Somebody" had already begun and it appeared to be at least ten minutes into the movie!

Although it was warmer than Christmas night, the wind was much stronger. I rushed across the sway bridge to the shelter of the concession stand. At first, I thought I was the only person inside. I considered "liberating" the "Kung Pow - Enter the Fist" movie poster but decided against it.

I began to call out "Hello!". Each time I called out, I raised the volume on my voice. Finally, after my fifth cry, an employee came out of the kitchen area. He seemed quite surprised to see a patron.

Having had no time to stop for corn dogs, I purchased three hot dogs, a bag of popcorn and a Diet Coke.

Outside, I rushed through the Screen 1 and Screen 4 lots. Back at my car, I cursed myself for locking the door.

The time was now 6:50PM. Does starting the movies earlier lead to an increase in patrons? Of course not! Below are the screen counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Ali" / "Not Another Teen Movie" - 3
Screen 2 - "Lord Of the Rings" - 0
Screen 3 - "Joe Somebody" / "Harry Potter" - 2
Screen 4 - "The Majestic" / "Ocean's 11" - 3

Yes, "Lord Of The Rings" was showing without a second feature. This is certainly a good way to present such long films. I'm hoping this will be the start of a trend.

I must admit the plastic shells currently being used as hot dog containers work very well. The dogs were still hot. I ate them quickly although my numb fingers caused me some trouble with the mustard packets.

Part way through "Joe Somebody", the projector lost focus. Annoyed, I made my way back through the wind to the snack bar. The calling ritual was repeated. The employee promised to contact the projection both. I returned to my car. I'm sad to say that nothing was every done about the focus problem.

As the credits started to roll, I headed home and arrived safely without incident.

As I drove home, I thought about the previous year at the Mission and what I would do to improve the experience. I identified five problem areas and developed solutions for each.

1) The Mission historically used colors to identify the screens. The recent switch to numbers is understandable given the installation of an automated ticket system. Still, this change causes confusion to patrons, both old and new. Here are my suggestions:

a) Replace the black numbers on the "screen lane" signs with a green "1", a yellow "2", a red "3" and a blue "4". This simple, and very inexpensive, change would tie the past and the present together for a new and consistent future.

b) Add a map of the property to the front of each ticket booth. The map should use the same system, colored numbers, to identify the screen lots.

2) Screens 1 and 4 suffer the most from light pollution. While all of the light pollution cannot be eliminated, the problem can be reduced.

a) Raise the fence height around the property by two to three feet. At a minimum, do this around Screen 4. Raising the fence height would cut off a considerable amount of glare coming in from off the property.

b) Plant trees and bushes around the property. This would also help to reduce the amount of unwanted light as well as make the property more attractive. Care should be taken not to create an impenetrable barrier around the property. The lighted screens are the best advertisement any drive-in can have.

c) The light pole shadow on Screen 1 isn't the problem. It is a symptom of the problem. Entering into an arrangement with the VFW hall to turn their lights down into their parking lot would go a long way towards "brightening" Screen 1. In an ideal world, the lights on the VFW building should be moved to poles on the edge of the VFW property and then turned into the VFW parking lot. This would do wonders for Screen 1.

3) The current layout of the concession stand just will not work during the busy summer season.

a) Move the drink dispensers to a serving "island" and simply sell cups to patrons. Yes, some patrons will cheat the drive-in by bringing in old cups. On the other hand, the speed at which patrons can be served will increase dramatically.

4) The Mission has recently been plagued by focus problems.

a) This is either an equipment issue or a management issue. If the projectors can't hold "focus", they need to be repaired or replaced. If the projectors are fine, then management needs to become proactive and get out in to the lots. In less than 15 minutes, someone could walk through all four screen-lots and radio back a focus quality report. Just do it.

5) The potential of the Mission is limited more than anything else by a lack of marketing. Marketing costs money but it will pay off in greater revenues if done properly.

a) The VFW next door is both a source of light pollution problems and a potential source of customers. Give the VFW a few dozen "free" passes each week. If the passes aren't used, then the only cost is the printing of the passes. If they are used, the snack bar will almost certainly see increased business.

b) The security guard once joked with me that I should get a "frequent attendance" discount. Other than the employees, I've probably been to the Mission more times than anyone else this season. Reward frequent patrons in some way. It is far easier to get current customers to come back than it is to recruit new customers.

c) Use the snack bar as a promotional tool. Free drink refills or free popcorn refills will get patrons back into the concession stand where they may buy even more items.

d) During the slow periods, try to get copies of "classic" films of the type associated with drive-in theaters. Movies like "Grand Theft Auto" and "The Day The Earth Stood Still" are examples of this type of film. "Classic" night could be a powerful draw. And could it be worse than having nobody show up for "The Lord Of The Rings"? I think not.

e) The Mission desperately needs a marquee that can be see from Roosevelt. Even a plain sign listing the evenings films would be helpful. A neon covered sign would be better.

Even with these issues, the Mission remains an entertaining experience. I'll be back in 2002!

If you have any comments, corrections, or additions you can reach me Here.