Classic Americana is making a comeback across the nation in the form of drive-ins! With social distancing still in place and cinemas forced to program virtually, this summer, Sag Harbor Cinema (SHC) presents an opportunity to enjoy the big screen experience from the comfort and safety of your own car.
The Sag Harbor Cinema Drive-in kicks off with a screening of Randal Kleiser’s film “Grease” at Havens Beach on Sunday, June 21. The free event is organized in collaboration with the Village of Sag Harbor and sponsored by the Sag Harbor Partnership.
Popping up across the country as early as the 1920s, drive-in cinemas established themselves as a definitive part of American culture between the 1940s and the ‘70s. By the time “Grease” was released in 1978, the film’s leading man, John Travolta, was crooning for his leading lady, Olivia Newton John, at a drive-in during one the film’s musical numbers (as the classic refreshment ad plays on the screen behind him).
“Who could have ever imagined that the road to the re-building and the re-opening of the Sag Harbor Cinema would have included a drive-in phase?” says SHC artistic director Giulia D’Agnolo Vallan. “Growing up in Italy I dreamed of drive-ins across the ocean, while spending a good portion of my summers as a teenager in our (car-less) version of the outdoor cinema, the ‘cinema giardino’.
“I am thrilled to be able to offer this classic form of movie-going to our audience. As a film, ‘Grease’ kind of encapsulates the spirit of drive-in experience.”
The drive-in concept is not new to the East End. For decades, Bridgehampton’s drive-in served residents and tourists until it met the fate of so many drive-ins in the 1980s, having to close due to the growing popularity of multiplexes.
Alas, late word indicates that this Saturday’s screening of “Grease” is now sold out, but the cinema hopes to offer more drive-in screenings at Havens Beach in the weeks ahead. Check the schedule at sagharborcinema.org.
Staff Writer on Jun 15, 2020