Drive-Ins
Theatres Still Provide
Larger than Life Entertainment
Written by Dianna Stampfler
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Going to the drive-in movies during the 50s and 60s was great fun for
families and was a social activity for the teenagers. With double-features
running
well into the night, the sound was pumped out of speakers that affixed to
your car window. Today, the only significant change in how things operate
is that the sound now plays out of the FM radio.
CAPRI DRIVE-IN
In 1964, John and Mary Magocs opened the Capri Drive-in in Coldwater as a single-screen
theatre. Sons Tom and John Jr., were just five and nine years old, respectively,
at the time. Years later, the brothers would take over management of the
nostalgic drive-in. One of their first decisions was to install AM radio
transmission of the movie sound. This was cutting edge technology at the
time in the Drive-In industry. All but five rows of speakers were removed.
In 1986, the Capri became a twin. Screen Two was added on the back side of
theatre. Screen One's car capacity was decreased to 550 cars, with Screen Two
parking 300 more. Two years later, the city’s indoor cinema opened and
many expected that to be the end of the line for the Capri. They couldn’t
have been more wrong.
“The Capri Drive-In has continued to thrive, with an ever growing and widening
audience,” said Tom’s wife Susan. “Not only do we see regular
customers from local counties like Branch and Calhoun, but regular weekly visitors
from Kalamazoo, Lansing, Angola, Fort Wayne, Jackson, Defiance, and even semi-regulars
from as far away as Detroit, Chicago and Toledo.”
