BEL AIR, Md. -- For 53 years, The Big M welcomed moviegoers, who were sometimes dressed in pajamas. But the Bel Air-Churchville drive-in has shown its last movie.
WBAL-TV 11 News reporter Rob Roblin visited the drive-in Friday before it closed for good. The big movie screen, poles that held speakers to cars and the concession stand remain standing.
But like the ice cream machine outside the restaurant, they're all abandoned now. The restaurant attached has served its last burger.
The drive-in's owners said they're closing because of money.
"A lot of it depends on the weather. The past few years, it was rainy," said Lee Zellman, the drive-in's owner.
Roblin said parents often took their children to the drive-in, who then took their dates to see movies. For them, the drive-in's closing is almost like losing a part of the past.
"I'm over 50, but inside, I'm still a kid," said Rob Wolfe, a customer. "I used pull up and order food from pushing a button. They would bring it out to you, not on roller skates, but it was a drive-in."
Those who worked at the drive-in also shared their memories.
"I came here as I was growing up, and then, as my little brother was growing up," said Angela Mullins, a former employee.
"Everybody enjoyed themselves here, and that's kinda the way we want to remember it," Zellman said.
The Big M's closing leaves Maryland with just one traditional drive-in theater: Bengie's on Eastern Boulevard in Baltimore County.
Stay with TheWBALChannel.com and WBAL-TV 11 News for the latest entertainment news updates.
Copyright 2006 by TheWBALChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Images: Filmstrip Ends For The Big M
Survey: Go To Drive-In Movies?
Rob Roblin Reports: Movies May Fade, But Memories Last
