North Las Vegas drive-in theater an island of nostalgia

By Gregan Wingert

Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 | 2 a.m.

James Cobbs pokes his head from the moonroof of his mom’s minivan for a better view of the 65-foot-wide screen onto which the Adam Sandler comedy “Jack and Jill” is being projected through the desert sky.

It’s his first time at the West Wind Drive-In movie theater. And it’s easy to understand why a 6-year-old would approve of a place where the air is heavy with the smell of cotton candy and buttered popcorn and where pajamas are perfectly acceptable attire.

“I’m sure after today, he’s going to want to come all the time,” his mother, Heather Cobbs, said.

The 46-year-old drive-in — a throwback to a time before multiplexes and Blu-ray discs and Netflix — is an island of nostalgia in a sea of modern-day hustle and bustle.

Sitting across from the Fiesta Rancho and Texas Station casinos, next to the North Las Vegas Airport, it has been enveloped by the valley's signature sprawl, the glowing neon star atop the marquee seemingly shouting out so the place isn't lost.

“Dean Martin ought to be standing underneath it; it’s so cool,” said Tony Maniscalco, vice president of marketing for Syufy Enterprises, the company that owns Nevada’s only two remaining drive-ins — the other one, the West Wind El Rancho Drive-In, is in Sparks.

At one time, Nevada boasted a dozen drive-ins, five of them in Clark County, including the old Skyway, Sunset, Nevada and Desert, according to the website driveinmovie.com.

About 4,000 drive-ins were open in the U.S. in 1958, according to the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association. As of September 2010, there were about 370 left.

But Maniscalco doesn’t fret about the dwindling numbers. “Our business is much better than anyone believes,” he said, adding that the economic downturn has actually resulted in an increase of ticket sales as families seek out cheap entertainment.

General admission for a double-feature is $6.25 for adults, $1 for children 5 to 11 years old and free for kids under 5. “That is the world’s cheapest babysitter,” Maniscalco said.

Jessica Nordling held her 2-year-old daughter, Grace, as she passed through the snack bar.

“They keep it clean and it’s old school, and I like that,” Nordling said.

Movie fans like Nordling keep coming back to the drive-in, even though movies are now just a mouse click away.

“I like it because it brings back my childhood,” said Randall Garibay, 18, who was on a date with girlfriend, Jessica Moriarty, to see “Paranormal Activity 3.”

“I’ve always wanted to go, so he’s decided to surprise me,” said Moriarty, 17.

D. Vogel, secretary of the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association and properietor of the Bengies Drive-In Theatre near Baltimore, said many of the old theaters started to disappear as land prices escalated and mom-and-pop operators sold out.

“You have to have a little bit of passion for drive-ins,” Vogel said. “If you have a love for money, go open a laundromat.”

Vogel said drive-ins are changing to keep up with the times, too. “We are seeing the end of 35mm motion picture film,” which is being replaced by digital versions, Vogel said.

The West Wind still embraces the 35mm films, but it’s done away with the corded car speakers moviegoers used to pull from a post and hang from their rolled-down windows. Today, the sound is picked up by the car’s FM radio.

West Wind general manager Terrence Tutaj said the drive-in is a more relaxed way to watch a movie. “We’ll have a pick-up truck come with a sofa and pillows,” he said.

The ease of getting up during a drive-in movie adds to the comfort. Between double features, or whenever a little one gets antsy, parents can take their children to a small playground next to the concession stand.

“They like the family atmosphere,” Tutaj said.

Vogel said drive-ins are for everybody — parents, grandparents, children, teens on dates.

“I can’t really address the people who don’t go out,” Vogel said. “I feel sorry for them.”