Autumn Years Winter 2023/24

The 1,350 - car Hackensack Drive-In opened in Little Ferry in 1963. During the day it, too, doubled as a Motor Ve hicle Inspection Station. In the 1970s, foreign sexploitation movies were shown, nearly causing accidents as

drivers on Route 46 saw nudity on the huge screen. The mayor and borough officials attended a screening (to inves tigate) and determined it was X-rated. When asked for details, the mayor said there was much nudity, but he could not remember the plot. The drive-in closed in 1981. In 1963, the 1,200-car

Skouras Route 17 Drive In opened in Upper Saddle River. Billed as family friendly, the theater admit ted children up to age 12 for free. For children, there were a large playground, a carousel, kiddie Ferris wheel, a trackless train and sandboxes. A nearby 400 seat patio was provided for the parents. Skouras sold the land for development after the 1975 summer season. a

with smoke. The drive-in’s biggest night was September 23, 1952, when the box ing match between Jersey Joe Wolcott and Rocky Marciano was simulcast live on the giant screen. Tickets for 20,000 people were sold; 5,000 were turned away, although many simply walked in to witness the event. The drive-in closed in 1981. Saddle Brook’s 1,100-car Route 6 Drive-In opened in 1951. When the highway was renumbered, it became the Route 46 Drive-In . To entice par ents with kids, it had an amusement park called Kiddie-Land (see Autumn Years , Summer 2021). During the day, it doubled as a Motor Vehicle Inspec tion Station. It closed in 1974, but while vacant, a scene for the 1976 movie The Death Collector , featuring Joe Pesci, was filmed there.

Route 6 Drive-In newspaper ad, Saddle Brook.

Skouras Route 17 Drive-In, Upper Saddle River.

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WINTER 2023/24 I AUTUMN YEARS