ORIGINAL SIMPLEX 1950'S DRIVE-IN SIMPLEX CAR WINDOW SPEAKER.



This is an old all-metal Simplex window speaker in a rare brushed gold color and was received gold directly to the theater. Even the speaker-screen protector inside the front is gold.

This was acquired from Sky-View Drive-In, in Litchfield, Illinois, the last drive-in on Rtoute. 66 in IL., when they went high-tech and installed a car-radio-audio sound system at the theater.

All you have to do now, is tune your car radio to 103.1 FM, and listen to the movies. It took away from the originality of the theater, but now you can still go to the movies while it's raining and not worry about getting wet.

This still has the original long cord attatched (in good condition), as well as the connectors at the end of it, which would make it very easy to set up in your collection. It has been tested and works fine. Volume knob turns as it should.

Measures 6.5" tall, and 4.5" wide.

The Sky View Drive In Theatre in Litchfield is located on Historic Route 66 and is the last operating drive in on Historic Route 66 in Illinois.

The Sky View Drive In Theatre in Litchfield opened in the Spring of 1951 and has been in operation each season since then. The original owner/operator was Frisina Enterprises. It was then sold to Mid America Theatres and is now owned and operated by Norman Paul and his wife Del.

We are a seasonal operation and are usually open from the first or second weekend in April until the end of October but it depends upon the weather. From opening date until Memorial Day weekend we are open on Friday, Saturday and Sundays only.

From Memorial Day through Labor Day we are open 7 nights a week.

From Labor Day through the close of the season we are open on Friday, Saturday and Sundays only.

The drive-in theater is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. The screen can be as simple as a wall that is painted white, or it can be a complex steel truss structure with a complex finish.

Within this enclosed area, customers can view features from the privacy and comfort of their cars. Some drive-in theater managers added children's playgrounds between the screen and the first row of cars. Concrete patios for lawn chairs were available at some drive-in theaters.

Originally, audio was provided by speakers on the screen and later by an individual speaker for each car. This system was superseded by the more economical method of broadcasting the soundtrack at a low output power on AM or FM Radio to be picked up by a car radio, an advantageous method as it allows the soundtrack to be picked up in stereo by the audience instead of monaural.

Because of an easy source of high-quality sound and the relative ease of hiding and mounting a camcorder, drive-in theatres are often preffered sites to make Telesync and CAM pirated movies.