MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Few things conjure a more wholesome picture of fun family times than an outing to the drive-in. This soon, will not only be a distant memory to some or a scene from an old movie, but a current reality in Mossel Bay.
Octogenarian Eddie Mortimer can tell you a few stories of the drive-in in Mossel Bay from days gone by.
To supplement his income, Eddie was a well known face at the local drive in at based at Seashells, Hartenbos in the late 1960's and during the 1970s, until his work for Transnet took him elsewhere.
Eddie settled in Mossel Bay in 1966. Prior to that, he says, during his apprenticeship in Port Elizabeth, he waitered at the Walmer drive in for pocket money.
The local drive in, Eddie remembers must have opened in 1968/69. At first he worked at the ticket office. Then due to his technical proficiency, helped with speaker repairs and eventually ended up in the projector room.
The drive in was no small operation. At capacity, it accommodated 800 cars. Eddie says that Afrikaans films, as well as cowboy flicks were hits. "People came from all over, even George and Oudtshoorn. In season, it was packed." The midnight shows reserved for long weekends and season time, were a hit.
Despite the drive in being so popular, there were never any shenanigans, Eddie says. "It was very orderly. We never had any trouble."Albeit, the movie lovers who used to sneak in without paying.
"You could spot them driving into the exit with their lights off, but when they brake the car, the light would go on," Eddie chuckles.
Eddie says that he hardly watched any flicks in those days. He was simply too busy making sure that everything runs like clockwork.
"The films arrived five to six reels in sealed cases and wrapped in newspaper. You had to then wind them onto the reels. We used two projectors and a reel would take about 15 tot 20 minutes to run."
The switching from one projector to another had to be seamless and once a reel was complete, you'd have to make sure you unwind and rewind in a jiffy. Eddie says never, as his memory serves, did films arrive incomplete. "You had to check for damages. Sometimes the film would break and the cars would start hooting. Then you have to keep calm and just fix it."
Once a movie has completed its run, the reels have to be sent, according to instruction to the next destination. It was sent by rail. "Rail was always on time in those days."
Eddie misses the technical aspects of running the drive in most. And all the people he used to meet. He is excited at the prospect of the drive-in being revived in Mossel Bay.
Unlike the drive in its hey day, the modern set up is mobile and long gone are the huge projectors and quaint little speakers you used to clip onto your car window.
Eddie says he followed the re-emergence of the drive in concept with interest and made suggestions to its new owner Sean Ekström.
Details on when the drive in will be open, is still to be confirmed. It will predominantly run from Hart & Bosch Village.
In the mean time, you can practise singing the classic Jeremy Taylor classic, Ag Pleez Daddy
No more huge projectors and film reels. Eddie Mortimer shows the projector what will be used at Mossel Bay's mobile drive-in. Behind him the screen can be seen. Photo: Riaan Jordaan
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