CAMDEN -- A once prominent -- but now faded -- pop culture phenomenon got its start 82 years ago in New Jersey.
On June 6, 1933, the first drive-in theater in the United States opened in Camden.
Richard Hollingshead opened the very first drive-in theater in the city "on what's now Admiral Wilson Boulevard on the border of Pennsauken," Tyler Hoffman, English professor at Rutgers-Camden and co-curator of the "Sounds of Camden" exhibit told the South Jersey Times this past November.
"About 600 people came to the theater on opening night, June 6, 1933," Hoffman told the newspaper. "People were from 20 or 30 different states. It really captured the attention of a lot of people."
The nation's first drive-in theater could hold 500 cars and promised "motorists and their guests will see and hear talking pictures while they smoke, talk, or partake of refreshments without annoying others in the audience," Hoffman told the newspaper.
Drive-in theaters became a fixture across the United States after World War II, peaking at more than 4,000 movie theaters in the 1950s. Hollingshead's theater was far more short-lived as it closed less than three years after its opening.
At present, there are nearly 4,600 movie theaters around the country, but only 350 drive-ins remain in operation, according to TheAwl.com.
Reporting by Kristie Rearick was used in this article.
Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.