It Isn't Raining Rain You Know...

Mahoning 75th Anniversary Celebration: April Showers / Jurassic Park

Mahoning Drive-In Theater - Lehighton, PA
This advertisement was published in the April 29th, 1949 edition of The Morning Call newspaper to promote the opening night of my favorite place in the world to watch movies, The Mahoning Drive-In Theater.

Show banner designed by Andrew Kern

The movie that was screened on opening night at the Mahoning was the Warner Bros musical April Showers.  Sixty-five years later when the industry had transitioned to an all-digital format, they screened Jurassic Park to kick off their second life as a home for folks who enjoy watching classic films on 35mm.  Last night, they celebrated their 75th anniversary with a double feature of these two films.

Prior to sundown, the Mahoning was acknowledged by the community with certificates in honor of their 75th year, and there was a ribbon cutting ceremony on the stage outside of the snack bar.  Mark (bottom left) appears to be doing an impersonation of a deranged crossing guard in this photo.  Sorry buddy... it's the best picture that I got.

 

You might have noticed a strange looking face in the group photo above Rob and Krista.  That face belonged to this very cool balloon statue of Freddy Kreuger that was created by Robbie Furman.  He's a balloon artist and performer who owns and operates Robbie's Balloons & More in Lehighton, PA.  His work was also on display during opening weekend, and I have a hunch that we'll be seeing more of it this season.

The pre-show cartoon was a 1943 Tom & Jerry short called The Yankee Doodle Mouse.  This reel was a part of Jeff's collection of classic animation on 35mm.

April Showers is a musical about a husband and wife vaudeville team (The Happy Tymes) whose performances have grown stale over time.  The act gets new life when their 12 year old son leaves school to join them on stage, and they achieve new heights as a three-person family act.  Unfortunately, their big opportunity to make it in New York falls flat because of a law that prevents their son from performing.  This causes the father to spiral out of control with alcohol, which gets him blacklisted from the venues where he and his family once performed.  With no other option, his wife and son go on the road with a song-and-dance man named Billy Shay, who is pressuring the wife to leave her husband for him.  The father returns just in time to catch Billy smacking his son around and make his triumphant return to the stage with his family.

This is not at all the kind of movie that I gravitate towards.  I can't imagine any scenario other than this 75th anniversary celebration at the Mahoning that would have put this film on my radar at all, let alone inspired me to give it my full attention.  It wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but I enjoyed it for what it was.  The title song of the movie was nice to hear on the lot.  It's a song that my grandmother used to sing to me when I was very young, and a song that she sang to herself from time to time throughout my life. 

One fun fact about this film that my dad pointed out to me is that the actor who played Billy Shaw (Robert Alda) is the father of actor Alan Alda, who is best known for playing Hawkeye in M*A*S*H.

 

The 35mm animation that played during intermission was called Runaway Brain.  This is a Disney cartoon from 1995 that we have seen at the Mahoning twice before, once in 2021 and again in 2022.  It feels more like a Looney Tunes than a Mickey Mouse cartoon, which is probably why I enjoy it as much as I do.  I'm not sure if it's available to stream through official channels, but someone has uploaded it to YouTube.

Jurassic Park was the second half of Thursday night's double feature.  We saw this at the Mahoning in August 2021, but I was at a ballgame with my dad earlier that day and didn't get there until later in the day and were parked pretty far back on the lot.  This time, we got to see it from "our spot" in the front row to the right of the digital booth, and it looked as incredible on the big screen as it always does.

Before we headed home, we got to see a 35mm print of a 1947 Woody Woodpecker cartoon called Smoked Hams.  We saw this once before during Opening Weekend 2022, but vintage cartoons are always a welcome sight on the big screen at the Mahoning.  It was a great end to another perfect night at the drive-in.

Bloody Murder Never Felt So Dull

In A Violent Nature
IFC Films (2024)
I've seen a lot of slasher films in my life, but this is the first time that I've ever been bored by watching one.  In A Violent Nature is an homage to Friday The 13th, but shot mostly from a third person perspective of the killer.  Sounds like a cool idea in theory, but in practice, it's a lot of walking... and more walking... and more walking.  I'd estimate that a good 25% of the footage of this movie is watching the killer's back as he walks through the woods looking for his next victim.

Some of the kills are brutal, but they came across to me as being so over-the-top that they ended up feeling silly, like when Wile E. Coyote gets blown up while chasing the Road Runner.  There was no character development whatsoever.  The cinematography was gimmicky, and the dialogue reminded me of scenes out of a soap opera.  The only scene in the movie that kept my interest was the ride in the truck at the end with Lauren-Marie Taylor who delivers the only respectable acting performance in the entire film, but it's not even close to being enough to save the movie.  Hard pass.

Going Dutch For Dinner

Dutch Burger
Sapore - Lehighton, PA

We decided to stop for a bite to eat on the way to the ballgame on Monday night rather than to wait through what was sure to be long lines at the ballpark.  I'm happy that we did because it gave me the opportunity to try this very tasty burger.

The Dutch Burger is an 8 oz burger topped with fried onions, mushrooms, gravy, and provolone cheese, and it's served with a side of french fries for under $10.  It's a little challenging to eat because the gravy caused the cheese and the toppings to keep slipping off, but if you're not opposed to some creative head tilts or eating your burger with a knife and fork, it is definitely worth the effort.

Dad and I stopped at Sapore in Lehighton for lunch over 20 years ago, and this is the first time that I've been back to the restaurant since then.  I wasn't deliberately avoiding the place.  It's just that I'm usually headed for the Turnpike when I'm in this part of town and not often looking to stop for food at this point in my travels.  I'm going to have to keep this place in mind for the future though.  Any place where you can get a tasty burger and a chocolate dipped cannoli is a place that you want to keep on your radar.

Rhys Lightning Strikes Philadelphia

Monday, June 3, 2024

Milwaukee Brewers @ Philadelphia Phillies

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Pitching: Bryse Wilson vs Zack Wheeler

Results: Phillies defeated Brewers, 3-1

One of the motivating factors when I'm picking which Phillies games to go to at the start of the season is whether or not I've already seen the visiting team play in person.  As of today, the only teams that I have yet to see in a live game are the Orioles, Tigers, Rangers, Diamondbacks, and Rockies.

I already saw the Brewers play back in 2009, but there was no way I could pass up the opportunity to see Rhys Hoskins in his first game at Citizens Bank Park since he signed with Milwaukee.  I had no way of knowing when I bought these tickets over the winter that I'd be watching two first place teams battle it out in early June in what may very well turn out to be a preview of the post-season.

This game was a bittersweet experience.  On one hand, it was an excellent game and a very cool experience to welcome Rhys Hoskins back to Citizens Bank Park.  However, I originally got these tickets to see the game with my dad.  He's been having some health concerns recently that kept him from being able to come out to the ballpark.  Hopefully we can make it to a game soon.

 

The announced starters for the game were Phillies ace Zack Wheeler against Brewers right hander Bryse Wilson.  Wheeler did start for the Phillies, and Wilson did pitch the most innings of the game for the Brewers, but Milwaukee have been using an "opener" to pitch the first inning in some games, so left-handed reliever Jared Koenig pitched the first inning.  I'm not entirely opposed to this strategy, and it did seem to work out for the Brewers as Koenig quickly retired Kyle Schwarber, JT Realmuto, and Bryce Harper on three straight groundouts.

The real story of this game was Rhys Hoskins returning to Philadelphia.  He hasn't played a game on this field since the 2022 World Series.  He missed all of 2023 due to injury, and with Bryce Harper at first base and Kyle Schwarber at DH, he didn't have a place to play in Philly by the time he hit free agency before the start of this season.  It's just one of those things that can happen in baseball.

I've followed Rhys Hoskins for most of his professional career.  I got to see him play in Lehigh Valley alongside JP Crawford, Dylan Cozens and Scott Kingery.  I was in attendance for his first MLB hit, and for his 8th career MLB home run, which occurred during an incredible stretch in August 2017 in which he became the fastest player in MLB history to hit ten home runs in the big leagues.  I've followed the highs, the lows, the bat spikes, and the injuries, and over the past 8+ years, he has become one of my favorite Phillies of all time.  Being in attendance for this night seemed almost mandatory.

The Phillies played a nice video package before the start of the game to honor Hoskins contributions in Philadelphia.  That got a great reaction, but it paled in comparison to his first at-bat in the top of the 2nd inning.  I took a video of it from our seats in Section 421, but this video from MLB.com of the Brewers broadcast of the game does a much better job of capturing Hoskins reaction to the standing ovation that he was given by the fans.  Even if you're not a baseball fan... even if you have no context of what is going on in the moment... that has to give you chills.

There is a ton of credit to go all around for this incredible moment.  First of all, all of the respect in the world goes to home plate umpire Sean Barber, who recognized the importance of the moment and suspended the pitch clock to allow it to happen.  I'm sure there are some umpires who wouldn't have been as respectful of the game and its players and fans, but Mr. Barber is a true class act.  Secondly, the fans in attendance gave Hoskins the respect he deserves.  The national media likes to characterize Philadelphia fans as classless jerks, mostly for a few isolated incidents that took place years before I was born.  I'm in my mid 40's, by the way, so we're talking about things that took place roughly a half century ago or longer.  Hoskins reacted with class and dignity, as did all of the other players on the field on both sides.  The whole game played out almost like a Rhys Hoskins appreciation night, and you could not have scripted the game on the field any better than the way that it played out.

Hoskins popped out in his first at-bat in the top of the 2nd.  He drew a walk in the top of the 5th and stole second base.  He came around to attempt to score off of a Blake Perkins single to center field, but Johan Rojas made an incredible throw to gun him down at the plate.  Hoskins came up to the plate one more time in the top of the 7th and hit a solo home run to left field.  There was a split of cheers and boos for this in the crowd, but it was mostly cheers by the time he crossed home plate.  I'm sure it would have been different if it gave the Brewers the lead, but all it did was narrow the Phillies lead to 3-1, which ended up being the final score of the game.

One of the cool stories of this game that has gotten lost in the Rhys Hoskins return was the Phillies debut of left fielder David Dahl.  Dahl was the Colorado Rockies first round draft pick in 2012 who tied the all-time record with a 17 game hitting streak to start off his MLB career in August 2016, and who made the NL All-Star Team in 2019.  However, a string of injuries that started during the 2020 season derailed his career.  He has spent the past four seasons bouncing between the Rangers, Brewers, Nationals, Padres, and Dodgers organizations before signing a minor league contract with the Phillies on February 17th of this year.  His signing flew completely under my radar at the time, but he has raked this season with the Iron Pigs with a slash line of .340/.416/.660 with 12 home runs, 26 RBI, and one game in which he hit for the cycle.

No one is expecting Dahl to break through the Phillies incredibly talented outfield to land a starting job, but this is a guy who was at one time a top prospect, and it's not completely unheard of for a 30 year old player who has been hampered by injuries to rebound after getting healthy.  His opportunity to return to the big leagues came yesterday morning when Brandon Marsh and Kody Clemens were both placed on the IL, and he responded in his first game as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies by continuing to produce the way he did in Lehigh Valley.  He singled in the bottom of the 2nd to put runners on first and third.  Edmundo Sosa and Johan Rojas both followed up with consecutive RBI singles which allowed Dahl to score to give the Phillies an early 2-0 lead.  In his next at-bat in the bottom of the 4th, Dahl hit a solo home run to right field that increased the Phillies lead to 3-0.

In all likelihood, Dahl will be sent back down to Lehigh Valley when everyone is healthy, but it's depth like this that makes the difference between a contending team and a championship team.  Injuries happen over the course of a 162 game season, and it's good to know that there are talented prospects and hungry veterans working their way back to a full-time spot in the big leagues who can step in and produce.

 

I couldn't find separate videos of the key moments of the game, but this game recap video captured them all.  The whole game played out like it was scripted by Hollywood.  Below are shortcuts to skip ahead.

• Rhys Hoskins first AB
• David Dahl singles in his first AB as a Phillie
• 1-2-3 double play with bases loaded and no outs
• David Dahl homer in his second AB as a Phillie
• Rhys Hoskins steals second base
• Johan Rojas throws Rhys Hoskins out at the plate
• Rhys Hoskins homers off of Zack Wheeler in the top of the 7th
• Jose Alvarado closes the game for his 10th save of the season

What a cool game!  This is easily in the top 5 games that I've ever been fortunate enough to be in attendance for at Citizens Bank Park.  It's the Phillies 42nd win of the season.  They're tied with the Yankees for the best record in MLB, and they've increased their lead over the Braves to seven games.  Things are looking very good right now for the Fightins!

Would You Like To Have A Roll In The Hay

Young Frankenstein
Mahoning Drive-In Theater - Lehighton, PA

One of the greatest comedy films of all time, and hands down the funniest horror comedy ever made, was screened last night as the latest entry in the Mahoning Sunday Essentials series.

Show banner designed by Andrew Kern

I've gotten a lot less critical of things as I've gotten older, but one thing that I'm still kind of picky about is parodies.  For me, there is a fine line between funny and stupid when it comes to comedic parody.  Mel Brooks and Weird Al Yankovic are on the funny side of that line, and nearly everybody else falls on the other side.  Young Frankenstein is more than a parody though.  It's a loving tribute to the classic Universal monster movies that can be enjoyed by fans of all ages.  The jokes that are geared toward an adult audience are done in such a way that they'd fly over the heads of most children.

This is a movie that will always remind me of my grandfather.  He and I watched it together in my grandparents living room when I was a kid and we both laughed like a couple of lunatics the whole time.  When I watch it as an adult, I'm laughing for entirely different reasons than I did when I was a kid, but the kid in me still can't get enough of the puns and physical comedy.

The Aliens Have Landed In Lehighton

Alien Invasion Weekend

Mahoning Drive-In Theater - Lehighton, PA
The aliens have landed at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater.  Some of them were friendly and brought back all of the folks that they've abducted over the years.  Some of them wanted to implant their young inside of you where they will gestate until bursting through your stomach.  Others were just curious to know what would happen if you abduct one logger from Arizona and spend five days shrink-wrapping his head.

Show banner designed by Andrew Kern

Show poster designed by Tom Bifulco

Show t-shirt designed by Tom Bifulco

The merch table was jammed throughout the weekend, with a line that stretched well outside of the concession building.  It was a level of traffic that's usually only seen at bigger events like ZombieFest, VHS Fest, or Camp Blood.  The show posters and t-shirts, both of which were designed by artist Tom Bifulco, were fast sellouts.

 

The Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company were on the lot on Saturday with their Mahoning inspired lager, Showtime At Sundown.   They also sold out their table, with every last can of beer in the hands or trunk of someone on the lot.  I think they may have had a few frisbees and tote bags by the time that the first movie hit the screen.

Unfortunately, they did not have Summer Dollars available at the drive-in this weekend.  The Jaws-inspired sour ale with blood orange and sea salt was a big hit when Neshaminy Creek visited the Mahoning last year.  However, I was able to pick up a pack of their Rita's Italian Ice inspired fruit brews.  The 12-pack has three flavors: Mango, Peach Ring, and Cherry Lemonade.  I'm especially looking forward to trying the Peach Ring tonight at the Young Frankenstein screening.

Darryl Mayeski of Screem Magazine was also on the lot on Saturday night.  The first 25 people at the gate were given a free magazine, and there was a table set up in the concession building with other magazines, movies, and soundtracks available for sale.  They also had an amazing raffle with a grand prize of 37 Blu-ray movies that I came painfully close to winning (the winning ticket was 278399 and I had 278392).

Night One - Friday, May 31

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind / Fire In The Sky

 

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind is a movie that I wasn't able to fully appreciate until Friday night at the drive-in.  I first saw it in the late 90's when I worked for Blowout Video.  It's often talked about as one of the greatest science fiction movies of all time, but when I brought home to watch on VHS, it didn't really connect with me.  I enjoyed it, but it didn't make sense to me why it would even be in the conversation on any "best of" lists.  In the years that followed, I think that I might have watched it one more time, but on both occasions, the movie really didn't get my full attention.  It was playing on a small screen at home at times when I'm sure that my attention was distracted.

Now that I've gotten to see it on the big screen, at a time and place in which it was given my full attention, and perhaps with a few more decades of maturity, I can see what all of the hype was about.  This is a beautiful film and an incredible story, and I'm very glad to have had the opportunity to see it on 35mm.

I know I've said this before, but it bears repeating.  There is something truly special about seeing a space themed movie on a clear night at the Mahoning.  These pictures don't even come close to doing justice to the experience.  The sky around you and the stars above you become part of the film in a way that you just have to see to believe.

The 35mm trailer reel that played before the second feature included a mid-80's advertisement for Cherry 7Up.  Their "isn't it cool in pink" ad campaign played on television and in movie theaters when I was a kid.  The pink really pops off of the screen on an otherwise black and white film.  I wonder what a full length movie would look like if done in this way.

This isn't the same exact commercial that was shown at the Mahoning, but it's from the same ad campaign so the style is the same.

 

There was a brief introduction from Travis Walton to the second half of Friday night's double feature.  He is the man whose alleged accounts of being abducted by a UFO served as the foundation for the 1993 feature film Fire In The Sky.

Fire In The Sky premiered in the United States on March 12th, 1993.  I was in middle school at the time, and you'd think that a nerdy, sci-fi obsessed kid would have been all over this, but I didn't even know that it existed, and that didn't change for another quarter century when it came up in a list on a WhatCulture video that I was watching.  I finally ended up streaming it during the pandemic and loved it.  It's part Law & Order, part alien abduction story, and while I have absolutely zero belief that the story written by Travis Walton has any truth to it whatsoever, it is probably the most realistic feeling science fiction movie I've ever seen.

Night Two - Saturday, June 1

Alien / Aliens

 

Friday night was very well attended, but the screening of Alien and Aliens on Saturday night was on another level.  The lot was sold out for the second consecutive Saturday.  I'm not sure if that has ever happened in the time since I've been coming here.  It's very awesome to see that so many folks are discovering what an incredible place this is.

This was not the first time that I got to see Alien at the Mahoning.  We were in attendance for a Tunnel Vision Tuesday screening two years ago, but this is a movie that never feels old or dated despite the fact that it came out 45 years ago.  If you haven't seen it yet, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

For as great as Alien is, I enjoy Aliens even more.  Like its predecessor, we saw this at a 2022 Tunnel Vision Tuesday screening at the Mahoning, but this weekend as the first opportunity that we had to see the two films as a double feature on 35mm.

Even though we've seen both of these movies at the Mahoning before, last night was an entirely different experience for me.  We had only been coming here for about a year the first time that we each of these on the lot.  Back in those days, we talked to a few folks here and there, but we mostly kept to ourselves.  I'm not going to unpack all of my psychological baggage here, but suffice to say that it takes a little while before I feel comfortable in a new setting, and if anything, it takes my wife even longer.  Since that time, we've made friends with a lot of awesome folks, and we were lucky enough to be able to enjoy this weekend with quite a few of them.

The Mahoning really has become kind of like Cheers to me.  I can't remember the last time I've been on the lot where somebody didn't call out my name and come running over to chat, or to pet Harvey, or who have come up to join our little Front Row Right crew to enjoy the movie with us.  If you're reading this and you're one of those people, please know that you totally made my day every time.  To say that I'm socially awkward would be a massive understatement, but this place has really allowed me to come out of my shell.  Having spent most of the first 40 years of my life feeling like an outsider in nearly every situation, I can't tell you all how much it blows my mind to feel the sense of belonging that you all have given me.  Thank you all.

The First Rule Of Mac Club...

Club Mac flyer
McDonald's (June 1989)
This flyer for a Mac Tonight themed promotion was shared by Consumer Time Capsule earlier this year.  If you happen to fall into a time warp that brings you 35 years into the past and, for some reason, spits you in Utah, Wyoming, or Nevada, this bad boy will get you all of the special offers and privileges owed to a member of the prestigious Club Mac.

The Club Mac kit comes with a sticker for your DeLorean's bumper, as well as a snazzy membership card that you can whip out of your Velcro wallet for discounts offered by partner companies.  Pay full price?  Surely you jest madam!  I am with the moon.

Even if your sticker falls off of the car and you misplace your membership card, the Mac has you taken care of.  If you follow the instructions on the flyer, you need only look to the strip of paper dangling from the knobs on your car radio to save a little money on breakfast and a couple of salads.  Looks like you'll be paying full price for a Big Mac though.  Mac Tonight has got bills to pay, ya know.