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Upper St. Clair alum terrorized drive-in screens 45 years ago in “Last House on the Left”

By Justin Channell 7 min read
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May is almost over and we’re getting into the prime season for movies at the drive-in. But if you’re wondering what was playing at drive-ins back in their heyday, let’s take a trip in the Drive-In Time Machine for a historic look back at what was playing in Southwestern Pennsylvania’s outdoor movie theaters.

Drive-In Ad: Old Yeller/Bridge on the River Kwai

The Mt. Lebanon Drive-In was advertising “The Bridge on the River Kwai” beginning on Sunday, May 18, 1958. This classic film swept the Academy Awards that year with wins for Best Picture, Best Actor for Alec Guiness, Best Director, Best Screenplay Adaptation, Best Music Score, Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing.

However, its length only allowed for it to be shown once, which means it wasn’t the best value for Washington Countians used to getting two movies for the price of one.

If you would’ve been looking for something to do with the family on Saturday, May 17, 1958, Claysville’s Sunset Drive-In would’ve been a perfect option, as it would’ve been the last night to catch the Walt Disney classic “Old Yeller” paired with the Western “Gun Glory.” Adult tickets were only 50 cents and children under 12 got in free.

It’s worth noting that Sunset Drive-In was also the location of the Sunset Beach swimming pool. The owners announced the closure of the pool earlier this month and it appears the drive-in screen is still intact on the property.

Even more curious, the screen was later known for showing X-rated movies, which is quite surprising for a family-friendly business like a swimming pool that used to show “Old Yeller” children under 12 for free!

Drive-In Ad: Shakiest Gun in the West

Ten years later in 1968, the Mt. Lebanon Drive-In was promoting “the first outdoor screening” of the Don Knotts western comedy “The Shakiest Gun in the West” backed with the Robert Wagner and Mary Tyler Moore comedy “Don’t Just Stand There!”

Knotts is a native of Morgantown, W.Va., where I went to college at West Virginia University. In fact, Knotts and I both had the same first job – albeit many decades apart – in the popcorn-covered trenches of Morgantown’s now-defunct Warner Theater on High Street. According to Knotts’ autobiography, it was while working at the Warner that he was informed his father had passed away.

Drive-In Ad: Evel Knievel

But 35 years ago in 1973, Washington County had two competing drive-in shows that would have brought out thrill seekers in the area.

Route 19 Drive-In was billing a quadruple-feature “wheeling cycle show” with all motorcycle movies. Leading the pack was the biography of motorcycle daredevil “Evel Knievel” starring George Hamilton, followed by biker gang titles “Chrome and Hot Leather,” “The Glory Stompers” – starring a pre-“Easy Rider” Dennis Hopper – and “The Hard Ride.”

Thinking about this motor-themed show and the fact there would have been cars – and probably several motorcycles – parked on the grounds every weekend is an interesting coincidence, as the former site of the Route 19 Drive-In is now partially the home of Washington Ford. So, while there’s still cars parked on the lot, they’re not there to enjoy movies – or whatever else people were doing in their parked cars at the drive-in. I’ll leave that up to your imagination.

Looking back on the ad, I think the tagline for “Chrome and Hot Leather” that bears the warning “don’t muck around with a Green Beret’s mama” is what would’ve made me interested in heading out to this showing had I been alive in 1973.

However, the real drive-in winner for the third weekend of May 1973 for me would have been over at the aforementioned Sunset Drive-In, which was boasting a triple-feature of horror movies led by one of the most infamous independent horror films of all time: Wes Craven’s debut “Last House on the Left.”

Drive-In Ad: Last House on the Left

Before creating Freddy Krueger and reinvigorating the genre with 1996’s “Scream,” Craven directed this grisly shocker about two teenage girls who are tortured and murdered by a group of escaped convicts. The convicts leave the scene of the crime and find shelter, unaware that they are staying with the parents of one of their victims.

While the advertisement includes the memorable tagline, “To avoid fainting, keep repeating, it’s only a movie… only a movie… only a movie…,” it also has another tagline claiming “It’s across the street from ‘Joe.'”

This is in reference to the 1970 film “Joe” from future “Rocky” director John G. Avildsen that was quite shocking to audiences at the time it was released, albeit not in the raw, gritty way that “Last House” is. In fact, both of these are favorites of mine and I can’t imagine what the average viewer of “Joe” would think of some of the more disturbing moments from “Last House.”

Also worth noting is that Pittsburgh-native and Upper St. Clair High School graduate Marc Sheffler stars as one of the gang members, Junior Stello. Curious if any of Sheffler’s friends or family members might have been in attendance, I reached out to him on Facebook.

“I don’t know if any of them attended that particular showing,” Sheffler said, “but I believe all of my (friends and family) have seen the film.”

Sheffler also noted that the legacy of “Last House” continues. Sheffler has recently made guest appearances at horror conventions and the film is being reissued as a digitally restored Blu-Ray from U.K.-based company Arrow Films later this month.

“And no one is more astounded and humbled by that fact more than I am,” Sheffler added.

Along with “Last House,” Sunset was also showing Italian director Mario Bava’s “A Bay of Blood” under the title “Twitch of the Death Nerve” and the German horror film “Mark of the Devil” – which the ad warns is “likely to upset your stomach.”

This ad copy goes in line with the marketing campaign from “Devil” distributor Hallmark Releasing Corp., which sent novelty vomit bags to movie theaters playing the film. It doesn’t seem many people had to use these, as I’ve seen them for sale from countless movie memorabilia collectors over the years.

Going back just 20 years to 1988, Skyview Drive-In in Carmichaels, Greene County, had a double feature of two PG-13 movies, “Johnny Be-Good” and “Throw Momma from the Train.”

Drive-in ad: Johnny Be Good/Throw Momma

I have fond memories repeatedly watching my grandmother’s VHS copy of “Momma,” a Billy Crystal and Danny DeVito vehicle that liberally references Hitchcock’s classic “Strangers on a Train.” Even writing this out, I get mental images of a hilarious scene with DeVito smacking Crystal with a frying pan to turn his mother (played by Anne Ramsey of “The Goonies”) off of their secret plot to kill her.

However, critics were not as kind to the film – and they especially weren’t kind to “Johnny Be Good.” Starring Anthony Michael Hall as a high school football fielding professional scouts, both audiences and critics alike hated this film. The performance could be due to Hall’s reputation playing nerdy characters in John Hughes movies like “The Breakfast Club” and “Sixteen Candles,” but considering he successfully pulled off playing a tough jock a few years later in “Edward Scissorhands,” I don’t think that’s the case.

That wraps it up for this week. If you need a jump, please ask in the concession stand!

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