by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport and Editor in Chief

Jack Frost has been giving me the blues. The early darkness and unbearable chilly air has made it hard for me to rise from my slumber. This, along with the stress-inducing political climate, has been cause for a severe lack of motivation. Not gonna lie… I kinda sorta wish Nosferatu would just come put me out of my misery already. Often when I am pining for the box that is six feet under, I like to take a trip to the countryside and venture to one of my favorite cinematic haunts, the magical Mahoning Drive-In Theater. Sadly, with it only being January, I’ve got about three months to go before the projector starts whirring once more. Fortunately the movie gods have been listening to my prayers and have blessed us with a reprieve: The Mahoning Drive-In Road Show.

Beginning February 8, much like a traveling circus, some of the Mahoning Drive-In cast of characters will hit the highway to sling merchandise and showcase a unique double-bill at various movie palaces across the Northeast. Fifteen different films (all on 35mm celluloid) along with previews, snack bar ads, and intermission reels will screen during these epic events. “Part of the idea of the Road Show is to highlight theaters that still have 35mm capability, being that the Mahoning is the only all-35mm, all-retro Drive-In in the world,” explains Mahoning Drive-In, General Manager, Mark Nelson.

Mark and the gang hope that these events will be a great cross pollination of indoor cinema fans and Drive-In diehards. “Being fans of 35mm and classic indoor theaters as well as Drive-Ins, we’re thrilled to help bring attention, and hopefully some new customers, to these venues. The more successful screenings of 35mm that happen, the more the infrastructure for film prints and exhibition gets supported, letting studios know that it’s worthwhile to maintain prints and access to them.” says, Mark.

MovieJawn is pleased as punch to be joining Mark and Mahoning programmer Virgil Cardamone at some of the venues they will be making pit stops at. Make sure to swing by and say hello to your friendly MovieJawn staff when you’re in the lobby picking up some of your delicious treats! We will be hawking some of our glorious print publications and other cinematic wares. Recently, I was fortunate to catch up with Mark before he and Virgil hit the road. We chatted about what patrons can expect at the road shows, how they will bring the Drive-In experience indoors, and what other types of fun they have in store. Mark adds, “What we try to craft at the Mahoning Drive-In Road Show is, as best we can, a recreation of the vibe of coming to see a show at our theater, minus the mosquitoes.” As someone who is allergic to mosquito bites, I am excited to experience the Drive-In from under the roof of one of my favorite picture palaces.

The Mahoning Drive-In Road Show kicks off Saturday, February 8 and runs until March 20. Check out all the event details and how to purchase tickets here. Check our events calendar here to find which shows you can catch your friendly MovieJawn staff at.

*Virgil Cardamone and Mark Nelson inside the projection booth at Mahoning Drive-In*

RK: How do you select the films for the road show?

MN: We try to build different double features for each venue, to make the shows more exclusive and create that “ONE NIGHT ONLY!” excitment and to allow any Mahoning fans who might want to see more than one Road Show the ability to get “fresh” films at each theater.

Our target is “Drive-In Era” films, from the glory days of ozoners (editor’s note: this is a slang word meaning drive-in theaters), so we look at titles from the 50s-80s that evoke that vibe, and work with the theaters to select titles that both represent the “Mahoning style” and theater. Various theaters have various clientele, some more into the wild and wooly than others, and that’s been a fun set of parameters to work with in some cases. The Everett in Delaware has an audience that favors older and less edgy fare, so we recreated a fun, family-friendly double feature of The Ghost and Mr. Chicken and Munster, Go Home! (on March 7th), which played together in Drive-Ins back in 1966.

The Philadelphia Film Society swung hard in the opposite direction, with a gritty early 80s crime sleaze double of Mr. 45 (1981) and Vice Squad (1982) (on February 28th), and the other shows are a mix of 60-80s horror. For our show at The Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, PA (home of The Blob!), we conferred with Bob Trate, Director of Programming, and went with a 1980 double feature of Dressed to Kill and Alligator, which at first may seem like an odd pair, until you realize that Drive-Ins historically played odd pairings that were sometimes connected by theme, distributor, or not at all. In the end it’s like programming at the Drive-In, figuring out two films that will work together, preferably ones that haven’t been played a lot in a given area (or anywhere), and crafting a fun evening that emulates what we do at the Mahoning, in an indoor setting.

RK: How many locations will you be traveling to on the road show?

MN: We are hitting eight theaters for nine shows in five states, only one of which (The Somerville Theatre) we visited last year for our first “testing the waters” Road Show. Some of these theaters we’ve visited as patrons for years, and it is a thrill to be able to take the stage and put on the kind of show we ourselves would pay to see. Some are theaters that we’re visiting for the first time, and are excited to see, simply as fans of grand old theaters.

Here is where you can find us and the flicks that will screen at each venue:

February 8, 2025
Union County Performing Arts Center - Rahway, NJ
The Fog (1980) / Phantasm (1979)
Ticket info here

February 20, 2025
The Colonial Theatre - Phoenixville, PA
Dressed To Kill (1980) / Alligator (1980)
with MovieJawn in attendance
Ticket info here

February 21, 2025
The Hiway Theater - Jenkintown PA
Kill, Baby… Kill! (1966)
Ticket info here

February 22, 2025
Nitehawk Cinema Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY
Demons (1985)
Ticket info here

February 28, 2025
The Philadelphia Film Society Center - Philadelphia, PA
Ms. 45 (1981) / Vice Squad (1982)
with MovieJawn in attendance
Ticket info here

March 1, 2025
The Somerville Theatre - Somerville, MA
Shock Waves (1977) / The Funhouse (1981) / Alligator (1980)
Ticket info here

March 5, 2025
The Ambler Theater - Ambler PA
Grizzly (1976) / Squirm (1976)
with MovieJawn in attendance
Ticket info here

March 7, 2025
The Everett Theatre - Middletown, DE
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966) / Munster, Go Home! (1966)
Ticket info here

March 20, 2025
Nitehawk Cinema Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY
Equinox (1970) - guesting at The Deuce Film Series presentation
Ticket info here

RK: What can attendees expect at the event?

MN: Virgil and I will be in the lobby greeting customers before the show and selling Mahoning merch. Some shows on the tour will also feature vendors who’ve visited the Mahoning, with movie posters, books, and physical media, maintaining the Mahoning vibe of every screening also being a social gathering. Once showtime rolls around, we take the stage and give a short introduction, delving into Drive-In history and setting the mental image of a night of cinema under the stars, give a little history of the Mahoning and how we got to the form we now exist in. We will also give a little chat about the films to be screened. Then we turn it over to the projectionist to fire up the show and our preshow reel, prepared by our projectionist Rob, with vintage 35mm trailers and Drive-In ads from our collection. After that it’s film 1, then a short intermission that allows patrons to stretch their legs, hit the snack bar and merch table, then enjoy a classic 35mm intermission count-down reel from our collection before proceeding to film 2.

Prior to the events, we have been releasing short pre-recorded DJ sets on our socials with music from the year of the films. This gives attendees something to listen to ahead of the show or on the drive to the theater to give that “back in time” vibe, and emulate the preshow experience of having your radio on at the Mahoning while you wait for the sun to go down.

RK: Any other fun things planned such as themed food, event posters and photo opportunities?

*Me and my late pup, Li’l Foxie at Mahoning Drive-In*

MN: We’re traveling fairly light for the Road Shows, so we don’t have any Mahoning-style photo ops planned, but some venues that have lobby bars will be serving special themed cocktails or craft beers themed to the films, and we’ll have exclusive “tour shirts” and posters designed by our resident artist Tom Bifulco, along with some event posters specific to the films being shown. Like any Mahoning show at the Drive-In, we’re always working to add a little something extra, right down to the day of the show, so you never know what will be announced as we approach the event dates.

RK: Any surprises you can share with our readers about the road show events?

MN: We will be running different trailers at every show, some never before seen by the general public at Mahoning shows, and the preshow reels at the Ambler and Hiway Theaters will be prepared by their projection team from their own massive collection. So even we don’t know what will be in them, but we’ve been assured that they’ll be top notch. We’ll have classic cars parked under the marquee at the Everett Theater and an original Tom Bifulco event poster in their outdoor poster cases, multiple super-cool vendors at Union County Performing Arts Center. Our intros are “seat-of-our-pants improv”, so there’s always a chance of verbal gymnastics and accidental Cannonball Run quotes.

RK: Any other details you want to add…

MN: The most unusual stop on this Road Show will be the final date, at the amazing Nitehawk Cinema Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY on March 20th, as we’re guests of the long-running The Deuce Film Series for their presentation of Equinox (1970). The Deuce Series usually takes a film that played at one of the 42nd Street Times Square theaters in the 40s-90s and does a thorough intro delving into the date it played at a certain theater, the history of that theater, and what else was playing up and down 42nd street that night, along with trivia, giveaways, and more fun. For this show, they’re inviting us to join them to talk a bit about Drive-Ins, and theming their talk to include ozoners, which should be super fun. We’ve been Deuce fans for a long time, and it’s fun to have worlds collide.

RK: When can folks expect to see some event announcements for Mahoning?

MN: Event announcements have started earlier this week and we are hoping to have printed calendars for our first month (April) to hand out at the Road Show screenings. Still working furiously to lock rights, prints, guests and confirm details for this season, but we always try to get the announcements and ticket links up well ahead of time, to allow customers to plan time off work and travel plans, as we know they come from all over the country for our shows, and need as much time as possible to make arrangements.

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