I can’t imagine such a thing happening today: In the early ‘70s, when I was 10, my family left my baby sister Mary behind at the drive-in theater.

Typical ‘70s Drive-in Experience

As I explain in my humorous memoir, “Misadventures of a 1970s Childhood,” the outing started off well enough.

My father spent several minutes searching for a spot, as it took time to find a window speaker that worked.

We got out of the car as he opened the station-wagon tailgate and folded down the back seats, then got back in. We began devouring corn curls, potato chips, onion dip, and pretzels, and washed them down with orange, cherry, and grape Regent soda pop.

The blue sky soon fell dark, and the film projector began rattling. Black-and-white numbers — “5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ...” — flashed onto the screen. Yellowed footage advertised hot dogs, popcorn, and other concession items we could never get our father to buy.

It didn’t take long before we began squabbling over pillows, blankets, and positioning. My sisters complained that my big noggin was blocking their view, and so I was banished to the back of the car.

As I recollect, we went to see “Paper Moon” that night — a movie about a Depression-era con man and a young girl who travel around........

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