On a recent weekday evening, several friends and I took a jaunt to the movies - popcorn, sodas, and candy, of course, but better yet, a double feature, cars, and the outdoors.

The urban, outdoor experience seems a contradiction in terms, yet generations of Americans have grown up with just such an event as a regular part of their lives - and much to their advantage. The melding of an obsession with both cars and film has produced a particularly American phenomenon - the drive-in movie theater.

Through the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, drive-ins were powerful actors in the movie world. Popular among both children and adults, drive-ins were successful purveyors of film throughout the warm months of the year. Families and groups of friends would gather in the evenings to enjoy the social experience of watching movies, of sharing an event - a bonding experience of American society. Unfortunately, the changing film market (where number of showings is of increasing importance) and the advent of home video as a source of group entertainment has forced most drive-ins out of business in the past two decades.

The number of operating drive-ins in the United States can be measured in the dozens, and Tucson is miraculously blessed with one such venue: The DeAnza Drive-In, a beautiful, four-screen outdoor cinema.

Immense, ridged screens, tinny sound, and gravel are the order of the day, and what a spectacular order it is. While the individual elements may be less than stellar, the entire experience transcends any to be found in either local chain cinemas or your home.

Under Tucson's warm, starry nights, DeAnza shows four different double-features seven nights a week. Typically, a first-run movie is accompanied by a slightly older film, with the show starting at 8 p.m., just as the sun dips below the horizon and the temperature cools to a pleasant 90 degrees.

While other people's children mill about, reminding you that you're not at home, and the occasional airplane passes overhead, to remind you that you are outdoors, the film rolls and you, like it or not, become a movie fan - a true connoisseur of a modern art form, and caretaker of a nearly extinct cultural event.

The beckoning neon sign leads drivers into an easily navigated set of trails to each of the four screens, where a lot of spaces allows parking at almost universally good seats - even the closest ones require little, if any, craning of the neck.

The hub of the theater houses projectors and a snack-bar, the likes of which are unseen in modern multiplexes (it even serves Eegee's); between features, the projectors roll gorgeously aged and washed-out snack advertisements that make your mouth water, as pictures of dancing nachos and jalapenos, singing penguins, and cool, refreshing drinks parade across the screen.

The gravel lot radiates a pleasant warmth in the summer evenings, and I can recommend taking a blanket in order to view picnic-style as opposed to actually staying in an all-too-hot automobile (though a pickup truck bed would probably be ideal). With this in mind, a takeout dinner is a wonderful accompaniment to the viewing experience.

It is important to note that the movie sound is broadcast over FM, requiring the use of a radio - only one viewing lot sports the traditional window-hanger speakers. Digital car tuners may have some difficulty precisely honing in on the frequency, and you may have some car battery problems after four hours of operation, so it might be in your best interest to bring a portable radio to heighten your listening experience.

The DeAnza Drive-In is located at 1401 S. Alvernon Way, on the southeast corner of Alvernon and Ease 22nd Street. For more information, call 745-2240.