CULVER CITY : Drive-In to Combine High-Tech Features, Old-Style Service

A drive-in movie parking lot is more likely these days to be filled with Hondas than Chevrolets. And the concession stand’s popcorn probably is lower in saturated fat than it was 40 years ago.

But drive-ins are making a comeback, and Culver City Studio Drive-In will be part of the trend--at least temporarily. Closed for the last two years, the drive-in is expected to reopen this summer under a new name: Sunset Screens.

The Culver City Redevelopment Agency has agreed to allow Marty Sadoff, director of visual effects for a Culver City studio, to make a go of the drive-in until December, 1997.

His plan is to add “high-tech” features to the drive-in with sharper pictures on the screen and a clearer sound transmitted through cars’ FM radios.

The drive-in will show old movies at least one night a week from a collection of original films from the UCLA archives. And Sadoff has an agreement with Warner Bros. Studios to show cartoons, which will air an hour before the movies begin.

The drive-in itself will have some of the trappings of an old-time drive-in, including carhops and antique cars. Sadoff plans to negotiate with the Peterson Automobile museum for some of the vehicles.

While the city has agreed to give Sadoff a short-term lease to operate the drive-in, it still has a long-term proposal to transform the site for housing. If forced to move, Sadoff said he plans to operate a drive-in somewhere else.