Off Shore Muse

Irving and Mary Cohen

Circa 1926

Irvin Cohen met Mary Gossin in Rochester, New York in 1925. He took her ice skating, canoeing on the Genesee River and to the movies. In February 1926, they were married and in 1927 they bought their first theatre in the small town of Wayland, New York.

In the years to follow, they would purchase or build other theatres in towns throughout Central and Western New York State such as the Strand in Hornell, New York, the Plaza in Corning, New York and another theatre in Mount Morris, New York. While operating these theatres, they also raised a family of two sons, Gary and Macy and one daughter, Jacqueline.

In 1937, they built their first new indoor theatre, the Steuben, in Hornell. It was known as one of the most beautiful theatres in the northeast. In 1940, they purchased the historic Allendale Theatre in Buffalo which they remodeled in the 1950s and leased to several different operators.

In 1949, they built the Van Buren Drive-In in Dunkirk, New York which they operated until it was sold to the Dipson Theatre chain in 1979. In 1950, they built the Sheridan Drive-In in Tonawanda, New York which was closed in 1981.

In 1957, they purchased the Transit Drive-In from a group of Buffalo area businessmen.

Since then, the Transit Drive-In Theatre has been managed by three generations of the Cohen family. Irving and Mary's older son, Gary managed the Transit from 1957 to 1963. Macy, their younger son, managed the theatre from 1963 to 1986, increasing the parking capacity from 600 cars to 990 cars by 1973, introducing in-car heaters and a 12 month schedule from 1972 until 1977.

The Transit has faced several setbacks over the years. The original screen tower blew down during a wind storm in 1971. It was replaced by the current Selby screen tower, a 98' x 60' mammoth tower. A fire closed down the concession building on september 8, 1973, but not the drive-in.

"The show will go on!" was the word from Macy Cohen on that day!

In the 1980s and 1990s, cable television, pay per view movie channels, video rentals and multiplex shoe box theatres presented more serious challenges. Macy's oldest son, David managed the drive-in from 1979 to 1983 and Macy's daughter, Linda managed the snack bar from 1984 to 1986.

Jacqueline's oldest son, Rodney visiting from Delaware in 1980, worked one summer at the drive-in while staying with his grandmother, Mary to get "a taste of the business experience" as he put it. David's son, Aaron became the 4th generation of Cohen's to work at the drive-in while visiting his Uncle Rick over the summer in 2006.

In 1987, Macy's youngest son, Rick began managing the drive-in and immediately began a more agressive, dedicated approach to the business. "I was told by my family and others that the drive-in was a dinosaur, a thing of the past and that we'd never see the nights with over 1,000 admissions again" recalls Rick Cohen with amusement. As a 19 year old in 1987, Rick converted the theatre over to FM stereo sound and installed a platter film system to improve presentation quality. All the original speaker poles were repainted. The original 1950s neon marquee was completely rebuilt and Rick still does his own neon repairs. Car shows, movie premiers, velcro wall jumping, hay rides, pony rides, concerts, contests and other special events were held over the next several years to bring excitement back into the theatre. With a better quality sound system and a brighter picture crowds were coming back.

On one night in 1991, the drive-in brought in over 2,000 admissions for a showing of "Die Hard 2". In 1994, the drive-in added a second outdoor movie screen. In 1995, they added a 19-hole miniature golf course, naming it "The Greens Under the Screen". In 1996, they added a third screen tower. On June 29, 2001 the Transit Drive-In became the largest drive-in theatre in New York State when their fourth screen was opened. In 2008, the Transit Drive-In celebrated their 56th summer of movies and fun under the stars.

Nights with over 1,000 admissions happen virtually every weekend. It is strongly recommended that patrons arrive up to an hour before the advertised show time during the summer on the weekend nights to grab the best parking spaces, use the playground, play miniature golf, have dinner at the refreshment stand or simply enjoy the sunset while waiting for the films to begin.