[1] In 1935, in order to benefit from the increase in automobile ownership, he took a risk and opened drive-in theaters in Cleveland and Detroit;[2] and by the time World War II started, he operated nine of the 15 drive-in theaters in the United States.
[1][3] At his drive-ins, children entered free and there were playgrounds to help make it a family friendly event.
[1] In 1947, he was one of the first to open a theater in a shopping mall in Framingham, Massachusetts.
[1] By the 1950s, the Midwest Drive-In Theatres operated 53 drive-ins;[2] and he branched out into other lines of business including the Richard's Drive-Ins restaurant chain, Amy Joe's Pancake Houses, and several bowling alleys in order to diversify his revenues which were under pressure as more people stayed home to watch television.
[2] In 1960, the company changed its name to General Drive-In Corp and went public on the New York Stock Exchange[1] although Smith retained a controlling interest.