WALNUTPORT., Pa.- Many of the movie lovers who show up for a night of entertainment under the stars at Becky’s Drive-In never knew the two people who made the experience possible: William “Becky” Beck and his wife, Alice Beck.
That includes their great-granddaughter, Margot Deppe.
But Deppe has found a way to connect with her relatives, while also creating a lasting tribute to the two founders of a theater that is still going strong in Walnutport after nearly 80 years.
Deppe, a senior at Northampton Area High School, recently finished a painting that depicts her great-grandparents standing side-by-side, in a partial embrace. It’s on an exterior wall of a concrete stand on the grounds of the drive-in at 4548 Lehigh Drive.
Margot Deppe, working on a painting of her great grandparents, William and Alice Beck.
Deppe’s grandmother, Cindy Deppe, daughter of William and Alice, runs Becky’s Drive-In with her siblings and other relatives. It was her idea to put Margot’s artistic skills to use at the theater, after seeing a news story about a New Jersey pizzeria. “The grandsons wanted to honor their grandmother’s legacy by having her picture drawn on the exterior of the pizzeria,” she told 69 News. “She had taught the grandsons the business. I thought that was so touching to honor their grandmother that way.”
William died in 1987, and Alice followed in 2007. While Margot Deppe didn’t get the chance to know them personally, she’s heard a lot of stories about her great-grandparents. “Apparently my meemaw was a very sassy lady,” she said. “And my great-grandfather, he loved the movies.”
Did he ever.
According to the drive-in’s history, William “Becky” Beck fell in love with the movies as a kid. His first showings took place in his parents’ living room, with a white bed sheet tacked up on a wall serving as a screen. Thanks to his ingenuity, the neighborhood kids were treated to Charlie Chaplin comedies and Tom Mix westerns.
Later, as a young man, he began showing movies at various locations across the region. He sold candy to make money. In 1946, then with his bride, Alice, at his side, he opened what was then known as the Route 45 Drive-In, taking its name from what the road was called at the time. Later, the drive-in became known as Becky’s, a nod to William’s nickname.
Like her great-grandfather, Deppe recognized a passion early on in childhood, but, for her, it was the visual arts. “My mom likes to tell a story of when I was little, I used to draw a picture of my Hello Kitty dolls,” she said.
But the prospect of painting the portrait of William and Alice was somewhat daunting; a concrete wall was not her typical canvas, and she knew the finished product would be out in the open for all to see. “I was a little bit nervous, but I did love the idea,” Deppe said.
She made some preliminary sketches. A plan to use a projector to trace the image on the wall was tossed aside when the projector didn’t work, so she had to make a freehand outline.
Deppe said she worked on the painting over the course of about two months, sometimes with curious drive-in patrons looking over her shoulder. Her grandmother, Cindy, documented the process in a video she posted on social media.
The end result, like a blockbuster brought to life on one of Becky’s screens, has been getting rave reviews. “All the reactions I’ve been getting are very positive,” Deppe said. “So that’s really all I could have hoped for.”
Margot Deppe with the painting she completed of her great grandparents.
Deppe, who is also currently studying commercial arts at the Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School, said she plans to pursue art as a major in college, possibly at Kutztown University. But her creativity is already getting her noticed now. “I am getting some commissions by some of my mother’s co-workers to do some stuff,” she said.
