Some of my favorite trips have been related to my obsession with movies and Charles Bronson. Today, I share a wonderful trip that my wife and I took to Pennsylvania and the Mahoning Drive-In in 2022. I hope you enjoy!

I was scrolling through Facebook back in the spring of 2022, when an advertisement came up for a “Charles Bronson” night at the Mahoning Drive-In in Lehighton, Pennsylvania on June 24th, 2022. The movies that would be playing that night were THE MECHANIC, MR. MAJESTYK, and DEATH WISH 3, all of which are in my top 10 Bronson films, with MR. MAJESTYK topping out all the way up at #2. I checked the distance and time from my house, and it came back around 1,200 miles and 17 hours. For most people, this is probably where the story ends, but not for Bradley Crain. You see, I had never been able to see Bronson on the big screen, and it was definitely on my bucket list. First, I just started casually mentioning the possibility of going to my wife Sierra, just to gauge her reaction. She didn’t think I was serious. Based on that distance, I knew I was going to have to come up with a better reason than “I just want to go.” Then a brilliant idea hit me. Sierra’s dad only lived about 6 hours from Lehighton, so I promised we’d go spend a couple of days with him after the movie night. She bit, and the rest, as they say, is history. It was a wonderful June night in Pennsylvania, and Lehighton is in a beautiful part of the state.

Aside from watching the movies themselves at the drive-in, I also got to meet an idol of mine, Paul Talbot. Paul has written the definitive, behind-the-scenes, books on the movies of Charles Bronson, with “Bronson’s Loose: The Making of the Death Wish Films” and “Bronson’s Loose Again: On the set with Charles Bronson.” He is a genuinely kind and welcoming man who I now consider a friend.

My wife and I had an amazing time at the movies, and we also had a great visit with her dad for a couple of days. I’m so glad we made that trip, as he would pass away less than a year later. We only saw him one more time after that trip. As much as I loved the night with Bronson, having those additional days with my amazing father-in-law was even more special.      

My first view of Bronson on the big screen was the iconic opening of THE MECHANIC. I snapped the picture below:

Paul Talbot was so gracious with his time with each fan of his books on Charles Bronson. He also introduced each film that night with interesting facts and stories about the various productions. He was nice enough to take this picture with me and Sierra:

While at the drive-in that night, I joined the “This Week in Charles Bronson” podcast for my first ever contribution as the boots on the ground correspondent for the event. I have since had the opportunity to meet some of my Bronson-movie idols, and even members of Bronson’s own family through my activity with the podcast. I’ve attached a link to the episode from the Mahoning Drive-In that night.

All in all, this was one of the most enjoyable trips of my life! Soon, I’ll share my adventures in Colorado later that summer visiting the filming locations of MR. MAJESTYK!