Gemini Twin Drive-In

I remember loving it when my parents would drive home by this drive-in in the 1960s. I would always look out the window and try to figure out which movie was playing on one of the screens.

In the 1970s, they were showing a bunch of B-movie double features. My friends and I would get a car load of people to watch the films. It is really hot in Dallas in the summer, so sometimes it was more comfortable to sit on or next to your car.

The third screen was added much later. Besides the light pollution, I’m sure that the property taxes killed the theater, because the real estate in the area is worth a lot now.

The tower in front of the Gemini was supposed to be a flagpole,and was put there as a promotional stunt. They had a man(or nut) named Jim Dean who was setting a flag pole sitting record.It was an 83ft tower with a 5x7 platform with plexiglass sides and had radio station call letters"KNUS" on it.He was up there for over 200 days,in 1972.The stunt was sponsored by Gordon Mclendon,who owned the"KNUS"Radio station and the Gemini also.Afterwards the tower was used for promotional stunts and had DJs in it doing their broadcast and traffic reports etc.. Subsequently,Gordons dad owned the Casa Linda indoor theater in Dallas.

The Gemini reverted back to operating as a twin during it’s final years in the 1980’s. The north screen was leased to American Airlines, who operated a shuttle service to DFW Airport. To distinguish this from the rest of the complex, the north screen was painted grey and adorned with an American Airlines banner.

A 1995 image HERE. You can certainly see where it started as a Twin, and the 3rd screen was added to the North of the other 2 screens.

I remember seeing the Scott Baio flick “Zapped” here. In the early 90’s there was a go-kart facility on the land. As of today, a new medical facility and a handful of fast food joints operate on the site.

I agree, Mike. “Drive-In Blues” was an excellent documentary with great film coverage of many outdoor theaters. One thing I’ve always liked about drive-ins are the certain concepts that many of them incorporate. In the case of the Gemini, they had the NORTH screen and SOUTH screen as opposed to the usual SCREEN 1 and SCREEN 2. Don’t know if they designated the third screen, though.

I recently found a bunch of photos that I took of the Gemini before it was demolished. There are a few photos of the main sign when it was still up, the entry, the main snack bar (I think there were two), and the main (middle) screen. I went back a few months later and took photos of the signs laying on the ground. They aren’t the best quality, but they will give you some idea of what the theater looked like. Here’s a link:
View link

The Gemini was a three-screen theater when I used to go there in the 70’s and 80’s. In fact, I never heard it called the Gemini Twin until I started looking around on the internet for information about the theater today.

The Gemini Twin Drive In opened as a Twin. A Third Screen was added behind the North Screen in latter years. I took one photo, while driving South on Central, not long before it was demolished. You can make out the North Screen with the added screen behind it. The Added screen, from what I remember, faced Central. It was a 3 Screen Drive In before it closed. As alot of the Drive In Theatres in the area, it was owned by the McClendon Family….. Sure wish I had went back to get more photos of this one!
Randy A. Carlisle
“Preserving AMERICAs History Thru Photography”

Dryvin Lady is quoting someone else on her webpage, so reliability of the information is in question. The majority says it’s a twin, so a twin it is.

At the time this webpage was authored, the drive-in site was occupied by a used car lot, after an Autonation lot went out of business. It also notes that the theater was a triplex before it closed:
http://hometown.aol.com/dryvinlady/