Wheeling Twin Drive-In
1010 S. Milwaukee Avenue,
Wheeling,
IL
60090
1010 S. Milwaukee Avenue,
Wheeling,
IL
60090
5 people
favorited this theater
Opened August 19, 1966 as the M&R Twin Drive-In, it was located off Milwaukee Avenue. It was originally operated by M & R Amusements. The opening double feature shown at the M&R Twin Drive-In was “Georgy Girl” with “Three on a Couch”. Later renamed Wheeling Twin Drive-In In 1978, a third screen was built.
Beginning in the mid-1970’s, the Wheeling Twin Drive-In held a flea market on weekends, which continued until the drive-in was closed in 1995. Today, almost all trace of the Wheeling Twin Drive-In has been wiped away, and a great deal of the former theater’s property has been taken over by the Palwaukee Airport.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 17 comments)
That’s an excellent story.
The land that the Twin once occupied is still largely vacant (not sure what it’s purpose is). If you drive along Hintz Road, going West off of Milwaukee, just look over to your left. One of the old screens actually stood along here for at least a few years after the theater closed. There is a new building there now, which is some kind of Korean religious school. Before that was built a couple of years ago, there were still about 4-5 speaker stands still in that lot. Now, I don’t think there’s any trace of it left. In the 80s, there was a go-cart track & batting cages built right by the entrance to the Twin. This is now a car lot of some kind. The fence/screens for the track are still there. It’s pretty obvious once you know what it was. So, that should give you a rough idea where it was.
Here’s a aerial shot from 1974.
I remember driving by this place and thinking the screen by the road looked huge.
That’s a cool web site, michigandriveins.
The Wheeling Twin Drive-In (originally called the M&R Twin Drive-In) was built in 60 days, according to this article about it in Boxoffice of June 19, 1967. Additional photos of it are featured in Boxoffice of October 30, 1967.
The drive-in was designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Sidney H. Morris & Associates, who designed at least two conventional theaters for M&R Amusements: the 1960 Old Orchard Theatre in Skokie, and the Evergreen Theatre in Evergreen Park, Illinois.
Thanks Joe.
I remember seeing ‘'Cliffhanger’‘ here.
Linkrot repair:
The June 19, 1967 Boxoffice article about the M&R drive-in is now here.
The second article, from October 30, 1967, starts here and is continued here.
Added a photo of the drive-in I took in the summer of 1980.
Went to go see Predator (and another unknown movie , possibly Platoon or Hamburger Hill)30 yrs ago at this drive in as a kid !..I remember riding in the car for over an hour getting there from Roselle,Il !..This place had more arcade games in the snack bar than any drive in I’ve seen !.It kicked some serious balls !
50 years ago today. Grand Opening 8/19/66 ad added courtesy of the Chicago’s Extinct Businesses facebook page.