Twin Drive-In
4660 Reading Road,
Cincinnati,
OH
45229
4660 Reading Road,
Cincinnati,
OH
45229
3 people
favorited this theater
This was a very popular drive-in, the only double drive-in in the Greater Cincinnati area. The screen tower was centrally placed and had a screen on each side. The screens were named Reading Road West theatre which held 950 cars and Ross Avenue East theatre which held 850 cars. Each had their own separate entrances, exits, box offices, concession stands and projection booths. It opened in May 1949. There was seating provided for 800 walk-in patrons.
Closed in the early-1980’s, after being torn down, it served as a car park lot for a while.
In 1987, National Amusements built the 12-screen Showcase Cinemas Cincinnati complex on the land. It too has now been demolished.
Contributed by
Marc Edward Heuck
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Recent comments (view all 11 comments)
It was not a used car lot, it was bought by GM to park and ship cars from the nearby Norwood Assembly plant until it closed.
There is an old ad for the Twin on this site:
http://tinyurl.com/df6ahk
Still listed in the 1980 IMPA with the same 1300 car capacity.
Ran WINDJAMMER in CINERAMA from 7/20/60 until 8/8/60. Harald Tusberg, Sven Erik Libaek, Kaare Terland from the film sang live. The ad showed a 3-headed CINEMIRACLE camera and had the CINERAMA logo. Advertised as “Only showing in a 4 state area as originally presented at the Capitol Theatre in CINERAMA”. While this was showing on one screen, the other screen was running CIRCUS OF HORRORS and AMAZING TRANSPARENT MAN. Source is ads from Cincinnati Enquirer.
Hi Mark,
I would like to see that ad. I have a web site all about Cinerama and would add the ad to my list of Cinerama theatres – http://cineramahistory.com/ctcineramatheatres.htm
Thanks,
Roland
August 9 1974 NOW SHOWING AT THE TWIN DRIVE-In. “MAGNUM FORCE” which the ad had rated as PG.Which is a typo.It is rated “R”. and second feature is “MACKINTOSH MAN” . Funny,but this same double feature played at the HILLTOP DRIVE-In ,In North Augusta,S.C..
On the second screen is “JOHNNY TOUGH” rated G and “DOBERMAN GANG” rated G.
I grew up next to the Twin on Lawn Ave. When I was really little, it would almost scare me to see the cars come out of the tunnel under the screen towards me. When I was older, I’d just prop myself up in bed (bedroom was in the back of the house)and watch a movie. The angle was wrong and the sound was about a second or so late, but still watchable.
Aerial view from 1970. National Amusements got out the drive-in theater business at the end 1986. They shut down all three of their DI’S in Toledo, Ohio that year. Looking at the 2012 Goggle earth view it looks like the 12 screen theater that replaced the Twin DI was demolished also. Maybe it was of theaters that they had to sell or shut down to pay off there debt?
FYI: The other entrance was at approx. 1800 Ross Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45212.
..and yes, The Showcase Cinema that replaced it is now gone too.
I only lived a block away, it was my childhood going every weekend with my family. PG films on the reading rd side, R rated films on the norwood side . My main memories of course was seeing Bruce Lee films there & at the end of each film there were lights that came on located at the very top of the screen , swings in front of the theater where kids played until it got dark. Good memories .