Gemini Drive-In
11990 North Central Expressway,
Dallas,
TX
75243
11990 North Central Expressway,
Dallas,
TX
75243
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Footage Of The Gemini Drive-In Is Completely Found By SMU, But With The Rotating Sign And The Building Being Shown Only.
I was going north on 75 looking at the screen. Turned to look just in time to see all cars stopped. No time to break i yanked right and the exit ramp was right there
Known as the Gemini Drive In Theatre, also Gemini Twin.. A 3rd screen was added on the north end of the land making this a 3 screener.. Nothing remains today.. Randy A Carlisle – RAC Photography
This drive-in opened on April 15th, 1965. It wasn’t the largest in the world as the ad claims. That honor went to the Johnny All-Weather Drive-In in Long Island, NY. Better grand opening ad posted. https://1drv.ms/u/s!AtCJz7ew6OKIhdQmfIIM0a0OLZs5-w?e=DaAXVz
Opened on the north screen with “Circus world” and “Who’s minding the store” and on the south screen with “Beach blanklet bingo” and “Pajama party”. Stars, Frankie Avalon, Deborah Waley, and Big John Hamilton were there for an autograph party on the opening night.
Went to a fair number of movies here – don’t remember watching any of them. Last time I was here was in the mid-80s (probably 1985) – a summer standard for a number of us. More time spent walking around or not watching the movies than anything.
Of course it was a “twin”. That’s why they named it Gemini, duh.
I have a picture of it from Dec 1965
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.
I’m sure other factors contributed to the theatre’s demise but light pollution, while it certainly degraded the picture, didn’t seem to be affecting ticket sales as long as I attended (up through end of 1978). If you couldn’t see the picture, and that was a definite problem on all 3 screens, you could usually find something else to do.
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.
Thanks Graig.
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.
Photos of The Gemini are here and more.
View link
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 went to the Gemini when it first opened and it was called the ‘Gemini Twin’ because it had two screens and the name Gemini because…well gemini equals twins.
Anyway, it was the first (and only) drive in that I ever went to that was paved!
The third screen was added later.
Im sure the lights from I75 helped doom it.
Radio station KNUS FM erected a pole near the corner of Forest and the I75 service road that had a booth on top and in big letters running down the pole KNUS and they would have a dj or someone up there for weeks or months or something as a stunt back in the late 60s or early 70s.
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.
There’s some nice video footage of this theatre when it was still operating in the documentary Drive In Blues. Looks like everyone was having a ball!
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 property may be developed by now, as plans were discussed in this December 2006 article:
http://tinyurl.com/26hdxl
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/