Great Western Cinema
340 N. Wilson Road,
Columbus,
OH
43204
340 N. Wilson Road,
Columbus,
OH
43204
1 person
favorited this theater
Built as a single-screen theatre, the Great Western Cinema was opened by General Cinema Theatres on November 16, 1966 with Dean Martin in “Texas Across the River”. The University City Cinema also opened by General Cinema Theatres the same day with the same movie. The Great Western Cinema was twinned on June 29, 1973. It was closed in 1986.
Contributed by
dave-bronx
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Recent comments (view all 13 comments)
Although the shopping center is at West Broad and Wilson, the theater itself was at the far north end at the corner of Wilson Road and Valleyview Drive.
The Great Western Shopping Center is very large for an old unenclosed mall.
amazing all the theatres that were closing as i graduated college.
This theater and the University City Cinema were opened the same week by General Cinema Corporation in 1966. Listed below are the films which played here from 1966-1969. The date listed is the Wednesday of the opening week. Research is from microfilms of The Columbus Dispatch.
11/16/66 Texas Across the River
12/07/66 Rage
12/14/66 It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
12/21/66 Gambit
01/11/67 Penelope
01/25/67 The Blue Max
02/08/67 Zorba the Greek/The Visit
02/15/67 Monkeys, Go Home!
03/01/67 Tobruk
03/15/67 Follow Me, Boys!
03/22/67 A Countess from Hong Kong
04/05/67 Deadlier than the Male
04/19/67 The Great Race
04/26/67 Hombre
05/17/67 Doctor Zhivago
06/14/67 Gunn
06/21/67 The Perils of Pauline/Tammy and the Millionaire
06/28/67 Snow Whie and the Seven Dwarfs
07/12/67 The War Wagon
07/26/67 The Gnome-Mobile
08/09/67 Barefoot in the Park
08/23/67 In Like Flint/The Professionals
08/30/67 The Absent-Minded Professor/The Shaggy Dog
09/06/67 The Russians are Coming/What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?
09/13/67 Fathom
09/20/67 Luv
10/04/67 Bonnie and Clyde
10/18/67 The Dirty Dozen/The Glass-Bottom Boat
10/25/67 Murderers Row/The Silencers
11/01/67 Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?/Sex and the Single Girl
11/08/67 Waterhole # 3
11/22/67 Cool Hand Luke
12/20/67 Valley of the Dolls
03/06/68 Bonnie and the Clyde
04/03/68 Blackbeard’s Ghost
04/24/68 Firecreek
05/01/68 Sgt. Ryker
05/08/68 Far from the Madding Crowd
05/22/68 The Shakiest Gun in the West
05/29/68 Madigan
06/12/68 What’s So Bad About Feeling Good?
06/19/68 The One & Only, Genuine, Original Family Band
07/03/68 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
07/10/68 The Green Berets
07/31/68 Never a Dull Moment
08/21/68 King Kong Escapes
08/28/68 Prudence and the Pill
09/11/68 Rachel, Rachel
10/02/68 The Odd Couple
10/09/68 The Producers
10/16/68 The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
10/30/68 The Sound of Music
11/13/68 Duffy
11/20/68 West Side Story
12/11/68 Anyone Can Play
12/18/68 The Horse in the Grey Flannel Suit
01/08/69 Hellfighters
01/29/69 The Stalking Moon
02/19/69 The Wrecking Crew
03/05/69 The Brotherhood
03/12/69 Rachel, Rachel/The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
03/26/69 Oliver!
08/20/69 Rascal
08/27/69 Castle Keep
09/10/69 Finian’s Rainbow
09/17/69 Last Summer
10/08/69 Thank You All Very Much
10/15/69 On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who…
10/22/69 Darby O'Gill and the Little People
11/05/69 The Christmas Tree
11/12/69 True Grit/My Side of the Mountain
11/19/69 Bonnie and Clyde/Bullitt
11/26/69 Don’t Drink the Water
12/03/69 2001: A Space Odyssey/The Impossible Years
12/10/69 Madigan’s Millions/Fearless Frank
12/17/69 80 Steps to Jonah/Petulia
12/24/69 101 Dalmatians/Johnny Appleseed
Being at a major mall at the time, this theater played almost every Walt Disney picture released, as well as “roadshow” films when they were released as “no reserved seats-popular prices.”
Interesting.
Correct address for this theater is 340 North WIlson Road
To posters above: this theater did NOT close in the early 80s, nor in 85, as I saw the Polanski comedy “Pirates” there in July of 86. I believe it closed shortly thereafter. In fact, that may very well have been the last film to play there, as I seem to think I went because I had heard the place was about to close. Not sure about this. But at any rate, it was most definitely still there for “Pirates”.
It was always a strange place, sitting out at the north end of the parking lot all by itself. Seemed a very lonely and unfriendly location somehow.
General Cinema operated this until November 20, 1986.
Oliver, which opened here on 3/26/69 (as noted above by Ron3853) played on a 2-show per day, reserved seat, advanced purchase basis.
This and the University City Cinema both opened on November 16th, 1966. Grand opening ad posted.
Two screens on June 29th, 1973. Grand opening ad posted.