The Gemini outdoor theater used to be on 28 acres at the corner of Central Expressway and Forest Lane in Dallas. Although the theater had been closed for years, the vacant property sold over the last couple of days for over $20 million.
The original newspaper ad for the grand opening of the theater is here.
But despite never attending a movie at that theater, it still is the basis for one of my grandest memories. My family and our neighbors were all piled into one car one night as we went to Dallas to eat. I was just a kid so I'd guess it was in the early 1970s. There we were, rolling down the freeway, as we passed by the Gemini Theater. It was already dark so one of the movies was already rolling. And then, shockingly, there it was: A topless women on the big screen! And perfectly visible from the highway. Not just a glancing shot, mind you, but a full fledged scene with the camera remaining on her ample . . . well, you know. Chaos broke loose in the car as the kids (and some adults) scrambled for the best look at the screen while a couple of moms scrambled to protect the kids from this glorious wickedness.
I was shocked. And overjoyed. But the funniest line came from someone in the car who screamed, "Look out! Someone on this freeway is gonna wreck because no one is watching the road!"
It had to be the most dangerous stretch of roadway in the Southwest proper.
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12.27.2006
Drive In Days
The Gemini outdoor theater used to be on 28 acres at the corner of Central Expressway and Forest Lane in Dallas. Although the theater had been closed for years, the vacant property sold over the last couple of days for over $20 million.
The original newspaper ad for the grand opening of the theater is here.
But despite never attending a movie at that theater, it still is the basis for one of my grandest memories. My family and our neighbors were all piled into one car one night as we went to Dallas to eat. I was just a kid so I'd guess it was in the early 1970s. There we were, rolling down the freeway, as we passed by the Gemini Theater. It was already dark so one of the movies was already rolling. And then, shockingly, there it was: A topless women on the big screen! And perfectly visible from the highway. Not just a glancing shot, mind you, but a full fledged scene with the camera remaining on her ample . . . well, you know. Chaos broke loose in the car as the kids (and some adults) scrambled for the best look at the screen while a couple of moms scrambled to protect the kids from this glorious wickedness.
I was shocked. And overjoyed. But the funniest line came from someone in the car who screamed, "Look out! Someone on this freeway is gonna wreck because no one is watching the road!"
It had to be the most dangerous stretch of roadway in the Southwest proper.
