Thanks for the nice photo. Actually “Blood Feast” was released around November 1963. This same double bill program also played in Tampa opening in a first-run theatre downtown before making the rounds at the local drive-ins.
The only film I saw here was Spielberg’s “The Terminal” back in 2004. I saw the film in one of the deluxe premier theatres for 21 & over. Admission was $10 and included complimentary popcorn, beautiful leather seating, and a full liquor bar (liquor not complimentary of course.) Aside from myself and two friends there were only 3 other patrons in the theatre and this was a weekend matinee. I don’t recall seeing very many people either for any of the other films. It’s very hard to fathom how these theatres managed to survive since opening in 2000. Yes, I realize I’m part of the problem considering I patronized this theatre only once! There was some talk about a year ago of cutting the complex in half by shutting down 10 screens and transforming the space into offices but that hasn’t materialized as yet. That would be a shame since this is a beautiful complex.
Driving from Tampa on our way to Clearwater Beach during the 50s & 60s we would pass this theatre but unfortunately I never had a chance to stop and see a movie or at least see the interior. When the building was demolished there was a feature story published in the Tampa Tribune including interviews with several loyal patrons and how sad there were to see the theatre come down. Before demolition began a few people had arrived early to take whatever souveniers they could grab and carry out of the theatre. The Carib was replaced by a Barnett Bank building.
I too remember when “The Color Purple” played a very long engagement here. On the evening of the grand opening I saw a James Dean double feature “Rebel Without A Cause” and “East of Eden” in one of the smaller auditoriums. At least one theatre was equipped with 70mm. When “Top Gun” opened here in 1986 it was advertised as 70mm and I remember the picture was super sharp and the soundtrack was booming with the roar of fighter jets and music.
University Collection 6 was a very nice theatre that begin receiving competition when it’s nearby neighbor, University Square 4 Cinemas expanded to 16 screens. Both cinemas eventually became worn & outdated (no stadium seating plus other amenities.) University Collection 6 was the first to go. And with the gradual decline of the area and the nearby “suitcase city” the fate of University Square 16 was eventually sealed.
This theatre is one of the screening venues for the annual Gasparilla Film Festival. In 2008 director Herschell Gordon Lewis and producer David F. Friedman hosted an anniversary showing of “BLOOD FEAST” as part of the festival’s theme of films made in Florida (the film was shot in Miami.)
Prior to the showing they mingled with fans for an autograph session, and afterwards they had a Q&A with the audience. Lots of details on the filming and initial exhibition problems in various cities as the film opened across the country.
The 35mm print they ran was in awful shape. The light was dim, the color faded, print had dirt, scratches, and splices, and occasionally jumped in and out of focus. Mr Lewis apologized after the showing referring to the print as “battered.”
The following year (2009) the filmed in Florida series continued with “DEATH CURSE OF TARTU” (shot in the Everglades.) Director William Grefe attended the showing which was DVD projection on the giant screen as a 35mm print could not be located. Mr Grefe also did a very interesting Q&A answering questions on all his features.
Aside from these I remember seeing at least two other films here: “SERVING SARA” and “Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN.” Channelside 10 Cinemas are clean, comfortable theatres with nice size auditoriums and wide screens.
Mike: Yes, CLEOPATRA was a four hour movie (including intermission.) I finally saw it a week or two afterwards. I don’t recall if we made it to another movie that night. I’d have to check the ads to see what was playing at the Florida and the Tampa. That might clue me in on whether or not we saw another film. Hard to believe that was 48 years ago!
Here’s some trivia that took place on a horribly tragic day. In looking through the theatre ads for 1963 I noticed BLOOD FEAST opened at the Florida Theatre on Friday, November 22, 1963. President Kennedy was assasinated at 12:30 PM, and the first showing began at 1:00. Shortly after the news hit the air many theatres nationwide closed down for the remainder of the day and the following day as well. Not certain if the Florida or any other local theatres closed or remained open. More than likely they ran the first afternoon showing (since tickets had already been sold) and cancelled all other showings.
Although BLOOD FEAST is well known as an extremely low budget drive-in programmer, it actually opened in several first run theatres nationwide before hitting the drive-in circuit. I remember seeing the trailer at the Florida the week before it opened. Audiences that had come to see THE LEOPARD with Burt Lancaster were totally grossed out!
I thought Ewa had faded into oblivion but following CANDY she appeared in several Italian films during the 1970s and one other American film, START THE REVOLUTION WITHOUT ME which did very little box office in the U.S. According to Wikipedia she was forever typecast as a “blond nymphet” by the industry and her dream of becoming a serious actress never materialized. She eventually gave up acting, went to University and became a teacher. Good career move!
Thanks for posting them Dick. I never would have thought to look on ebay for these but I’m glad you did!
I think Mike’s question is for both of us. He’s posted many ads on his photo page and is wondering if they should be posted on the individual theatre pages instead, right Mike? I think either way is fine. But if a theatre page doesn’t have any photos at all then I would certainly post the ad on that specific page.
Thanks for the nice handbill! “20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA” was one heck of a popular Disney movie. I notice “CinemaScope” in the ad. I’ve always thought drive-ins without a CinemaScope screen should not advertise it in their ads. The Fun-Lan never had a CinemaScope screen. The original screen which is still standing is exactly the same size as it was back then.
Thanks for the great program! However, “on our giant panoramic screen” is certainly misleading. The Dale Mabry had a small squarish screen during this time. It wasn’t until 1964 when a larger wide screen was installed.
Wow! Fantastic interior photo. This had to have been taken about the time when the theatre first opened. Later shots show a slighlty more modern look with curtains within the proscenium. Thanks for posting!
To whomever posted the great marquee photo—THANKS—
very nice! I scanned the Tribune for days but could not find a single shot of the Loew’s building inside or out. This shot is from the evening of the grand opening on Friday, December 20, 1968. Nice memories of a great theatre before it was twinned and totally ruined.
Mike, You may be right. Main Street 6 originally opened with 6 screens but if I recall correctly I remember reading somewhere that when Carmike assumed ownership they shut down one screen but not sure why.
Thanks Tlsloews, Nunzienick was one of my many nicknames of years ago that I selected as my username on the old CT site but I’m glad it was changed back.
I drove by last week but still nothing on this theatre. The building has been rennovated but I didn’t notice any sign indicating when it may open. A new marquee went up at the entrance off of Dale Mabry but still nothing on it.
Below is a link to an article published back in November 2010 about the new theatre and the planned reopening this spring. I doubt this will post as a live link so you’ll have to copy and paste into your browser:
http://www.review.net/section/detail/movies-make-a-comeback-in-carrollwood-next-spring/
Mike, Thanks for the great listing of films that played the Imperial. Somehow I missed seeing “The Oblong Box” when it played at the indoors & drive-ins in my area. I remember “Klute” being pretty controversial at the time. “The Exorcist” made tons of money wherever it played as did “Jaws.” “The Heretic” did pretty good b/o the first weekend but word quickly spread and I doubt it played much more than a couple weeks anywhere. Same goes for “The Swarm” which I found boring. “Up in Smoke” seemed to do good business everywhere but I can’t recall now anything about it. I doubt it even had a plot!
On some theatre pages there is no street view photo at all. Yet many of these theatres are on major roads where there are views of other theatres within the same area. Did Google not map entire major roads? Would love to have a fix for this.
I’ve updated the street view although it’s still not the best angle. Unfortunately the site is a fair distance from the road, and trying to zero-in any closer or from another angle only blurred the image.
The theatre was located in the very center of photo. It was the last building at the left end of the plaza strip of stores all trimed in pink. It was demolished and replaced by an Ace Hardware Store.
Thanks for the nice photo. Actually “Blood Feast” was released around November 1963. This same double bill program also played in Tampa opening in a first-run theatre downtown before making the rounds at the local drive-ins.
The only film I saw here was Spielberg’s “The Terminal” back in 2004. I saw the film in one of the deluxe premier theatres for 21 & over. Admission was $10 and included complimentary popcorn, beautiful leather seating, and a full liquor bar (liquor not complimentary of course.) Aside from myself and two friends there were only 3 other patrons in the theatre and this was a weekend matinee. I don’t recall seeing very many people either for any of the other films. It’s very hard to fathom how these theatres managed to survive since opening in 2000. Yes, I realize I’m part of the problem considering I patronized this theatre only once! There was some talk about a year ago of cutting the complex in half by shutting down 10 screens and transforming the space into offices but that hasn’t materialized as yet. That would be a shame since this is a beautiful complex.
Driving from Tampa on our way to Clearwater Beach during the 50s & 60s we would pass this theatre but unfortunately I never had a chance to stop and see a movie or at least see the interior. When the building was demolished there was a feature story published in the Tampa Tribune including interviews with several loyal patrons and how sad there were to see the theatre come down. Before demolition began a few people had arrived early to take whatever souveniers they could grab and carry out of the theatre. The Carib was replaced by a Barnett Bank building.
I too remember when “The Color Purple” played a very long engagement here. On the evening of the grand opening I saw a James Dean double feature “Rebel Without A Cause” and “East of Eden” in one of the smaller auditoriums. At least one theatre was equipped with 70mm. When “Top Gun” opened here in 1986 it was advertised as 70mm and I remember the picture was super sharp and the soundtrack was booming with the roar of fighter jets and music.
University Collection 6 was a very nice theatre that begin receiving competition when it’s nearby neighbor, University Square 4 Cinemas expanded to 16 screens. Both cinemas eventually became worn & outdated (no stadium seating plus other amenities.) University Collection 6 was the first to go. And with the gradual decline of the area and the nearby “suitcase city” the fate of University Square 16 was eventually sealed.
This theatre is one of the screening venues for the annual Gasparilla Film Festival. In 2008 director Herschell Gordon Lewis and producer David F. Friedman hosted an anniversary showing of “BLOOD FEAST” as part of the festival’s theme of films made in Florida (the film was shot in Miami.)
Prior to the showing they mingled with fans for an autograph session, and afterwards they had a Q&A with the audience. Lots of details on the filming and initial exhibition problems in various cities as the film opened across the country.
The 35mm print they ran was in awful shape. The light was dim, the color faded, print had dirt, scratches, and splices, and occasionally jumped in and out of focus. Mr Lewis apologized after the showing referring to the print as “battered.”
The following year (2009) the filmed in Florida series continued with “DEATH CURSE OF TARTU” (shot in the Everglades.) Director William Grefe attended the showing which was DVD projection on the giant screen as a 35mm print could not be located. Mr Grefe also did a very interesting Q&A answering questions on all his features.
Aside from these I remember seeing at least two other films here: “SERVING SARA” and “Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN.” Channelside 10 Cinemas are clean, comfortable theatres with nice size auditoriums and wide screens.
Mike: Yes, CLEOPATRA was a four hour movie (including intermission.) I finally saw it a week or two afterwards. I don’t recall if we made it to another movie that night. I’d have to check the ads to see what was playing at the Florida and the Tampa. That might clue me in on whether or not we saw another film. Hard to believe that was 48 years ago!
Here’s some trivia that took place on a horribly tragic day. In looking through the theatre ads for 1963 I noticed BLOOD FEAST opened at the Florida Theatre on Friday, November 22, 1963. President Kennedy was assasinated at 12:30 PM, and the first showing began at 1:00. Shortly after the news hit the air many theatres nationwide closed down for the remainder of the day and the following day as well. Not certain if the Florida or any other local theatres closed or remained open. More than likely they ran the first afternoon showing (since tickets had already been sold) and cancelled all other showings.
Although BLOOD FEAST is well known as an extremely low budget drive-in programmer, it actually opened in several first run theatres nationwide before hitting the drive-in circuit. I remember seeing the trailer at the Florida the week before it opened. Audiences that had come to see THE LEOPARD with Burt Lancaster were totally grossed out!
I thought Ewa had faded into oblivion but following CANDY she appeared in several Italian films during the 1970s and one other American film, START THE REVOLUTION WITHOUT ME which did very little box office in the U.S. According to Wikipedia she was forever typecast as a “blond nymphet” by the industry and her dream of becoming a serious actress never materialized. She eventually gave up acting, went to University and became a teacher. Good career move!
Thanks for posting them Dick. I never would have thought to look on ebay for these but I’m glad you did!
I think Mike’s question is for both of us. He’s posted many ads on his photo page and is wondering if they should be posted on the individual theatre pages instead, right Mike? I think either way is fine. But if a theatre page doesn’t have any photos at all then I would certainly post the ad on that specific page.
A great handbill from the early 1950s – thanks for posting!
Thanks for the nice handbill! “20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA” was one heck of a popular Disney movie. I notice “CinemaScope” in the ad. I’ve always thought drive-ins without a CinemaScope screen should not advertise it in their ads. The Fun-Lan never had a CinemaScope screen. The original screen which is still standing is exactly the same size as it was back then.
Another great handbill – thanks!
Thanks for the great program! However, “on our giant panoramic screen” is certainly misleading. The Dale Mabry had a small squarish screen during this time. It wasn’t until 1964 when a larger wide screen was installed.
Thanks to whoever posted this nice vintage program!
Whoever posted the nice vintage program – thanks!
Wow! Fantastic interior photo. This had to have been taken about the time when the theatre first opened. Later shots show a slighlty more modern look with curtains within the proscenium. Thanks for posting!
Nice historical coming attractions handbill—thanks for posting!
To whomever posted the great marquee photo—THANKS— very nice! I scanned the Tribune for days but could not find a single shot of the Loew’s building inside or out. This shot is from the evening of the grand opening on Friday, December 20, 1968. Nice memories of a great theatre before it was twinned and totally ruined.
Mike, You may be right. Main Street 6 originally opened with 6 screens but if I recall correctly I remember reading somewhere that when Carmike assumed ownership they shut down one screen but not sure why.
Thanks Tlsloews, Nunzienick was one of my many nicknames of years ago that I selected as my username on the old CT site but I’m glad it was changed back.
Wow! This is a fantastic shot! I love the great b&w photo of the Lenox with the crowd standing in front. Thanks to whoever posted this classic shot!
I drove by last week but still nothing on this theatre. The building has been rennovated but I didn’t notice any sign indicating when it may open. A new marquee went up at the entrance off of Dale Mabry but still nothing on it.
Below is a link to an article published back in November 2010 about the new theatre and the planned reopening this spring. I doubt this will post as a live link so you’ll have to copy and paste into your browser: http://www.review.net/section/detail/movies-make-a-comeback-in-carrollwood-next-spring/
Mike, Thanks for the great listing of films that played the Imperial. Somehow I missed seeing “The Oblong Box” when it played at the indoors & drive-ins in my area. I remember “Klute” being pretty controversial at the time. “The Exorcist” made tons of money wherever it played as did “Jaws.” “The Heretic” did pretty good b/o the first weekend but word quickly spread and I doubt it played much more than a couple weeks anywhere. Same goes for “The Swarm” which I found boring. “Up in Smoke” seemed to do good business everywhere but I can’t recall now anything about it. I doubt it even had a plot!
Hi Tlsloews…great you’re back on!
On some theatre pages there is no street view photo at all. Yet many of these theatres are on major roads where there are views of other theatres within the same area. Did Google not map entire major roads? Would love to have a fix for this.
I’ve updated the street view although it’s still not the best angle. Unfortunately the site is a fair distance from the road, and trying to zero-in any closer or from another angle only blurred the image.
The theatre was located in the very center of photo. It was the last building at the left end of the plaza strip of stores all trimed in pink. It was demolished and replaced by an Ace Hardware Store.