Marion Theatre

Hello, I am working with a company that recently purchased the Tropic Theater in Leesburg, Fl. Would it be possible to come to Ocala and visit the Marion Theater....maybe pick someone's brain on how to the restoration is going. Please let me know. My email address is bearinsulation@earthlink.net
Thank you in advance for any help you can give.
Kristi Boliek

Here is a photo of the exterior of the Marion, dated 1941, showing the date of its grand opening on the marquee.

WOW what a great marquee.

small current picture at the top of this link:
http://www.roadsidepeek.com/roadusa/southeast/rpeekfl/theatrefl/index.htm

TC: This theatre is featured in Popcorn Palaces.

TC: And it's truly a great little art deco cinema that has survived the advent of television though it was closed for many years!

The Marion Theatre opened on 11th September 1941 with "Aloma of the South Seas" starring Dorothy Lamour. The seating capacity given in Film Daily Yearbook, 1943 edition was 800 and it was operated by Paramount Pictures Inc. through their subsidiary E.J. Sparks.

Thank you all for your wonderful comments. Just to let you all know we have just received a state grant of over $162,000 to help restore this beautiful theatre. This project will take over $1.5 million to finish, what a great start. Please feel free to stop by and visit us in Florida if you get a chance or if you would like updates on our progress feel free to email us at info@themariontheatre.org

Restoration has begun and the project is on its way to completion. Please visit www.themariontheatre.org for more info on this beautiful deco theatre.

Brian: Always nice to read about the restoration of this theatre in central FL, but hope that the theatre in Deland is okay after the recent tornado that hit Lady Lake and 4 surrounding FL counties.

This is the Marion Theater at night.

Very nice evening marquee photo!

Blurb in news says that John Travolta is having his HOG from the movie auctioned for the benefit of the restoration.How nice.

ghamilton: Great news for the Marion Theatre! Could you post the news article?

ghamilton: Found more about the Travolta event with photos on the Marion website. Thanks.

Is this theater going to be used for films or staged plays?

hey darkpitch we will show films, plays and live music events. There will not be a dark day in the theatre for over 8 months when she opens. Thank you all for your comments please come and visit us if you are in town.

Here is another photo of the Marion Theater.

What a beautiful theatre! So happy to hear it has been brought back to life.

I hope to visit this theatre this winter during a trip to the Ocala area and then to the Tampa area to see the atmospheric Tampa Theatre!

The Marion theatre Opens NEW independent films on the Big screen in HD! Now a digital cinema the Marion has join the ranks of few (soon to be many) to convet to digital. Now a part of Emerging Cinemas the historic movie theatre will show these indies weekly and still have live!! improv, music and theatre on their stage. Check out www.themariontheatre.org for details

Two more photos of the Marion Theater can be seen here.

This is a more recent photo of the Marion Theater.

Thank you for the photos, always nice to see the online support! We hope everyone has a blessed new year!

Warm Regards,

The Marion Theatre Staff

As most of us know, John Travolta contributed to the restoration of this theatre in downtown Ocala. Thank you John and CT extends their condolences to you and to Kelly on the loss of your son, Jett.

Brian: I couldn't reach you via email on your CT profile page nor on the Marion Theatre website so decided to address you via CT. Could you tell me the current status of the theatre? I plan to be in Ocala in late March and would like a tour, if possible. Thank you. If I don't read a post from you by the weekend, I will call the theatre number given on the website.

Hello there,

I am Michael Felker from the Florida State University Film School in Tallahassee FL. Just recently, our school was approached by Philanthropy TV (www.philanthropy.tv) about the opportunity for our students to film documentaries about some of the great foundations in North America. During my personal research, I came across your wonderful foundation in Ocala, The Marion Film & Visual Arts Foundation, and was hoping to cover a documentary about your organization. Philanthropy TV has approached the top film schools in the nation to cover these documentaries in order to spread the word on various causes around the world. The best documentaries will be shown on Philanthropy TV's site and many various new media outlets all over the internet. I personally think your organization's revitalization of the Marion Theater in downtown Ocala is a fantastic story and would be an excellent opportunity to show the world your foundation's efforts. Unfortunately I can't reach the foundation through the email provided on your website We would be using our own high-end camera equipment to document your organization in the best way possible. If you are interested in being a part of this experience, please contact me by email or call my cell phone at 256-348-9607.

Thank you so much, and I hope to hear from you soon,
Michael Felker

On the Marion website under the history section it mentions 2 other theatres that were in Ocala...the Dixie and the Ritz though I don't think they are included on CT.

Patsy, there were at least five other walk-in theaters in Ocala, not including the current Regal Hollywood 16 and Ocala Center Six. Various issues of Boxoffice Magazine provide the following information.

The Dixie Theatre opened in 1923, closed about 1941, reopened in 1946. I don't know how long it operated after that. It had about 400 seats.

The Ritz opened as the Etta Theatre about 1927, in a remodeled building that was formerly a garage. The name Ritz appears in Boxoffice as early as 1938. In 1957, when the street was widened and ten feet were taken off the front of the building, the Ritz got a $90,000 renovation and redecoration. One Boxoffice item said that the name of the Ritz would be changed to the Florida Theatre after the remodeling, but the only reference I can find to a Florida Theatre in Ocala comes from 1975. In fact I can't find references to either the Ritz or the Florida between 1957 and 1975, so I don't know of they are the same theater or not.

There was a theater called the Roxy which operated as a black-only house during the era when Ocala's theaters were segregated. It was on West Broadway. I don't have opening or closing dates, but it was in operation during at least part of the 1940s.

The Ocala Twin Theatre opened in December of 1971, in the Ocala Shopping Center. I have no details about it, but it might have (and most likely did) become the three-screener called the Ocala Triple Theatre that was closed in 1990 when the operator, Wometco, opened a new multiplex called the Boulevard Six in the same shopping center.

The Boulevard Six itself was later operated by Regal, then bought by SunStar Cinemas in 2001 and renamed the Ocala Center Six, which is now open again after having been shut down for 14 months when it was almost swallowed by a sinkhole in February, 2007.

A luxury house called the Springs was in operation in the 1970s. Originally a single-screen, it had a second auditorium of 350 seats added (new construction, not a split) in early 1975. It was on Silver Springs Boulevard. As the Springs Theatre was operated by ABC Florida State Theatres, it might have been (and probably was) the 900-seat house ABC got permission to build late in 1968.

There was also supposed to have been a second drive-in in or near Ocala, called the Skylark, under construction in June, 1952, and expected to open by mid-July that year.

Anybody who can come up with addresses for any or all of these theaters, please do add them to Cinema Treasures. The Regal and Ocala Center Six should be easy enough to add as their information is on the Internet, but as they are open it's best of somebody who has actually seen them and can give descriptions adds them.

1986 Photo

1988 Photo

1988 Photo

Here is a close-up shot of the Marion.

2009 photo courtesy of aqilitynut.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/3380514713/sizes/o/in/pool-72675154@N00/