Fun-Lan Drive-In
2302 E. Hillsborough Avenue,
Tampa,
FL
33610
2302 E. Hillsborough Avenue,
Tampa,
FL
33610
4 people
favorited this theater
The Fun-Lan Drive-In opened on January 10, 1950 with a capacity for 700 cars. Admission price that day was 48 cents. A second screen was added in 1985, a third screen added later, and in 2006 a fourth screen was added.
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Lost Memory
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Recent comments (view all 40 comments)
What great Triple feature,Nick.Wish that would have been on the night we went.The Kids would have loved it.
Here’s an aerial of the single screen Fun-Lan dated 1957. Note track for children’s train ride beneath screen:
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Here’s a current aerial showing lot as it looks today:
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I see THE FENCE we watched “SUPERMAN” on!!!!I was great Nick. AM so glad I got off my butt and drove down with the Kids.It was a Great Night.
It was great except for that screen on the fence! I haven’t been back since that night but I guess the screen is still there. Has to rank as just about the shoddiest set-up I’ve ever seen for a drive-in. The Fun-Lan is but a shadow of it’s former self.
That’s okay,just going there was great.If only the TAMPA would have had a decent film to watch the following day.
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.
Glad to see you back,will have to tell TerrySmith.The old Fun-lan I am sure was a better theatre in Charlie’s Day.{operator].
CAn anyone tell me if they put in cinemascope screens with theater 3 &4. I and 2 were never capable of showing scope films. Floyd theares wanted the screens filled all the time which meant a film in scope was shown off into the thin air. A very tacky wasy to show movies.
Mike, Screen 4 was the last one put up and is actually built on the side fence if you can believe it. It’s slightly wider than the other three so you’re probably seeing about as much of the picture as you would in a standard indoor theatre with a wide screen. Screens 1 2 & 3 are about the same size (ratio-wise) with screen 4 being the smallest but widest (probably about 20-25 feet wide.)
This newest screen on the fence has to rank as the cheapest/tackiest set-up I’ve ever seen for a drive-in. Projection is from the original booth in the center of lot with the lens aimed at the screen from the top of the booth door. On the other 3 screens you’re probably missing about a 3rd of the image on Scope films since the picture projects off the sides into the darkness.