Your comment on “not many” or “no responses” from the locals is well taken.
When I discovered Cinema Treasures in 2006 I found there was no listing for the Palace. So I added the theatre along with a short history, and to this day there hasn’t been a single response from any of the locals…just unbelievable!
This theatre was considered a “deluxe house” and was extremely popular especially during the early 60s to early 70s time frame. On any given day you’d generally find a near-full or sold-out house for Cinerama as well as standard films. So with the number of people who frequented this theatre you’d surely expect to see comments from a few locals. But alas, not the first one…none…so sad :(
Thanks for the listing of Cinerama in Tampa. I saw all of these films at the Palace, and loved every minute of each one.
In 1973 the Palace booked the return engagement of “The Sound of Music” in 70mm. I realize this film doesn’t qualify for the listing as it was not a Cinerama film. I recall that it played for several weeks in 1973. This was after the original 35mm engagement during the mid-sixties when it played for a year and a half.
It was amazing to see the film blown up to nearly twice the size on the same screen that it originally played in 35mm. In addition to being larger, the image was also brighter, sharper, and more defined than 35mm.
The above article contains two incorrect statements. The Britton was never twinned. It was first tripled and later 8-plexed. It opened in 1956 as a huge (and I mean HUGE) single screen theater.
It was big! Standing at the back of the auditorium and looking towards the screen, the main level seemed like a full block long. The newspaper ads proclaimed: “when at the Britton you’re at Radio City Music Hall! It had 70mm capability and a giant 60' wide screen. I believe capacity was just shy of 1,900. It also had a balcony. Not certain who the original owner/operator was but it was sold to General Cinema around 1972 (this was around the same time the single screen Loew’s Theatre on Westshore Blvd was also purchased by GCC).
Anyone remember the Loew’s? Following the Britton’s grand reopening as a triplex in 1973, GCC announced similiar plans were underway for the Loew’s which was twinned and renamed Austin Cinema I & II — a disaster but that’s another story.
The Britton was totally destroyed when they tripled it. The front half of the auditorium was basically left intact and was the larger of the three theatres. The rear half was divided into two smaller screening rooms with each room retaining half of the original balcony. I believe GCC closed it around 1991. In 1992 it was purchased by Muvico and sliced into 8 small screening rooms. It was terrible. I went once and never returned. That was enough for me. It closed once again when Muvico pulled out and was later reopened by Regal. The above article states Regal closed it in 2001. I believe it was sometime during the 1990s that it fell under the ownership of Zota Theatres for a time but not sure exactly when.
I haven’t kept close tabs on the Britton in the past few years but I recall it being in operation for several years since 2001. I heard it just recently closed again. Probably for good this time.
Scott: The 20-screen theatre in Centro Ybor opened under Muvico — it was never an AMC theatre. There has been talk of cutting the theatre down to 10 screens and rennovating the other half for office space. That doesn’t suprise me at all. There were very few people there each time I’ve been. Hard to believe the theatre has hung on this long without Muvico pulling out.
Go to the Ritz weblink kindly provided above by Lost Memory, then click on “Galleries”, photos, and “Old & New”. The 3rd photo is a wonderful b/w picture of the auditorium interior showing a packed house! This was probably taken sometime during the 1940s or possibly the early 1950s. Even during the time I attended in the 1960s this was the typical Saturday afternoon matinee crowd — packed with kids along with a few adults.
Also in “Galleries” under “Ritz Ybor-Philip Lloyd” there are several color photos of the lobby foyer area and auditorium as they look today. Photos 8 & 9 are especially nice. Although the small houses and buildings facades on the walls are long gone, at least they kept the proscenium exactly as it was in the 1960s — even the colors are the same.
In addition to concerts the theater can now be booked for parties, weddings, meetings, etc. They did a very nice job in bringing the building back to life. It’s apparent some big bucs were spent in alterations, renovations, and additions.
The Ritz was the site of the famous invitation-only “Maxim” party on Super Bowl weekend with several celebrities in attendance. And according to news reports it was a smashing success!
Gary: Correction. The theater actually closed as an adult theater when the building was purchased by the private investor in 1982, not the late 1970s as I had mentioned. Over the years I saved all articles and news clippings that were published on the theater which were my “dates” source for this posting. Aside from this one discrepency all other dates should be correct. Oh yes! I remember the large ornate mirrors. As I recall there were at least two other identical mirrors also located in the lobby a little further down towards the auditorium entrance.
Bway: Glad you enjoyed the post! I spent many a happy hour at The Ritz. Although it was a second and third run house, it was still a jewel of a theater. I often dream there existed a time machine to take me back!
Lost and Bway: I was a Ritz regular many years ago. This theater holds some wonderful memories for me! I attended The Ritz nearly every weekend during the early-to-mid 1960s. During this period the theater was essentially a B-film house specializing in horror/sci-fi and campy teen films that played to packed houses on the weekends. Alternatively both regular films fare as well as Spanish language films also played from time to time. As unbelievable as it sounds today, admission was 20 cents for under 16, and 60 cents for 16 and above.
Beginning with William Castle’s “13 Ghosts” in 1961 to “Village of the Giants” in 1965 I saw hundreds of films at The Ritz over this five year period. On Fridays and Saturdays The Ritz would run a triple feature program such as “The Spider” “The Fly” & “The Deadly Mantis”. The following weekend “Black Sunday” “The Raven” & “Day of the Triffids” would be playing. A couple weeks later the attractions were “The Brain Eaters” “The Screaming Skull” & “Brain From Planet Arous”
On one Sunday afternoon Presley’s “Fun in Acapulco” teamed with “Bye Bye Birdie” played to a packed house. And the following weekend “The Blob” “Blood of the Vampire” & “Tarantula” were playing. Blockbusters like “West Side Story” and “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” also ran from time to time. When “A Hard Day’s Night” ran on one Saturday afternoon, the theater was sold-out to the walls. There were people standing against the side walls and along the back of the theater. The manager, evidently fearing a possible riot, turned the house lights up, walked on stage just before the film began, and gave the audience a stern warning that everyone would be given a refund, and the theater would be shut down if there was any screaming or rowdiness or excessive noise. They ran the entire feature with the house lights turned up.
The auditorium was Basic Mediterranian Revival. The interior was painted in a combination of patterns of red, orange, pink, and green. The side walls of the auditorium contained little house fronts built into the walls with red tile roofs, little chimneys, small wrought iron balconies, and windows lit from behind with a soft red glow. Beige curtains illuminated by red stage lights hid the 35-foot wide CinemaScope screen within the procenium. Capacity was 700 but was reduced to 400 years later when new larger seats were installed after theater converted over to adult films.
At the end of 1965 the building was sold to a company out of Miami that owned and operated several adult theaters statewide. On December 31, 1965 The Ritz ceased running standard films, and on January 1, 1966 the theater opened it’s doors as the Ritz Adult Theater. Triple X films and live nudie stage shows were now the attractions, and they ran for an amazing 15 years!
Towards the end of the 1970s the adult theater finally closed. The building was taken over by a local stage production company called The Playmakers who utilized it for a short time before closing shop. In 1982 a private investor purchased the building and announced plans to give the theater a complete makeover, and transform it back into a movie house featuring first-run films. The exterior and interior were repainted, and new carpeting, seats, and curtains were installed. The screen which had been moved up against the back wall was still in good conditon, and was moved forward and back into place. The 35mm projectors had remained in the booth and were still functional.
Unfortunately, due to a drain on additional funds and lack of public support, the new owner was never able to fufill his dreams of running movies again at The Ritz. Several concerts were booked(mainly heavy metal and punk) but a large core audience for these events never did materialize, and the doors eventually closed once again. The bank foreclosed on the property and the building sat vacant for a time. I believe it was sometime towards the mid 1980s when the theater was utilized for two motion pictures which were filmed on the site. The films were “Amateur Night” and “Phantom of the Ritz”. The former was made-for-cable, and the latter went straight to video. I recall finding and renting a copy at the video store in the 1990s but today you’d probably be hard pressed to find a copy anywhere. It was a horror spoof about an evil presence haunting the theater.
Towards the end of the 1980s the building was purchased by a new owner, and remade into an alternative dance/nightclub called The Masquerade. I had a chance to visit the building shortly after the new club had opened. The seats had all been removed, and the house fronts on the side walls had all been stripped out right down to the bare concrete walls. The auditorium floor was leveled out, and a mosh pit had been dug out in the center of the floor. Sadly, the only remnants remaining to indicate that it was once a movie theater are the marquee, the stage and the procenium.
The Masquerade had apparently done very well for several years attracting hordes of concert goers but in early 2006 the club finally closed it’s doors. I recall reading an article in the papers indicating the owner could no longer make ends meet. I was under the impression the building was closed but from the photos above, which were taken recently, it appears there is still some activity within. But I’m almost certain The Masquerade is now defunct even though the sign remains above the marquee.
Michael,
Your comment on “not many” or “no responses” from the locals is well taken.
When I discovered Cinema Treasures in 2006 I found there was no listing for the Palace. So I added the theatre along with a short history, and to this day there hasn’t been a single response from any of the locals…just unbelievable!
This theatre was considered a “deluxe house” and was extremely popular especially during the early 60s to early 70s time frame. On any given day you’d generally find a near-full or sold-out house for Cinerama as well as standard films. So with the number of people who frequented this theatre you’d surely expect to see comments from a few locals. But alas, not the first one…none…so sad :(
Hi Michael!
Thanks for the listing of Cinerama in Tampa. I saw all of these films at the Palace, and loved every minute of each one.
In 1973 the Palace booked the return engagement of “The Sound of Music” in 70mm. I realize this film doesn’t qualify for the listing as it was not a Cinerama film. I recall that it played for several weeks in 1973. This was after the original 35mm engagement during the mid-sixties when it played for a year and a half.
It was amazing to see the film blown up to nearly twice the size on the same screen that it originally played in 35mm. In addition to being larger, the image was also brighter, sharper, and more defined than 35mm.
How I miss the Palace!
Thanks again for the listing!
The above article contains two incorrect statements. The Britton was never twinned. It was first tripled and later 8-plexed. It opened in 1956 as a huge (and I mean HUGE) single screen theater.
It was big! Standing at the back of the auditorium and looking towards the screen, the main level seemed like a full block long. The newspaper ads proclaimed: “when at the Britton you’re at Radio City Music Hall! It had 70mm capability and a giant 60' wide screen. I believe capacity was just shy of 1,900. It also had a balcony. Not certain who the original owner/operator was but it was sold to General Cinema around 1972 (this was around the same time the single screen Loew’s Theatre on Westshore Blvd was also purchased by GCC).
Anyone remember the Loew’s? Following the Britton’s grand reopening as a triplex in 1973, GCC announced similiar plans were underway for the Loew’s which was twinned and renamed Austin Cinema I & II — a disaster but that’s another story.
The Britton was totally destroyed when they tripled it. The front half of the auditorium was basically left intact and was the larger of the three theatres. The rear half was divided into two smaller screening rooms with each room retaining half of the original balcony. I believe GCC closed it around 1991. In 1992 it was purchased by Muvico and sliced into 8 small screening rooms. It was terrible. I went once and never returned. That was enough for me. It closed once again when Muvico pulled out and was later reopened by Regal. The above article states Regal closed it in 2001. I believe it was sometime during the 1990s that it fell under the ownership of Zota Theatres for a time but not sure exactly when.
I haven’t kept close tabs on the Britton in the past few years but I recall it being in operation for several years since 2001. I heard it just recently closed again. Probably for good this time.
Scott: The 20-screen theatre in Centro Ybor opened under Muvico — it was never an AMC theatre. There has been talk of cutting the theatre down to 10 screens and rennovating the other half for office space. That doesn’t suprise me at all. There were very few people there each time I’ve been. Hard to believe the theatre has hung on this long without Muvico pulling out.
Go to the Ritz weblink kindly provided above by Lost Memory, then click on “Galleries”, photos, and “Old & New”. The 3rd photo is a wonderful b/w picture of the auditorium interior showing a packed house! This was probably taken sometime during the 1940s or possibly the early 1950s. Even during the time I attended in the 1960s this was the typical Saturday afternoon matinee crowd — packed with kids along with a few adults.
Also in “Galleries” under “Ritz Ybor-Philip Lloyd” there are several color photos of the lobby foyer area and auditorium as they look today. Photos 8 & 9 are especially nice. Although the small houses and buildings facades on the walls are long gone, at least they kept the proscenium exactly as it was in the 1960s — even the colors are the same.
In addition to concerts the theater can now be booked for parties, weddings, meetings, etc. They did a very nice job in bringing the building back to life. It’s apparent some big bucs were spent in alterations, renovations, and additions.
The Ritz was the site of the famous invitation-only “Maxim” party on Super Bowl weekend with several celebrities in attendance. And according to news reports it was a smashing success!
Gary: Correction. The theater actually closed as an adult theater when the building was purchased by the private investor in 1982, not the late 1970s as I had mentioned. Over the years I saved all articles and news clippings that were published on the theater which were my “dates” source for this posting. Aside from this one discrepency all other dates should be correct. Oh yes! I remember the large ornate mirrors. As I recall there were at least two other identical mirrors also located in the lobby a little further down towards the auditorium entrance.
Bway: Glad you enjoyed the post! I spent many a happy hour at The Ritz. Although it was a second and third run house, it was still a jewel of a theater. I often dream there existed a time machine to take me back!
Lost and Bway: I was a Ritz regular many years ago. This theater holds some wonderful memories for me! I attended The Ritz nearly every weekend during the early-to-mid 1960s. During this period the theater was essentially a B-film house specializing in horror/sci-fi and campy teen films that played to packed houses on the weekends. Alternatively both regular films fare as well as Spanish language films also played from time to time. As unbelievable as it sounds today, admission was 20 cents for under 16, and 60 cents for 16 and above.
Beginning with William Castle’s “13 Ghosts” in 1961 to “Village of the Giants” in 1965 I saw hundreds of films at The Ritz over this five year period. On Fridays and Saturdays The Ritz would run a triple feature program such as “The Spider” “The Fly” & “The Deadly Mantis”. The following weekend “Black Sunday” “The Raven” & “Day of the Triffids” would be playing. A couple weeks later the attractions were “The Brain Eaters” “The Screaming Skull” & “Brain From Planet Arous”
On one Sunday afternoon Presley’s “Fun in Acapulco” teamed with “Bye Bye Birdie” played to a packed house. And the following weekend “The Blob” “Blood of the Vampire” & “Tarantula” were playing. Blockbusters like “West Side Story” and “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” also ran from time to time. When “A Hard Day’s Night” ran on one Saturday afternoon, the theater was sold-out to the walls. There were people standing against the side walls and along the back of the theater. The manager, evidently fearing a possible riot, turned the house lights up, walked on stage just before the film began, and gave the audience a stern warning that everyone would be given a refund, and the theater would be shut down if there was any screaming or rowdiness or excessive noise. They ran the entire feature with the house lights turned up.
The auditorium was Basic Mediterranian Revival. The interior was painted in a combination of patterns of red, orange, pink, and green. The side walls of the auditorium contained little house fronts built into the walls with red tile roofs, little chimneys, small wrought iron balconies, and windows lit from behind with a soft red glow. Beige curtains illuminated by red stage lights hid the 35-foot wide CinemaScope screen within the procenium. Capacity was 700 but was reduced to 400 years later when new larger seats were installed after theater converted over to adult films.
At the end of 1965 the building was sold to a company out of Miami that owned and operated several adult theaters statewide. On December 31, 1965 The Ritz ceased running standard films, and on January 1, 1966 the theater opened it’s doors as the Ritz Adult Theater. Triple X films and live nudie stage shows were now the attractions, and they ran for an amazing 15 years!
Towards the end of the 1970s the adult theater finally closed. The building was taken over by a local stage production company called The Playmakers who utilized it for a short time before closing shop. In 1982 a private investor purchased the building and announced plans to give the theater a complete makeover, and transform it back into a movie house featuring first-run films. The exterior and interior were repainted, and new carpeting, seats, and curtains were installed. The screen which had been moved up against the back wall was still in good conditon, and was moved forward and back into place. The 35mm projectors had remained in the booth and were still functional.
Unfortunately, due to a drain on additional funds and lack of public support, the new owner was never able to fufill his dreams of running movies again at The Ritz. Several concerts were booked(mainly heavy metal and punk) but a large core audience for these events never did materialize, and the doors eventually closed once again. The bank foreclosed on the property and the building sat vacant for a time. I believe it was sometime towards the mid 1980s when the theater was utilized for two motion pictures which were filmed on the site. The films were “Amateur Night” and “Phantom of the Ritz”. The former was made-for-cable, and the latter went straight to video. I recall finding and renting a copy at the video store in the 1990s but today you’d probably be hard pressed to find a copy anywhere. It was a horror spoof about an evil presence haunting the theater.
Towards the end of the 1980s the building was purchased by a new owner, and remade into an alternative dance/nightclub called The Masquerade. I had a chance to visit the building shortly after the new club had opened. The seats had all been removed, and the house fronts on the side walls had all been stripped out right down to the bare concrete walls. The auditorium floor was leveled out, and a mosh pit had been dug out in the center of the floor. Sadly, the only remnants remaining to indicate that it was once a movie theater are the marquee, the stage and the procenium.
The Masquerade had apparently done very well for several years attracting hordes of concert goers but in early 2006 the club finally closed it’s doors. I recall reading an article in the papers indicating the owner could no longer make ends meet. I was under the impression the building was closed but from the photos above, which were taken recently, it appears there is still some activity within. But I’m almost certain The Masquerade is now defunct even though the sign remains above the marquee.