Palace Theatre
700 Tampa Street,
Tampa,
FL
33601
700 Tampa Street,
Tampa,
FL
33601
6 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 53 comments
It’s so nice to have you respond to my comment about the Palace Theatre in Tampa. Yes, I think at the time, Todd-AO 70mm prints were not allowed contractually to be presented on the screen as large as the Cinerama Single-Lens films. And yes, all the 70mm projectors I’ve read about show 35mm as well—so why Palace management kept using that balcony booth, I’ll never know, because for the orchestra audience, the keystone distortion was pretty bad—sitting in the balcony helped to solve the problem for viewers. I wish I’d seen the rerun of SOM later in 1973 when the full 70mm screen area was used—same as that projecting “Grand Prix”, & “2001, A Space Odyssey” which I also saw. The screen being masked down length wise to a lesser 120 degrees was a disappointment. On a couple of occasions I went behind the screen to see how the louvers were attached—they were always visible to me from the audience, but it was such a unique design & perfect for a curved screen to prevent light being scattered back on itself. Also, in the late 1960’s early 1970’s I saw a couple other films, again projected from the balcony booth in 35mm—“A Clockwork Orange”,& one with actress Sandy Dennis titled “The Fox”. The 1964 35mm presentation of “IAMMMMW” was such a disappointment, & I can understand why the Palace didn’t have time to get the 70mm equipment because “HTWWW” was such a long run before it finally closed to make way for the ‘new’ single-lens system. What bothered me at the time was that the “…Mad World” programs were sold with ‘presented in Cinerama’ on the covers, & the tickets were ‘reserved seat’ prices. Though I didn’t see “Circus World” I did write to the Palace theatre management & have them send me a program—It also states on the cover ‘presented in Cinerama’. Once “Mary Poppins” began no other Cinerama engagements ran for a long time. I’ve always felt sorry for 3-strip Cinerama theatres like the Palace having to convert to the less satisfactory 70mm process which didn’t utilize the entire 146 degree screen or have the visceral impact of the original 3-strip process.
GSVuille, Thanks for your post. Nice to hear from someone who went to the Palace. You’re right about the opening engagement of “Sound of Music” being in 70mm. The first time I saw the film I was seated in the orchestra. I remember looking back to see the film being projected from the Cinerama booth, and I also recall the soundtrack being in stereo. I mistakenly thought they were running a 35mm print due to the screen being masked for 35mm scope—on both sides as well as several feet at the top—although this may have been due to an agreement with Cinerama to not utilize the full screen for a non-Cinerama film. I also assumed the 70mm projectors were capable of conversion to run 35mm films with stereo soundtracks.
The last 3 times I saw SOM the film was no longer being projected from the Cinerama booth but from the upstairs 35mm booth. The screen masking remained in the same position but the soundtrack was no longer in stereo. I also noticed a very slight decrease in both sound and image quality—probably unnoticeble to many in the audience but I was aware of it. Not sure why the change was made but could have been two reasons: the 70mm print may have been needed for another engagement, or since the film was bringing in record-breaking crowds and destined for a long run management may have decided to go with a less expensive print and exchanged the 70mm for a 35mm print.
In 1973 the 70mm re-release of SOM was shown at the Palace. For this engagement the top screen masking was removed resulting in an image several feet higher from the original 1965-66 engagement. I was disappointed that “Mad Mad World” was not shown in 70mm at the Palace. I also remember being seated in the balcony and seeing the film projected from the 35mm booth with the noticable keystone effects.
Although the long engagement of “Mary Poppins” was still doing great box office at the Palace the film had to be moved over to the Florida Theatre since the Palace had “The Sound of Music” set to open on April 7, 1965. The move made headlines in the ads stating to the effect of, “Mary is packing her bags and heading over to the Florida Theatre where the engagement of Mary Poppins will continue.” If I find the ad I’ll post it under the photos tab soon.
Palace in Tampa, circa 1962/1963. I saw “Seven Wonders of the World” & “How the West was Won” in 3-strip Cinerama. Over a year later, in June of 1964, I saw the ‘roadshow presentation’ of “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”, seemingly in 35mm Scope projected from the balcony booth—NOT the orchestra 3-strip booth. The Cinerama screen was cropped severely. The image had terrible keystone effects—deep arching of horizontal lines. I didn’t see the very next ‘faux’ Cinerama film “Circus World”, though management did sell the programs and charge roadshow prices for both ‘Cinerama’ films. “Mary Poppins” long 35mm engagement was next, projected from the same balcony booth, and I had to sit up there where the distortion was not as apparent. Disney’s run ended with the 70mm—not 35mm Scope as suggested—1965 presentation of “The Sound of Music”, projected from the orchestra’s 3-strip Cinerama booth with the three projector windows now finally removed & replaced with two larger ones to accommodate dual 70mm projection. The Todd-AO logo is not present in a 35mm scope print. edited out.
PREVIOUSLY OPERATED BY:
FLORIDA STATE THEATRES, INC.
Yep.Four hours…
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!
Thanks NIck, hope you made it to another movie,wasn’t “CLEOPATRA” a four hour movie.I have a one-sheet,original.
The long-awaited “CLEOPATRA” opens at the Palace on April 15, 1964. Two friends and I stood in a very long line waiting to buy tickets on a Friday evening. Just as we were approaching the box-office they sold out! And there were still about 200 people behind us:
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HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” reaches a milestone one full year of showings on April 6, 1966. Unprecedented in Tampa theatre history. The film would run for another 5 months. The one year anniversay celebration featured skylights, music by Mary Help of Christians School Band, free orchid corsages for the first 200 ladies, and free birthday cake:
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Dick: Your post on the Saturday morning shows of late 40s and early 50s sounds like great fun! I was around during the early 50s but unfortunately too young to be aware of movies and theatres. But I do remember the kiddie shows several theatres had every Saturday morning in the late 50s and early 60s. Fun times!
Your mention of these bring to mind the special appreciation shows the Palace Theatre occasionally had for kids who were school patrols. I think these shows were also on a Saturday morning. I was never a patrol but a friend of mine was and he invited me one Saturday. Made me feel sorta out-of-place since nearly everyone there was a patrol proudly displaying their badge except me. Following a special stage presentation they ran the feature film “Yellowstone Kelly” along with a cartoon or comedy. If kids today only knew what they missed!
Mike: Yes, once again I’m back. I don’t think I’ve been on CT since before Christmas. Time to catch up now so keep an eye out!
thanks Dick W. for the added info, most Towns of any size pretty much did this; in Augusta two TV stations did the same thing in the Sixties at the Imperial.Hope Nick spots it one day.
Around the late 1940s-early 1950s, every Saturday morning Tampa’s Palace Theatre had a live children’s show called “The Jack Dew Sealtest Review”, which featured a movie, cartoons, action serial, a live raffle, stage show, etc.
It was broadcast over radio station WDAE (or at least the live stage portion was). It was sponsored by Sealtest Dairies, a major milk and dairy producer of that time. The MC was Jack Dew, a local personality. Admission for children was only 25 cents! I recall I won a pair of roller skates one time on the stage portion.
Television arrived in Tampa in 1953, bringing with it a national TV circus show called the Sealtest Big Top. If the local Jack Dew Sealtest Review had not ceased by this time, no doubt the advent of television brought about its discontinuation.
Thanks for an interesting discussion!
Here’s an absolutely beautiful full shot of the Palace marquee and entrance dated 1947. Theatres do not get much better than this! I often dream about this theatre:
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Here’s an ad for the film that began my obsession with movies and theatres. Was my favorite sci-fi film up until “2001” came along 7 years later.
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“2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY” in 70mm Cinerama. A sight to behold on the big Cinerama screen.
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Mike, No problem…I’ll get a copy of “HOW THE WEST WAS WON” to you. You’ll never see ads like these in the newspapers again for any movie. Hate to say this but I seldom even bother looking at the theatre listings anymore. Hardly anything worth looking at.
Nick, do you think you could make me a copy of “HOW THE WEST WAS WON” i have a nephew who is slap crazy about John Wayne.I could frame it and make a great christmas gift.Last year i gave him a “WAR WARGON” lobby card framed and he said it was his best gift. Just wondering. Great ads I just keep looking over and over,You have a 2001 too i know.not in cinerama in know.
Great ads Nick,nice size too.
Here are the ads for the 3-strip Cinerama attractions:
“THIS IS CINERAMA"
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“SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD"
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“CINERAMA HOLIDAY"
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“THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM"
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“SEARCH FOR PARADISE"
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“SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE"
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“HOW THE WEST WAS WON"
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And here’s the opening day ad for “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” which was the biggest attraction to ever play at the Palace. At the time who could have foreseen it would run for one year and five months? The film was presented in 70mm for the first few weeks and in 35mm for the remainder of the run.
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Great but sad photos Nick,check out the PARAMONT theatre Nashville it has photos of it being torn down,me and one of my Loews buddies took 4 seats out of this theatre as it was being torn down,I do not know what happened to them though.
Photo of auditorium about 1948 following remodeling and name change from Victory to Palace:
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The Palace comes down in December 1979:
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Two close-up photos of wreckage at rear of building. Note last photo: balcony with seats above and Cinerama projection booth below:
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Erikijohnson: This is interesting. I’ll see what I can find for you during my next research session.
I’m searching for some information about a Vaudeville show that may have performed at the theatre in the late 1920’s somewhere between 1927-1929. The show was called “Jungleland” which was a traveling contortionist show. If anyone could help out, that would be great.
CORRECTION: The Palace did in fact run a 70mm print of “The Sound of Music” during the first few months of the initial roadshow engagement which opened on April 7, 1965. In my posting of the story above I referred to the opening of the film as “the 35mm roadshow presentation” which I based on the screen masking. This is incorrect.
During my first two or three viewings I distinctly recall the film being projected from the Cinerama booth on the main level. I was just informed by a former operator who had worked at the Palace several times that if the film was projected from this booth it would have been 70mm. The reason for the screen being masked may have been due to a restriction prohibiting non-Cinerama films from utilizing the full screen. Or the possibility that the Palace did not have the optically rectified 70mm lens needed to project the film on the deeply curved screen. Projection with a regular lens would cause the picture to “bow” upward on either side of the screen resulting in a distorted image.
Following the first few months of showings the 70mm print was exchanged for a 35mm print which was projected from the old upstairs booth for the remainder of the engagement. And from this point on the film’s soundtrack was no longer in stereo. Either the 70mm print was needed for an engagement at another theatre or it may have been monetary. Perhaps management no longer wanted to pay for the more expensive 70mm rental rate.
Mike, Yes, it’s sad nearly all the downtown theatres are long gone. I never fail to remember them when I walk or drive by the location where they once stood.
I found out I will need to use a scanner to post photos. My printer also has a built-in scanner but it’s currently not functioning. Hopefully I can get it going soon. In the meantime go ahead and send me your photos and I’ll get ‘em up as soon as I’m able to. No I’m not doing this at work; there’s no way I could do it and get away with it!
Nick.I am going to have to send you some pictures. you ain’t doing this at work are you?
Nick. it is so sad all those old theatre had to come down for all those glass towers. I am so glad i got to see the TAMPA THEATRE and thankgoodness you guys saved it.