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.
I’ve updated the street view for the original Todd Theatre which was demolished years ago. The land is currently a parking lot for Family Dollar Stores (formerly Luby’s Cafeteria.)
The current google address for the Todd is incorrect as it maps to the building known as the Todd Adult Video located about a mile north of the original Todd Theatre. The header should be changed to 11660 North Florida Avenue.
The current building utilizes the “Todd” name but was never a true movie theatre. It was originally an adult bookstore with a video projection room added when the Todd’s owners moved here after the original Todd was demolished.
To see a very nice photo of the original Todd from American Classic Photos, check out the link provided by kencmcintyre.
Just updated the street view to show the actual theatre building rather than a view of the front of the mall.
The entire building was constructed on support beams. Note the enclosed escalator towards the right side which takes moviegoers down into the original Cinemas III & IV which were completely rennovated. These two theatres were Tampa’s home of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW for 11+ years beginning in 1978.
You got it right Chuck. The only way of bringing University 16 back to life is to lower the admission which would surely bring the crowds in again although not to the point that it becomes a dollar house. That almost always spells the end.
But with reduced admission (a bargain for the nearby college crowd)comes the riff-raff and in this area it’s right behind the theatre. It’ll be tough going to get this theatre back in operation again.
As always, great job Michael! And now that Patrick has fixed the formatting it looks much better and so much easier to read.
Raiders opened at the Varsity 6 and Hillsboro 3 in Tampa (35mm Dolby in both venues.) I saw the film at both theatres and what a fantastic ride it was!
The site looks very nice. Just trying to become familiar with the new navigation. Question: are members allowed to update or change personal information? If so, what tab is this under? The name that appears with my comments is not the same name that appeared on the old site. I’d like to change it back if I could. Thanks!
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.
I’ve updated the street view for the original Todd Theatre which was demolished years ago. The land is currently a parking lot for Family Dollar Stores (formerly Luby’s Cafeteria.)
The current google address for the Todd is incorrect as it maps to the building known as the Todd Adult Video located about a mile north of the original Todd Theatre. The header should be changed to 11660 North Florida Avenue.
The current building utilizes the “Todd” name but was never a true movie theatre. It was originally an adult bookstore with a video projection room added when the Todd’s owners moved here after the original Todd was demolished.
To see a very nice photo of the original Todd from American Classic Photos, check out the link provided by kencmcintyre.
Just updated the street view to show the actual theatre building rather than a view of the front of the mall.
The entire building was constructed on support beams. Note the enclosed escalator towards the right side which takes moviegoers down into the original Cinemas III & IV which were completely rennovated. These two theatres were Tampa’s home of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW for 11+ years beginning in 1978.
You got it right Chuck. The only way of bringing University 16 back to life is to lower the admission which would surely bring the crowds in again although not to the point that it becomes a dollar house. That almost always spells the end.
But with reduced admission (a bargain for the nearby college crowd)comes the riff-raff and in this area it’s right behind the theatre. It’ll be tough going to get this theatre back in operation again.
As always, great job Michael! And now that Patrick has fixed the formatting it looks much better and so much easier to read.
Raiders opened at the Varsity 6 and Hillsboro 3 in Tampa (35mm Dolby in both venues.) I saw the film at both theatres and what a fantastic ride it was!
The site looks very nice. Just trying to become familiar with the new navigation. Question: are members allowed to update or change personal information? If so, what tab is this under? The name that appears with my comments is not the same name that appeared on the old site. I’d like to change it back if I could. Thanks!