Tampa Theatre
711 Franklin Street,
Tampa,
FL
33672
711 Franklin Street,
Tampa,
FL
33672
45 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 170 comments
Via my friend Ross who portrayed Santa.
“3 years ago, during restoration construction at the Tampa Theatre, we made this short (with an in-side joke build into the script, to promote Christmas-in-the Park Movies from the historic Tampa Theatre. We never dreamed the house would be darkened by a pandemic.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW19lSbjZug&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR1Q6Erb1RI3cQYxeL4oBTJsH1bGr2Eq2QJ-2iwEhow1Du45yK4K4X-ZANw
The grand opening ad ran over 20 pages with half of the space promoting the office space.
Pictures:
Found on Newspapers.com
Grand opening ad:
Found on Newspapers.com
Upcoming “JFK In Tampa” showing and event at the Tampa Theatre.
http://tampatheatre.org/movies/jfk-in-tampa/
1958 photo added courtesy of Jeff Davies.
$6 million restoration project announced; new seating will be a highlight. Tampa Bay Times story here.
The films scheduled for Tampa Theatre’s 4th annual Halloween series, A Nightmare on Franklin Street:
Oct. 21: A Nightmare on Elm Street (7:30 p.m.); Friday the 13th (10 p.m.)
Oct. 22: The Innocents (2 p.m.); Beetlejuice (4:45 p.m.); The Conjuring (7:30 p.m.)
Oct. 23: Hocus Pocus (2 p.m.); Psycho (4:30 p.m.); Scream (7 p.m.); Halloween (10 p.m.).
Oct. 24: The Witch (7:30 p.m.); It Follows (10 p.m.)
Oct. 25: Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (7:30 p.m.); Poltergeist (10 p.m.)
Oct. 26: The Omen (10 p.m.)
Oct. 28: Shock Treatment (7:30 p.m.); The Rocky Horror Picture Show (10 p.m.)
Oct. 29: Ghostbusters (3 p.m.); The Haunting (6 p.m.)
Oct. 31: Hotel Transylvania (10 a.m.); I Drink Your Blood (7:30 p.m.)
Oct. 30: The Nightmare Before Christmas (2:30 p.m.); Carrie (5 p.m.); Misery (7:30 p.m.); Creepshow (10 p.m.)
Patsy: Thanks, I enjoy doing them. I rewrote it slightly and reposted, then deleted the original which is why your comment now appears above mine.
On June 14th, 2015 I toured the Tampa Theater. I mentioned to the tour guide that parts of the interior, like the second floor lobby, looked something like the Olympia in downtown Miami.
After the tour, before the film began (“Key Largo”, as part of their Summer Classic Film Series), she found me in my seat to tell me she had just discovered the two theaters have the same architect, then left saying “Now I have to visit Miami”. : )
I enjoyed the history of the theater, the live organ performance (it rises from beneath the stage, descends as the music finishes), and getting to see an old film in a venue that was around during the film’s original release.
The Tampa Theater, its history and preservation, are also discussed in part of the book “The Southern Movie Palace: Rise, Fall, and Resurrection ” by Janna Jones..
David: A great post! Thanks!
Disappointed that there isn’t a silent film in the lot.
Here’s the lineup for 2016’s Summer Classics Series:
Fargo (6/5)
The African Queen (6/12)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (6/19)
Forbidden Planet (6/26)
Pretty in Pink (7/3)
Notorious (7/10)
The French Connection (7/17)
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (7/24)
Swing Time (7/31)
All the President’s Men (8/7)
M (8/14)
A Raisin in the Sun (8/21)
The Maltese Falcon (8/28)
The Wizard of Oz (9/4)
Gone with the Wind (9/11)
Casablanca (9/18)
Screenings are on Sunday Afternoons at 3:00, and are preceded by a mini-concert on the Mighty Wurlitzer. Admission is $10, or $8 for Tampa Theatre members.
I loved the Sunday classics when I lived there.
This years Summer Classic Film Series was just announced. Showings are Sunday afternoon at 3:00 with extra showing of Casablanca on Saturday at 7:30.
The Wizard of Oz (June 7th)
Key Largo (June 14th)
Caddyshack (June 21st)
Vertigo (June 28th)
Back to the Future (July 5th)
Top Hat (July 12th)
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (July 19th)
The Sound of Music Sing-Along (July 26th)
Gone With the Wind (August 2nd)
West Side Story (August 9th)
Goodfellas (August 16th)
Casablanca (August 22nd & 23rd)
Phantom of the Opera 1925 (August 30th)
Wow that is great. Long live the Tampa theater. Thanks Nick.
A new professional theatre screen with adjustable top and side masking was installed around 4 years ago. I don’t believe this screen was replaced for the digital conversion last year since it was still relatively new. The digital conversion includes a Christie CP-2220 Digital Cinema System and 5.1 Surround Sound with new laser driven speakers behind the screen. The image and audio are now greatly enhanced.
That is wonderful. I miss that theater so much. So glad it’s alive and doing well. When I lived there from 83-96 the screen actually rolled up like a shade. They had no side masking. The curtains were used in place of the masking for films that were flat. With that said did they get a new screen and masking since I left 18 years ago?
Mike, They don’t use any slides at all. The curtains are closed before each showing begins. 30 minutes prior to the showing the Wurlitzer organ rises up on stage and the organist treats the audience to several tunes. At showtime the organ recedes down into the stage (usually to thunderous audience applause) and the lights are dimmed. When the image hits the screen the curtains begin opening. At the end of the showing they are closed again.
The proper screen masking is also used for each showing. For Scope presentations, following the previews, the top masking drops down slightly and the side maskings open fully once the “Feature Presentation” title card appears onscreen. For last Sunday’s showing of “Wizard of Oz” (filmed in the old 1.33 ratio) the side maskings closed a few extra feet inward to the edges of the image once the film began.
True showmanship is alive and well at the Tampa Theatre! And I’m happy to say the Sunday afternoon showings are near sell-outs every week so arriving early for a good seat is a must.
Nick do they still use the curtains or have they gone like most with the slides?
Mike, They went digital in April 2013 although they’re retaining the 35mm projectors. I’m guessing all the above films will be digital with possible exception of The Black Pirate which is silent. Below is a comment posted last year by Tampa Theatre on the installation of digital equipment:
Tampa Theatre
Just to be clear – we’re not switching… we’re ADDING! The 35mm projectors aren’t going anywhere, and they’ll still be used for certain archival films.
19 April 4, 2013
N ick have they gone digital?
Tampa Theatre has just announced the line-up for this years Summer Classics Film Series. Showings are Sundays at 3:00 with an additional showing of Mary Poppins and Casablanca on Saturdays at 3:00.
2001: A Space Odyssey (June 1) To Kill A Mockingbird (June 8) Saturday Night Fever (June 15) Sing-Along Mary Poppins (June 21-22) Raiders of the Lost Ark (June 29) North By Northwest (July 6) The Gay Divorcee (July 13) Lawrence of Arabia (July 20) Blazing Saddles (July 27) Dirty Dancing (August 3) Citizen Kane (August 10) Casablanca (August 16-17) The Black Pirate (August 24)
THANKS NICK…….
Tinseltoes, I knew about the film being shot in the Tampa area but just realized I didn’t mention it in my post. I had also forgotten that during this period the Tampa Theatre was in the midst of it’s downward spiral and had already been playing 2nd run double features as well as blaxploitation films. So in hindsight I guess it’s not surprising at all that the film had it’s premiere at the Tampa Theatre.