Tower Drive-In
E. Bird Street at N. Florida Avenue,
Tampa,
FL
33604
E. Bird Street at N. Florida Avenue,
Tampa,
FL
33604
3 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 69 comments
When did it close?
I worked there in the mid seventies. Helped Mike in the projection booth and worked the concession stand. Hazel Byrd worked there along with Lois.
Boxoffice, April 4, 1960: “A unit of Floyd Theatres, the Tower Drive-In at Tampa, was forced to close temporarily when flood waters filled the outdoorer’s grounds”
I used to work there. I remember the robbery.
Demolished in 1985.
This opened on October 22nd, 1952. Grand opening ad with aerial in the photo section and below
Found on Newspapers.com
I hated this drive in like all Floyd theaters. They wanted the screen full all the time so any movie in scope would be off to the sides of the screen in the bushes.
My Grandmother (Lois McLeod) ran the Tower Drive Inn in the 70’s. I worked the concession and climb up on the marquee to add movie titles. She has since passed. She was a strong and hard working woman. Even after getting robbed and hit in the head one night at the ticket booth.
Thanks, tampapix. I moved from Sulphur Springs to near downtown Tampa in 1964, so the 1966 opening explains why I didn’t remember it.
Sorry, meant to include that the Shakey’s radio ad is from 1966, when it just opened.
Shakey’s Pizza Parlor was on the west side of Fla. Ave. at Bird St. Hear this radio ad I posted a while back. I think you’ll need to be a Facebook member to hear it, since I posted it at Tampa Natives facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=405216566157221&set=o.144613012277765&type=3&permPage=1
I don’t recall a Shakey’s Pizza there, but my experience is limited to the 1960s. What time period are you talking about?
the shakes pizzaria use to be across the street eat there and hurry over to catch the attack of the killer tomatoes and the return of the killer tomatoes with very young george cloony! Thomas Rogers
Thanks, Dan, for enhancing the Tower signage photo. I did, indeed, come across a poor-quality version of the photo at another site. This is great. Too bad there isn’t a shot of the concession stand, or of all the cars in the theater. I guess we should feel lucky to have the signage.
redjayd if any one knows about TAMPA theatres it is Nick.He did a book on THE Ritz that would drive you crazy if you like old theatres during the 60’s.
I left the Tower at the end of 1963, USF diploma in hand. Ernie Plitz was still manager. Regrettably, I lost touch with the Tower gang after I started my career, so I can’t tell you when she came along.
Did any one know Lois McLeod? Not sure when she became manager of the Tower Drive Inn but I use to help her with concessions in the mid 70’s. Before that she managed the Skyway Drive Inn.
Hello Juan, this is Dan Perez of Tampapix. Nick is correct, the photo came from Johnny Cinchett’s book. I think it also may be online somewhere, but not at this quality. I also did a little enhancing with the brightness and contrast to bring out the shadows. The only others I have are aerials.
Tampapix (Dan P.) is a friend of the son of John Chinchett. John was the owner of Chinchett Neon Signs, the company that created the signage for the Tower as well as many other businesses in the Tampa area years ago. The Tower photo came from the photo book titled “Vintage Tampa Signs & Scenes” which was published last year I believe. The book is loaded with many photos of signs created by Mr. Chinchett. I can’t say for certain but this may be the only photo of the Tower sign that appears in the book. Hopefully Tampapix will see this and comment
Thanks, Tampapix for the Tower photos. Do you have any more?
That’s a great picture of the marquee of the Tower. It brings back memories of when I would change the letters late at night (in the early 1960s), after the last showing of the current picture had started and the box office had closed. Where did it come from?
I am impressed with your knowledge of theater ownerships, Nick. I had no idea when I worked at the Tower who owned it. And yes, I was very fortunate to have Mr. Plitz as a manager. I wish I could talk to him today and thank him, but he passed away many years ago.
Juan, The manager at the Tower really knew how to throw a Christmas party! We never had anything like that at the Dale Mabry. I’ve been thinking why the difference from one drive-in to the other (Christmas bonus, free passes for employees) if both theatres were owned by the same company. But I had forgotten that the Tower and Dale Mabry were under different ownerships in 1960. So that would explain the difference as far as management style. By the mid-1960’s all drive-ins in Tampa (as well as the Ritz Theatre in Ybor City) were under the ownership of Tampa Bay Theatres, Inc. The one exception was the Hillsboro Drive-In which was owned by Florida State Theatres. Tampa Bay Theatres later sold all their drive-ins in Tampa to Floyd Theatres out of Lakeland.
You were lucky to have a manager like Mr. Plitz. He obviously cared enough about your studies and saw to it that you were not left in the cold without a job. That’s not something you see very often today.
Nick, don’t sell your stories short. I liked the one about the friends pulling away without removing the speaker. I bet your friends had had a few drinks.
We didn’t get any Christmas bonus, but the manager did throw a great Christmas party with booze and lots of food. It’s where I met my future wife. She had come along with a neighbor friend of hers who worked at the concession stand. The manager was pretty good about letting employees bring friends and relatives along in the employee’s car, but I don’t think we ever received any passes to hand out.
The manager, Ernie Plitz, was a retired Navy officer who had a gruff exterior but a heart of gold. He knew I was going to college on a shoestring budget, and when the theatre closed for the winter he offered me the same number of hours. But it was sort of a handyman’s job. I remember repairing and re-painting the marquee letters and doing other odd jobs around the place. He helped me stay in school, and I am forever grateful.