When patrons arrive at Tampa Theatre on March 2 to watch the 86th annual Academy Awards, they’ll receive a red-carpet welcome.
Airing the Oscars on the theater’s big screen has been a tradition for 16 years, generating support for the historic movie palace. But creating a buzz for the movie-going public is nothing new for Tampa Theatre, which has entertained crowds for generations.
There was live radio coverage and spotlights, as people arrived in their elegant attire when Tampa Theatre had its grand opening on Oct. 15, 1926, according to an account published in The Tampa Tribune. Moviegoers couldn’t wait to see the handiwork of John Eberson, a preeminent theater architect in his day.
Eberson was an innovative pioneer who developed a reputation for creating “atmospheric” theaters, which aimed to transport people to another place and time, said Jill Witecki, director of marketing and community relations for Tampa Theatre.
The lobby in the theater, at 711 N. Franklin St., in downtown Tampa, is decorated with what appears to be stone gargoyles, wooden beams and tile.
In reality, those items are made of molded and painted plaster, Witecki said, adding that it probably didn’t hurt that Eberson happened to own a plaster company.
The theater’s auditorium is decked out with a replica of a Spanish villa, and the domed ceiling resembles a night sky, complete with clouds and twinkling stars.
Eberson characterized Tampa Theatre as his “favorite Mediterranean atmospheric (theater), and one of his most intimate,” according to author David Naylor, in his book, “American Picture Palaces.”
When Tampa Theatre opened, it was considered to be so grand that it was hailed by The Tampa Daily Times as perhaps “the finest achievement of its kind south of the Mason-Dixon Line.”
Beyond its beauty, the theater had a practical appeal. It was the city’s first air-conditioned public building — an attractive quality on sweltering summer days. It also had uniformed ushers and a 21-piece band to accompany silent films of the era.
A deck now covers the orchestra pit, but the theater’s mighty Wurlitzer plays on.
When movie patrons arrive early enough, they can generally hear an organist perform some tunes before both he and the organ descend below the stage, just in time for the previews to start.
Over the course of its history, the theater has had its glory days and its dark times.
In the beginning, Witecki said, the sheer novelty lured crowds.
“The fact that you were seeing a moving picture on the screen really kind of trumped what the movie was,” she said. “These movies would play over and over and over again through the day, and it was not uncommon to come in, in the middle of a movie, sit through the end of it and sit through the beginning of it — maybe watch it two or three times, if you wanted.
“In 1929, you got your first talkie, so the movie-going experience started to change. All of a sudden, you didn’t have a need for a 21-piece orchestra,” Witecki added.
Before the arrival of television and more recent forms of entertainment, people were in love with the silver screen. By the end of the 1930s, more than 90 million Americans were heading to motion picture houses each week, Witecki said.
“Going to the movies was the communal experience for entertainment,” she said.
But then, a series of things happened that hurt the film industry.
The advent of television and the flight to the suburbs caused downtown movie theaters to suffer. The Tampa Theatre limped along in the 1950s and 1960s, but then it went dark in the early1970s, Witecki said.
It came back to life when Tampa City Councilman Lee Duncan championed efforts to save the theater. Duncan — who took his wife Anna to Tampa Theatre for Friday night dates during their courtship — told The Tampa Tribune at the time that he wanted not only to save a jewel of a movie palace, but to preserve a part of the city’s collective memory, too.
The theater reopened in January 1977.
Tampa Theatre was lucky because, unlike many movie palaces, it never went through a period of neglect, Witecki said.
“We were only closed for a three-year span. Cities all over the country lost theaters like this,” she said.
Tampa Theatre recently installed a digital projection and audio system, and offers its patrons a mix of movies, including first-run, independent, foreign and silent films.
Over the years, the theater also has been a venue for performers such as Annie Lennox, Ray Charles, B.B. King, Joan Baez and Harry Connick Jr. Comedians who have entertained crowds include Louis C.K., Jimmy Fallon, Roseanne Barr, Carrot Top and Sandra Bernhard.
Nobel Prize-winner Elie Weisel and scientist Jane Goodall also have graced the stage, as have a number of politicians and authors.
Theater staffers and patrons have claimed to be spooked by another famous character — the ghost of a former projectionist, Foster “Fink” Finley, who worked at the theater from 1930 to 1965. Reportedly, he still likes to make his presence known.
Whether or not Finley roams the theater, the movie palace has other verifiable claims to fame.
In 2007, Life magazine called it “One of America’s 21 Wonders,” and three years later, Delta Sky Magazine included it on its list of “Top 10 Iconic Show Palaces in the World.”
Just last year, it added two other impressive accolades. The BBC deemed it among the “Top 10 Most Beautiful Cinemas in the World” and the Motion Picture Association of America named it among the “10 Best Movie Theaters in the World.”
Published Feb. 26, 2014.
