The Tampa Theatre located on Tampa Street in the heart of Downtown Tampa is a treasured gem that has persevered since the 1920s. Stepping through the doors of the Tampa Theatre is like drifting back time through a living history. The symbolic marquee signs represents an era of Hollywood glam gone by and gargoyles usher you to your seats in this larger than life theater.
If you have never visited the Tampa Theatre, put this iconic destination on your Tampa Bay bucket list. Whether you take the tour before a show or stop in for popcorn and a movie, it is an experience like none other.
In fact, this summer is the perfect opportunity to slip into the Tampa Theatre and escape the heat as part of the Tampa Theatre’s Summer Classics Series, For more than 25 years, the community has flocked to Tampa Theatre on hot Sunday afternoons to enjoy Summer Classics as they were meant to be seen: on the big screen, surrounded by friends, with a bag of fresh popcorn and a cold drink in hand.
This year, the Summer Classics lineup celebrates eight decades of extraordinary filmmaking: The oldest movie, METROPOLIS, turns 90 this year and takes Tampa Theatre back to its roots of presenting silent films with live musical accompaniment on the movie palace’s original Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Organ. The newest film, RESERVOIR DOGS, is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its release and has become a “modern classic” for director Quentin Tarantino. This year also marks the return of the “Fans Pick the Classic” poll, and we will be donning our bobby socks and saddle shoes for the sing-along version of GREASE on August 20.
Audiences are also invited stick around after select shows for hour-long Film Talks with some of the community’s most knowledgeable film experts, including retired USF film professor Harriet Deer, former Tampa Tribune film critic Bob Ross, and Tampa Bay Times film critic Steve Persall, who will examine the films’ themes, structure and cultural significance, and answer questions from the audience. (Film Talks are included with movie admission.)
Tampa Theatre’s Summer Classic Series Line-Up
(Doors open at 2:00 pm. Film begins promptly at 3:00 pm.)
Sing-Along BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991)
3:00pm Saturday and Sunday, June 3-4 TWO SHOWS!
***Before the Sunday screening of Beauty and the Beast, Summer Classics presenting sponsor Bank of America is giving away FREE 4×6″ commemorative photos in the lobby, starting at 2:00pm. Just pose against the green screen with the provided props and watch as you’re magically inserted into a scene from the movie!***
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952)
3:00pm Sunday, June 11
RAISING ARIZONA (1987)
3:00pm Sunday, June 18
THE GRADUATE (1967)
3:00pm Sunday, June 25
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
3:00pm Sunday, July 2
THE STING (1973)
3:00pm Sunday, July 9
SABOTEUR (1942)
3:00pm Sunday, July 16
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974)
3:00pm Sunday, July 23
IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD (1963)
3:00pm Sunday, July 30
RESERVOIR DOGS (1992)
3:00pm Sunday, August 6
THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
3:00pm Saturday and Sunday, August 12-13 TWO SHOWS!
Sing-Along GREASE (1978)
3:00pm Sunday, August 20
CASABLANCA (1942)
3:00pm Saturday and Sunday, August 26-27 TWO SHOWS!
METROPOLIS (1927)
3:00pm Sunday, September 3
Tickets for the Tampa Theatre Summer Classics Series are $10 for adults and $7 for Tampa Theatre Members.
Purchase tickets at the historic Franklin Street Box Office or online at www.TampaTheatre.org ($2 convenience fee applies). Discover revisit the classics this summer at the Tampa Theatre located at 711 N Franklin Street, Tampa, FL 33602.
FLASH GIVEAWAY!
Enter to win tickets to THIS SUNDAY’S showing of Sing-Along Beauty and The Beast!
To enter, tell us in the comments below which classic film playing at the Tampa Theatre would you love to see this summer?
(Giveaway ends Friday, June 2 at 12 :00 pm.)