Reel Time

Pass the popcorn-it's time to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Tampa Theatre, a downtown Tampa landmark that opened on Oct. 15, 1926, with the Adolphe Menjou silent romance, The Ace of Cads.

In the eight decades since, the theater has entertained generations of Tampa Bay-area residents with films, live concerts, theatrical performances for school children and special events like an annual wine tasting (this year's is cheekily entitled The Grape Gatsby).

Built by the Maas brothers of the famed department store chain and designed by architect John Eberson in over-the-top grand movie-palace style, the Tampa Theatre is described as Florida Mediterranean with touches of Italian Renaissance, Byzantine, Spanish, Mediterranean, Greek Revival, Baroque and English Tudor. Its flamboyant plaster ornamentation and brilliant blue ceiling, complete with twinkling "stars," give the illusion that you're outdoors in a romantic courtyard.

Tampa was in excellent company; Eberson also designed some 300 other grand movie palaces, including the Guzman in Miami, the Grand Rex in Paris and the State Theater in Sydney. About 100 remain, and most of the American ones, like Tampa's, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Old-timers have a special place in their hearts for the 1,446-seat theater, and many of their recollections are captured online in the Tampa Theatre Stories project (www.tampatheatre.org).

"I think people feel a special stewardship because of the memories they've experience here, coming to movies with their friends, having a first date at a concert," says longtime employee Tara Schroeder. "For one of our staff members, her introduction to the theater was coming here on a field trip as a child."

The theater's popular Summer Classic Movie Series features silent, independent and classic films on Sunday afternoons. (This year's included special sing-along presentation of Mary Poppins.) A volunteer musician plays the mighty Wurlitzer organ for 20 minutes before every screening, just like in the era before talkies, and everybody cheers.

And, of course, like any respectable historic theater, the Tampa Theatre has its own ghost-Fink Findley, a projectionist there for 25 years. Shortly after Findley passed away, in the early 1960s, claims Schroeder, strange things started happening. Toggle switches turned off and on, and doors opened by themselves. Many staffers say they've heard keys jingle in the theater late at night-a phenomenon they call "getting Finked."

You can explore the history and grandeur of the Tampa Theatre during a 90-minute Balcony-to-Backstage tour. A demonstration of the mighty Wurlitzer organ is included. Visit www.tampatheatre.org for tour dates.

Ilene Denton is managing editor of Tampa Bay Homebuyer.