By Kathy Collins
Who doesn’t love seeing an old classic movie on the big screen? During the month of August, visit Tampa’s historic movie theatre, Tampa Theatre, and treat yourself to an afternoon of fun. All shows will begin at 3 p.m.
First up on Sunday, August 2 is the 1939 film Gone With The Wind. This epic romance, set against the backdrop of the Civil War and Reconstruction, tells the tale of one woman’s (Scarlett O’Hara) fall from luxury to poverty and her journey from innocence to an understanding of life’s harsh realities.
On Sunday, August 9 come see West Side Story, the modern Romeo and Juliet tale set in New York’s Upper West Side in the 1950s where the area’s slums are plagued by racial tensions between two rival gangs- the Puerto Rican Sharks and the caucasian Jets. A landmark score by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim help round out one of the most popular musicals of all time.
Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas will be shown on Sunday, August 16. This is a violent story of an aspiring criminal who ends up in the witness protection program after testifying against his former partners in crime.
The Tampa Theatre will present Casablanca on both Saturday, August 22 at 7 p.m. and on Sunday, August 23. The film is set during World War II and focuses on an American expatriate who must choose between his love for a woman and helping her Czech Resistance husband escape the Vichy controlled Moroccan city of Casablanca to continue his fight against the Nazis.
Finally, don’t miss the 1925 silent film, Phantom of the Opera, on Sunday, August 30. The film will be accompanied live by renowned theatrical organist, Dr. Steven Ball, on Tampa Theatre’s original 1926 Might Wurlitzer Theatre Organ.
Jill Witecki of the Tampa Theatre said, “One of our favorite Tampa Theatre traditions is to ‘return to our roots’ and show a silent movie with live musical accompaniment on our orginal Might Wurlizter Theatre Organ. Where else can you see that? It’s like stepping back in time to when the movie palace opened in 1926.”
Tickets for the Summer Classics Movie Series are just $10 for adults and $8 for Tampa Theatre Members. Tickets are available at the Tampa Theatre Box Office or online at www.tampatheatre.org. A $2 convenience fee is applied.
The Tampa Theatre is located at 711 N. Franklin St. in downtown Tampa.
