From the Tampa History Facebook Group - The State Theatre, which was located at 1008 North Franklin Street and owned by Butler E. Gore, opened on December 26, 1940 with the movie Knute Rockne All-American. The State was a first-run movie house until the early 1950s, when attendance faltered because of the skid row reputation of North Franklin street. In 1956, the theatre featured adult movies and live burlesque shows. In April of 1956, W.T. Freytag Jr., the manager, was tried and convicted of displaying obscene and indecent nude pictures as advertisement for the film, Elysia, that was filmed in a nudist camp. The State Theatre closed and in March of 1957, Mae Fabrics held their grand opening, therefore continuing the history of the building.
I took the liberty to “clean up” one of the photos of the Garden Theatre front and you can clearly see that they were showing “Drums Along the Mohawk,” with Claudette Colbert and Henry Fonda (1939) and “Main Street Lawyer” (1939). Since the Garden did not show first run movies, I would imagine that this picture was probably taken in 1940. It looks like they put up a façade of old rough-hewn lumber. You can almost peer inside through the door to what may have been the snack bar.
I took the liberty to “clean up” one of the photos of the Garden Theatre front and you can clearly see that they were showing “Drums Along the Mohawk,” with Claudette Colbert and Henry Fonda (1939) and “Main Street Lawyer” (1939). Since the Garden did not show first run movies, I would imagine that this picture was probably taken in 1940. It looks like they put up a façade of old rough-hewn lumber. You can almost peer inside through the door to what may have been the snack bar.
From the Tampa History Facebook Group - The State Theatre, which was located at 1008 North Franklin Street and owned by Butler E. Gore, opened on December 26, 1940 with the movie Knute Rockne All-American. The State was a first-run movie house until the early 1950s, when attendance faltered because of the skid row reputation of North Franklin street. In 1956, the theatre featured adult movies and live burlesque shows. In April of 1956, W.T. Freytag Jr., the manager, was tried and convicted of displaying obscene and indecent nude pictures as advertisement for the film, Elysia, that was filmed in a nudist camp. The State Theatre closed and in March of 1957, Mae Fabrics held their grand opening, therefore continuing the history of the building.
I took the liberty to “clean up” one of the photos of the Garden Theatre front and you can clearly see that they were showing “Drums Along the Mohawk,” with Claudette Colbert and Henry Fonda (1939) and “Main Street Lawyer” (1939). Since the Garden did not show first run movies, I would imagine that this picture was probably taken in 1940. It looks like they put up a façade of old rough-hewn lumber. You can almost peer inside through the door to what may have been the snack bar.
I took the liberty to “clean up” one of the photos of the Garden Theatre front and you can clearly see that they were showing “Drums Along the Mohawk,” with Claudette Colbert and Henry Fonda (1939) and “Main Street Lawyer” (1939). Since the Garden did not show first run movies, I would imagine that this picture was probably taken in 1940. It looks like they put up a façade of old rough-hewn lumber. You can almost peer inside through the door to what may have been the snack bar.