Tampa Theatre screens holiday classics starting Nov. 27

They’re movies that almost everyone has seen, and most people have seen many times.

Still, every year, thousands make the trip to downtown Tampa and pay money to see such classic holiday films as “White Christmas,” “Miracle on 34th Street” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” at Tampa Theatre, the historic movie house in the heart of downtown Tampa. Often, those same films are on TV, for free, that very same day. But people love to see them on the big screen

“This is the way these movies were meant to be seen,” said Jill Witecki, the director of marketing for Tampa Theatre. “In an old theater, surrounded by 1,000 people from the community.”

Through the year, Tampa Theatre, which just celebrated its 90th birthday, shows a lot of first-run films, often ones that you can’t see in multiplexes.

But a few times each year, it hosts a “classics” series that features familiar movies from the days of yore.

One of the most popular of the classics series is Holiday Classics, which kicks off Nov. 27 with a screening of “Miracle on 34th Street.”

The other films in the series this year are “Holiday Inn,” (Dec. 4), “White Christmas” (Dec. 11), “It’s a Wonderful Life” (Dec. 16-22) and “Love, Actually” (Dec. 23).

Tampa Theatre seats about 1,400, and most of the films draw maybe 400 to 500 people. “It’s a Wonderful Life” can draw up to 1,000. The theater has increased the number of showings of that Frank Capra classic over the years, and this year eight screenings are scheduled.

Most of those films are part of the series every year, and a lot of the same people attend year after year. In fact, Witecki said, Tampa Theatre officials have learned not to stray from the series’ formula.

“Our CEO tells the story that one year, before I came here, they decided to mix up the Holiday Classic series a bit and show some different films,” Witecki said. “The phone calls he got were just horrible. People were saying ‘You’ve ruined Christmas for me.’ ”

Historic theater

The movies are just part of the appeal of the series. The venue itself is special, and has a nostalgic feel that’s perfect for classic films.

Tampa Theatre was designed by John Eberson, the foremost architect of movie palaces of his era. He designed the interior of Tampa Theatre to make visitors feel as though they were in a courtyard in southern Europe during the Renaissance. Ornate statues and stone details surround the audience, and archways with carved pillars line the sides of the seating areas.

The audience can watch the films from the ground floor, or from upstairs in the balcony. The floors in the lobby are richly colored tiles. Overhead, the ceiling is invisible — you look up into blackness punctuated by twinkling stars.

In the first half of the 20th century, Eberson designed movie palaces all over the country. He told interviewers that Tampa Theatre was his favorite. In 2014, CNN named the theater No. 9 on its list of the world’s most spectacular theaters.

One of its best-known features is the Mighty Wurlitzer, the original organ from the theater. For about 15 minutes before movies, audiences are treated to organ concerts. At the end of the concert, the organ descends into the area beneath the stage.

For the Holiday Classics series, before every show the audience is invited sing along as the Mighty Wurlitzer plays familiar Christmas carols. Lyrics will be projected on the big screen.

Santa will be on hand before the screening of “Miracle on 34th Street,” and a professional photographer will be there to take pictures of kids with Santa. Everyone can take home a photo for free. Just before the movie starts, Santa will be on stage to tell a story or two.

There’s more to the holidays at Tampa Theatre than the Holiday Classics series. The theater hosts another series all year long called “Rewind” that features late night screenings of favorite movies of Tampa Theater staff members. In December, Rewind features two movies with a Christmas connection: “Gremlins” (Dec. 2) and “Die Hard” (Dec. 16).

And on Dec. 14, the theater will host a free screening of “Elf.” If you’re interested, it’s a good idea to go to TampaTheatre.org/events/Elf, and click on the “Buy Tickets” link to print a ticket for guaranteed entry.

So there’s a lot of cinematic nostalgia at Tampa Theatre in the coming weeks, including the theater’s first-ever New Year’s Eve Party, with a screening of “Animal House.”

The Holiday Classics series, along with Summer Classics and the Halloween Classics series, are so popular that a lot of people think of Tampa Theatre as a place that screens only movies from years gone by. But the theater actually screens more brand-new movies than old ones.

“We have a reputation as the old theater that shows old movies,” Witecki said. “But we do so much more than that.”

Details: Nov. 27-Dec. 23, Tampa Theatre, 711 N Franklin St, Tampa. Various times. $10. 813-274-8981, tampatheatre.org.

This story was originally published November 18, 2016 at 5:18 PM with the headline "Tampa Theatre screens holiday classics starting Nov. 27."