TAMPA THEATRE TO HOST SPECIAL SHOWING
OF ‘WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY’
Historic Movie Palace To Host FREE Community Movie Screening
at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, September 10
Central Florida families, mark your calendar for this FREE screening of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at the Tampa Theatre! Please see the press release below.***
We were heartbroken to learn of the passing of Gene Wilder yesterday. A true film legend, he elevates every scene and every movie he’s in, and the world is a little less cheerful without him in it. To celebrate his life and one of his most memorable roles, Tampa Theatre invites our friends and fans to join us for a free Community Movie screening of his 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10.
At its heart, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory presents a be-careful-what-you-wish-for version of a fantasy many kids must have daydreamed about: what if you could tour a candy factory and eat everything inside? And Roald Dahl, author of the story on which the film is based, made a career out of putting kids in precarious situations and having no pity when they wouldn’t save themselves.
Willy Wonka is the reclusive President (and Vice President, and chairman, et cetera et cetera) of the world’s most incredible candy company, and he’s ready to retire and find his heir. To gain entry into his magical factory and have a chance at winning it all, you have to find a Golden Ticket. Those five precious tickets find their way into the hands of a bunch of the worst kids imaginable, plus one nice one. But while the audience takes joy in seeing the greedy Augustus Gloop, the spoiled Veruca Salt, and the bratty Violet Beauregarde get what’s coming to them, dread never quite overtakes the film. Things never quite seem doomed for sweet Charlie Bucket. Even at his most frightful, even at his cruelest, there’s a humor and a light in Gene Wilder’s performance as the titular candy magnate that ends up being what most viewers remember on the way home. Willy Wonka is a dark movie in its own candy-colored way, intended to teach some stern (if funny) lessons about bad behavior. But who can stay mad at Gene Wilder? Who, when he yells at you to leave his office, isn’t already anticipating his gentle call back in? And who doesn’t want more than anything to pass his test?
Doors will open at 1:00 p.m. for the 2:00 p.m. screening. No tickets are required, but patrons are encouraged to arrive early as seating is limited.
Built in 1926, Tampa Theatre hosts more than 600 events each year, including first-run films, classic movies, concerts, corporate events, educational programs, weddings and tours. It is a passionately protected landmark and one of America’s best-preserved movie palaces. The majestic building is owned by the City of Tampa and operated as a dynamic film and cultural center by the not-for-profit Tampa Theatre Foundation. Programming is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners. Tampa Theatre is a proud member of the League of Historic American Theatres and the Art House Convergence.