On Thursday evening, wifey and I were part of a sold out crowd at Tampa Theater that watched the World Premiere of Seminole Heights: An Intimate Look at the Early Years, a documentary with a self-explanatory name. The movie was preceded by another Cigar City Pictures film, Ybor City: A Passage in Time
On Saturday evening, fantastic local filmmakers Pete and Paul Guzzo are debuted a part of The Ghosts of Ybor. The documentary about Tampa mobster Charlie Wall will be shown at HCC Performing Arts Building as part of the Ybor Festival of the Moving Image. That show sold out, too.
This coming weekend, Hillsborough Community College will put on performances of Anna in the Tropics (not to be confused with a recent production at a different HCC). The Pulitzer Prize winning play is set in a 1920’s Ybor City cigar factory, where it’s owners, the factory workers, and the lector (reader) are involved with each other on multiple levels. Great play, and great local angle, too.
Meanwhile, the St. Pete Times ran two stories related to local history last week. Lane DeGregory reminds us that Panfilo de Narvaez landed in St. Pete 480 years ago (April 15, 1528), and Jared Leone decided to figure out just who that Dale Mabry fella was.
For those of you who are looking for a DVD version of the Seminole Heights documentary, you can find one at Sherry’s YesterDaze, 5207 N. Florida Af., or at Tampa Antiquarian Books, 6116 N Central Av., both in Tampa. Cigar City’s Ybor City documentary can be purchased at the Ybor City Museum.
The Ghosts of Ybor will be playing in various venues and film festivals over the next year or so, and we’ll let you know when a DVD becomes available.
drinklime
1 year ago
i might pick that up, thanks
Anonymous
1 year ago
I thought the Seminole Heights flick was ok, the music of grandeur didn’t seem to fit the film, and more old photos of the houses would have been good. Oh, and Sulphur Springs is not in Seminole Heights, aka The Urban Corridor.
The Charlie Wall piece by the Guzzo Brothers was simply outstanding and makes you realize why Tampa is the way it is, it’s lucky not to be a pile of ashes, much less “not particularly progressive”.
Lara Diamond
1 year ago
Thanks for letting us know where we can get the Sem Hts dvd. I missed both screenings by being slow to get tickets. Who knew so many people were interested in Tampa history? I read Anna in the Tropics and saw the American Stage production a few years ago. It’s an interesting play but I still think it would have been better if the playwright had bothered to visit Ybor City even once before writing it.
Don
1 year ago
I can hardly wait for Charlie Wall, The Ghost of Ybor to come out on DVD.
I saw the premeire and was totally blown away by the historically correct, reinacted action scenes that made you feel like you were really there after having been transplanted back in time.
Well done guy’s!
Paul
8 months ago
Does anyone know if the Charlie Wall DVD has come out yet? If so, how do I get one?