Learn the secrets and history of Little Havana’s Tower Theater on Miami Oculto podcast
When tourists and locals walk down Calle Ocho and look up at the 40-foot tower atop Miami’s Tower Theater, many aren’t aware of its history, how for decades it has welcomed both movie stars and immigrants who visited or found refuge to enjoy a film.
Built in 1926, the Art Deco style Tower Theater is an architectural jewel that has been run for the past 20 years by Miami Dade College, offering a quality film program that includes foreign films, many of which are in Spanish.
But the Tower, a unique blend of neighborhood theater and art house cinema, is in danger. The City of Miami decided not to renew the MDC’s lease at the Tower, which expires in January.
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That’s why el Nuevo Herald’s podcast, Miami Oculto (Hidden Miami), chose to return with an episode dedicated to the Tower Theater. The guests are two film critics who have witnessed the rise and fall of many of Miami’s cultural institutions: René Rodríguez, who manages the Bill Cosford Cinema at the University of Miami, and Alejandro Ríos, who for a decade presented the film program La mira indiscreta and who was in charge of Spanish language public relations for MDC.
What does the Tower have to do with a Cuban film director, the British rock star David Bowie and French film legend Isabelle Huppert? What was the ritual of a former Tower projectionist after presenting a film? What films did Cubans see in the 1960s and 1970s at the Tower and why was the experience different from other theaters in the city? Why did Gloria Estefan and Andy García choose the Tower for the premiere of Father of the Bride?
What other art cinemas has the city lost since the 1980s and what iconic theater in Miami beloved by Bebo Valdés, Buika, Martirio and the many artists that performed there, now sits abandoned? We talked about all this with our guests.
“We are like a bad perfume, we don’t have a fixture for the culture,” said Ríos, worried about the fate of the Tower.
For his part, Rodríguez pointed out that Miami has always had difficulty maintaining certain traditions, especially those related to the arts.
“I can’t think of another theater in Miami that has as storied a history as the Tower and I don’t understand why that needs to change,” Rodriguez said.
We invite you on this journey through the history of a movie theater that has grown with the city, and is in danger of losing its essence.
Watch the episodes on YouTube and the el Nuevo Herald website. Find all the episodes of the Miami Oculto podcast on your favorite audio platform:Spotify Podcast, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.
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