Looking at 0:27, I remember how very attractive the Exchange Bank building was. Always painted in beautiful 2 or 3 tone colors. It's now 2010 and I drove by it recently. So very saddening how absolutely UGLY that building looks now painted in a single pinkish-muddy Beige color. Even with a smattering of skyscrapers, downtown Tampa has lost so much of it's clean and simple charm with ChannelSide and the trolley being among the few bright spots.
Great look at Tampa's landmarks of the era. Another WTOG Station ID showed the Tampa Bay Hotel. Wish Tampa had that much respect for its landmarks now.
And yes, I do remember that I-75 green line metering fiasco. What a disaster. As Tampa Tribune columnist Steve Otto said later, it was Tampa's answer to a ride on Space Mountain!
The Steve Otto comment is SO right on the mark. I was a kid, so I wasn't driving yet, but I can remember Mom, in the '72 Duster, yelling & complaining about it as we left the bank in downtown, and being afraid we were going to crash as a result of her hysteria!
Nice fleeting glimpse of the old Tampa Theater before LED. You can make out two B-movies playing in true 70's blaxploitation style. "The Legend of Nigger Charlie" & "Buck and the Preacher". Great video!
Now here's a question for you 70's Tampa dwellers...do you remember, sometime in the mid-70's, when you were leaving the downtown area out of the North, getting up onto I-75 (back then it wasn't 275 yet.) There was this experimental thing where you had to line your car up with a moving green line to merge from the interstate entrance ramp into the I-75 traffic? The line was never right!!! And it blocked the actual view of the traffic. What a nightmare!
Wonderful memories indeed. I think this was 1974-75. I often rode through downtown on Tampa Bus Lines and remember these scenes well. I also remember those blue City of Tampa government vehicles, including the garbage trucks, like the one in the video. I remember people back then complaining about how boring Tampa was. Yet, my Ybor City neighbors and my uncle who lived in Carver City often kept their front doors unlocked. What a wonderful kind of "boring" time that was! I miss it!
@VideoWizard2006 - Back then, the "N" word, while degrading was quite common and except in hostile situations not considered a big deal. We always heard it in the then popular "Blaxploitation" movies. Yes, political correctness has made one heck of an impact on America today. Some good, but a lot of it is way, way over the top.
St.Pete's a dump too.
saml760 2 months ago
I remember in the late 70's the Channel 44 promo that had the UFO's and was a sort of spoof of Close Encounters of the Third Kind....
graffspee 1 year ago
Looking at 0:27, I remember how very attractive the Exchange Bank building was. Always painted in beautiful 2 or 3 tone colors. It's now 2010 and I drove by it recently. So very saddening how absolutely UGLY that building looks now painted in a single pinkish-muddy Beige color. Even with a smattering of skyscrapers, downtown Tampa has lost so much of it's clean and simple charm with ChannelSide and the trolley being among the few bright spots.
ACLTony 1 year ago
Great look at Tampa's landmarks of the era. Another WTOG Station ID showed the Tampa Bay Hotel. Wish Tampa had that much respect for its landmarks now.
And yes, I do remember that I-75 green line metering fiasco. What a disaster. As Tampa Tribune columnist Steve Otto said later, it was Tampa's answer to a ride on Space Mountain!
ATL6133 2 years ago
The Steve Otto comment is SO right on the mark. I was a kid, so I wasn't driving yet, but I can remember Mom, in the '72 Duster, yelling & complaining about it as we left the bank in downtown, and being afraid we were going to crash as a result of her hysteria!
HGbunny 2 years ago
Nice fleeting glimpse of the old Tampa Theater before LED. You can make out two B-movies playing in true 70's blaxploitation style. "The Legend of Nigger Charlie" & "Buck and the Preacher". Great video!
houseofreggae 2 years ago
Now here's a question for you 70's Tampa dwellers...do you remember, sometime in the mid-70's, when you were leaving the downtown area out of the North, getting up onto I-75 (back then it wasn't 275 yet.) There was this experimental thing where you had to line your car up with a moving green line to merge from the interstate entrance ramp into the I-75 traffic? The line was never right!!! And it blocked the actual view of the traffic. What a nightmare!
HGbunny 3 years ago
I was 8 in 1975 when we moved to st pete and I remember these well.
disfigurehead 3 years ago
man tampa has changed a lot grow up in that town seen a lot of changes
doodoobrowntpa 3 years ago
Garcia,
Wonderful memories indeed. I think this was 1974-75. I often rode through downtown on Tampa Bus Lines and remember these scenes well. I also remember those blue City of Tampa government vehicles, including the garbage trucks, like the one in the video. I remember people back then complaining about how boring Tampa was. Yet, my Ybor City neighbors and my uncle who lived in Carver City often kept their front doors unlocked. What a wonderful kind of "boring" time that was! I miss it!
ACLTony 3 years ago
Two nice shots of the Exchange Bank building. I'm pretty sure my mother was working there at the time. Either there or in Temple Terrace.
stevis78 3 years ago 2
Awesome!...This really brings back memories...I miss the 70s!
videojaxx 3 years ago 2
Man Tampa dont look anything like that anymore!!!
playdude813 3 years ago 5
@playdude813 wow what 40 years will do to a city
bigwillietheb 1 year ago
@playdude813 yea now TAMPA is a SHIT HOLE, and people refuse to speak ENGLISH or clean up their neighborhoods....It used to be awesome here.
lerchfreyley1 3 months ago
what year was this? 1972 or 1973?
DGarcia879 3 years ago
Closer to 1974-75 time period.
ACLTony 2 years ago
Back before they believed in censorship? Pause the video around 00:30 and you'll see what I mean. "THE LEGEND OF ****** CHARLIE"
That would never fly today.
VideoWizard2006 4 years ago
there are trailers for that move here on youtube
Legend813a 4 years ago
@VideoWizard2006 - Back then, the "N" word, while degrading was quite common and except in hostile situations not considered a big deal. We always heard it in the then popular "Blaxploitation" movies. Yes, political correctness has made one heck of an impact on America today. Some good, but a lot of it is way, way over the top.
ACLTony 1 year ago
@VideoWizard2006 LoL Nigger Charlie! awesome!
Torrentthoughts 1 year ago
KMPH FOX 26 WERE YOUR STATION
Nicholas4141 4 years ago
AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE
Nicholas4141 4 years ago
Thanks for adding this again. Wonderful memories from that time :)
ACLTony 4 years ago
I LOVE THIS SONG!
senrabnivek 4 years ago
I can't remember the name of the song...
WWSBfan 3 years ago