The deep heritage of Jacksonville’s Florida Theatre…and that time Elvis Presley could only move his little finger on ‘Hound Dog’

If you’re looking for trouble, you came to the right place: Between takes of filming inserts for the “Trouble” / “Guitar Man” opener of director Steve Binder’s 60-minute NBC special simply entitled “Elvis,” later immortalized as the “‘68 Comeback Special,” a 33-year-old, black-clad Elvis Presley clutches a cherry red Hagstrom Viking II electric guitar, borrowed from Wrecking Crew alum Al Casey, on June 30, 1968, inside NBC Studio 4 in Burbank, California. Photography by Frank Carroll / For Elvis CD Collectors message board user Rizzy56

Jacksonville’s Florida Theatre is steeped in a deep musical heritage that continues to attract a wide array of major recording artists. Built in 1927, the theatre was conceived as a movie palace with ample room for stage productions. Even then the building boasted air conditioning and central heating.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is Jacksonville’s last remaining remnant of 1920s fantasy architecture, exemplified by that era’s Mediterranean Revival. The interior resembles a Middle Eastern courtyard with shimmering stars, balconies, fountains, a nearly six-story arch, and optimal sound to boot. At 1,900 seats, the stage can be seen clearly from all angles.

If one could enter a time machine, the early 1930s would be the theatre’s golden age. After a cartoon, news segment, and short comedy subject were successively screened, an orchestra played an overture — unbelievably on a movable orchestra pit — for an impending feature length film. But the decline of vaudeville gradually forced management to turn their attention to plays sponsored by non-profit organizations and concerts.

A notorious if virtually forgotten incident happened 60-odd years ago at the…