Aquarama Aquarium Theater of the Sea

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Aquarama Aquarium Theater of the Sea
Date opened	December, 1962
Date closed	1969 demolished
Location	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Aquarama Aquarium Theater of the Sea, also known as Aquarama, was a unique 1960s aquarium attraction located in

Admission cost: Children $1 Adults $2

Hours of operation: 10 A.M. to 6 P.M.

Shows: Four times Daily

History

Aquarama was a leading 1960s educational and entertainment concept that combined the previous elements of an Aquarium zoo with theatrical aquatic circus. Even its name reflected 21st century jargon Aqua+"arama" (like

The South Philadelphia site was selected to gain a benefit from a larger development concept for the area near

Billing itself as “The Theater of the Sea”, Aquarama opened its doors in 1962 on South Broad Street, across from where Veterans Stadium would stand a decade later along with and the 2003 creation of the expanded South Philadelphia Sports Complex alongside the Spectrum, and Wells Fargo Center. By the late 1960s, however, Philadelphians began to tire of Aquarama and it was financially failing. After only 7 years of existence, Philadelphia’s “Theater of the Sea” quietly disappeared and was demolished in 1969.

Architecture

The architect was

Aquatic Arena Theater: In addition to the exhibitions there was a water arena that included performances of porpoises, starring whales "Willie and Winky" and aquatic events. The arena theater section consisted of a huge rectangular pool surrounded by raised bench seating. Trained seals would honk out “How Dry I Am” on a set of bulb horns, and several times a day, dolphins would rescue a clown named "Flippy". The show featured James H. Crovetti, Sr., as Flippy the Clown. The Master of Ceremonies would call out, “Flippy, where are you?” The spotlights would come on and there was Flippy the Clown, hanging 40 feet above the waters of the Aquarama’s indoor arena pool, hanging from a scaffolding he would roll out from the back wall where the holding tanks that the dolphins were kept in were located.. Flippy would throw down various items such as rings, balls, and toys that the dolphins would balance on their noses. At the end of this segment of the show, the Master of Ceremonies would shout, “OK Flippy, come on down, but be very careful!” Flippy would push back the scaffolding, he would pretend to forget to let go of one of the hand bars used to push back the scaffolding leaving him hanging 40 feet above the waters of the main show tank! He would hang there for at least 2 minutes interacting with the Master of Ceremonies saying “Hang on Flippy, we're coming to get you!” Flippy would let go making the 40-foot plunge into the tank feet first so that his flippers would create the biggest splash possible. The dolphins would rescue Flippy. There was no belly flop! He would do this dangerous trick 4 times a day. Attractive young women would swim in the tank(s) to appear like mermaids and entertain the curiosity of the visitors. As lights went on at show time six porpoises, each weighing about 300 pounds and 10 feet (3.0 m) long would start in a "Philly" style dance version of the "Twist" made popular by home town recording star Chubby Checker. Philadelphia radio and TV personality Gene Arnold hosted many shows there, as did the later "Voice of the Flyers," Gene Hart.

Other Areas: An outdoor area had open pools for other displays of seasonal exhibits and a place for visitors to meander and wander. Following the show, patrons could wander out into the concession area and spend their spare change on souvenirs, or on watching chickens, ducks and small animals perform tricks in tiny coin-operated booths. Many promotional gimmicks were used to attract visitors. The premises was rented for parties, teen dances and a movie theater was built on the grounds to increase visitor appeal. This included the 20th century outdoor entertainment entrepreneur George Hamid, who leased the facility and brought from

Featured Specimens:

Movie theater and ice rink or motel

Added on the same site in 1967 was a 750-seat movie theater, operated by Stanley-Warner, named the "Stadium Theater" with frontage on Broad Street of commercial space for a fast-food hamburger outlet, from a leading national restaurant chain, Steer Inn, in which Dick Clark had an interest. An ice skating rink combined with roller skating was planned but never built. In 1969, before Aquarama was demolished, a motel developer purchased the property with the intent to turn the existing building with the tanks into an aquatic-themed motel. This plan was not successful.

Media broadcast and event history

Points of interest evolved for both radio and TV broadcasting. Before the "Voice of the

To Tell the Truth -TV Series episode #1084 College Student summer job works with Willie the Whale at Aquarama

What's My Line -TV Series episode #638 Porpoise Trainer Aquarama

What's My Line -TV Series episode #783 Whale Trainer at Aquarama

WHYY-TV broadcast, Broadcast Pioneers member Ed Hurst talked about the Aquarama TV series

See also

• Philadelphia Aquarium
• Philadelphia Zoo
• Camden Aquarium

References

nytimes.com (September 8, 1963). "WHALE OF A LURE; Two Mammals Are Top Drawing Card At New Aquarama in Philadelphia". The New York Times. Retrieved July 11, 2009.

39°54′30″N 75°10′22″W / 39.90828°N 75.17285°W / 39.90828; -75.17285