The Fillmore Miami Beach, built as the Jackie Gleason Theater in the late 1950s, may be in danger from expansion of the Miami Beach Convention Center. (Photo courtesy ConsequenceofSound.net)

“And awaay we go.”

A plan to expand the Miami Beach Convention Center could mean the end of the former Miami Beach Auditorium, where “The Jackie Gleason Show” was taped during the late 1960s. Some local residents and hotel owners are against replacing the theater — now called The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater — for a hotel site. There is even a Facebook group created to Save the Fillmore, even though the venue does not qualify as a historic venue.

Built in the late 1950s, city planners are looking to make the convention center more competitive by adding a major hotel and larger ballroom facilities.

“It really doesn’t compete well in convention business,” said Jerry Libbin, president of the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce. “In my mind, it’s less about the Gleason and more about the decision as to whether this community is interested in having convention business.”

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Known as “The Great One,” Gleason was an accomplished actor and comedian. His most memorable role was as bus driver Ralph Kramden in the television classic “The Honeymooners,” alongside Art Carney as Ed Norton.

“The Jackie Gleason Show” began in New York in 1952, but Gleason moved the variety show south in 1964 to be able to play golf year round, and he could not have picked a better time.

“Miami Beach was starting to fade, primarily because of Vegas and we didn’t have gambling. So nobody was willing to put money into refurbishing the hotels,” said Seth Bramson, author and greater Miami historian.

“The show was just a shot in the arm, a revitalization of Miami Beach,” he said.

Rapper 50 Cent plays the Fillmore Miami Beach on Tuesday night. (Christina Mendenhall / Rhythm Scene)

Each week, the country heard the famous introduction: “From the Fun and Sun Capital of the World, Miami Beach, it’s the Jackie Gleason Show.” Gleason served as a pitchman for the city, mentioning the name often during the show and calling Miami Beach fans the greatest in the world.

There was no official visitors bureau at the time, and historians say there may be no way of knowing how many tourists visited the city during the show’s heyday.

A Los Angeles Times article from June 4, 1967, quoted the only publicist in the city at the time:

“Gleason’s publicity value is $10 million a year to Florida,” said Hank Meyer, who convinced Gleason to move his show.

There was Sammy Spear’s Orchestra and the June Taylor Dancers; Art Carney, Sheila MacRae and Jane Kean were cast regulars; special guests included Gene Kelly, George Burns, Tony Bennett and Groucho Marx.

“The tapings of the Jackie Gleason in the auditorium have been ’sold out’ of free tickets for several months now,” read a Chicago Tribune news article from Dec. 7, 1969.

The show was filmed here until 1970 when it was canceled. Gleason remained in Florida until his death in 1987 at age 71.

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Although it was built after the art deco era, the theater where Jackie Gleason called home for years resembles the architecture of the late 1920s and ’30s, with curved edges and sea foam green facade.

Over 2,400 visitors can fill the red velvety seats in this two-story building. There is space for an orchestra and mezzanine, long red curtains and glass chandeliers hang from the theater ceilings (a Fillmore tradition). The lobby has more of an 80’s vibe, with bright colors, full service bars and photographs of Janis Joplin, Jerry Garcia and other musicians who played there.

The theater was a regular stop for touring Broadway and theatrical shows. Iconic rock bands played there, such as The Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, and The Doors. The Queen and King of Soul — Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding — also performed at the venue. The Dick Clark Show, The Ed Sullivan Show and the Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants were often filmed there.

Today, musical acts and comedians take the stage at this venue run by Live Nation, a live-events company. The company did not return several calls seeking comment.

The building has undergone several name changes and transformations over the years, and remnants from the Jackie Gleason Show are long gone. Some argue the theater is not particularly memorable — unlike Radio City Music Hall, for instance — and the architectural history of the building is not considered significant.

“That’s the problem. You can’t really remember what it looks like. And that’s bad. Now the social history, and the history of it is certainly for our city and the area, is significant,” said Charles Urstadt with the Miami Design Preservation League.

“What’s considered history in Miami Beach is all quite young compared to what happened in Boston or Philadelphia. Our timeline is quite short, but one important milestone happened in that building,” he said, speaking about the Gleason show being taped here.

Dr. Abe Lavender, founder of the Miami Beach Historical Association, said keeping the Jackie Gleason name is important for the city’s continuity with major landmarks.

“Sometimes it’s not just the physical building, but it’s also the identity that goes with it. Jackie Gleason gives it a sense of identity,” he said.

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As for the expansion plans for the convention center, there are two proposed spaces for an onsite hotel, one of them being where the Gleason theater stands. But building the new convention center is years away. The plan must be approved by the city and county commissions and receive funding. So until the facility is built, there will be no hotel development on the site — if at all.

“This should be everybody’s main concern. For someone who lived here longer than most in this auditorium and worked with Jackie, maintaining Jackie’s name is most important to me, most important to me, when you talk about tradition,” said Stuart Blumberg, who knew Gleason in the late 1960s and now co-chairs the convention center expansion committee. He was the one who proposed the Fillmore as a hotel site.

Although most residents and hotel owners in this sexy beach town supported the city’s vision at a recent community workshop, the message about the future of the Jackie Gleason theater was clear: there are already enough hotels competing for business, the theater is needed to keep up with the local music scene, and Fillmore theaters are an iconic piece of music history.

“If you tear it down, it’s gone forever,” said Roger Abramson, a member of the convention center advisory board.

“I think it’s a travesty that the people of this county continue to watch our landmarks of old Miami be demolished to make way for another hotel I can’t afford,” wrote Javier Aguilera on a Facebook post.

For others, though, the fear is of no longer attracting musical acts.

“Losing this theater will take away from great live music in Miami Beach. That is our main objective. We also believe in maintaining the history of our city. But I think for most of us, it’s about music,” said Darren Bruck, a 36-year-old urologist and musician who started the Facebook page ‘Save The Fillmore at Jackie Gleason Theater’ in April and had over 7,800 followers by early June.

There have been talks of including a theater in the new hotel. Still, Gleason’s widow hopes city planners don’t get rid of the Gleason name completely.

“I am all for the city being competitive and going forward: we can’t live in the past. But I think we shouldn’t tear down our past. And of course I’m prejudice,” said Marilyn Gleason, 84. The former dancer lives in Fort Lauderdale. She was the younger sister of her husband’s longtime TV choreographer.

“I would want for it to remain the way it is, or at least keep the name, in honor of my husband,” she said.