the Beacham's upgrade to 70 mm film technology, The Sound of Music had a continuous 14-month run between 1965 and 1966. Orlando's Chamber of Commerce held open forum meetings at the Beacham Theatre on Sundays during the winter months of 1971–1973 under the direction of W. F. Blackman. End of the first-run movie era During the 1970s Orlando, like many U.S. cites, was experiencing symptoms of urban decay. The rush from the city to the suburbs affected nearly all of the city's businesses. As an effect of the exodus, each of Downtown Orlando's movie theaters closed. Dick Gabel and John Prine were serving as projectionists at several of the theaters. Following a decline in attendance, by 1974 the Beacham Theatre and Florida State Theaters in general were primarily showing exploitation films and B-movie action films. The next year, H. A. Tedder, who was the Orlando executive manager at long-time lessee Florida State Theaters, made the decision that The Beacham Theatre would cease operating as a first-run movie cinema. After showing a Sunday double-feature of Return of the Street Fighter, and The Scavengers, the Beacham Theatre's manager, McKinley Howard, closed the theater's doors as a first-run film cinema for the last time on September 28, 1975. Florida State Theaters remained responsible for paying the monthly lease of $2700 until the theater was sold. Live Entertainment era In 1975 Larry and Sherry Carpenter purchased the Beacham Building from then-owners, Betty Rubles Bray, and Burkett H. Bray Jr. A great-granddaughter of Braxton Beacham, Mrs. Bray, refused to sell the theater by itself without also selling the rest of the building as a package. An extensive $250,000 remodeling and restoration followed that included multi-colored Art Deco revival style graphics painted over the facade and a large multi-story mural of a saxophone and its open case painted on the rear of the theater that faced west and was clearly visible from nearby Interstate 4. Following the restoration the Carpenters opened Orlando's franchise location of The Great Southern Music Hall at the Beacham in 1976. The 700-seat Great Southern Music Hall was a concert venue that hosted approximately 180 prominent national and regional acts at the Beacham. The Great Southern Music Hall was occasionally still used as a movie theater that presented world cinema and classic Hollywood films by film directors such as John Carpenter, Federico Fellini, and Mel Brooks during the week. John Lawson was