Paramount Theatre

My cousin graduated from Union University in Jackson TN, but I don't recall him mentioning the Paramount so will have to ask him. If the location is office space, it may not have been a theatre during the 60's when he was in Jackson?

The only record that I have come across on the theatre to date is one regarding renovations and changes to the structure in 1950. I think that these were probably upgrades to the theatre rather than reconfiguring the building for another purpose. The Paramount was listed as late as 1968 in the IMPA.

I have a single memory of the Paramount Theatre. In 1983 I drove through Jackson and stopped to admire the two movie theatres on the town square. The MALCO was obviously an older vaudeville hall or small town opera house from the late 19th or early 20th century: very ornate terra-cotta facade. The marquee had been fairly ornate too. When I saw it, middle of the day, it was unlit and in serious need of repair and cleaning. The movie advertised on the letter boards was something current: certainly first run. The Paramount was almost directly next door. A small storefront or two stood between the two theatres. The Paramount's facade was much simpler, cleaner and all in good repair. The pink neon lights edging the marquee were flashing. The sign boards were lit. Strangely though, the single word on the Paramount's marquee was "CLOSED."

Will: Thanks for your theatre observations out of Jackson TN. We still hope to make a winter trip to Knoxville and meet you along with Bill Snyder, organist.

Will: Glad to report that my husband and I will be making a trip to Knoxville in 2007 as we have friends who are relocating there from Atlanta and will be working for HGTV.

Is there an old theatre operating today in downtown Jackson?

1983 photo of the Paramount Theatre.
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c42%2c3%2c-1&catpagesize=25&ProductID=33589
1983 photo of the Malco & Paramount side by side.

http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c42%2c3%2c-1&catpageindex=3&catpagesize=25&ProductID=33590
1986 photo of the Paramount Theatre. It must have been a real job changing the marquee on the Paramount.
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c42%2c3%2c-1&catpageindex=3&catpagesize=25&ProductID=33593
1983 night photo of the Paramount, as you can see from the marquee the Paramount was operatd by Malco.
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c42%2c3%2c-1&catpageindex=3&catpagesize=25&ProductID=33596

1983 photo of the Auditorium of the Paramount Theatre.
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c42%2c3%2c-1&catpageindex=4&catpagesize=25&ProductID=33599

Wow, that night shot of the Paramount makes it look alive! Which is not how it looked in 1996:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34152329@N06/3476990908/in/set-72157617054310351/

And here's the Paramount and its neighbor, the Malco:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34152329@N06/3476182301/in/set-72157617054310351/

Does anyone know what's become of these two venues?

The area where the theatre once stood is one large parking lot.

This Paramount Theatre was a 1950-51 rebuild of the former State Theatre. The former Paramount Theatre a few doors up the street was renamed the Malco Theatre shortly before the new Paramount opened.