Paramount Theatre
1501 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10036
1501 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10036
38 people
favorited this theater
Showing 176 - 200 of 508 comments
Ed and Bill, I was working for Fox at the time and Ed is correct, it was a Fox picture, the Paramount reference is for the theatre.
I remember it well, a bunch of us from Fox went to the midnight New Years eve show. About a month later I was able to borrow a 16mm print to show in my basement.
Bill… I wonder if the headline refers to the theater while playing on the meaning of the word “paramount” as well. As far as I can determine, Paramount Studios had nothing to do with this release.
Here’s the Daily News “Journey” review. This Fox picture is also (according to the headline) a Paramount picture:
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Here is an ad for “Journey to the Center of the Earth” from the New York Daily News – December 1959:
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Here is an ad for “Journey to the Center of the Earth” from the New York Daily News:
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Ed is right! These are pages about theatres, and are not for spam. There are provisions under the NEWS link at the top of each page to post such advertising rather than waste limited space on other pages. “Irajoe” is not performing a service advertising his posters; he is just just hawking something for his profit— not ours. And the reason people don’t openly list their E-mails is precisely to prevent such abuse of their privacy by the spam of such inconsiderate and greedy ‘merchants.’ Just because something may be distantly related to theatre architecture doesn’t mean it belongs on pages such as this!
Irajoel… you should post your link on the home page of Cinema Treasures rather than hitting the individual theater pages. This way you address the entire membership at once, rather than multiple posts that may or may not be related to the specific theater page you are posting in. Just a suggestion.
Great posting Irajoel. Enjoyed all the posters, particularly the “Frankenstein.” It is of a type I have not seen before. Served also as a reminder that, over the years, we have confused the creator (Dr. Frankenstein) with his creation, the monster.
Cheers.
I have been putting up images from souvernir programs and other great movie material that I have and most are for sale.
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I also have a great website www.cinemagebooks.com
where you can view over 5,000 film related items including programs and much more. Please feel free to email me
don’t understand why members don’t give email addresses. I’m new to the photobucket site but i guess you can view all my images using my
name irajoel.
The Paramount Building was designated a landmark in 1988, long after all interior and exterior traces of the theater were eliminated. The current marquee, arched window and attendant ornamentation are recreations of the original Paramount Theater marquee and required LPC approval before they began work in 1999 or so. I imagine that a permit to remove the marquee and restore the facade to its 1988 configuration would be quickly approved by the LPC.
Here is a photo of the Paramount facade more or less as it would have appeared at the time of Landmark designation:
Before restored marquee
This image doesn’t show street level, but you can see the portion of the lower facade where the arched window and Paramount logo were initially located (and later recreated) in the lower left side of the image near the corner of the building. It is the portion just at the top of the lower facade where there appear to be a couple of missing windows in the fenestration.
Is the exterior of this theatre landmarked?
But now you can see Streisand at the Garden for $1,800.
These are the good old days!
Where else could you see Tommy Dorsay and Frank Sinatra in person for a buck and a half and catch a movie as well?
Ah! Those were the days!
Wasi
Where else could you see Tommy Dorsay and Frank Sinatra in person for a buck and a half and catch a movie as well?
Ah! Those were the days!
Wasi
Warren… just to clarify, the theater’s entrance ornamentation on the exterior of the Paramount Building is replica, not remaining from the original. If you walked down Broadway just 6 or 7 years ago and looked up at the building’s facade, you’d just see the same repetition of squared windows and spandrels within the limestone as is the motif along the entire perimeter of the building’s lower floors. The old entrance arch was completly demolished and had to be recreated from old photos (not even the blueprints were available) for the 2001 installation of the WWF theme restaurant.
Bway… if you scroll up you’ll find this question has come up from time to time on this page. All traces of the original theater were completely removed from the site. Even the Broadway facade was patched over to pick up the pattern from the rest of the building so that one would never have known there was ever a theater in the building. The high arch window and marquee we now see advertising the Hard Rock (and the WWF restaurant prior to this) is 100% replica, constructed around 2000/2001. No original elements were used at all.
As for the interior, it had been completely gutted (lobby and auditorium) and replaced with generic office and retail space). As with the WWF Restaurant before it, the Hard Rock exists almost 100% below street level in the basement of the building. Only a small street level entrance foyer (carved from the retail space that had occupied the site for some 35 years since the theater’s demolition in 1966) exists where the former Paramount entrance pavillion had been located.
Here’s a 1966 photo of the former auditorium space that should give you an idea as to the extent of the demoltion:
Paramount Gut Job
Was the Paramount completely dismanantled when it closed, or did some theater ornamentation survive? Today, with the Hard Rock inside, it would have made for an interesting restaurant, especially for Hard Rock, if it was not only housed in the theater space as it is, but if it still had a little of that ‘theater look".
I reorganized my photobucket account and broke the links to the photos I posted above on December 5th. Here’s my new Paramount Theater album where those pictures may now be found.
My apologies to those with notifications on this page.
Playing the Paramount in 1930:
01/03 – ‘The Laughing Lady’ – Ruth Chatterton & Clive Brook
01/10 – ‘Glorifying the American Girl’ – Mary Eaton
01/24 – ‘Seven Days Leave’ – Gary Cooper
01/31 – ‘Street of Chance’ – William Powell-Kay Francis
02/07 – ‘Burning Up’ – Richard Arlen & Mary Brian
02/14 – ‘Dangerous Paradise’ – Nancy Carroll & Richard Arlen
02/21 – ‘Roadhouse Nights’ – Helen Morgan & Charlie Ruggles
02/28 – ‘Slightly Scarlet’ – Evelyn Brent & Clive Brook
03/07 – ‘Only the Brave’ – Gary Cooper & Mary Brian
03/14 – ‘Sarah and Son’ – Ruth Chatterton & Frederic March
03/21 – ‘The Young Eagles’ – Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers & Jean Arthur
03/28 – ‘Honey’ – Nancy Carroll & Stanley Smith
04/11 – ‘The Benson Murder Case’ – William Powell & Natalie Moorehead
04/18 – ‘Young Man of Manhattan’ – Norman Foster & Claudette Colbert
04/25 – ‘The Light of Western Stars’ – Richard Arlen & Mary Brian
05/02 – ‘Dr Fu Manchu’ – Warner Oland
05/09 – ‘The Devil’s Holiday’ – Nancy Carroll & Phillips Holmes
05/16 – ‘The Texan’ – Gary Cooper & Fay Wray
05/23 – ‘True to the Navy’ – Clara Bow & Frederic March
05/30 – ‘Safety In Numbers’ – Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers & Kathryn Crawford
06/06 – ‘The Shadow of the Law’ – William Powell & Regis Toomey
06/13 – ‘The Social Lion’ – Jack Oakie & Mary Brian
06/20 – ‘Dangerous Nan McGrew’ – Helen Kane & Victor Moore
06/27 – ‘The Border Legion’ – Richard Arlen & Fay Wray
07/04 – ‘Love Among the Millionaires’ – Clara Bow & Stanley Smith
07/18 – ‘For the Defense’ – William Powell & Kay Francis
07/25 – ‘The Sap from Syracuse’ – Jack Oakie & Ginger Rogers
08/01 – ‘Grumpy’ – Cyril Maude & Phillips Holmes
08/08 – ‘Queen High’ – Charlie Ruggles & Frank Morgan
08/15 – ‘Anybody’s Woman’ – Ruth Chatterton & Clive Brook
08/29 – ‘Let’s Go Native’ – Jack Oakie & Jeanette MacDonald
09/05 – ‘The Sea God’ – Richard Arlen & Fay Wray
09/12 – ‘Follow Thru’ – Nancy Carroll & Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers
09/19 – ‘The Spoilers’ – Gary Cooper & Betty Compson
09/26 – ‘Her Wedding Night’ – Clara Bow & Ralph Forbes
10/03 – ‘Laughter’ – Nancy Carroll & Frederic March
10/10 – ‘Heads Up’ – Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers & Helen Kane
10/17 – ‘The Santa Fe Trail’ – Richard Arlen & Rosita Moreno
10/24 – ‘The Virtuous Sin’ – Walter Huston & Kay Francis
10/31 – ‘The Playboy of Paris’ – Maurice Cheavlier & Frances Dee
11/07 – ‘Sea Legs’ – Jack Oakie & Lillian Roth
11/21 – ‘Derelict’ – George Bancroft
11/28 – ‘Fast and Loose’ – Miriam Hopkins & Charles Starrett
12/05 – ‘Follow The Leader’ – Ed Wynn & Ginger Rogers
12/12 – ‘Only Saps Work’ – Richard Arlen & Leon Errol
12/19 – ‘Tom Sawyer’ – Jackie Coogan & Junior Durkin
Robert R, do you have a transcription of that NY Times article by Bosley Crowther?
The end of an era, the Paramount closes in August 1964
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Carl Ballantine! I haven’t heard that name in ages. I remember him from his many variety show appearances and his stint as one of the crew in “McHale’s Navy”. I just looked him up on imdb.com and happily find that he is very much alive and kicking with a healthy stream of steady work in TV, movies and voice-over work still in evidence – though certainly not at the level it was during his ‘60’s – early '70’s heyday.
And the amazing Carl Ballantine!
Emily: In 1976 the Theatre Historical Society published their Annual: “The Times Square Paramount” by the late Michael Miller and it contained not only many photos of the theatre, but also Inventory photos of the furnishings, no doubt including mirrors. Unfortunately, it is out of print, but any library which got their MARQUEE magazine back then also got that Annual. Go to a library and ask them to check the Union List of Serials for the nearest library with it. Of course, you can always go to their Archive outside of Chicago and view it there, as well as dozens of images that have not been published. View the links on their site such as ‘Archive’ at: www.historictheatres.org
Emily: In 1976 the Theatre Historical Society published their Annual: “The Times Square Paramount” by the late Michael Miller and it contained not only many photos of the theatre, but also Inventory photos of the furnishings, no doubt including mirrors. Unfortunately, it is out of print, but any library which got their MARQUEE magazine back then also got that Annual. Go to a library and ask them to check the Union List of Serials for the nearest library with it. Of course, you can always go to their Archive outside of Chicago and view it there, as well as dozens of images that have not been published. View the links on their site such as ‘Archive’ at: www.historictheatres.org