That’s correct, richsaff. You entered the Paramount on either side of the outside box office through double glass doors. You walked slightly uphill through the marble floored lobby, at least it looked like marble, to a giant stairwell that led to the main floor downstairs. The lobby continued around either side of the stairwell to the carpeted balcony area. On the way in both walls were covered with giant posters of coming attractions.
My buddy, the usher, used to let us in free through the lower exit back behind the screen and Bob Lucks organ. (Ho.)
The colored balcony in Loews had its own smaller marquee and entrance in the alley behind the theater. The Paramount had its own marquee and colored entrance in the alley beside Zibarts Bookstore which abutted the theater. It led to the upper half of the single balcony which was separated by a large rail, colored above, white below.
Loews was as you say a ‘performance’ theater, most performances being opera. It had four elaborate opera boxes on each side, upstairs and down. I have several stories about what went on in those boxes in my book, if I ever get it done.
Will, don’t disagree with her but Loew’s Vendome sat in the middle of the block between 6th and 7th staring straight up the hill at the Capitol. Loew’s Crescent sat in the middle of the block between 4th and 5th. It was where the old Princess was pushed by Cain Sloan.
Patsy, there were 7 theaters downtown because that’s where everyone went for entertainment. They got first run ‘big’ movies. Outlying movies got reruns or ‘b’ list stuff, although a lot of them were great.
You have to remember that Nashville only had 150,000 people back then. There hadn’t been a great rush to the suburbs because there were essentially no suburbs to rush to. Then Metro government jumped in and gobbled up the county for tax purposes. That forced
people away from downtown.
So, I guess you could say human propagation and human greed caused the death of the downtown movies.
May I clear up a few things for you folks.
1. There were 7 theaters in operation in downtown Nashville at the same time during the ‘50’s. I know because I went to all of them practically weekly. Movie nut.
2. The Rex was the dog of the lot but a lot of fun, It regularly had 3 Stooges or Bowery Boys festivals. Loew’s, and nobody ever called it the Vendome even if that was scrawled underneath its name, was considered the classiest. It had all the great MGM musicals. I saw 'An American In Paris’ there 9 times. The Paramount had the best comedies, the Knickerbocker the best mysteries/detective stories,
the Tennessee the best musical comedies and generally the biggest stars, the 5th Avenue the best old westerns, and the Princess had
vaudeville.
I’m writing a book about Nashville in the ‘50’s, '60’s, and '70’s and there’s a section on movie houses in it. I hope you’ll all buy it if I ever get it published.
I’ve also got a page over on Chip Curleys Nashville Memories site. There are some thumbnails on movies over there.
Posted by Lou, Nov. 23, 2006
That’s correct, richsaff. You entered the Paramount on either side of the outside box office through double glass doors. You walked slightly uphill through the marble floored lobby, at least it looked like marble, to a giant stairwell that led to the main floor downstairs. The lobby continued around either side of the stairwell to the carpeted balcony area. On the way in both walls were covered with giant posters of coming attractions.
My buddy, the usher, used to let us in free through the lower exit back behind the screen and Bob Lucks organ. (Ho.)
The colored balcony in Loews had its own smaller marquee and entrance in the alley behind the theater. The Paramount had its own marquee and colored entrance in the alley beside Zibarts Bookstore which abutted the theater. It led to the upper half of the single balcony which was separated by a large rail, colored above, white below.
Loews was as you say a ‘performance’ theater, most performances being opera. It had four elaborate opera boxes on each side, upstairs and down. I have several stories about what went on in those boxes in my book, if I ever get it done.
Will, don’t disagree with her but Loew’s Vendome sat in the middle of the block between 6th and 7th staring straight up the hill at the Capitol. Loew’s Crescent sat in the middle of the block between 4th and 5th. It was where the old Princess was pushed by Cain Sloan.
Patsy, there were 7 theaters downtown because that’s where everyone went for entertainment. They got first run ‘big’ movies. Outlying movies got reruns or ‘b’ list stuff, although a lot of them were great.
You have to remember that Nashville only had 150,000 people back then. There hadn’t been a great rush to the suburbs because there were essentially no suburbs to rush to. Then Metro government jumped in and gobbled up the county for tax purposes. That forced
people away from downtown.
So, I guess you could say human propagation and human greed caused the death of the downtown movies.
May I clear up a few things for you folks.
1. There were 7 theaters in operation in downtown Nashville at the same time during the ‘50’s. I know because I went to all of them practically weekly. Movie nut.
2. The Rex was the dog of the lot but a lot of fun, It regularly had 3 Stooges or Bowery Boys festivals. Loew’s, and nobody ever called it the Vendome even if that was scrawled underneath its name, was considered the classiest. It had all the great MGM musicals. I saw 'An American In Paris’ there 9 times. The Paramount had the best comedies, the Knickerbocker the best mysteries/detective stories,
the Tennessee the best musical comedies and generally the biggest stars, the 5th Avenue the best old westerns, and the Princess had
vaudeville.
I’m writing a book about Nashville in the ‘50’s, '60’s, and '70’s and there’s a section on movie houses in it. I hope you’ll all buy it if I ever get it published.
I’ve also got a page over on Chip Curleys Nashville Memories site. There are some thumbnails on movies over there.
Posted by Lou, Nov. 23, 2006