Paramount Theatre
352 Cypress Street,
Abilene,
TX
79601
352 Cypress Street,
Abilene,
TX
79601
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Grand opening ad:
Paramount theatre opening 18 May 1930, Sun Abilene Reporter-News (Abilene, Texas) Newspapers.com
Seattle has an active Paramount theatre still as well. Was restored years ago with a much bigger stage and state of the art seating. Original blade sign too. Interior is french in style. Very elaborate and large auditorium. Located in a great area of downtown.
I remember the world premier of “Take Her She’s Mine” in November of 1963 at the Paramount. Big searchlights in the street out front and the appearance of Jimmy Stewart and Sandra Dee in person. The Hardin-Simmons Cowboy Band played outside before the theater was opened to let ticket holders in to watch to movie.
The Paramount’s marquee was featured prominently in a “Cold Case Files” episode about a robbery and killing in a jewelry store down the street from the theatre.
Cecil Bellew was manager of the Paramount Theater and then the Westwood Theater. http://www.texnews.com/1998/1999/obits/1229.html
2011 Views Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3
The Paramount Theatre in Abilene.
From the 1940s a postcard view of the Paramount Theatre in Abilene.
Great shots of the good-looking theatre, I wonder how many PARAMOUNT theatres there have been in the U.S?
From 1995 and 2009, a set of Paramount Theatre photos.
A 2008 view of the Paramount Theatre and the box office in Abilene.
The architect for the restoration of the Paramount Theatre was Killis Almond, of Killis Almond & Associates, a San Antonio, Texas, based firm specializing in the restoration of historic buildings. Click on their “Projects” link to find a link to a page about this theater, as well as links to pages about some of their other theater projects.
So glad the Paramount was saved for future generations to see what a real theater is like. Such a greater experience than the small places of today. One of my vivid memories was the Saturday midnight horror movies. I knew one of the ushers and once during a horror movid involving a talking head he sneaked up behind us and put a fake head down in front of us. We almost went off the balcony. I really miss the Paramount and would love to take my grandsons to a movie there. Hopefully one day I can take them from Oklahoma to Abilene for that.
Two 1986 pre-restoration photos of the Paramount theater in Abilene.
www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/2263328721
www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/2264116830
And one post-restoration photo of the Paramount.
www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/2263565423
My photograph of the PARAMOUNT.
www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/295623001
Here is a 1935 newspaper ad:
http://tinyurl.com/yngtfc
I remember seeing films there as a kid in the 60’s. The fantasy architecture really added to the mystique of seeing a film. The theater also had a balcony, like most of the Paramout theaters. I’m not sure I ever went up there – it was closed during most normal movie showings.
In addition to having lit stars in the ceiling, there was also a projector that displayed moving clouds on the ceiling that were visible when the house lights were down.
A local barber, who I knew only as Mr. Bellew, worked as an usher for many years at the theater. He had his own barber shop, and consequently knew many of the kids who came to the movies on Saturdays. He’s the one who told me that the clouds were made by a projector with a rotating plastic disk containing the moving “clouds”. It was broken for many years – I don’t know if the restoration brought that feature back.
the Paramount was part of the Interstate Theaters chain at least during the 1950’s and 1960’s when I went there
Absolutely fabulous—the Paramount screens two classic movies a month and is a must for anyone who enjoys watching movies as they were meant to be seen; the restoration is immaculate; the balcony cavernous; and the clouds drift lazily on the ceiling during screening.