Paramount Timeline

  • October 11, 1915 – The Paramount opens as the Majestic Theatre with the comedy play When Knights Were Bold
  • 1916 – World-famous magician and escape artist, Harry Houdini, performs on multiple nights
  • 1920s – The theatre converts into a “grand movie palace” showing silent films accompanied by a live orchestra or the theatre’s in-house organ. Some live performances are still done
  • 1927 – “The Jazz Singer” opens as the first talking picture, starring Al Jolson. The film completely changed the motion picture industry’s run of silent films.
  • 1930 – Paramount Pictures buys the theatre and begins running Paramount Studio-only films. The Paramount blade is erected. Live performances continue, featuring legendary stage actress like Helen Hayes
  • 1935 – The State Theatre movie palace, opens next door
  • 1930’s – Vaudeville begins to wane, making way for the exploding movie business
  • 1940s – During the war, the Paramount promoted war bonds – selling $8.4 million in bonds from 1942-1945. The US Treasury awarded the theatre with several citations and awards for its efforts
  • 1941 – Katharine Hepburn performs The Philadelphia Story on the Paramount stage
  • 1947 – The film The Fabulous Texan made its world premiere at the Paramount, solidifying the Paramount as Austin’s favored premiere movie house
  • 1963 – The Paramount blade is removed from building “to be refurbished,” never to be seen again
  • 1966 – Batman film premieres at the Paramount with stars in attendance
  • Late 1960s to 1973 – The theatre had fallen into disarray and became a “B movie house” showing low-grade flicks to sparse audiences
  • 1973 – John Bernardoni, Charles Eckerman and Stephen Scott rescue the theatre – slated for demolition – with grand ideas of bringing back live performances
  • February 2, 1975 – The Paramount celebrates the return of live performances with a concert by jazz great Dave Brubeck, who plays to a packed house
  • April 15, 1975 – Interstate Theatre Circuit ends their 45 year history of operating and managing the Paramount Theatre.
  • April 15, 1975 – The original fire curtain is discovered hanging in the rafters – protected from light and other elements for over 50 years – in pristine condition. Most likely it is the oldest remaining original fire curtain in the country. Of course, it still hangs in the theatre today
  • 1975 – The Paramount goes from a for-profit business to a non-profit, 501c organization in order to create a sustainable model and to help with upcoming restoration efforts that will require donations from the community. In addition, property owner, Roberta Crenshaw, donates 50% of her ownership to the Paramount, a requirement for a proposed grant that would anchor the restoration funding
  • 1975 – The Junior League of Austin presents the Paramount with a $15,000 grant to replace the rotting hemp rope for rigging and to resurface the stage floor which was badly splintered.
  • 1975 – The Paramount’s Summer Classic Film Series is established, making 2015 the 40th anniversary of the Austin institution
  • 1976 – Paramount wins lawsuit against the State of Texas rendering a law on the books as unconstitutional. The law would have required an 8% tax on all ticket sales which would have killed the project right out of the gate. The Paramount received a refund of sales tax paid of $2,000. Interstate Theatres received millions as the law change was retroactive back to the 1940’s. The Paramount’s lawyer retired on the strength of this case.
  • 1976 – The Austin Heritage Society presents the Paramount with a grant for $20,000 to begin restoration of the façade.
  • 1976 – The Texas Historical Commission provides a $20,000 matching grant to the Austin Heritage Society grant for façade restoration.
  • 1976 – Paramount begins a successful partnership with Art and Barbara Squires’ Southwest Concerts to present over one hundred concerts with marquee acts and several Broadway plays. The partnership would continue until July, 1979
  • May 6, 1977 – The Paramount was the scene of a state historical marker dedication
  • July 8, 1977 – The theatre earns its spot on the National Register of Historic Places
  • July, 1977 – Paramount is threatened with being black balled by Actor’s Equity Association due to pitiful state of dressing rooms for actors.
  • December 1977 – City of Austin allocates $120,000 in HUD funds to upgrade the dressing rooms and to begin the first real phase of restoring the theatre.
  • 1977 – The three saviors begin raising the $1.85 million required for the restoration.       Congressman J. J. “Jake” Pickle and Governor Dolph Briscoe are keys to the EDA grants.
  • September 1977 – The Restoration Fundraising and Planning Campaign begins with actual restoration efforts already getting underway
  • 1978 – David Hoffman, FAIA, of Bell, Klein and Hoffman, is tapped to be the project architect for the restoration process. His wife, Binnie, takes charge of all research for the process.
  • 1978 – The Curtis Meadows Foundation presents the Paramount for a grant of $25,000 for a new lighting system. George Christian was responsible for this grant.
  • 1978 – Steve Scott departs to begin a successful career in real estate
  • 1979 – Chuck Eckerman departs to start a new career of his own
  • 1979 – The fundraising ends with nearly $1.85 dollars in hand and the project nearly completed
  • 1980 – the Paramount re-opens after being closed for over one year to complete the restoration
  • 1980 – the Paramount’s new season opens with a sold out run of the Broadway musical, “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and 32 performances 41,600 in attendance
  • 1982 – Best Little Whorehouse in Texas world film premieres at the Paramount with movie stars Burt Reynolds, Dolly Parton, Jim Nabors and Charles Durning, along with a parade down Congress Avenue, broadcast in 156 countries.       Paramount nets $180,000 for operations.
  • 1982 – Greater Tuna starring Jaston Williams and Joe Sears arrives at the Paramount to record number crowds and quickly establishes itself as an annual tradition and making the Paramount its home in Austin
  • 1982 – Paramount produces its first in house production of the Broadway play, “Deathtrap” starring Leslie Nielsen. A short tour of Texas was also booked.
  • 1983 – Paramount produces its second in house production of the Broadway play, “Mass Appeal” starring E. G. Marshall
  • 1984/85 – Paramount produces its third in house production of the Broadway play, “Dracula” starring Martin Landau. The show tours 56 cities in the U.S. plus a one month run at the Kennedy Center, in Washington, D.C. This was the first national tour produced by a regional theatre in history.
  • Late 1990s – The Paramount begins talks with the State Theater next door to expand each organizations role in the community and the arts
  • 2000 – The Paramount and the State merge to form the Austin Theatre Alliance
  • 2012 – The Paramount creates and launches the nationally recognized Moontower Comedy & Oddity Festival
  • July 10, 2014 – President Barack Obama speaks at the historic theatre, marking the first time a sitting President has graced our stage
  • September 23, 2015 – Blade relighting ceremony with parties and a celebratory Patty Griffin concert to follow
  • October 11, 2015 – The Paramount officially reaches the centennial mark! The celebration is to be culminated with the lighting of the newly installed, historically accurate 47-foot blade