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The Paramount Theatre (Austin, Texas)
Encyclopedia
The Paramount Theatre is a live theatre venue/movie theatre
located in downtown Austin, Texas
in the United States of America. The classical revival
style structure was built in 1915. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on June 23, 1976.
In the Paramount's 90-year history, it has played host to a wide variety of acts ranging from vaudeville
legends The Marx Brothers, to the premieres of such films as 1966's Batman
and 2005's Sin City
.
For over 90 years, The Paramount Theatre has been home to vaudeville, silent movies and "talkies," music, dance, and Broadway shows. Through the years, a cast of superstars has graced its stage; from Houdini, the Marx Brothers
, Helen Hayes
, Orson Welles
, Sarah Bernhardt
, the Ziegfeld Follies
, the Metropolitan Opera
, Lillian Russell
, John Philip Sousa
, the Barrymores, Lillian Gish
, and George M. Cohan
to such modern-day favorites as Billy Joel
, Willie Nelson
, Jerry Jeff Walker
, Sarah Vaughan
, Lyle Lovett
, Gregory Hines
, and Mandy Patinkin
.
of Chicago, who was one of the most respected theatre architects in the United States. Eberson built approximately 1,200 theatres during his career, but today The Paramount is one of less than 25 in existence across the country. Architecturally handsome and acoustically excellent, The Paramount is described by today's architects as part Classical, Revival (1915) in style, and part Baroque-Revival (1930s glamorization). However you describe it, the Theatre means something different to each of its patrons.
In the years following, the Theatre saw the demise of vaudeville and the rise of silent, and then talking pictures. In 1930, the Interstate Theatre Circuit, owned by Karl Hoblitzelle, engaged in a major remodeling of the Majestic, adding wall-to-wall carpeting, replacing the wooden seats with upholstered chairs, and adding a state-of-the-art sound system, all of which cost almost as much as the original building. Once the extensive and ornate art deco
remodeling was completed, the Theatre was renamed as the "Paramount" after its new owners, Paramount Pictures
. During the 1930s, Austin's finest young ballerinas graced the Paramount's stage in the Christmas Revue of Miss Camille Long's School of Dance, and many a high-school girl rushed to the Theatre after school for a series of afternoon mystery movies. There was a new segment each week-"It was like modern soaps," remembers one Paramount patron. Although such movies were the norm, live entertainment still played an important part in the Theatre program schedule - for example, in 1935, Helen Hayes
was accused of snubbing local interviewers after her "superb" performance in Mary of Scotland.
The Paramount Theatre was very active during the war years of the 1940s. Hoblitzelle's Interstate Theatre's slogan was "dedicated to community service." The Paramount was a big promoter of war bond
s - it sold $8.4 million in war bonds from the first drive in 1942 to the victory campaign in 1945. The United States Treasury War Finance Committee recognized it with citations and awards and the manager, Louis Novy, with a war finance silver medal. The Theatre even ran Army training and recruiting films, such as Paris Under Ground, The Story of G.I. Joe
, and Pride of the Marines
, along with the usual entertainment. Wally Pryor was an usher at the Theatre in 1947 and remembers the postwar chocolate shortage. He used to hide chocolate rations for his friends, including fellow UT swimmers.
As an usher, Wally found himself part of Harry Blackstone
's magic act one time, participating in an amazing disappearing-bird act. The 1940s also saw such quality entertainment as Katharine Hepburn
in the stage production of The Philadelphia Story
.
Under various managements, The Paramount experienced several decades of successful seasons playing top-rated films. By the 1950s, The Paramount was almost exclusively used as a movie house. However, the invention of television and a move to the suburban movie houses began to threaten The Paramount in the 1960s. By the early 1970s, The Paramount Theatre was in disrepair and operating as a "B" movie house when John M. Bernardoni, Charles Eckerman, and Stephen L. Scott rescued the Theatre from obscurity. Bernardoni wanted to get back into Theatre work; Scott and Eckerman were ready for a challenge. In 1973, the three formed a corporation with the hope of acquiring a lease on the Theatre, which was slated for demolition, and of bringing in first class live entertainment for local audiences. In the beginning, Bernardoni, Eckerman, and Scott had no money and no connections, and initially they did not get much encouragement about their dreams for the Theatre. At the time, downtown Austin had acquired a bad reputation, and nay-sayers insisted that no one would go downtown at night, that there was no parking, and that the building was too far gone.
, and on April 15, 1975, Bernardoni, Eckerman, and Scott acquired The Paramount lease. One of Bernardoni's fondest memories of The Paramount was the night before that momentous date. It was around midnight, and he and his partners were cleaning up the Theatre. It was filthy and they had the border lights on, and Bernardoni started lowering a drop. "It was the first time we had seen the painted asbestos curtain. No one knew it was there. It was an emblem of what the Theatre was all about - a piece of history." The curtain was the original dramatically crafted curtain from 1915, and it is still there today.
Under its new management, The Paramount began showing classic films such as Top Hat
, Citizen Kane
, and An American in Paris
for 50 cents a ticket. Then the stage of The Paramount once again felt legitimate theatre return to its wooden floor after a 20-year absence when Center Stage and Austin Theatre Company produced the musical, Carnival
, in June of '75. Although the Theatre grossed a quarter of a million dollars in its first year, the company lost $1–2,000 doing it and eventually sought outside funding as a nonprofit organization. As a nonprofit, organization, the three men began the arduous task of raising money, programming national entertainment, and restoring the Theatre to its original grandeur. Bernadoni, Scott, and Eckerman began to raise the $2.2 million needed to re-do the Theatre. They applied for Texas landmark status and appealed to foundations, state and federal agencies, corporations, and private citizens for financial support. On April 22, 1976, The Paramount Theatre for the Performing Arts, as it was renamed, celebrated its first anniversary with the return of Dave Brubeck.
On May 6, 1977, The Paramount was the scene of a state historical marker dedication. Not long afterwards, on July 8, 1977, the Theatre earned its place in the national register of historic places
, which qualified it for federal restoration funds. Raising the money for the renovation was a constant struggle. For example, Actors' Equity Association
, an international union of actors, threatened to blacklist the Theatre unless it made $120,000 worth of repairs by September 1977. Bernardoni then appealed to the city for part of a $ 1.9 million housing and community development fund. By July 1977, the dressing room facilities had still not been renovated and the actors union threatened to cancel an appearance of the touring company of Guys and Dolls starring Leslie Uggams
, Richard Roundtree
, Debbie Allen
, and Maurice Hines
. In a moment of inspiration, Bernardoni put out a call for seven motor homes to serve as dressing rooms for the 31-member cast and 31 make-up mirrors: The motor homes were donated by private individuals and the mirrors came from another source. A union representative inspected the facilities and declared that the show could go on; it did go on, playing two performances to capacity crowds, which allowed The Paramount to break even. More important, it proved that Austin was ready to support national touring companies.
Restoration work on the Theatre finally began in September 1977 and was divided into two phases. Phase One included restoring the façade, first and second floor lobbies, renovating the back stage and dressing room areas, adding a new marquee and installing new seats in the lower floor and first balcony. Phase Two began in the spring of 1979 and included major renovation of the heating and air conditioning systems, installation of the remaining one-third of the seats in the upper balcony, cleaning the rayon and cotton wall panels, and installation of a lighting system for the stage. Whenever possible, the Theatre remained open during the restoration process, but this caused some big problems. For instance, in the summer of 1978, during a production of California Suite
with Brenda Vacarro and James Farentino
, the air conditioning stopped working after intermission. Fortunately, Bernardoni convinced her that the show must go on, and it did, despite sweltering heat and all. When Bernardoni went backstage to talk to her "she just about hit me in the face," he said. "She was hot and her makeup had melted. I explained to her that the air conditioning coils were frozen and that this was an old building which we were trying the restore." At the time, Bernardoni thought he was rambling on too much, "but it must have worked because she invited me to dinner with her and her mother the next night," he recalls.
, My Fair Lady
, and Evita, the dance companies of Martha Graham
, Merce Cunningham
, and Paul Taylor, comedians Lily Tomlin
, Rodney Dangerfield
, and George Carlin
, and musical groups of every possible type, ranging from the Texas Opera Theatre to Tibetan Monks
who performed a program of sacred music and dance. The Theatre still shows movies, too. In June 1992, the Paramount was chosen as one of the Theatres to rerun the alltime favorite Casablanca in celebration of the movie's 50-year anniversary. The Paramount is one of the few Theatres left which showed Casablanca
when it was originally released. The Theatre has even hosted glitzy Hollywood movie premieres - including the extravagant world premiere of the film version of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
, with Burt Reynolds
, Dolly Parton
, and Jim Nabors
along with country music stars Mel Tillis
and Jerry Reed
.
Today, The Paramount offers something for all ages, including a Broadway series of plays and a children's series, which began in 1987 and has featured such favorites as Charlotte's Web
, The Wizard of Oz
and the Velveteen Rabbit. By far the most popular attraction at the Theatre has been the blockbuster comedy Greater Tuna
, starring Jaston Williams and Joe Sears as various wacky, but strangely true-to-life characters from small-town Tuna, Texas. It first played at The Paramount in 1982. The show was such a hit that it toured nationally and returned to The Paramount several times. After continually packing houses across the country, Greater Tuna performed its farewell tour, in summer of 1991. Tuna fans were still able to enjoy the sequel, however, in A Tuna Christmas
. Not only does the Paramount host a variety of shows, but it has also produced its own shows. In the 1980s the Theatre produced Deathtrap
, Mass Appeal
, Dracula
, and The Oldest Living Graduate. The Paramount also co-produced with Charles Duggan The Foreigner
, a repeat smash hit starring those crazy Tuna guys Jaston Williams and Joe Sears. The Paramount will be used as the primary venue for dance company Ballet Austin's 2007/08 season.
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
located in downtown Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
in the United States of America. The classical revival
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
style structure was built in 1915. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on June 23, 1976.
In the Paramount's 90-year history, it has played host to a wide variety of acts ranging from vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
legends The Marx Brothers, to the premieres of such films as 1966's Batman
Batman (1966 film)
Batman, often promoted as Batman: The Movie, is a 1966 film based on the Batman television series, and the first full-length theatrical adaptation of the DC Comics character of the same name. Released by 20th Century Fox, the film starred Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin. The film was...
and 2005's Sin City
Sin City (film)
Sin City, also known as Frank Miller's Sin City, is a 2005 crime thriller film written, produced and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez...
.
For over 90 years, The Paramount Theatre has been home to vaudeville, silent movies and "talkies," music, dance, and Broadway shows. Through the years, a cast of superstars has graced its stage; from Houdini, the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
, Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes Brown was an American actress whose career spanned almost 70 years. She eventually garnered the nickname "First Lady of the American Theatre" and was one of twelve people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award...
, Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
, Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt was a French stage and early film actress, and has been referred to as "the most famous actress the world has ever known". Bernhardt made her fame on the stages of France in the 1870s, and was soon in demand in Europe and the Americas...
, the Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
, the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
, Lillian Russell
Lillian Russell
Lillian Russell was an American actress and singer. She became one of the most famous actresses and singers of the late 19th century and early 20th century, known for her beauty and style, as well as for her voice and stage presence.Russell was born in Iowa but raised in Chicago...
, John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J....
, the Barrymores, Lillian Gish
Lillian Gish
Lillian Diana Gish was an American stage, screen and television actress whose film acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912 to 1987....
, and George M. Cohan
George M. Cohan
George Michael Cohan , known professionally as George M. Cohan, was a major American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and producer....
to such modern-day favorites as Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
, Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
, Jerry Jeff Walker
Jerry Jeff Walker
Jerry Jeff Walker is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is probably most famous for writing the song "Mr. Bojangles.-Biography:...
, Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
, Lyle Lovett
Lyle Lovett
Lyle Pearce Lovett is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Active since 1980, he has recorded thirteen albums and released 21 singles to date, including his highest entry, the number 10 chart hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, "Cowboy Man"...
, Gregory Hines
Gregory Hines
Gregory Oliver Hines was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Born in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang...
, and Mandy Patinkin
Mandy Patinkin
Mandel Bruce "Mandy" Patinkin is an award-winning American actor of stage and screen and a tenor vocalist. He is a noted interpreter of the musical works of Stephen Sondheim, and is best-known for his work in musical theatre, originating iconic roles such as Georges Seurat in Sunday in the Park...
.
Early years (1915 - 1940s)
On October 11, 1915, The Paramount Theatre, then called The Majestic Theatre, opened its doors to the public in what would become a legacy of theatrical service to Austin and its surrounding communities. Built by Ernest Nalle in only eight months for a cost of $150,000, The Paramount was designed by John EbersonJohn Eberson
John Eberson was an American architect best known for his movie palace designs in the atmospheric theatre fashion.Born in Czernowitz, Austro-Hungarian Empire , Eberson went to highschool in Dresden and studied electrical engineering in Vienna. He arrived in the United States in 1901 and at first...
of Chicago, who was one of the most respected theatre architects in the United States. Eberson built approximately 1,200 theatres during his career, but today The Paramount is one of less than 25 in existence across the country. Architecturally handsome and acoustically excellent, The Paramount is described by today's architects as part Classical, Revival (1915) in style, and part Baroque-Revival (1930s glamorization). However you describe it, the Theatre means something different to each of its patrons.
In the years following, the Theatre saw the demise of vaudeville and the rise of silent, and then talking pictures. In 1930, the Interstate Theatre Circuit, owned by Karl Hoblitzelle, engaged in a major remodeling of the Majestic, adding wall-to-wall carpeting, replacing the wooden seats with upholstered chairs, and adding a state-of-the-art sound system, all of which cost almost as much as the original building. Once the extensive and ornate art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
remodeling was completed, the Theatre was renamed as the "Paramount" after its new owners, Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. During the 1930s, Austin's finest young ballerinas graced the Paramount's stage in the Christmas Revue of Miss Camille Long's School of Dance, and many a high-school girl rushed to the Theatre after school for a series of afternoon mystery movies. There was a new segment each week-"It was like modern soaps," remembers one Paramount patron. Although such movies were the norm, live entertainment still played an important part in the Theatre program schedule - for example, in 1935, Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes Brown was an American actress whose career spanned almost 70 years. She eventually garnered the nickname "First Lady of the American Theatre" and was one of twelve people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award...
was accused of snubbing local interviewers after her "superb" performance in Mary of Scotland.
The Paramount Theatre was very active during the war years of the 1940s. Hoblitzelle's Interstate Theatre's slogan was "dedicated to community service." The Paramount was a big promoter of war bond
War bond
War bonds are debt securities issued by a government for the purpose of financing military operations during times of war. War bonds generate capital for the government and make civilians feel involved in their national militaries...
s - it sold $8.4 million in war bonds from the first drive in 1942 to the victory campaign in 1945. The United States Treasury War Finance Committee recognized it with citations and awards and the manager, Louis Novy, with a war finance silver medal. The Theatre even ran Army training and recruiting films, such as Paris Under Ground, The Story of G.I. Joe
The Story of G.I. Joe
The Story of G.I. Joe, also credited in prints as Ernie Pyle's Story of G.I. Joe, is a 1945 American war film directed by William Wellman, starring Burgess Meredith and Robert Mitchum. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Mitchum's only nomination for Best Supporting Actor.The...
, and Pride of the Marines
Pride of the Marines
Pride of the Marines is a 1945 biographical war film starring John Garfield and Eleanor Parker. It tells the story of U.S. Marine Al Schmid in World War II, his heroic stand against a Japanese attack during the Battle of Guadalcanal, in which he was blinded by a grenade, and his subsequent...
, along with the usual entertainment. Wally Pryor was an usher at the Theatre in 1947 and remembers the postwar chocolate shortage. He used to hide chocolate rations for his friends, including fellow UT swimmers.
As an usher, Wally found himself part of Harry Blackstone
Harry Blackstone, Jr.
Harry Blackstone, Jr. was an American stage magician, author, and television performer.-Career and life:Blackstone was born in Three Rivers, Michigan, the son of noted stage magician Harry Blackstone, Sr. .As an infant, he was used as a prop in his father's act...
's magic act one time, participating in an amazing disappearing-bird act. The 1940s also saw such quality entertainment as Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
in the stage production of The Philadelphia Story
The Philadelphia Story (play)
The Philadelphia Story is a 1939 American comic play by Philip Barry. It tells the story of a socialite whose wedding plans are complicated by the simultaneous arrival of her ex-husband and an attractive journalist.-Production:...
.
Under various managements, The Paramount experienced several decades of successful seasons playing top-rated films. By the 1950s, The Paramount was almost exclusively used as a movie house. However, the invention of television and a move to the suburban movie houses began to threaten The Paramount in the 1960s. By the early 1970s, The Paramount Theatre was in disrepair and operating as a "B" movie house when John M. Bernardoni, Charles Eckerman, and Stephen L. Scott rescued the Theatre from obscurity. Bernardoni wanted to get back into Theatre work; Scott and Eckerman were ready for a challenge. In 1973, the three formed a corporation with the hope of acquiring a lease on the Theatre, which was slated for demolition, and of bringing in first class live entertainment for local audiences. In the beginning, Bernardoni, Eckerman, and Scott had no money and no connections, and initially they did not get much encouragement about their dreams for the Theatre. At the time, downtown Austin had acquired a bad reputation, and nay-sayers insisted that no one would go downtown at night, that there was no parking, and that the building was too far gone.
Restoration (1970s - 1980)
Nevertheless, on February 2, 1975, The Paramount had its first live show in years, a concert with Dave BrubeckDave Brubeck
David Warren "Dave" Brubeck is an American jazz pianist. He has written a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". Brubeck's style ranges from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills...
, and on April 15, 1975, Bernardoni, Eckerman, and Scott acquired The Paramount lease. One of Bernardoni's fondest memories of The Paramount was the night before that momentous date. It was around midnight, and he and his partners were cleaning up the Theatre. It was filthy and they had the border lights on, and Bernardoni started lowering a drop. "It was the first time we had seen the painted asbestos curtain. No one knew it was there. It was an emblem of what the Theatre was all about - a piece of history." The curtain was the original dramatically crafted curtain from 1915, and it is still there today.
Under its new management, The Paramount began showing classic films such as Top Hat
Top Hat
Top Hat is a 1935 screwball comedy musical film in which Fred Astaire plays an American dancer named Jerry Travers, who comes to London to star in a show produced by Horace Hardwick . He meets and attempts to impress Dale Tremont to win her affection...
, Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, directed by and starring Orson Welles. Many critics consider it the greatest American film of all time, especially for its innovative cinematography, music and narrative structure. Citizen Kane was Welles' first feature film...
, and An American in Paris
An American in Paris (film)
An American in Paris is a 1951 MGM musical film inspired by the 1928 orchestral composition by George Gershwin. Starring Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant, Georges Guetary, and Nina Foch, the film is set in Paris, and was directed by Vincente Minnelli from a script by Alan Jay Lerner...
for 50 cents a ticket. Then the stage of The Paramount once again felt legitimate theatre return to its wooden floor after a 20-year absence when Center Stage and Austin Theatre Company produced the musical, Carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
, in June of '75. Although the Theatre grossed a quarter of a million dollars in its first year, the company lost $1–2,000 doing it and eventually sought outside funding as a nonprofit organization. As a nonprofit, organization, the three men began the arduous task of raising money, programming national entertainment, and restoring the Theatre to its original grandeur. Bernadoni, Scott, and Eckerman began to raise the $2.2 million needed to re-do the Theatre. They applied for Texas landmark status and appealed to foundations, state and federal agencies, corporations, and private citizens for financial support. On April 22, 1976, The Paramount Theatre for the Performing Arts, as it was renamed, celebrated its first anniversary with the return of Dave Brubeck.
On May 6, 1977, The Paramount was the scene of a state historical marker dedication. Not long afterwards, on July 8, 1977, the Theatre earned its place in the national register of historic places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, which qualified it for federal restoration funds. Raising the money for the renovation was a constant struggle. For example, Actors' Equity Association
Actors' Equity Association
The Actors' Equity Association , commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing the world of live theatrical performance, as opposed to film and television performance. However, performers appearing on live stage productions without a book or...
, an international union of actors, threatened to blacklist the Theatre unless it made $120,000 worth of repairs by September 1977. Bernardoni then appealed to the city for part of a $ 1.9 million housing and community development fund. By July 1977, the dressing room facilities had still not been renovated and the actors union threatened to cancel an appearance of the touring company of Guys and Dolls starring Leslie Uggams
Leslie Uggams
Leslie Uggams is an American actress and singer, perhaps best known for her work in Hallelujah, Baby! She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.-Singing:...
, Richard Roundtree
Richard Roundtree
Richard Roundtree is an American actor and former fashion model. He is best known for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film Shaft and in its two sequels, Shaft's Big Score and Shaft in Africa .-Personal life:Born in New Rochelle, New York, Richard Roundtree graduated from...
, Debbie Allen
Debbie Allen
Deborrah Kaye “Debbie” Allen is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, television director, television producer, and a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities...
, and Maurice Hines
Maurice Hines
Maurice Hines is an American actor, director, jazz singer and choreographer.Born in New York City, Hines began his career at the age of five, studying tap dance at the Henry LeTang Dance Studio in Manhattan. LeTang recognized his talent and began choreographing numbers specifically for him and his...
. In a moment of inspiration, Bernardoni put out a call for seven motor homes to serve as dressing rooms for the 31-member cast and 31 make-up mirrors: The motor homes were donated by private individuals and the mirrors came from another source. A union representative inspected the facilities and declared that the show could go on; it did go on, playing two performances to capacity crowds, which allowed The Paramount to break even. More important, it proved that Austin was ready to support national touring companies.
Restoration work on the Theatre finally began in September 1977 and was divided into two phases. Phase One included restoring the façade, first and second floor lobbies, renovating the back stage and dressing room areas, adding a new marquee and installing new seats in the lower floor and first balcony. Phase Two began in the spring of 1979 and included major renovation of the heating and air conditioning systems, installation of the remaining one-third of the seats in the upper balcony, cleaning the rayon and cotton wall panels, and installation of a lighting system for the stage. Whenever possible, the Theatre remained open during the restoration process, but this caused some big problems. For instance, in the summer of 1978, during a production of California Suite
California Suite
California Suite is a 1976 play by Neil Simon. Similar in structure to his earlier Plaza Suite, the comedy is composed of four playlets set in Suite 203-04, which consists of a living room and an adjoining bedroom with an ensuite bath, in The Beverly Hills Hotel.-Plot:In Visitor from New York,...
with Brenda Vacarro and James Farentino
James Farentino
James Farentino is an American actor. He has appeared in almost one hundred roles, among them in The Final Countdown, Jesus of Nazareth, and Dynasty.-Career:...
, the air conditioning stopped working after intermission. Fortunately, Bernardoni convinced her that the show must go on, and it did, despite sweltering heat and all. When Bernardoni went backstage to talk to her "she just about hit me in the face," he said. "She was hot and her makeup had melted. I explained to her that the air conditioning coils were frozen and that this was an old building which we were trying the restore." At the time, Bernardoni thought he was rambling on too much, "but it must have worked because she invited me to dinner with her and her mother the next night," he recalls.
Today
Since its reorganization and 1980 restoration, the Theatre has served more than 1.5 million patrons in Austin and the surrounding central Texas communities. Major events have included the national touring companies of such shows as A Chorus LineA Chorus Line
A Chorus Line is a 1975 musical about Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line. The book was authored by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics were written by Edward Kleban, and music was composed by Marvin Hamlisch....
, My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
, and Evita, the dance companies of Martha Graham
Martha Graham
Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...
, Merce Cunningham
Merce Cunningham
Mercier "Merce" Philip Cunningham was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of the American avant-garde for more than 50 years. Throughout much of his life, Cunningham was considered one of the greatest creative forces in American dance...
, and Paul Taylor, comedians Lily Tomlin
Lily Tomlin
Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin is an American actress, comedienne, writer, and producer. Tomlin has been a major force in American comedy since the late 1960's when she began a career as a stand up comedian and became a featured performer on television's Laugh-in...
, Rodney Dangerfield
Rodney Dangerfield
Rodney Dangerfield , was an American comedian, and actor, known for the catchphrases "I don't get no respect!," "No respect, no respect at all... that's the story of my life" or "I get no respect, I tell ya" and his monologues on that theme...
, and George Carlin
George Carlin
George Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author, who won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums....
, and musical groups of every possible type, ranging from the Texas Opera Theatre to Tibetan Monks
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
who performed a program of sacred music and dance. The Theatre still shows movies, too. In June 1992, the Paramount was chosen as one of the Theatres to rerun the alltime favorite Casablanca in celebration of the movie's 50-year anniversary. The Paramount is one of the few Theatres left which showed Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
when it was originally released. The Theatre has even hosted glitzy Hollywood movie premieres - including the extravagant world premiere of the film version of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a musical with a book by Texas author Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and music and lyrics by Carol Hall...
, with Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
, Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
, and Jim Nabors
Jim Nabors
James Thurston "Jim" Nabors is an American actor and singer. Born and raised in Sylacauga, Alabama, Nabors moved to Southern California because of his asthma. While working at a Santa Monica nightclub, The Horn, he was discovered by Andy Griffith and later joined The Andy Griffith Show, playing...
along with country music stars Mel Tillis
Mel Tillis
Lonnie Melvin Tillis , known professionally as Mel Tillis, is an American country music singer. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s, with a long list of Top 10 hits....
and Jerry Reed
Jerry Reed
Jerry Reed Hubbard , known professionally as Jerry Reed, was an American country music singer, innovative guitarist, songwriter, and actor who appeared in more than a dozen films...
.
Today, The Paramount offers something for all ages, including a Broadway series of plays and a children's series, which began in 1987 and has featured such favorites as Charlotte's Web
Charlotte's Web
Charlotte's Web is an award-winning children's novel by acclaimed American author E. B. White, about a pig named Wilbur who is saved from being slaughtered by an intelligent spider named Charlotte. The book was first published in 1952, with illustrations by Garth Williams.The novel tells the story...
, The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (adaptations)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum, which has been adapted into several different works, the most famous being the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland...
and the Velveteen Rabbit. By far the most popular attraction at the Theatre has been the blockbuster comedy Greater Tuna
Greater Tuna
Greater Tuna is the first in a series of 4 comedic plays , each set in the fictional town of Tuna, Texas, the "third-smallest" town in the state. The series was written by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard...
, starring Jaston Williams and Joe Sears as various wacky, but strangely true-to-life characters from small-town Tuna, Texas. It first played at The Paramount in 1982. The show was such a hit that it toured nationally and returned to The Paramount several times. After continually packing houses across the country, Greater Tuna performed its farewell tour, in summer of 1991. Tuna fans were still able to enjoy the sequel, however, in A Tuna Christmas
A Tuna Christmas
A Tuna Christmas is the second in a series of comedic plays , each set the fictional town of Tuna, Texas, the "third-smallest" town in the state. The trilogy was written by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard...
. Not only does the Paramount host a variety of shows, but it has also produced its own shows. In the 1980s the Theatre produced Deathtrap
Deathtrap (play)
Deathtrap is a play by Ira Levin in 1978 which encompasses many plot twists and is essentially a play within a play. It is a play in two acts with one set and five characters. It holds the record for the longest running comedy-thriller on Broadway and was also nominated for the Tony Award for Best...
, Mass Appeal
Mass Appeal
Mass Appeal is a two-character play by Bill C. Davis. The comedy-drama focuses on the conflict between a complacent Roman Catholic pastor and the idealistic young deacon who is assigned to his affluent, suburban parish.-Plot:...
, Dracula
Dracula (play)
Dracula is a 1924 stage play adapted by Hamilton Deane from the novel of the same name by Bram Stoker, and substantially revised by John L. Balderston in 1927...
, and The Oldest Living Graduate. The Paramount also co-produced with Charles Duggan The Foreigner
The Foreigner (play)
The Foreigner is a play by Larry Shue.Set in a resort-style fishing lodge in rural Georgia, the comedy revolves around two of its guests, Englishman Charlie Baker and Staff Sergeant Froggy LeSueur. Charlie is so pathologically shy that he is unable to speak...
, a repeat smash hit starring those crazy Tuna guys Jaston Williams and Joe Sears. The Paramount will be used as the primary venue for dance company Ballet Austin's 2007/08 season.