The Paramount Theatre, Port Arthur(now Thunder Bay) Ontario in 1948 and in 2009...the last survivor!!
The Lobby of the Paramount in 1948 and in 2009....survived 61 years without too much damage, thanks to those who will keep these historic theatres alive!!
The Box Office in 1948 and a different angle shot in 2009.
Gotta have popcorn from the snack bar. The photo on the right shows the coloured signage just down from the Paramount in 1955. You can see the theatre in the background as well as Willson Stationery and Farrant and Gordon Men's Wear...two large business of the time right next to the Paramount which was and still is on 24 Court Street in Port Arthur(Thunder Bay). Soon after this photo and into the 1960's, the city slowly banned the use of signage that hung overhead of the sidewalks....which lead to the demise of many beautiful neon advertising signs.
It is great to see this theatre still active after all these years. It is the only oldie left to witness to the days of Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis and Casablanca.
The beautiful Paramount Theatre opened its doors on Dec. 27, 1948. It was a very modern state of the art theatre, having of all things special seats for the hard of hearing.
The beautiful Paramount Theatre opened its doors on Dec. 27, 1948. It was a very modern state of the art theatre, having of all things special seats for the hard of hearing.
Click on photos to enjoy larger...
Posts
6 comments:
This is wonderful! Thank you for posting it! You should pay us another visit soon and do a follow up as we upgrade and restore the facility (now under new management!) You can also stop by our new website if you like (www.paramounttheatre.ca)
Leon
(Operations Manager)
Paramount Theatre
The interior (lobby) has been updated. They are still showing the classics here.
Yes, the colour photo of the lobby was taken recently showing the update....and yes the Paramount is now showing classics. Thanks for your comment...D
There have been more updates since the colour photo of the lobby above too! We have chose a more subtle colour scheme of blues to tie in with the art deco and to give it that old time feel again. We are also putting in new carpet and a day time cafe/espresso bar in the lobby (complete with old fashioned jukebox!) So much going on there right now!
I absolutely love this page! I would greatly appreciate any better version of these pictures for our website if you would be so kind?
email info@paramounttheatre.ca
Thanks!
Leon
I Love The Paramount, don't get me wrong. Leon & Co deserve high praise for what they've done thus far.....Now if only they can scrap the wiggles & giggles garbage that ruined the main screening room, maybe the Paramount can return it's true glory days and be converted to one of the only remaining single screener's and we'd have a true classic theater to enjoy again, not just a solo balcony abomination. Even an upstairs/downstairs, would be preferable to the sole balcony abomination we're now so severely limited by and that would further entice the North of Superior Film association peeps to call this gem home. This could be Thunder Bay's home to independent cinema, much like Zinema 2 in Duluth, The Lagoon, Heights, Riverview, or Uptown in Minneapolis, Cinemetheque in Winnipeg, The Century in Chicago, The Oriental in Milwaukee, and the Tivoli in St. Louis who all have the right idea with their revivalist upscale approaches. Why are we not doing this here?... C'Mon People, Make This Happen!!!!!
Anonymous said.. "...Now if only they can scrap the wiggles & giggles garbage that ruined the main screening room, maybe the Paramount can return it's true glory days and be converted to one of the only remaining single screener's and we'd have a true classic theater to enjoy again, not just a solo balcony abomination."
In theory, this sounds like a great idea! However, if we were to convert the downstairs into a theatre, whether it be a single screen with an overlooking balcony, or a two screener, we would be bankrupt within months! There are simply no where near enough people supporting the classic movies to even consider that!
We are very grateful to have Wiggles. Without it, we simply could not fund the theatre. Perhaps, if we ever see the day that we get full houses, or even half full for that matter, we may dare to dream. In the meantime, we very much appreciate the two dozen or so regulars or visit us on Sundays to enjoy a good old fashion movie!
Thanks for your thoughts. :)
Leon (posting with his wife's profile as he does not have one!)
Post a Comment