Locals and tourists know the Paramount Theatre as a historic site and entertainment staple of downtown Austin, but 50 years ago, the business struggled to keep its doors open.
Built in 1915 for vaudeville performances and later remodeled to screen silent films, the Paramount Theatre witnessed over a century of film history. With its annual summer classic film series, which turns 50 this year, audiences can experience this history too. Every summer from May 24 to Sept. 1, the theater screens roughly 100 classic films ranging from “The Wizard of Oz” to “10 Things I Hate About You.”
“The energy, enthusiasm and the love of seeing movies in a theater is greater than ever,” said Stephen Jannise, ‘10, film studies, and Paramount’s director of film programming and content strategy.
The Paramount later held film premieres, including the 1943 premiere of “Casablanca,” which traditionally commences the summer series. But by the 70s, the theatre’s popularity dropped significantly. Three men sought to revitalize the theater and encouraged audiences to return by screening old movies in 1975 — thus, the tradition began.
“(The theater) was rumored to be torn down that year,” Jannise said. “(But) people showed up in huge numbers. They loved the idea of being able to see those old movies in a historic, beautiful space like that. It was the first step in saving the theater.”
Fifty years later, the Paramount hosts major movie premieres and annual events like South by Southwest and hundreds of live shows. Paul Beutel, former director of programming and UT alumnus, said that despite the introduction of new entertainment technology, the theater managed to hang on and give audiences an experience they can’t get at home.
“There’s so much that we can learn about ourselves over the years by looking back at the films in addition to being entertained,” Beutel said. “I enjoyed being able to bring films that meant things to me and put them in front of an audience (and) showing them the way they were meant to be seen.”
Chase Cowart, who graduated from UT in 2021, said he discovered Paramount’s summer classic film series after moving to Austin for school. Six years later, he said it’s easier to count his watched movies at the Paramount than unwatched.
“I saw they were playing ‘The Searchers’ and I was like ‘Oh, it’s an old cowboy movie. I’ve never seen that in the theaters,’” Cowart said. “That was the beginning. I just kind of fell in love with going to the Paramount.”
Jannise said the Paramount wants audiences to realize that watching classic movies constitutes more than just a hobby. Without all the distractions that normally bombard modern life, seeing old films with an audience provides people with a chance to expand their perspective and create lifelong memories, he said.
“I’m trying to convince everyone to fall in love with the movies as much as I love them,” Jannise said. “That’s why I do what I do every year.”
