The Paramount
Perhaps the most recognizable example of an historic venue is Austin's Paramount Theatre (713 Congress, 512/472-5411), a stately old building on Austin's main thoroughfare. Built in 1915, the proud old Paramount began its decline in the Sixties but was saved by a corporation formed in 1973 by a group of visionaries. The theatre was restored to its original grandeur in the early Eighties and today is one of the busiest performing arts venues in the state. The Paramount is home base of the beloved Tuna Trilogy, sponsors the ever-popular summer movie series and plays host to an impressive roster of theatrical productions and concerts every season. Just north of the Paramount, the long-abandoned State Theatre (719 Congress, 512/472-5143) is in the midst of the public/private financed renovation that will make it the permanent home of Austin's Live Oak Theatre Company. |
History of the Yucca
The Yucca Resuscitated
The Summer Mummers
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The Palace Theatre
In downtown Georgetown, the Palace Theatre (814 S. Austin Ave., 512/869-7469) began showing silent movies in 1927, converted to talkies in 1936 and lapsed into limited use by the 1970's. Today, it's the Palace Community Theatre, home to an amateur acting company, monthly productions of the Georgetown Opry and shows occasional films.
Granada Movie Grill
Hungry movie-goers in Dallas' lower Greenville area are big fans of the Granada Movie Grill (3524 Greenville Ave., 214/887-0223), a dinner-and-movie venue in the fifty-year-old Granada Theatre. It was one of the first movie/dining operations in the country. Famed as Dallas' first movie house with built-in air conditioning, the Granada was built in 1948 with facilities for both live acts and movies. When it opened, tickets were 40 cents for adults and 16 cents for children, and there was even a "crying room" to accommodate the baby boom. Original murals still exist in the Granada's interior.
Prologue: Dramatic Comeback
Act I: History of the Yucca
Act II: The Yucca Resuscitated
Act III: The Summer Mummers |
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