Paramount Theatre

2025 Broadway

Oakland, California 

Oakland's Parmount Theatre is one of the finest remaining examples of Art Deco design in the United States.

The Paramount opened at a cost of $3 million on December 16, 1931. 

A small section of Timothy L. Pflueger's patented ceiling grid which extends above the auditorium.

The Grand Art Deco lobby.

The Paramount Theatre is a stunning Art Deco concert hall and a National Historic Landmark, known for its opulent design and hosting a wide variety of performances, including concerts, ballet, plays, stand-up comedy and classic films screenings from Hollywood's Golden Era.  It serves as the home for the Oakland Symphony and Oakland Ballet Company and is a major Bay Area performing arts venue.

The Paramount Theatre is a prime example of Art Deco design, meticulously restored in 1973 to its original 1931 splendor with 3,040 seats. When it was built in 1931, it was the largest multi-purpose theatre on the West Coast, seating 3,476.

 It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 14, 1973. It became a California Registered Historical Landmark in 1976 and a U.S. National Historical Landmark in 1977.  

Fountain of Light in the Grand Lobby over the entrance and marquee.

Fountain of Light

Women's Lounge, basement level

Mural

by

Charles Stafford Duncan

(1892-1952)

Duncan was a San Francisco painter, lithographer, muralist and graphic designer perhaps best known for this mural in the Paramount Theatre.  He won the Benjamin Altman Prize from the National Academy of Design in 1937.

Detail of mosaic on facade.

The Paramount Theatre was built as a movie palace, during the rise of the motion picture industry in the late 1920s.  In 1925, Adolph Zukor's Paramount Publix Corporation, the theatre division of Paramount Pictures, one of the great studio-theatre chains, began a construction program resulting in some of the finest theatres built.  Publix assigned the design of the Oakland Paramount to 38-year old San Francisco renowned architect, Timothy L. Pflueger (1892-1946) of Miller and Pflueger.  Pflueger was also the designer of the Castro Theatre in San Francisco.

Grand Lobby north wall showing dancing Art Deco figures.

View looking down from the balcony at the ceiling, prosceniuim, curtain, seating and hydraulic orchestra pit.

Basement lounge showing stylized couches and benches.  Note the bold wall and ceiling designs.

Women's Mezzanine-level foyer

The Paramount organ was built in 1931 by Wurlitzer for the Paramount Theatre: a four-manual, twenty-rank model Opus 2164 which cost $20,000 in 1931. 

Opus 2164 has over 1,450 pipes along with a built-in grand piano, drums and percussion that can physically vibrate the auditorium. The Mighty Wurlitzer is played live before screenings on select dates.  

The gala premiere was attended by Kay Francis, star of the opening film, The False Madonna. Tickets were first-come, first-serve: sixty cents for the balcony seat and eighty-five cents for a seat in the orchestra. Music was provided by the Paramount's own 16-piece house orchestra under the direction of Lew Kosloff.  The Sunkist Beauties featured a chorus line finale.

The "Sunkist Beauties" were glamorous, highly synchronized troupe dancers created by West Coast theatre producers Fanchon and Marco.  Popular throughout the 1920s and 1930s, they performed elaborate live stage shows called "Prologues" in premier movie palaces before feature films. The term also evokes the era's broader "bathing beauties" cultural phenomenon, heavily popularized by California citrus advertisements, pin-up art and Hollywood starlets.  

The Concept:  Producers  Manchon and Marco ("Miss Fanchon" Simon and Marco Wolff) specialized in massive live entertainment.  Their signature touch was the synchronized female chorus line.  Fanchon specifically sought out dancers who exuded "youth and naturalness" typically recruiting girls aged 15 to 20 years of age. Alongside groups like the San Francisco Beauties and the iconic Fanchonettes, the Sunkist Beauties helped set the stage for modern precision dance.

"The most famous brother and sister producing team."

The term, "Sunkist" also referred generically to the explosion of beachwear and sunwear fashion worn by Hollywood starlets of the era.  Actresses like Rita Hayworth, Betty Grable and Esther Williams frequently posed for promotional "pin-up" photos on California beaches.  This era saw the rise of structured, high-waisted two-piece swimsuits and playsuits that celebrated a healthy, athletic physique.

Fanchon and Marco were a powerhouse brother-and-sister theatrical duo who profoundly shaped American entertainment.  Born Fanchon and Marco Wolff, they transitioned rom a modest vaudeville dance act into one of the largest independent production companies in show business history.  Fanchon and Marco were crucial in evolving the modern chorus line.  They managed multiple resident dance troupes, most notably the Fanchonettes (originally the California Sunshine Girls).  Unlike the static, decorative showgirls of the Ziegfeld Follies, the Fanchonettes were disciplined dancers and gymnasts. Up to 48 women would perform highly synchronized, fast-paced routines in perfect unison, combining tap, ballet, roller-skating and acrobatics.  This heavy emphasis on geometric, athletic precision directly paved the way for groups like the  Radio City Rockettes.  

FANCHON AND MARCO

"The standard by which stage shows are judged"

Variety 1929

Today, walking into the main lobby, with its gold ornamentation along the walls, curving staircase, and glowing light fixtures, is like taking a trip back through Old Hollywood.  Public tours of the Paramount Theatre are given on the first and third Saturdays of each month, excluding holidays and holiday weekends. 

Grace Patricia Kelly

Circa 1955

(November 12, 1929-September 14, 1982)

Grace Kelly was born into an exceptionally prominent, wealthy and athletic family in Philadephia where she spent the first twenty years of her life before finding Hollywood stardom and marrying into European royalty.  The Kelly family left an indelible mark on the city's civic, athletic and architectural history. 

The Patriarch (John "Jack" B. Kelly Sr.):  The son of Irish immigrants, he started as a  bricklayer and built a massively successful brickwork contracting company, John B. Kelly Inc.  He was a three-time Olympic gold medalist in rowing (sculling), a near-winner of the 1935 Philadelphia mayoral race and served on the Fairmount Park Commission.

The Mother (Margaret Majer Kelly):  A former cover girl and Temple University graduate, she made history as the first coach of women's athletic teams at the University of Pennsylvania.  

The Siblings:  Grace grew up alongside three highly competitive siblings: an older sister, Margaret  ("Peg"); an older brother, John B. Kelly, Jr. ("Kell") who followed his father's rowing footsteps to bcome an Olympic medal-winning champion and city leader; and a younger sister, Elizabeth Anne ("Lizanne"). 

The Talented Uncles:  The family also boasted deep creative roots in the city.  Grace's Uncle Walter C. Kelly was a prominent vaudeville star and he Uncle George Kelly was a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright who heavily influenced Grace's early interest in acting. 

Grace's Childhood Home 

The center of gravity for the family was their stately Georgian Colonial mansion located in Philadelphia's charming East Falls neighborhood.  

The Address:  3901 Henry Avenue 

The House:  Built by Grace's father's brick construction firm in the lae 1920s, the 4,000-square-foot 6-bedroom home featured a sprawling garden, a tennis court, a basement den dubbed the "Kelly Tavern" and a closet door where the family famously etched the growing heights of the children.  

An Historic Proposal:  It was inside this very house during Christmas of 1955 that Prince Rainier III of Monaco proposed marriage to Grace kelly.  Their formal engagement announcement to the global press followed on January 5, 1956.  Here they are posing with Kelly's parents and showcasing her first Cartier ruby and diamond ring.

Royal Restoration and Present Day Status of the Kelly Home

After being sold out of the family in 1973, the home fell into severe disrepair under the subsequent owners.  In 2016, Grace's son, Prince Albert II of Monaco, repurchased the property for $755,000.  Using old family photographs, the royal family meticulously restored the home to its exact 1930s elegance, including replicating Grace's original childhood bedroom.  The home is not a public museum and is entirely closed for regular interior tours.  It operates as a private residence for the Monegasque royal family when they visit Philadelphia.  It acts as the regional offices for the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and hosts private events for The Princess Grace Foundation-USA.  Traverls can easily view the exterior structure and its Pennyslvania Historial Marker for the public sidewalk.

Other Kelly Landmarks in Philadelphia

Kelly Drive:  This scenic, major thoroughfare running along the Schuylkill River in Fairmount Park was officially renamed in honor of the Olympic rowing legacy of the Kelly family. 

Old Academy Players:  Located nearby in East Falls, this theatre is where Grace Kelly made her very first amateur acting debut as a young girl.  

Grace Kelly had two older siblings, Margaret "Peggy" and John Jr. and a younger sister, Elizabeth "Lizanne".  Both sisters were active in Philadelphia's social circles and remained close to the actress throughout her life, later serving as bridesmaids at her April 18, 1956 royal wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco.  

Margaret was born Margaret Katherine Kelly in 1925.  She was Grace's older sister.  "Peggy" was highly involved in charitable and social events in Philadelphia.  She had two daughters, Meg and Mary Lee who frequently served as flower girls for the Kelly family, including at Grace's wedding.  

Elizabeth was born Elizabeth Ann Kelly in 1933 though passed November 24, 2009.  "Lizanne" lived a quiet and grounded life away from the Hollywood spotlight.  She was an avid athlete and a well-known local volunteer in Philadelphia.  In 2009, she passed away at the age of 76 after a long illness.

Grace Kelly's older sister, Margart Katherine "Peggy" passed on November 23, 1991 in Pennsylvania. John Kelly, Jr. (often known as Jack Kelly Jr.) passed in 1985. 

..the sisters and their brother watched their sister become a princess ..

Grace Kelly:  From Hollywood Royalty to Real Life Royalty

Grace rose to fame in Hollywood through her role in High Noon and she won an Academy Award for her work in The Country Girl.  Additionally, she started in various Alfred Hitchcock thrillers including Rear Window, Dial M for Murder and To Catch a Thief.

Grace Kelly at 9 years of age and her younger sister, Elizabeth is on her left.

Grace Kelly with Elizabeth on the day of her wedding.

 

 

Grace Kelly

Hollywood Actress to Monaco Princess 

Grace Patricia Kelly

(1929-1982)

Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco

Kelly was an American actress and Princess of Monaco as the wife of Prince Rainier III from their civil marriage on April 18, 1956 followed by an extravagant religious ceremony on April 19, 1956. Prior to her marriage she achieved stardom in several significant Hollywood films in the early to mid-1950s.  She received an Academy Award and three Golden Globe Awards and was ranked 13th on the American film Institute's 25 Greatest Female Stars list. 

Kelly was born into a prominent Catholic family in Philadelphia, PA.  After graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1949, she began appearing in New York City theatrical productions and television broadcasts.  Kelly made her film debut in Fourteen Hours (1951).  She also gained stardom from her roles in High Noon (1952) and Mogambo (1953), the latter of which earned her the Academy Award for a Best Supporting Actress nomination.  Kelly played the supporting character, Linda Nordley, alongside Clark Gable and Ava Gardner.  The part of Linda Nordley was a deglamorized leading role for Miss Kelly.  Mogambo, the adventure film was shot on location across equatorial Africa and at studio soundstages in the United Kingdom. 

She won a Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in The Country Girl (1954) with Kelly playing the leading role of Georgie Elgin opposite Bing Crosby.

She made three Alfred Hitchcock suspense thrillers:  Dial M for Murder (1954), Rear Window (1954) and To Catch a Thief (1955).   When Kelly won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Country Girl in 1954 she also starred in the three Htichcock films all within three years!

In 1956, Kelly starred in High Society with Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. 

Both Crosby and Sinatra had profound respect for Kelly's off-screen demeanor, speaking of her in a 1976 reflection:

"She has taste, style, very good instincts, dignity and most respectable principles.  Grace was also kind, considerate and thoughtful of everybody connected with her films .. from the actors right on down to the grips.  I just have to consider her a most perfect person. When you look at Grace she reminds you of a cool breath of fresh air."

Bing Crosby

"Grace was the most incredible human being I've ever known.  Everything she touched came alive. A gracious, wonderful woman who was a princess from the moment she was born."

Frank Sinatra

Trivia:  Grace Kelly wore her engagement ring in the musical romantic comedy, High Society and was her last film before marrying Prince Rainier III.

The ring made by Cartier was set with a stunning 10.48 carat emerald cut diamond flanked by a pair of baguette-cut diamonds. 

In 1955, Prince Rainier III of Monaco proposed to Grace Kelly with a diamond and ruby eternity band representing the colors of Monaco.  Prince Rainier was deeply smitten from the moment he met the Hollywood starlet, telling his inner circle that he knew she was the one.  Though they only met briefly in 1955, the Prince wrote her poetic, romantic letters from afar before traveling to the United States to propose during Christmas that year.  They were married a few months later in what the media dubbed "the wedding of the century".  As Princess Grace, she left her acclaimed Hollywood career behind to dedicate herself to Monaco and raise their three children Caroline, Albert and Stephanie.  While their royal union was undeniably a strategic and political alliance Monaco required an heir and financial stability.  Grace's family provided a significant dowry and the two developed a genuine and profound affection for one another. 

The Prince was completely heartbroken when Princess Grace perished in September 1982 following a tragic car accident.  Following her death, Prince Rainier spoke only about his deep love for her and preserved her memory by establishing the Princess Grace Foundation to honor her lasting commitment to the arts. 

..their story was one of the world's great love stories..

Kelly retired from acting at age 26 to marry Rainier and began her duties as Princess of Monaco.  Princess Grace's charity work focused on young children and the arts.  

She has been regarded as an influential figure in cinema and was often associated as the "Hitchcock blonde".  One author described her screen image as characterized by elegance and glamour. On January 31, 1955 Kelly appeared on the cover of TIME magazine. Kelly was described in the article as the "Girl in White Gloves".

In 2012, Grace's childhood home was made a Pennsylvania historic landmark and an historical marker was placed on the site.  The home is located in the East Falls section of Philadelphia.  It was built by her father, John B. Kelly Sr. in 1929.  Grace lived in the house until 1950.  Prince Rainier III proposed to her there in 1955.

The Kelly family sold the property in 1974.

3901 Henry Avenue

The Royal Palace

The civil ceremony was held in the Throne Room of the Prince's Palace of Monaco, one day prior to their lavish religious ceremony at Saint Nicholas Cathedral.  This dress was made of taffeta, pale pink in color, covered by cream-colored Alencon lace, designed as a "fitting bodice with high rounded collar and a flared skirt". She wore kid gloves and a Juliet cap. The dress for the legal civil ceremony was designed by Helen Rose, a costume designer in the wardrobe department of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer who also designed the gown for the main religious ceremony. 

The civil marriage was legally solemnized in the presence of 80 guests which included representatives from 14 nations.

The wedding dress of the American actress, worn during her wedding on April 19 is cited as one of the most elegant and best-remembered lace masterpiece bridal gowns of all time and one of the most famous since the mid 20th century.  The dress consisted of a bodice with an attached under-bodice and skirt support. There were two petticoats, one being an attached foundation.  The wedding attire included a headdress, veil, shoes and the lace-and-pearl-encrusted prayer book which she carried down the aisle.  The dress was a high-necked, long-sleeved gown with a fitted torso and billowing skirt.  Grace Kelly worked closely with Helen Rose to come up with the design.  The two women looked to costumes in the MGM archives for inspiration. The materials included "twenty-five yards of silk taffeta, one hundred yards of silk net and 125-year-old Brussels rose point lace. The Juliet cap was bejeweled with seed pearls and orange blossoms.  The veil, made of tulle, measured an expansive 90 yards.  

In 2005, the Philadephia Museum of Art discovered that her wedding shoes held a lucky penny, hidden in the right shoe.  The wedding dress train of 3 feet was described as "flowing like a river of whipped cream among the plush red floor".

On April 1, 2006, The Philadelphia Museum of Art presented an exhibition titled Fit for a Princess: Grace Kelly's Wedding Dress that ran until May 21, 2006.  The exhibition was in honor of the 50th anniversary of the wedding.

Some 50 years on, Kelly's 1956 wedding gown is still influential.  It has come in for praise in recent times because the wedding dress that Catherine Middleton wore on April 29, 2011 when she married Prince William was said to have been inspired by it.  

Grace Kelly's iconic wedding dress took six weeks to create.  The monumental project required a dedicated team of 3 dozen seamstresses working around the clock.  It had over 400 yards of fabric in total, including roughly 300 yards of lace. An intricate detail is that hundreds of thousands of hand-sewn seed pearls were used to complete the bodice.

In 2009, a plaque was placed on the "Rodeo Drive Walk of Style" in recognition of her contributions to style and fashion. 

"Grace Kelly was the best actress I've ever worked with in my life.  That woman was total relaxation, absolute ease.  She was totally THERE.  She was an extraordinarily serene girl".

Cary Grant, co-starred with Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief.

Grace Kelly holding her Oscar statue for Best Actress in the film, The Country Girl (1954) at the 27th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

Circa March 30, 1955

Bob Hope giving Grace Kelly a congratulatory kiss on the cheek.

"I would like to be remembered as someone who accomplished useful deeds and who was a kind and loving person.  I would like to leave the memory of a human being with a correct attitude and who did her best to help others."

Princess Grace Patricia Kelly Grimaldi

..  to be continued ..

Irving and Mary Cohen

Circa 1926

Irvin Cohen met Mary Gossin in Rochester, New York in 1925.  He took her ice skating, canoeing on the Genesee River and to the movies.  In February 1926, they were married and in 1927 they bought their first theatre in the small town of Wayland, New York.

In the years to follow, they would purchase or build other theatres in towns throughout Central and Western New York State such as the Strand in Hornell, New York, the Plaza in Corning, New York and another theatre in Mount Morris, New York.  While operating these theatres, they also raised a family of two sons, Gary and Macy and one daughter, Jacqueline.

In 1937, they built their first new indoor theatre, the Steuben, in Hornell.  It was known as one of the most beautiful theatres in the northeast. In 1940, they purchased the historic Allendale Theatre in Buffalo which they remodeled in the 1950s and leased to several different operators.  

In 1949, they built the Van Buren Drive-In in Dunkirk, New York which they operated until it was sold to the Dipson Theatre chain in 1979.  In 1950, they built the Sheridan Drive-In in Tonawanda, New York which was closed in 1981.  

In 1957, they purchased the Transit Drive-In from a group of Buffalo area businessmen.

Since then, the Transit Drive-In Theatre has been managed by three generations of the Cohen family.  Irving and Mary's older son, Gary managed the Transit from 1957 to 1963.  Macy, their younger son, managed the theatre from 1963 to 1986, increasing the parking capacity from 600 cars to 990 cars by 1973, introducing in-car heaters and a 12 month schedule from 1972 until 1977.

The Transit has faced several setbacks over the years.  The original screen tower blew down during a wind storm in 1971.  It was replaced by the current Selby screen tower, a 98' x 60' mammoth tower.  A fire closed down the concession building on september 8, 1973, but not the drive-in.

"The show will go on!" was the word from Macy Cohen on that day! 

In the 1980s and 1990s, cable television, pay per view movie channels, video rentals and multiplex shoe box theatres presented more serious challenges. Macy's oldest son, David managed the drive-in from 1979 to 1983 and Macy's daughter, Linda managed the snack bar from 1984 to 1986.  

Jacqueline's oldest son, Rodney visiting from Delaware in 1980, worked one summer at the drive-in while staying with his grandmother, Mary to get "a taste of the business experience" as he put it. David's son, Aaron became the 4th generation of Cohen's to work at the drive-in while visiting his Uncle Rick over the summer in 2006.  

In 1987, Macy's youngest son, Rick began managing the drive-in and immediately began a more agressive, dedicated approach to the business.  "I was told by my family and others that the drive-in was a dinosaur, a thing of the past and that we'd never see the nights with over 1,000 admissions again" recalls Rick Cohen with amusement. As a 19 year old in 1987, Rick converted the theatre over to FM stereo sound and installed a platter film system to improve presentation quality.  All the original speaker poles were repainted.  The original 1950s neon marquee was completely rebuilt and Rick still does his own neon repairs.  Car shows, movie premiers, velcro wall jumping, hay rides, pony rides, concerts, contests and other special events were held over the next several years to bring excitement back into the theatre. With a better quality sound system and a brighter picture crowds were coming back. 

On one night in 1991, the drive-in brought in over 2,000 admissions for a showing of "Die Hard 2".  In 1994, the drive-in added a second outdoor movie screen.  In 1995, they added a 19-hole miniature golf course, naming it "The Greens Under the Screen".  In 1996, they added a third screen tower.  On June 29, 2001 the Transit Drive-In became the largest drive-in theatre in New York State when their fourth screen was opened.  In 2008, the Transit Drive-In celebrated their 56th summer of movies and fun under the stars.

Nights with over 1,000 admissions happen virtually every weekend.  It is strongly recommended that patrons arrive up to an hour before the advertised show time during the summer on the weekend nights to grab the best parking spaces, use the playground, play miniature golf, have dinner at the refreshment stand or simply enjoy the sunset while waiting for the films to begin.

No Extra Charge for the Sunset!

Today Rick Cohen is in his 21st season managing the drive-in and he expects to keep on running the outdoor movies for many more years.  

A few of Rick's favorite quotes are as follows:

"The world really doesn't need any more doctors, lawyers or accountants.  What it really needs are more dedicated, loyal drive-in theatre managers."

"Would you like butter topping on that?"

"Vans park in the back rows."

"Please don't let it rain this weekend."