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The Paramount Theatre opened
around 1930, just a couple blocks up Hohman Avenue from the grandiose Parthenon
Theatre, and could seat almost 2000.
Though not as ornate as the Parthenon or the State, the Paramount was
nonetheless just as popular, and featured not just motion pictures but live
stage shows, as late as the mid-50s.
The Paramount featured its own house orchestra, as well as an army of ushers and
uniformed doormen who greeted patrons like royalty.
Over the years, many celebrities graced the Paramount's stage, among them,
Minnie Pearl, Pat Boone, and the Benny Goodman Band.
After falling into disrepair, the Paramount was shuttered in 1981, and has since
been razed, recently replaced by Hammond's brand-new Federal Courthouse
Building.
Source: Cinema Treasures
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The Paramount Theater in Hammond
never looked quite as good as this.
But it is a fine example of the quality and
decor on display in a Parmount Theater. |
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I worked for a short time at the Paramount in the late 70s. I
remember showing Coma. After closing I used to spend hours
exploring the theater. There were a lot of leftovers from when
the theater was in her prime. There were underground dressing
rooms and call boards for the live acts. I spent so much time
exploring because I had been told that Al Capone had once owned
the theater and had used it as a distribution hub for liquor
during prohibition. There were tunnels running under Hohman Ave
that ran to storefronts where the booze was supposed to have
been sold out of. This was around the time that Geraldo was
cracking open Capone's vault in downtown Chicago, so I had it in
my mind that I might find some of Capones lost money. I found
nothing but a lot of mold and spider webs. It was fun exploring
though. The Paramount was a beauty, though, and I wish I had
seen her in her prime.
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