"Casablanca" and more at Oakland's Paramount

Built in 1931, the Paramount Theatre in Oakland is an overwhelming, gorgeous example of the grandiose art-deco style of theatre built in the 1920s and 1930s. These "movie palaces" were an attempt to attract more distinguished audiences to the then-new art form of movie-making.

I've visited many historic one-screen theatres from that era all over the United States, and while each and every one is a fantastic movie-going experience, the Paramount is the only theatre that took my breath away before I even walked inside the incredible neon entrance - which makes all of Broadway in downtown Oakland glow in a glamorous blue flash. In the past year, I've seen "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and "Vertigo" - two very different films starring the affable Jimmy Stewart - at the Paramount, as well as having the experience of a lifetime last year: Abel Gance's Napoleon, which was the most incredible film experience of my life, and will be the focus of another post another day.

The Paramount's over-the-top and beautiful, and as you wander from one elegant space to another, it makes you feel like you should be in your finest flapper attire with a debonair dandy on your arm. From the grand center staircase and the theatre attendants with their helpful seat-finding flashlights to the straight-out-of-the-movies powder room with little chairs and mirrors adjacent to the ladies room and the tri-level bars serving beer and wine, the entire experience is more than worth every penny of the $5 ticket to see one of the rare classic films they show - usually once a month, athough the schedule seems to change periodically.

Here's a brief history of the theatre summarized from its own web site:

"Oakland's Paramount Theatre is one of the finest remaining examples of Art Deco design in the United States. Designed by renowned San Francisco architect Timothy L. Pflueger and completed in late 1931, it was one of the first Depression-era buildings to incorporate and integrate the work of numerous creative artists into its architecture and is particularly noteworthy for its successful orchestration of the various artistic disciplines into an original and harmonious whole.

After its initial brief blaze of "movie palace" glory in the 1930's, this remarkable auditorium suffered three decades of neglect and decline until its rescue by the Oakland Symphony, the City of Oakland and numerous private donors. The building was purchased by the Board of Directors of the Oakland Symphony Orchestra Association in 1972. A painstaking and authentic restoration was completed in 1973 and the theatre was entered in the National Register of Historic Places on August 14th of that year.

In 1975 the City of Oakland, the present owner, assumed ownership from the Oakland Symphony Orchestra Association. The Paramount Theatre became a California Registered Historic Landmark in 1976, and on May 5, 1977, was declared a National Historic Landmark.

Restored to its original splendor, meticulously maintained, and fully upgraded to modern technical standards, the Paramount now serves all the arts. The Paramount Theatre is the home of the Oakland East Bay Symphony and, as one of the San Francisco Bay Area's premiere performing arts facilities, hosts a year-round schedule of popular music concerts, variety shows, theatre, and - of course - movies."

The Paramount's Winter Classics 2013 film series began in January with "Singin' in the Rain" and continues on Friday, February 15, with "Casablanca" at 6 p.m. The theatre is located at 2025 Broadway in Oakland.

Movie Classic Nights feature a 35mm film print, a newsreel, a cartoon, previews of classic films, and prizes. Box office opens at 6 p.m. (recommended that you arrive at this time - have a glass of wine and walk around to absorb the beauty and history of this amazing building). A live Mighty Wurlitzer organ serenade (super cool and fun!) begins at 7:30 p.m., the curtain rises at 8 p.m., and the feature film begins at 8:30 p.m.

Other films coming up this winter/spring include: "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" on March 8 and "The Maltese Falcon" on April 26.

TIP: Bring cash for the wine and concession stands. And the 3,040-seat theatre was about half full when I saw Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, but it was completely sold out and difficult to find a seat during the screening of Hitchcock's "Vertigo," so I guess it depends on the film if it's crowded or not.

TIP: Official tours of the Paramount Theatre are given on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month. Read all the details here.http://www.paramounttheatre.com/tour.html