Paramount Bristol

History

Paramount Bristol, 518 State St. in Bristol, Tennessee, opened at 8 p.m. on Feb. 20, 1931 with the film It Pays to Advertise. It mixed vaudeville, big bands and Hollywood until the last movie, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure, in 1979. When a 50-year film-company lease ended in 1981, the Daniel family gave the building to Theatre Bristol, which deeded it in 1982 to the new Paramount Foundation; it was listed on the National Register in 1985 and restored in 1989–91. Seats dropped from about 1,200 to 750 so a stage house could be built. The original chandeliers remain; the marquee is a replica with 1,967 bulbs. October 2026 bills include Lorrie Morgan (23rd), Choir! Choir! Choir! (29th) and Molly Hatchet (30th).