From vintage Paradise advertisements to opening-season film artwork — a glimpse of how a night at the theater was announced.
March 29, 1935 · NEWSPAPER ADVERTISEMENT
Cab Calloway at the Paradise
Cab Calloway and his Cotton Club orchestra appear in person, alongside a screening of The Whole Town’s Talking with Edward G. Robinson and Jean Arthur.
Daily News · March 29, 1935 · p. 223. Clipping supplied for the Paradise archive.
Jimmy Durante and Lupe Velez star in Palooka, while the stage presents Spices of 1934, a musical comedy revue featuring Count Berni Vici, Harriet Cruise, and Joe Besser.
Daily News · April 6, 1934 · p. 65. Clipping supplied for the Paradise archive.
Buddy Rogers and his orchestra, Eddie Dowling, and Lillian Roth lead a holiday stage bill at the Paradise. On screen: The Last Mile, featuring Preston Foster, Howard Phillips, and Noel Madison.
The Standard-Star · September 1, 1932 · p. 17. Clipping supplied for the Paradise archive.
Gold Diggers of 1935 shares the bill with a live stage show featuring the Birds of Paradise. An advertisement from the theater’s tradition of combining films and live entertainment.
Image supplied for the Paradise archive. Original publication and date unconfirmed.
A Paradise advertisement pairs Jimmy Durante and a big stage show with the film Wonder Bar, featuring Kay Francis, Al Jolson, Dick Powell, and Dolores del Rio.
Image supplied for the Paradise archive. Original publication and date unconfirmed.
“Heaven in the Bronx.” This advertisement pairs directions to the Paradise with a program of live entertainment and a screening of Broadway Gondolier, starring Dick Powell and Joan Blondell. Lou Holtz and Belle Baker headline the in-person bill.
Image supplied for the Paradise archive. Original publication and date unconfirmed.
MGM’s musical played at the Paradise the week after its opening. This is original film-release artwork, rather than a poster made specifically for the theater.
MGM, 1929 · Wikimedia Commons / Doctor Macro · U.S. public domain.
Opening programs are documented in the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission’s theater history. The Broadway Melody and The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu are film-release posters for movies shown at the Paradise, rather than Paradise-branded venue advertisements.