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The Villa
Theatre on 9 December 1949, two weeks before the
theater opened. Posters advertise the theater's
parking capacity of500 cars. On the sign is
the text, "Salt Lakes Grandest Theatre".
Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah
Used by permission, Utah State Historical
Society, all rights reserved |
A line of moviegoers await
the opening of the Villa Theatre's ticket booth on
the first day of Lord
of the Rings: The Two Towers. In 2003
the Villa Theatre looked much as it did when
it opened in 1949.
Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah
Photo by Grant Smith, 18 December 2002 |
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A trailer for radio station
KCPX sits by the entrance of the Villa Theatre for
a July 1961 showing of This Is Cinerama. A sign by the doors says "This performance sold
out."
Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah
Photo courtesy of Paul Schultz |
The entrance of the Villa
Theatre in 2003. The
use of neon in the entry area has been simplified,
with straight lines and circles replacing the more
elaborate patterns of old.
Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah
Photo by Grant Smith, 22 January 2003
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The words "Villa
Theatre"
on the circular roof over the theater entrance. On
the left of entry doors are four poster cases. On
the right is the ticket booth and a single poster
case.
Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah
Photo by Grant Smith, 31 December 2002
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Lord of the Rings:
The Two Towers appears on the Villa's sign as a line
of moviegoers wait to buy tickets.
Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah
Photo by Grant Smith, 18 December
2002 |
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On 9
December 1949 the Villa Theatre's sign read, "Salt
Lakes Grandest Theatre. Open Soon. Prince
of Foxes. Tyrone Power, Wanda
Hendrix. At Popular
First Run Prices."
Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah
Used by permission, Utah State Historical Society,
all rights reserved |
Lord of the Rings
on the Villa Theatre's sign on the opening day of The
Two Towers.
Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah
Photo by Grant Smith, 18 December 2002 |
Construction of the marquee
and sign of the Villa Theatre on 17 November 1949.
Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah
Used by permission, Utah State Historical Society,
all rights reserved |
Atlantis, Pearl
Harbor, and the Dolby Digital logo on
the Villa Theatre's sign in 2001.
Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah
Photo by Grant Smith, 2001 |
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Beneath the circular roof
of the Villa Theatre's entrance is
a similarly-shaped section
of white flooring filled with six colored circles.
Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah
Photo by Grant Smith, October 2001 |
Colored circles in the
floor of the Villa Theatre's entrance. The
ticket booth is in the upper right corner of the
photo.
Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah
Photo by Grant Smith, 24 October 2002 |
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Above the entrance of
the Villa Theatre in 1961 were the words "Always
Delightfully Cool". The original glass
doors of the theater were replaced after a motorcycle
crashed through them in 1998.
Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah
Photo courtesy of Paul Schultz |
The original doors front
doors of the Villa Theatre, just before the theater
opened in 1949.
Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah
Used by permission, Utah State Historical Society, all rights reserved, 9 December
1949 |
The front of the
Villa Theatre from across the street on 9 December
1949.
Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah
Used by permission, Utah State Historical Society, all rights reserved
|
The entrance of the
Villa Theatre from across the street on 22 January
2003.
Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City,
Utah
Photo by Grant Smith, 22 January
2003
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A display for Can-Can advertises "Breath
Taking Techicolor", "In the Magic of TODD-AO!",
and "Full 6 Track Stereo Sound". Sometime
before 1960
the three poster cases on the left of the entrance
were covered with a wall that could be painted
for
each
major feature.
Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah
Photo courtesy of Paul Schultz |
The display wall on the
left of the Villa Theatre's entrance was removed
when Carmike Cinemas renovated the theater in 1996. You
can still see paint splotches and
the holes where it was bolted into the wall.
Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah
Photo by Grant Smith |
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The original four poster
cases on 9 December 1949. The poster cases
were removed during the 1996 remodel and stored on
the Villa Theatre's stage until the theater closed
in 2004.
Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah
Used by permission, Utah State Historical Society,
all rights reserved |
The new poster cases installed
by Carmike Cinemas during the 1996 remodel of the
Villa Theatre. Each
poster cases featured
a tube of neon around the poster and
a keystone in the stucco above.
Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah
Photo by Grant Smith |
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The sign of the Villa
Theatre reflects in a poster case holding a poster
for the movie Piglet's Big Movie.
Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah
Photo by Grant Smith, 23 January 2003 |
A "For Sale" banner
on the Villa Theatre's sign in 2004. Harmons
Grocery later sold the Villa to Dr. Hamid Adib of
the nearby Adib's Rug Gallery.
Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City,
Utah
Photo by Grant Smith, 21 February
2004
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