REMEMBERING CINERAMA
Part 18: Salt Lake City
The following is Part Eighteen in a series of retrospectives on Cinerama, the legendary motion picture process that kicked off the widescreen revolution. The series focuses on providing a market-by-market, film-by-film, historical record of when and where Cinerama and its multi-panel clones were exhibited. The easy-to-reference articles also serve to provide nostalgia to those who experienced the Cinerama presentations when they were new and to highlight the movie palaces in which the memorable events took place.
Part 1: New York
Part 2: Chicago
Part 3: San Francisco
Part 4: Houston
Part 5: Washington, D.C.
Part 6: Los Angeles
Part 7: Atlanta
Part 8: San Diego
Part 9: Dallas
Part 10: Oklahoma City
Part 11: Syracuse
Part 12: Toronto
Part 13: Columbus
Part 14: Montreal
Part 15: Northern New Jersey
Part 16: Charlotte
Part 17: Vancouver
And now...Part 18: Cinerama Presentations in Salt Lake City, Utah!
WINDJAMMER
Theater: Villa
Premiere: September 1, 1960
Engagement Duration: 16 weeks
Format: CineMiracle
Promotional Hype: “CINEMIRACLE Puts You Right In The Middle Of Thrill-Packed Adventure!”
THIS IS CINERAMA
Theater: Villa
Premiere: July 21, 1961
Duration: 26 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “You Are There!”
SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD
Theater: Villa
Premiere: January 18, 1962
Duration: 18 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “An Entertainment Of Such Irresistible Fascination...That Only The Miracle Of CINERAMA Could Encompass It!”
CINERAMA HOLIDAY
Theater: Villa
Premiere: May 23, 1962
Duration: 9 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “It’s worth a trip to Salt Lake City...because it’s every holiday you ever dreamed of...come true! Our 3rd CINERAMA Presentation. The Only Show In The Mountain West That Cannot And Will Not Be Shown In Any Other Theatre.”
SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD (Return Engagement)
Theater: Villa
Premiere: July 25, 1962
Duration: 4 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD in the greatest wonder: CINERAMA”
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM
Theater: Villa
Premiere: August 22, 1962
Duration: 25 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “For The First Time CINERAMA Tells A Story”
SEARCH FOR PARADISE
Theater: Villa
Premiere: February 13, 1963
Duration: 8 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “The Most Exciting CINERAMA of Them All!”
HOW THE WEST WAS WON
Theater: Villa
Premiere: April 11, 1963
Duration: 39 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “24 Great Stars. 3 Noted Directors. A Fabulous New Dramatic Adventure From M-G-M And CINERAMA”
SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE
Theater: Villa
Premiere: January 9, 1964
Duration: 6 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “CINERAMA Transports You To Lush Tropic Islands Adventure-Splashed With A Thousand Excitements!”
IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD
Theater: Villa
Premiere: February 19, 1964
Duration: 36 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “It’s The Biggest Entertainment Ever To Rock The CINERAMA Screen With Laughter!”
CIRCUS WORLD
Theater: Villa
Premiere: October 28, 1964
Duration: 21 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “CINERAMA Thrills... as the wildest Wild West Show you’ve ever seen rocks you with breathtaking feats of daring!”
MEDITERRANEAN HOLIDAY
Theater: Villa
Premiere: March 24, 1965
Duration: 3 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “Suddenly you’re surrounded by the screen... Suddenly you’re in exotic lands... fascinated by strange customs and stranger people!”
THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD
Theater: Villa
Premiere: April 14, 1965
Duration: 25 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “Only once in a lifetime. An Entertainment So Rich. An Experience So Rewarding.”
THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL
Theater: Villa
Premiere: October 6, 1965
Duration: 21 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “CINERAMA Sends You Roaring With Laughter And Adventure Down That Wide, Wonderful Fun-Trail!”
BATTLE OF THE BULGE
Theater: Villa
Premiere: March 2, 1966
Duration: 17 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “At Last! The super action show in SUPER CINERAMA”
KHARTOUM
Theater: Villa
Premiere: June 29, 1966
Duration: 12 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “Where the Nile divides, their mighty conflict begins!”
RUSSIAN ADVENTURE
Theater: Villa
Premiere: September 21, 1966
Duration: 4 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “This is the ultimate in CINERAMA. This is the last word in truly incredible adventure!”
MEDITERRANEAN HOLIDAY (Return Engagement)
Theater: Villa
Premiere: October 19, 1966
Duration: 4 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “You sail away and live all the excitement your mind ever imagined in CINERAMA’s MEDITERRANEAN HOLIDAY”
GRAND PRIX
Theater: Villa
Premiere: February 1, 1967
Duration: 28 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “CINERAMA sweeps YOU into a drama of speed and spectacle!”
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
Theater: Villa
Premiere: June 12, 1968
Duration: 21 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “An Epic Drama Of Adventure And Exploration!”
ICE STATION ZEBRA
Theater: Villa
Premiere: November 13, 1968
Duration: 23 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “Ice Station Zebra...remember the name, your life may depend on it!”
KRAKATOA, EAST OF JAVA
Theater: Villa
Premiere: August 7, 1969
Duration: 18 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “The New CINERAMA Hurls You Into The Incredible Day That Shook The Earth To Its Core!”
THIS IS CINERAMA (Re-Issue)
Theater: Villa
Premiere: September 28, 1973
Duration: 3 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “THIS IS CINERAMA Is Back To Entertain A Whole New Generation”
NEVER SHOWN IN CINERAMA:
HOLIDAY IN SPAIN
THE BEST OF CINERAMA
CUSTER OF THE WEST
Compiled by Michael Coate
Sources: Deseret News, The Salt Lake Tribune and VillaTheatre.com