Trolley Corners

Wow, what a nice theatre, I sure would like to see a movie there, the seats look very comfortable

I also believe they shoudl 2nd run movies: http://boxoffice.printtixusa.com/westates/movies?v=2376

all together now...............

Michael when you know nothing about a theatre you should not post anything. The Trolley Corners wsa part of the Trolley Theatres of Salt Lake City, it was across 700 East from the Trolley Square Entertainment and Shopping Center. This was a Center that was transformed from the old Salt Lake City Trolley Barn. The Center also has a multiplex in it called the Trolley Square Cinemas you reached by a ramp that led to the building that used to be the power house converted into the cinemas. The theatre exterior was lined with old movie murals. The ushers wore Keystone Kops uniforms. The theatre is now occupied buy the Pottery Barn.

With the closure of the Cinedome, Wilshire, and Villa taking place in the last 10 years, Trolley Corners, with its 775 seat theater, was the largest venue in operation until its closure this year. Rumors among management insist that the main theater is haunted by a young boy, and transients would frequently be found sleeping under a few of the myriad staircases throughout the theater.

My wife and I saw a few films in the main room over the years (the last one was ABOUT SCHMIDT). It had a huge sprawling quality to it with a big screen to match. I wouldn't watch a good Horror movie in that big room by myself. All that dark space and the Haunted rumors would creep me out. It's sad to see the last big screen around here go. The other two smaller theaters were really going down the drain though and nothing special for sure. The last film I endured in the smaller theaters was FINDING NEMO, and the soft focused, underlit image didn't help the worst animated movie I've ever encountered on the celluloid screen.

Here are photos of the Trolley Corners in Salt Lake City.

I am really going to this miss this place. I am only 18 years old, and I feel so priveleged to have been there. I used to go there with my dad all the time. I don't believe I have seen a movie there in a number of years. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard this was becoming 24 Hour Fitness! Ever since Larry H. Miller put in his ridiculous "Megaplex" theatres, people have been straying from one of the main points of going to the cinema: the theatre itself. I am really afraid that by the time I am 30 there will be no theatres left like this in the country.

I know what you mean, filmguy ! I'm 62 and live in Brooklyn. We once had over 250 theaters; many of them movie palaces. We now have less than a dozen, mostly crummy plexes. The nearest thing we have is the Loew's Jersey over in Jersey City.

I was the manager of the Trolley Corners in '95-'96. I hadn't been back in that building until last month when I returned to take a GMAT exam in one of the suites. While waiting to take the test I wandered around and lamented the loss of this great movie house. The two smaller auditoriums downstairs were dumps, and mostly overflow from the grand theater upstairs.

While I was there I exhibited such films as Independence Day, Twister, Broken Arrow, Batman Forever, Mortal Kombat and The Usual Suspects.

I have so many special memories of that place that I could go on for days. And not all of my memories were pleasant. The air conditioning in that place invariably failed on the busiest weekend of the year, the 4th of July. Every night I would have to climb the scaffold behind the big screen to ensure that no bums were trying to sleep up there.

The projection booth had reel to reel projectors which I was instructed not to use. But we held press and trade screenings there, so to avoid the hassle of building up and breaking down the films for one showing I broke the rules and ran reel to reel without incident. I was spoiled forever because I was able to see all of the films before they came out, and I got to see them on the biggest screen in a nearly empty theater.

The place has so much charm it makes me sad to see it gone. The box office was completely surrounded by a cage and overlooked the concession stand on the lower theaters. The place had no storage for concession supplies, so during peak times we used the upper projection booth, which was enormous and had plenty of room. But the old projectionist had a fit every time we did it. The booth was so large that we had several couches in there and spent many late nights playing cards. The two lower projection booths also overlooked the lower concession stand, and when we would interlock the two, the film had to run right over the top of it all. Patrons frewuently asked me if the film passing over their heads was some kind of gimmick or if it was fake. They were always amazed when I told them that it was actually the film they were about to watch.

Does anyone know what the theatres are being used for today?