villatheatre.com Guestbook
Records 1 to 10 of 189
Name:	Rhea Bel-Jon	Date:	10/26/2009
From:	New York	IP Address:	71.183.233.100
Comments:
Thank you so much for maintaining the site. I have been trying to trace some of my fathers art that he created for movie theaters in the 1940s and so many are gone without a trace. It was a pleasure to see history treasured.
Name:	Thomas Mohrlang	Date:	9/18/2009
From:	Southern Idaho	IP Address:	69.92.105.141
Comments:
Thank you for maintaining this website. It brought back many memories of yesteryear. The first show I saw in the Villa was "How the West Was Won". It used the three projector process. I was as fascinated by the three projection beams in the auditorium as by the show. Years later I saw "2001 A Space Odyssey" there. That was a one projector system and was an amazing experience. The Villa was one of the nicest theatres I have ever visited, and I am grateful it still lives on here on the Internet.
Name:	Garth Wilson	Date:	9/11/2009
From:	Garth Wilson	IP Address:	65.121.183.66
Comments:
May thanks to Hamid Adib for his efforts to restore the Villa. I have may memories of driving to SLC during the Utah State Fair and going to the Villa on Sat night and then visiting the fair on Sun.
Name:	Erick Peterson	Date:	10/8/2008
From:	Salt Lake City	IP Address:	216.83.141.9
Comments:
Hi. I just got through looking at your pictures of the Villa. Here’s some completely useless information for you. There were only two projectors and one spotlight in the booth, never four. When a Cinerama show was run, the #2 machine was disconnected and rolled into a corner of the booth and the center Cinerama machine was put in it's place. When the Villa opened it had two Simplex E-7 projectors. The Todd AO projectors that replaced the Simplex machines were installed for “Around the World in 80 Days”. Those machines actually came from a theatre in Kansas City. When three panel Cinerama was given up on, a pair of Century JJ-2 projectors made for Cinerama 70 were installed. These projectors were put in for “It’s a Mad Mad Mad World”. The Todd AO projectors then went to the Southeast and eventually to the Cottonwood Mall. When Mann Threatres got rid of the Union Projectionists, a platter was installed and one of the Todd AO machines came back from the Cottonwood, which also got a platter. When the louvered screen was put in somebody didn’t measure right and it was too long height wise. The strips were supposed to attach to the screen frame, both top and bottom, with springs. Since the strips were too long, the bottom was just thumbtacked down. This worked OK until we ran “Rollercoaster”. The picture was in Sensurround and the linear transducers were located behind the screen on the floor. When the sound track really started to rumble it had a nasty habit of blowing some of the strips loose. Shortly thereafter, a single sheet screen was installed. A fellow by the name of John L. Dobson worked the Villa as head projectionist from the day that it opened until Mann Theatres fired all of us Union Projectionists. I worked there with John for about fifteen years.
Name:	Marianna Plummer	Date:	7/31/2008
From:	NY	IP Address:	140.163.254.158
Comments:
I can't THANK YOU enough for creating this site which enabled me to walk down memory lane when I dearly needed to ... I lived very near the Villa Theatre from 1959-1978 and have so many fond memories of going there as a child up through my teens (and perhaps beyond - can't recall now!!) but I do always remember driving by there on Highland Drive. I just thought it would always be there. To learn that it has not only fallen subject to the mini-plex mania but to the ultimate blow of theatre death really brought a tear to my eye. I am grateful to the new owner for leaving the sign in tact, which is wonderful, but I don't think I could ever venture inside. I'd like to remember it as it was ... I remember walking atop the flagstone planter and then jumping off - oh what a feat that was when you are 8 years old!! I also read on another post that downtown the Centre Theatre has actualy been TORN DOWN!! OMG. What are they thinking?? One day they will wish they had truly preserved some of these treasures of decades gone by in Salt Lake City. Our world is moving all too fast today and if we don't stop to remember and sometimes be able to see and to appreciate how were, we're in a lot of trouble and sadly will miss out on a lot. Life is short and the art is long ... Thank you again for sharing your wonderful site. You have satiated a homesickness hunger for me in ways you cannot imagine.
Name:	Gregory G. Stangal	Date:	4/13/2008
From:	Phoenix, Arizona	IP Address:	12.72.92.17
Comments:
Here in Phoenix, Az. we lost the great Cine' Capri Theate, which was a lot like the Villa. I hope this wonderful theatre can return to all its glory.
Name:	Brian Gross	Date:	7/11/2007
From:	Brian	IP Address:	70.230.158.71
Comments:
I saw this theater and it was beautiful, the way a theater should be then I saw what it has become today and it brought a tear to my eye I hate when people say they wish to preserve something and they don't I will just say this if the Villa was preserved there would be a screen on that wall not a rug.
Name:	Freda Smith	Date:	7/4/2007
From:	F. Smith	IP Address:	24.10.239.177
Comments:
I loved the Villa my entire life. I have many many many FOND memories of going there. I went there recently to buy rugs and I literally cried as I walked into the main theatre area. It was like a death in the family. I am glad it is still standing and it has been renovated and redecorated very well. It is worth going there just to see the change, but take your Kleenex box because it was really really sad!
Name:	Abbey Becton	Date:	6/22/2007
From:	Salt Lake City	IP Address:	166.70.17.47
Comments:
This is another theater in Salt Lake that I'd buy if money were no object. A rug gallery? Oh the horrors! It was bad enough when the Centre theater was torn down, but to have the Villa with it's balcony made into a carpet store? At least the building is still intact and I'm sure the owner's thoughts/heart is in the right place. Thanks for this site, many memories. One of the first movies I went to with my ex-husband was at the Villa--Pink Floyd the Wall!! Yikes! How eighties!
Name:	Laury Smith	Date:	3/19/2007
From:	Laury Smith	IP Address:	24.10.151.225
Comments:
I have always loved the Villa theater. I happened upon this site today while I was sitting at home thinking about my darling aunt Connie that worked there for what seems to me a life time taking tickets. I remember being a little girl and every time we would drive by the theater I would see my beautiful aunt in the ticket booth with her lovely smile on her face greeting each customer. She is in the hospital today, seriously ill, and it was a blessing to me to be able to come to this site and remember her warm smile and a time when her health was not a burden to her. Thank you for sharing.

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Records 1 to 10 of 189