The Egyptian Theatre
Photography: Douglas Burke
On December 25, 1926, a new theater called the Egyptian was completed at 328 Main Street and opened to a capacity crowd of 700 who watched a silent Zane Grey movie, “The Man of the Forest.”
The movie wasn’t particularly special, but the audience was amazed at the exotic design and decoration of the theatre. King Tutankhamen’s tomb was discovered in Egypt in 1922 and Egyptian decoration had caught the fancy of people around the world.
Egyptian theatres were constructed, among other places, in Pasadena and Hollywood, California and in Ogden, Utah. Park City’s Egyptian was built on the site of the old Dewey Theater that collapsed in 1917 from heavy, wet snow on the roof. The Dewey had been constructed by David Keith, John Judge and James Ivers on the site of their livery and feed stable after the Great Fire of 1898.
On December 25, 1929, the Egyptian recorded another first with the introduction of talking movies, commonly called “talkies.” The feature film was “The Fall of Eve” and the audience was stunned to hear the images on the screen talking. Other movie theaters in Park City were forced to convert to “talkies” in order to survive and some did. The Egyptian, however, continued to provide the best movies, the most luxurious surroundings and the highest quality sound system.
In 1948, Russ Dauterman of Green River, Wyoming, purchased the Egyptian and in the 1950s leased it to Bus Campbell, who renamed it the LuAnn Theater after his daughter. In 1963, it was sold to a group of local investors who remodeled the building and renamed it the Silver Wheel Theater, featuring live melodrama. In 1973, it was sold to Resort Cinema, Inc. of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, who renamed it the Park City Opera House, featuring movies. In 1975, when the new owners failed to make the mortgage payments, the theatre reverted back to the six local investors, who restored the Silver Wheel name and live melodrama. They announced plans to enhance the Western theme by replacing the front marquee with an overhanging porch, decorating the interior with Western subjects and perhaps install-ing a wooden boardwalk in front of the theatre. In the wake of overwhelming opposition, the owners sold the Egyptian to the Silver Mill company of Park City, which restored live theater. It eventually became the home of the Egyptian Theatre Group and a venue for the Sundance Film Festival. Two massive restorations in recent years have restored the Egyptian to prime condition, including a small replica of the sidewalk marquee. Renovation, however, has not removed Edwina, the Egyptian’s mischievous but friendly ghost.
Your comments may be edited for brevity and foul language.