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Show Page Thirty-S- The Daily Utah Chronicle Openings i ......!X1mISS READING PAGES 11, 12, 13&14hN..'..'...j Blue Mouse theatre caters to discerning movie goers JANICE Chronicle staff '"Good evening . . . welcome to the Blue Mouse." . The theatre is cozy, if worn-ou- t and tired looking. The walls are covered in a faded flower conglomeration. The seals are a little lumpy, and those more than five feet tall are going to have trouble with their legs. But it feels like home. Many in the audience, some nights almost everyone present, have been to the Mouse before. They feel like friends. They are there to see the kind of film the Blue Mouse is known for: the art film, both foreign and American made. This is the place for the "critical and discerning" film lover. The theatre does cater to everyone's secret love of exclusivity. "I wanted to create a fun place in Salt Lake City," said Mike Urmann, owner of the little theatre on First South. It was originally a screening room for film distributors who clustered on the block that was once known as Film Row. The strip between Second and Third East was. in its prime, the center for Intermountain distribution of movies. During the '30s and Paramount and '40s, 20th Century-Fox- , other big Hollywood production companies sent their new releases here to be acclaimed or scorned by theatre owners. There were film equipment outlets on the block, and the Cinegrill restaurant was born during this era. But the small screening room became too small for its purpose in the late '40s, and by Denver took over as the the mid-'50Intermountain film distribution capital. The Film Row bustle died down to a hum. the Cinegrill still serves food but will be leaving the block very soon. still operates a small 20th Century-Fooffice on First South, and another film distributing company, nostalgically named Film Row, moved there recently. The screening room has changed hands several times. It was an art theatre called Cinema Set in the middle '50s. The theatre struggled along for a few years, but the audience for such films wasn't big enough. Art Proctor bought the theatre in the '60s and named it the Blue Mouse. He also owns the Avalon and Vista theatres in Salt Lake. His idea was to show old Hollywood comedies, like the Marx Brothers and the PECK-SANSO- by BIOLOGY SOCIOBIOLOGY 3CR.HR. Will count as MWF AUTUMN QUARTER 1:10-2:0- 0 science distribution course. upper-divisio- n Evolution of animal behavior: adaptive significance of social, sexual, foraging, learning, communication, and related behaviors. Three lectures and one discussion per week (check fall schedule for listing of disc, sections and times). Prereq: one biology course and one math course (Math 105 or above). Instructor: Dr. Ric Charnov (581-338- 6) x HAPPY HOUR SPECIAL! 4 pm to 6 pm Avocado & Swiss Sandwich with a Soft Drink Domestic Beer 50$ Imported Beer 90P reg. $2.60 Hope-Crosb- y "But you can only run those movies so many times before you've shown them all," Urmann said. "I came along at a time when Proctor wanted to sell." Urmann and his wife. Dianne Orr (herself a filmmaker) had been living in Oregon. He was leaching economics there and "hating M s, Trolley Square road movies. it." , "We came back to Salt Lake, and realized we'd been spoiled by all the good films avialable in Portland. I got the idea of opening a theatre to show the kinds of movies we liked. We looked around for a place with low overhead because we knew the audiences would be small." What I'rmann found was the Mouse. He bought Proctor out and opened July 6, 1977. "What we had hoped was to bring more of the newer films the kind that are being shown in New York. But the population of Salt Lake just isn't big enough to support them," he said. New films are very expensive. If they don't pull in a substantial audience, the theatre loses money. To compensate, Urmann began to rely on older, better known films like Cabaret and Last Tango in Paris. "We'll still bring some of the newer films by directors like Werner, Fasbinder and Herzog, but I have to work with a critical balance to pay the bills," Urmann said. He talks about the theatre like a father describing a gifted child. "I dbn't want it to be a plain old theatre. I'm proud of the Blue Mouse; it's a community place." Urmann is geared for success. He is a busy man, a juggler of time and projects, and, he admits, "It's hard." In addition to running the theatre, which is a pastime more than a career, Urmann is an assistant professor of economics at Westminster College. He is also a corporate economist for KALL-91radio and KU TV-- 2 TV, and he is a husband and a father of two children. The Blue Mouse is an expensive pastime, Urmann said. "I've lost a lot of money on the theatre. People find that hard to believe. But they come here on a Saturday night for a popular film like a Bergman or a Fellini. They aren't around on nights when there are only about 15 people present for each film 80 percent of the time. "We're learning to get our costs under control. We had too many losers the first nine months. About 60 percent of the films continued on page 39 0 2o8X0 cut with this live entertainment expires September 29, 1978 Friday & Saturday pm 6-1- ft 0 Jg c S7 2 SALADS 2 SOFT DRINKS with 14" combination pizza 2048 So 700 East OUR STYLISTS SPECIALIZE IN air waving precision cuttinq & styling highlighting & frosting Henna coloring - individualized permanents lash & eyebrow tinting ear piercing m m SJT! on style cut reg . $ 9.00 HAIR WEST 1320 E. 2nd South 582-355- 7 -- CO UPON. - 1978 . V expires rr Oct. 31 m I |
