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Intellect

1941's "Sun Valley Serenade" at BYU film archive series Jan. 24

Film had its star-studded world premiere at Salt Lake's Centre Theater in 1941

The musical comedy film “Sun Valley Serenade” will have a one-time screening at Brigham Young University’s Harold B. Lee Library auditorium on Friday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m.

Doors open at 6 p.m. and admission is free, but seating is limited. Children ages 8 and over are welcome. No food or drink is permitted in the auditorium.

“Sun Valley Serenade” stars three-time Olympic skating champion Sonja Henie and John Payne who find love at the famed southern Idaho resort. The 1941 film also features popular Glenn Miller and his orchestra who play the Academy Award-nominated hit song “Chattanooga Choo Choo" and other popular tunes by the noted songwriting team of Mack Gordon and Harry Warren, including “It Happened in Sun Valley” and “I Know Why and So Do You.”

The world premiere of 20th Century-Fox’s “Sun Valley Serenade” occurred in Salt Lake City in the summer of 1941 and brought stars John Payne, Joan Davis and George Montgomery to Utah’s capital city for a sold-out, reserved-seat engagement at the Centre Theater.

Rare photographs of the premiere festivities will be shown by James D’Arc, curator of the BYU Motion Picture Archive Film Series during his behind-the-scenes introduction to the film.

Friday night’s screening is part of the ongoing BYU Motion Picture Archive Film Series, now in its 15th season, co-sponsored by the L. Tom Perry Special Collections, the Friends of the Harold B. Lee Library and Dennis and Linda Gibson.

For details, contact James D’Arc, curator, BYU Motion Picture Archive, 801-422-6371, james_darc@byu.edu.

Writer: Brett Lee

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