Today, the Capitol Theater, 50 W. 200 South, is the home of Utah West, the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company and the Utah Opera. When it opened in 1913 it was a stage theater, but utahtheaters.info says it was converted to a motion picture house in 1927. During its movies era its seats could slide back and forth to accommodate moviegoers of all sizes and inclinations.

Like many other venues, the Capitol also hosted non-theatrical events, such as a fundraiser for the fight against cerebral palsy. Early TV personalities spoke at the fundraiser and a kid could buy a baseball-shaped bank. The classic sci-fi film, "Forbidden Planet," played there around 1956.

Then there were the drive-ins, where the family car sprouted window speakers so Mom, Pop and all the kids could share a night out. Ah, the Redwood Drive-In of West Valley City, which is still open. The Oak Hills Drive-In, 2775 E. 1000 South, provided free entertainment for some: neighbors could watch from their balconies and listen to the show with their own speakers.

The rich story of the region's theaters include newsreels of World War II fighting, Bugs Bunny cartoons, kids picking gum off the bottom of chairs and chewing it, patriotic rallies, art exhibits in the lobbies, dill pickles sold in paper wraps, dishes given away to members of the audience, and, of course, snuggling.

A treasured recollection may be of "sanctioned movie days" when the boss closed down the shop and took the whole office to a show.

What about Alfred Hitchcock's terrifying 1960 classic "Psycho"? Remember when your brother dumped a soft drink from the balcony of the Centre (either by accident or on purpose?) Saturday morning children's shows at the South East Theater in Sugar House?

The Deseret News would like to hear about memorable moments at local theaters from all eras, both on and off the silver screen. Readers are invited to post comments on the paper's Internet site.