New Theater Completed; 'Paint Your Wagon' Set utahtheaters.info

Lee Marvin, star of "Paint Your Wagon," scheduled for the gala opening of the Century 22 Theatre, always sees his own pictures. What does the Academy Award-winning actor think of his films?

"I'm not sure I'm too objective; I love a good movie!"

Syufy Enterprises, owners of the new theater located at 200 E. 33rd South, will hold an invitation-only premiere of "Paint Your Wagon" on Monday. The Olympus High School Key Club will sponsor Tuesday's showing with proceeds going for a new rubberized track, Sub-for-Santa and the school's Blind Charity.

Wednesday, Westminister College's Student Government Association will use proceeds to finance its Forensic and ski teams. The motion picture begins its regular reserved seat engagement Thursday.

Good Character

In "Paint Your Wagon," Marvin portrays the boozy prospector, Ben Rumsom. He still sports the long white hair he grew for the film, but his unruly whiskers are gone.

"No matter what an actor did - all the opportunity's there - Ben Rumsom would have been a good character. I don't mean its a walk-on role, but there's lots of room for the actor to move around in."

The grizzled prospector is the central character in the musical comedy about No Name City, population: Male. Not so lucky in gold, Rumsom manages to buy a wife (Jean Seberg) from a passing Mormon who has two. The story really perks up when Rumsom's pardner follows a share and share alike policy and moves in with the newlyweds.

Image Switch

Offscreen, Pardner is better known as handsome Clint Eastwood. Away from the camera, the actor brings back memories of Rowdy Yates from television's Rawhide series. As he says of his own "Wagon" role, "It has the same image of gentle comraderie as Rawhide."

Eastwood, who rode to fame with Sergio Leone's Italian Westerns, makes a switch from his usual tough-guy roles to a gentle, soft spoken Pardner. (He even sings in this one.)