Rialto Theater

The Rialto Theater had 817 seats.

What a shame.........I used to live in Patchogue and the theater was just around the corner...It had all of the latest movies of the times.

I was a childof the 1950's and will always remember when it was .25 to get in, .10 for a coke, and .10 for popcorn!!! What a great piece of Patchogue history gone by......

Today it is a small park and at one time the only thing left were the original hindges in the ground for the front doors..........


Paul Glass

PAul, I went to school with you. I worked at the Rialto from JUne 1964 to November 1966. I remember when Bette Davis & Olivia DeHavilland came when "HUSH, HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE" WAS PLAYING. What a crowd there was that day! It was god place for a high school kid to work, but it was not in the best condition. The water fountain always leaked and in the summer the place smelled like a wet dog. But, oh, the memories!

I was a cashier and worked concession at the Rialto from 1972 until I graduated from high school in 1974. The manager was Mrs. Carpenter, a nice old lady whose life was the Rialto. My sister was an assistant manager until 1971, so in a way, I felt as if I grew up there! I remember being terrified that a mouse would run across my shoes during Ben, so I sat with my feet folded under me. It's true that the theater was run down, but in the dark, who could tell? When The Exorcist played there the crowds were so huge, that Mrs. Carpenter told me to just throw the money in the storage room behind the candy counter. By the time we got around to counting, the room was almost filled to the top with money! It's odd how the features were so inconsistent. They'd go from Easy Rider to Kung Fu movies. I spent many fond hours up in that projectionist booth watching the projectionist, on whom I had a crush, change reels. The lot seems so small now that it's empty, and yet the theater seemed so grand.

Violet,

You're right about the lot seeming so small now. I've commented on that to my wife, many times. The same thing with the movies there.
I left in 1966 and just prior to that there was a movie showing there with Natalie Wood and Robert Redford called "This Property is Condemned." When the name of the movie was put on the marquee. the phone would not stop ringing with people calling asking if the theater was still open! Goes to show you what people thought of the place.

Wow! What I wouldn't give to have taken that photo...or any photos of the old theater for that matter. Everytime I see Cinema Paradiso it reminds me of the Rialto.

I found an essay on line called: Yaphank, the Depression Years, written by the Yaphank Historical Society. Judging from the article The Rialto had to be around since the 30's! I had no idea the Rialto was that old!

The few young people who graduated from high school [Patchogue] had no local job options...Adults, other than farmers, included
some building trade craftsmen. These were carpenters, painters, electricians and masons. Work for trades people
was scarce as there was little construction, either new or remodeling. Some small jobs at the time included home
additions at Old Field and Belle Terre, the addition of sound equipment booths at the Rialto theater at Patchogue and the redecking of the bridge over the Long Island railroad
on what is now Sills Road

Paul,

Did you have a brother named peter?

I saw my very first movies here, as a young child, circa 1964.

Tony Riona- Do I know you??

NY80- Yes my brother is Peter Glass

PTG1949
If you would like to contact me: ptg49@peoplepc.com

Wow...since we're making connections...I'd love to learn whatever happened to Randy Lee, former Rialto projectionist, George Dipple, former usher, and Mark...um can't remember his last name...but also a former Rialto usher!

Paul,

I'm at linedans@verizon.net

Tony Raiona

They are currently building a huge condominium/aprtment project right near where this theater was located. They have condemned an entire street nearby.

This theater had more than one fire.

Fire Destroys Patchogue Theatre.

NY Times December 6, 1925

The Rialto Theatre on South Ocean Avenue was destroyed early this morning by fire believed to have been caused by an overheated furnace. The damage is estimated at between $50,000 and $75,000 by the owners, Ward & Glynn.

My mother,Dorothy Fuchs Francis worked at the Rialto in 1943-1944 as an usherette. It was there that she met my father, Bob Hurd who was in the U.S. Army & home on leave. His father was the projectionist there at the time (Alfred Hurd). My father was sitting in the auditorium watching the show & had his feet up on the back of the seat in front of him, & my mother whacked him on the feet with her flashlight (ushers & usherettes always carried them back then)& told him to get his feet down. The rest is history!!

In newspaper advertising from December, 1939, the Rialto seems to have been the least important of the three Prudential theatres then operating in Patchogue. In a group ad, the Patchogue Theatre, with "Destry Rides Again" as its sole feature, takes up about 65% of the space. The Granada, with a double bill of "The Secret of Dr. Kildare" & "Private Detective," gets about 30%, and the Rialto receives only a small box in the bottom right corner for its double bill of "Too Hot to Handle" & "Southward Ho."

I have got to get a photo of the old Rialto site. I passed by the other day, and WOW, there are luxury condos or something going up on the site, it looks fabulous, especially because South Ocean Ave was desolate right there for so long.

April 2, 1920

LM: You, too, embedding images in violation of the comment policy? Shocking! ;-)

Well, at least it looks like they've updated the site's code to prevent wide images from stretching the page horizontally. But even with big hunks of image files cut off, it would still be a pain for users on dial-up connections to wait for long pages full of images to load, if embedding were allowed.

Joe....I didn't know that it was against the law. I did know that large graphics slowed down the loading of the page for dial-up modems. Should I call an attorney? LOL

They have recently built very nice condos on the site of this theater, and the adjoining lots.

Wow is right....I seen my 1st horror flick "Dracula" there, ben, Blacula, Even the famous......"Mark Of The Devil" where passe4d out vomit bags.... Needless to say I was only 10....But i was addicted to horror....The Exorcist nearly killed me....It was the most frightening movie I had ever seen....I slept with the light on for "6" months....I wasn't supposed to be seeing a movie like that...I was after all Going To "St. Francis De Sales" Catholic school....Thanx for remembering something positive.....In this day and age It's nice to talk about the way it used to be......
Lenore "Canaan Lake"

Just posting to renew the email notifications.