Rialto Theatre

27 W. Church Street,
Orlando, FL 32801

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Paramount Pictures Inc.

Styles: Mission Revival

Nearby Theaters

Rialto Theatre

Opened April 19, 1926 with Bebe Daniels in “Lovers in Quarantine”. The Rialto Theatre was a downtown Orlando grindhouse, always playing double features. It featured a very large marquee, but had a small lobby and comparatively small auditorium. It closed during the early-1960s and was demolished in the early-1970’s.

Contributed by Irv Lipscomb

Recent comments (view all 18 comments)

Patsy
Patsy on March 3, 2010 at 5:12 pm

Too bad the theatre isn’t still there as I’ve heard that CSS is experiencing a resurgence.

matthewstein
matthewstein on July 21, 2011 at 9:23 pm

When I was a kid in the 50s, there was another downtown theater named the Astor. I don’t see it listed in the roster of Orlando theaters. I used to watch shows like Rodan, or Revenge of the Amazon Women at the Astor or Rialto.

irvl
irvl on July 21, 2011 at 9:39 pm

The Astor is listed on Cinema Treasures as the Grand, Matthew. The Astor name replaced the Grand late in its history. I posted a newspaper clipping showing the Astor on the Grand’s site.

Patsy
Patsy on July 21, 2011 at 9:56 pm

The name at the former Rialto Theatre site looks like Jacko’s. What is there now and is there anything reminiscent of it being a theatre?

irvl
irvl on July 22, 2011 at 12:37 am

The Rialto Theatre building still stands. The building in the picture is it, but there is nothing left of the theatre furnishings. I have a picture of the Rialto in a local history book. I will try to post it to this site.

Patsy
Patsy on July 22, 2011 at 10:24 am

What is Jacko’s?

irvl
irvl on July 22, 2011 at 11:19 am

Probably a sports bar.

Eugenie
Eugenie on January 18, 2013 at 7:00 pm

The Rialto was my favorite downtown movie theater, then the Beacham and the Roxy. Don’t think I ever discovered the Astor. Loved the double features w/cartoons at the Rialto. My big Saturday at age 10, 1957,was to ride the Greyhound from Rose Hardware SOBT into town, 50cents round trip, buy a box of chocolate covered cherries for 25c, and buy a movie ticket at the Rialto for 25c to see Cisco Kid serials, a couple of cartoons, and back-to- back movies: It Came from Beneath the Sea, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Monster that Challenged the World, Forbidden Planet…

rivest266
rivest266 on November 16, 2016 at 5:07 pm

This opened on April 19th, 1926. Its grand opening ad can be found in the photo section.

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